Carbon barrels of equal weight as steel, are less rigid. Tests have been done, equal length and weight steel VS carbon, the steel has less than half the deflection with equal weight hung from the end. After my last debacle with a Bartlein carbon, I will not be buying any more carbon barrels. A fluted 3b or light palma is close enough in weight to carbon, it don't matter and both can be threaded to 5/8x24.
Barrel - Carbon vs. Fluted vs. ?
- Thread starter In_Him
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
For me, you're right there on weight. My .338 Thor (NMI) has a 24" C6 with .860" at the muzzle.
(https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/my-338-thor.327058/#post-2776837)
You could probably get away with a sendero contour (.830" at the muzzle). I originally was going featherweight (.750"), but when I spoke to Gene Gordon, and he found out what I was building, he recommended the .860" at the muzzle. Contact him for advice; he is very nice and easy to talk to. Also, consult with your gunsmith who is going to build your rifle. Good luck!
Ed
Possibly on to something about muzzle diameter! I would go with a larger (or just large enough) muzzle diameter based on cartridge. Same goes for AR's! Having 2 short mags, none are pencil or sporter muzzle diameters and profiles. Also opted on not doing a .750" gb and going .875" minimum with modified socom profile. Still, you have a fairly light weight @ 11# 5.2oz w/optic. Another thing is with the same profile AND having a larger bore it WILL be less weight than smaller bores. How much different should only be ozs depending on length. I did a 28" heavy socom profile (7saum spiral fluted) @ 62.33ozs and a 22" hbar (6.5prc) @ 68.01ozs. Crazy that the shorter barrel weighed that much less. Without the flutes on the 28" it would be a little closer to the same weight as the 22" or fluting the 22" it could be closer to the same as the 28" with flutes. I did a 7-08 (from the same maker of the 6.5prc) in a 22" lightweight that weighed @ 45.96ozs. Profile alone was 22.05ozs less (bore difference probably less than 1oz)
I fail to see how a carbon barrel is any different from a non carbon barrel in terms of accuracy. Someone said they had a bad experience with. A carbon barrel and they won't be buying any more. Well that's fine but I don't see how carbon was the issue, it still has a steel barrel inside.
Another consideration is suppressor use. You want a beefy enough shoulder to make good contact. Most of the lighter weight stainless barrels may allow you to thread them 5/8-24 but you will have a very thin shoulder. My gunsmith wants at least .100" shoulder for suppressor use and I can't say I disagree with him.
that's going to put you at .830 muzzle diameter on a steel barrel and that going to weigh noticeably more than a Sendero profile carbon barrel.
Another consideration is suppressor use. You want a beefy enough shoulder to make good contact. Most of the lighter weight stainless barrels may allow you to thread them 5/8-24 but you will have a very thin shoulder. My gunsmith wants at least .100" shoulder for suppressor use and I can't say I disagree with him.
that's going to put you at .830 muzzle diameter on a steel barrel and that going to weigh noticeably more than a Sendero profile carbon barrel.
Mike Matteson
Well-Known Member
Following.
ntsqd
Well-Known Member
I will suggest that if a carbon wrapped barrel is less rigid than a steel barrel of the same contour that whomever did the carbon did it wrong. I will further suggest that a carbon wrapped barrel should NOT be a pencil exterior contour, but that doesn't mean that the steel inside it can't be.
I started a thread to look at how flutes affect the weight and rigidity of a barrel using CAD, but a poster with a personal agenda derailed it. Perhaps if there is enough interest I can start a new thread on that topic.
I started a thread to look at how flutes affect the weight and rigidity of a barrel using CAD, but a poster with a personal agenda derailed it. Perhaps if there is enough interest I can start a new thread on that topic.
Brown precision used to make a Kevlar stock that they called the pounder. I have it on 2 of my rifles a 6mm and a 350 rem mag. The 6mm only weighs 5.5 pounds scoped and loaded. The 350 weighs in at 6 pounds. Great to carry but the 350 is a handful when you pull the trigger.
See if they still make that stock. It's a real weight saver.Some of the early ones had issues when they got hot and the carbon and steel were expanding differently and causing accuracy issues but I believe that's a thing of the past.
Nope still a problem at Bartlein. My last barrel would walk 2 moa right for the first 8 shots no matter what, then it'd start shooting lil groups. I'm not the only guy who's sent barrels back for this recently.
If you are going to have a Can hanging off the end, go with Carbon. If not, go with S.S. and if you like Fluting, get it Fluted.
And at 20" long. The cartridges mentioned. WHY. Do 7PRC or 338WM. Imo.
Last edited:
akmtnhnt
Well-Known Member
If you're getting a custom barrel, you can have the end brought back up to 5/8 threads.
Like this.
Honestly, I don't know why this isn't the standard for sporter barrels these days.
Agree this is best for form and function on a small muzzle steel barrel, but not the most pleasing esthetically. I personally don't give a darn about looks anymore, it's about fitment to me, weight, balance and function.
akmtnhnt
Well-Known Member
It looks great as long as there's a suppressor on it.
