I'm looking for a new barrel for my contender a 14 inch .22 cal. what is the difference between a regular chamber and a match chamber? I will use it to shoot sillohuette targets. If the match chamber is better and they are both the same price why would you buy the regular? Also, What companies barrel is best, Virgin Valley, Bullberry or Fox Ridge? Thanks for the input guys.

dwbuz,

My Bullberry 223 Match is chambered with the neck at .246" diameter, to my specification. A load with standard brass won't chamber until the neck is turned, but by doing so you get to decide how much clearance you have in the neck which can improve accuracy. Virgin Valley also will cut the neck to your specs and I think they also call it "Match". For this kind of custom work you will pay a little more, but in my opinion it is well worth the extra expense.

A barrel from Fox Ridge is manufactured in the T/C factory on the same machines by the same people that produce the factory barrels to factory specs. The most common affliction in T/C factory and Fox Ridge barrels is the chamber is off center. Now if you would be satisfied with the way an off center chamber will shoot, the Fox Ridge will do you fine. Some of those barrels shoot Ok and some don't - it just depends on how badly the chamber is off center.

I had a 30 Herrett barrel with an off center chamber and it would shoot no better that a 3" 100 yd group. I also had a 17 Mach IV with the same problem and it would shoot 3/4" 100 yd groups. Neither of these groups was good enough for my taste. I don't know who finally got the 30 Herrett, but I sold the 17 Mach IV to a shooter who thought a 3/4" group was just fine. It all depends on what you expect to get out of it.

Don Shearer