Barrel - Carbon vs. Fluted vs. ?

[In_Him]

Hello all!
As I get ready to pursue the wildcat flavor, what barrel would y'all recommend for a lightweight, accurate, hunting, 20", in a 7Mega and 338Mega or Max?
I have Carbon6 barrels for my 300wm and 280ai. Just not sure it they're the lightest option vs a slimmer profile with flutes.
Thank you,
Brian

 

[tahoe1305]

They are not. I'd say not even that close.

My next will be a flutted thin profile (tikka D18 or #3) with a flare at end for 5/8s. I think in the 18-20" range that will be a 2lb barrel. I have a featherweight 20" carbon 6 (which I think is lightest CF). And it's 38oz from what I recall.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Tagging in

 

[Wedgy]

Unless you are going with a long tube like ~28" or more then the CF will be lighter.

 

[OG10]

From Bartlein… now get some specs from your carbon manufacturer and you will know.

 

[In_Him]

From Bartlein… now get some specs from your carbon manufacturer and you will know.

I've tried, but they seem to be pretty evasive to answer these questions. They say there's too many variables such as length (obviously), contour, shank, caliber, etc. so I was hoping for some real world experience.

 

[Taylorbok]

I'm gonna go carbon next time I re-barrel my hunting rig you need to go to a pencil barrel to keep up with a carbon.

 

[In_Him]

I'm gonna go carbon next time I re-barrel my hunting rig you need to go to a pencil barrel to keep up with a carbon.

I have a Carbon6 for my 280AI and 300WM. Looking at building a 338 and 7mm max or mega and trying to see if there is any weight loss with going to a steel barrel and flutes. I think I'm all in at 9lbs right now with an MDT HNT26 chassis and 23oz March scope. Only place I see to save weight is the barrel. Going down to 20" will help a bit.

 

[WapitiBob]

Bartlein carbon weights posted by Frank when they first built the carbon blanks.

 

[comfisherman]

Can do a lighter profile in stainless that beats most carbon I'm aware of. Carbon is lighter for equivalent taper, but a true weight weenie build is one of the mountain tapers like the shilen featherweight.

 

[Roughrice]

FWIW:

I had a Smith custom build a lightweight 280AI with a 2b Bartlein.
In the plan was to send it off to a very reputable place to be fluted and it turned out very handy and balanced great.

After extensive load development and 146 rounds thru the pipe, I never could get it to shoot as good as a Bartlein barrel should.
So, I called Bartlein and spoke to a great CS guy. After a detailed Q&A session, he asked me how deep the flutes were and said if they were more than xx thousanths deep they couldn't warrant the barrel. I measured and naturally mine were a couple thousanths over their limit for warranty.
I told him who fluted it and he said they did great work but must have missed the measurements on depth of cut.
I sold the barrel afterwards.
Fluting is pretty but realized that 6 straight flutes on a thin profile barrel doesn't save that much weight after all and isn't worth the risk of barrel integrity.

 

[Kimber7man]

I think you can save more weight by chambering with a shorter shank than by doing straight flutes on a thin barrel.

 

[akmtnhnt]

Thin steel is always lighter than carbon.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

Thin steel is always lighter than carbon.

I've always wondered where the line is there, concerning rigidity. So I keep buying fat heavy blanks with both materials.
Don't know where to draw the line but I have a fluted 3b that's fantastic. Smallest SS I have and it's 26"