are carbon fiber barrels the wave of the future?

[Tex_Hunter]

i will say I HIGHLY doubt savage has the same investment in each steel blank as Bartlein, I bet it's not even close.

No sh**, really?.... thats probably why the whole rifle is only $1000 as opposed to the ~$2000+ you'd pay for a Christensen or similar with a carbon tube.

Go back and re-read the middle sentence of my response...

" The point is that adding carbon to the barrel seems to cost around $300-400 to the consumer across the industry whether it is a cheap rifle like a savage or a top end premium rifle like a CA or just a barrel blank from Bartlein or Proof. "

Im not sure what you're arguing?

 

[Deleted member 103481]

No sh**, really?.... thats probably why the whole rifle is only $1000 as opposed to the ~$2000+ you'd pay for a Christensen or similar with a carbon tube.

Go back and re-read the middle sentence of my response...

" The point is that adding carbon to the barrel seems to cost around $300-400 to the consumer across the industry whether it is a cheap rifle like a savage or a top end premium rifle like a CA or just a barrel blank from Bartlein or Proof. "

Im not sure what you're arguing?

You're not sure what I'm arguing because I'm not arguing

im just having a conversation about something interesting. Which apparently is a thing of the past.

calm down

 

[Radman]

Interesting. I do not fault your thinking at all but I thought just the opposite. The only benefit I see is a slight weight savings. JMO

Of everything that's been said here I personally think that you brought up the most interesting point, (no slurred against anyone here).

 

[preventec47]

Well let me tell you this I have one on a 6.5-284 norma. For hunting and I can shoot 6 rounds of it and still hold on to barrel


I have one on a 6.5-284 norma for hunting with I can tell you that I can shoot 6 rounds out of it and still hold on to the barrel it does not heat up as fast as a steel one

Terribly faulty logic here. The carbon outside is acting like insulation meaning most of the heat is being retained in the barrel liner instead of being dissipated. The liner could be a hundred degrees hotter or more. THIS has to be a contributor towards reduced barrel life. My guess is that if a carbon barrel is too hot to touch, the inner lining might be glowing red hot.

 

[ndking1126]

Not sure if they'll make it to being the norm, but I do believe they will continue to grow in popularity. I've got a Savage 7mm Rem Mag I want to put one on. I've had quite a few non-gun related expenses lately, so it's been pushed down the priority list for now.

 

[Greyfox]

I could be wrong, but think the CF rifle/barrel market is definitely here to stay but will be a smaller segment of the hunting market space, and less so in the precision, competitive segments where barrels are replaced on a frequent basis, and heavier barrels are preferred.. My buddy just purchased a custom Gunwerks rifle with a CF barrel. For his needs of wanting a light weight rifle for mountain and general hunting it's very accurate, and suites his needs very well. His shots will very rarely exceed 400-500 yards, and he likely not to put more then 20-30 rounds/year through it. He is exceptionally happy with this rifle and will likely be using it for 10+ years. I personally found it to be too light and feeling unbalanced for my style of long range, carry hunting. I will very likely stick with 10-11 pound steel barreled rifles......I'm that "old dog" that's slow to change.

 

[vancewalker007]

What is the barrel life compaired to steel?

Should about the same or better. They are still steel inside just like a Brux or a Hart. I know my Proof on my 6.5 PRC seems to cool faster than the Brux on my father's PRC. Maybe cooling faster is better for throat life, not sure. It would be interesting to do a side by side test. I'll have to look for a way to do it.

 

[Elkaholic Hunter]

To me, the main benefit of CFW barrel is lightweight heavy contour threaded 5/8x24 for my suppressor.

EXACTLY! This is hands down the biggest benefit, a barrel is a barrel, it's getting that common 5/8x24 thread so you can screw cool things onto the end without it being a boat anchor

 

[greatwhitehntr]

So this is hear say from a savage rep.
They use savage barrels and turn them down and wrap them to keep the cost down. Proof wraps and chambers them with savage reamers. Just what I headed through the grapevine. Take it for what it is worth. I think that is BS.

 

[CMP70306]

To me, the main benefit of CFW barrel is lightweight heavy contour threaded 5/8x24 for my suppressor.

I can't believe it took until the 3rd page for someone to bring this up. To me that is the main reason to buy a carbon fiber barrel, just look at the numbers.

A 24" Light Palma contour barrel with the .725" minimum muzzle diameter required for 5/8-24 threads would weigh a bit over 4 pounds while the Proof Pre-fit I got in 6.5 PRC weighs in at 2.75 pounds.

My suppressor weighs 20oz which means my carbon fiber barrel with the suppressor weighs as much as the smallest steel barrel required to mount the suppressor.

If I went with the same straight 1" contour I would be looking at a 6 pound barrel.

 

[Deleted member 103481]

So this is hear say from a savage rep.
They use savage barrels and turn them down and wrap them to keep the cost down. Proof wraps and chambers them with savage reamers. Just what I headed through the grapevine. Take it for what it is worth. I think that is BS.

Interesting

 

[Pdvdh]

Should about the same or better. They are still steel inside just like a Brux or a Hart. I know my Proof on my 6.5 PRC seems to cool faster than the Brux on my father's PRC. Maybe cooling faster is better for throat life, not sure. It would be interesting to do a side by side test. I'll have to look for a way to do it.

How did you determine the Proof seems to cool faster than your father's steel Brux?

 

[Mike Matteson]

Several years ago my son got a Ruger action with a FGB in 22/250. Somebody had put a lot of work into it, custom bench rest stock, trigger, barrel, finish on the the stock. Shoots good, but we haven't done much work up for a load for it yet. Son was in different part of the US, and next year we will be closer together. I would have guess they had $1,800+ into it. The weight of the rifle is very low, compared to my 220 swift with heavy barrel. I think we got it for under $600.00. No mask required either. I can see FGB for hunting in the mountains. Generally you are only shooting 1 to 2 shot at animal at a time. So barrel heat I don't think would apply there. I know or hear the volley of shots at times out hunting, but that's not the norm. A lot of people are trying to cut down there barrels into 20" length to cut weight down to pack that rifle all day long. I much about the FGB, but can a muzzle brake be attached to the barrel? I've seen some heavy rifle out there. That has to get old real quick.

 

[ducky]

To me, the main benefit of CFW barrel is lightweight heavy contour threaded 5/8x24 for my suppressor.

That's where I see the advantage in CF barrels as well. I just put together a dedicated suppressor hunting rifle using a 18" magnum contour fluted barrel, by the time I added optics and suppressor my rifle came out 10 lbs, if I add a 30mm scope and rings I'll be at 11 lbs. It isn't obscenely heavy but it's a huge difference from my mainstay 7lb hunting rigs.