A while back, I sent an email to Joe Beary, asking for some information on his popular Gunsmither™Elevation Correcting Barrel Block. I was hoping to clarify some questions I had about his product. He quickly replied with some useful information. It’s ideal for anyone looking to improve the accuracy of their 10/22 with either a factory or aftermarket barrel. Much of it is directly from his site, with extra info about short barrels and aftermarket parts. I’ve added an edited version of my email below, along with his reply.
The conversation
Q: I’ve seen your Gunsmither Block for the 10/22 mentioned frequently, and have some questions. Is it mainly for factory receivers, and/or steel barrels? I can see where that might be a recipe for barrel droop. What about an aftermarket receiver, with one of the lightweight shrouded barrels? Should droop still be a concern? And Chargers, with barrels of 12 inches or less?
A: Thanks for your inquiry regarding the Gunsmither™Elevation Correcting Barrel Block. It is designed primarily to compensate for the loose fit that sometimes happens with 10/22 Ruger factory original receivers and sporter style barrels. Aftermarket receivers and barrels often have much tighter fitting barrel shanks / receiver holes, and usually do not present a low shooting condition to the best of my knowledge.
The loose barrel/receiver fitment is no problem with open sights. With a scope, the loose fitment can allow the factory style “V” shaped block to pull the loose barrel downward, sometimes causing the weapon to shoot low. Some scopes don‘t have enough elevation adjustment to overcome the low shooting condition, commonly referred to as barrel “droop”, or “sag”.
This can be particularly bad when a factory wooden stock with sporter barrel free-floated, as the pressure point at the front of the stock actually can push the barrel up slightly, while the “V” block pulls the barrel down. With the “V” block pulling down, and the front pressure point pushing upward, the barrel can be bent in a very shallow curve. Remove the pressure point when free-floated, and the full effect of the “V” block pulling down on a loose-fitting barrel shank will be magnified further.
I have no knowledge of the GS Blocks use in lightweight shrouded barrels or with Chargers. If the barrel shank/receiver fit is loose, the “V” block could pull even a lightweight barrel down enough to cause low shooting I think. But I have no experience with lightweight barrels personally.
The GS block works with .920” dia. barrels as far as I know.
How it works
That curved sharp edge on the barrel/V block interface is carefully filed down a bit. It’s a two-minute job with a fine file. The V block is then replaced with the Gunsmither™10/22® Barrel Block. Rather than pulling the barrel down, it applies upward pressure. That’s all there is to it. Click here to see the process in a few simple steps.
My takeaway from this
For $18.95, his product neatly solves one of the issues plaguing the factory 10/22. If you’re using a Ruger receiver and Ruger barrel, this is a smart upgrade. Makes you wonder why Ruger didn’t just use this design in the first place. At the same time, it seems unnecessary for aftermarket barrels or receivers that have an exceptionally good fit. But you can still use it in place of the V block if you plan on upgrading later.
I’m down to a single factory receiver myself, but it’s a Takedown, so this product doesn’t apply. And all of my barrels are aftermarket as well. The heaviest barrel I own is a 10″ KIDD .920 steel barrel, which weighs about two pounds. But there’s no sag. I had to heat the receiver to install the barrel, and it was still a very tight fit. So I guess I’m endorsing a product I haven’t actually had to use myself. If this interests you, head over to gunsmithertools.com, and check it out, along with the rest of the cool tools available.
Thanks Joe, for taking the time to reply. I’m glad we have guys like you in the firearms industry.