Ok maybe I can answere all your questions. I machined the barrel from a blank. When I chambered it I indicated it in both ends with a tenth indicator and used a Clymer match reamer. I ran a patch through it before chambering for a clean bore start and made three cuts blowing the chips out then running a patch through each time. I have a recessed crown of .050 deep and polished afterward. A round is snug as it touches the rifling then fully seated into the chamber. I cleaned the barrel this afternoon and then ran a snug fitting patch through it using steady pressure. I felt NO tight spots till I got about one to two inches from the muzzle. I am thinking RKS barrels may have some choke in them but am not sure. It is 1 in 16.5 left hand twist. I am taking all comments in earnest and do appreciate them. As stated I have some SK ammo and a couple others on the way to try. Mean time I am going to take marlin guy's suggestion and run another 100 rounds of some CCI through it. I don't really want to call RKS for advise. I am hoping it is just an ammo thing.  Not going to get discouraged  but going to keep plugging along. I will say the two features GT uses which are the sliding bar extractor and the transfer bar ignition are working flawlessly so a big thanks to him. The answere is waiting out there somewhere. I just gotta find it. Thanks guys...


JMH

I don't think it is ignition. When you chamber a round it stops about .050 short as the bullet touches the shoulder. My breech block has an ample radius that it fully seats the round as it closes. I even used a pusher stick to be sure the round is fully seated. I don't know what it is. I have done machine work for 36 years and I have built enough guns that I am confident in my equipment and methods. I don't know what it is. RKS barrels have a reputation for very good accuracy so I can't understand why I am having so much trouble. It is 1 in 16.5 left hand twist chromoly barrel. I am probably tomorrow going to shoot another 100 rounds through it and try for accuracy again using some SK standard plus I have ordered. If I can't do any better it will probably be listed in the for sale section as a lightly used tomato stake......



JMH

You know I'm not sure. When I ordered it I don't remember him mentioning gain twist. I told them I wanted a 22LR chromoly blank. He said it was 16.5 left hand twist. He also told me they were having some tooling trouble because it was taking forever to get it. Last time I talked with them he said they had got the tooling problem fixed and apologized for the wait. He didn't say what the tooling problem was. I will check it in the morning. Got me curious now...



JMH

No I didn't swap ends. The breech end was clearly marked. Think I will try pushing a bullet through just for the heck of it. How hard should it be to push a bullet through? Never done that before with a rim fire.



JMH

A gain twist gets a little harder to push.   
With the way RKS makes a GT they choke a little anyway.  Just my opinion, if you're shooting for best group shoot SK ammo as a minimum, get some Center-X for even better results.  I have 12 of their RF barrels on builds, a couple shoot better than the rest, but even the worst shoot perty respectable.  Running from 17, 16, 14 and 12 twist.  The 17 twist compares or exceeds everything I've built at 50', the last one in 12 twist struggles at 50' but outshoots everything else I own at 150 and beyond.

Is it gain twist or consistent?