Barrel thickness and accuracy.

[Mancill]

So I have been asking stupid questions to decide on a dedicated hunting rifle. I was wondering if a heavy barrel was needed to accurately shoot long distance. Basically could I get say a tika something or another caliber and be able to make a shot at 600 meters reliably as far as the rifle goes excluding my mess ups. I already have a heavy barrel for wacking steel but hate the weight. Thanks

 

[rcoody]

Just my opinion but i believe a #2 or #3 contour barrel can be just as accurate as a heavy barrel for the first 2 or.3 shots.

Now most shooters find that a heavier rfle is much easier to shoot.

Those lightweights can be a bit twitchy

 

[WeiserBucks]

I agree , light barrels are capable of great accuracy but heat up quickly. In a hunting situation, the 1st shot is the best opertunity to make a good shot. After that , the game is either spooked or wounded, providing a poor opportunity for additional shots .

Light rifles can be accurate, but are more difficult to shoot consistently , especially something with a lot of recoil .

 

[gohring3006]

I believe caliber has a lot to do with it.
A sporter 338 barrel will probably be hard to tune and will walk more than a 22, 243 or 6.5 mm cal barrel in a sporter weight. All because the barrel walls will be thicker with the smaller calibers.

 

[Dosh]

I like #3 or heavier contour on my hunting rifle. More accurate and don't heat up as fast IMO. The weight doesn't bother me since I don't hike all over the area. I always sit where I know the game will walk by. I'm also a fairly large guy at 6'4" and 230# so a couple pounds doesn't bother. You only hunt a short time of the year so a bit more carry weight with the excitement of the hunt is negligible to me.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

I've got a Browning 7mm mag with a pencil weight barrel that I bought for a strict hunting rifle. It's a sub moa rifle and I've taken it out to 750 yards with its 3-9 hunting scope with ok success. So yes they can be plenty accurate but after 3 shots you can nearly cook your dinner on the barrel. Generally when I'm hunting, at least for me anyways, I shoot one shot and it's over. Sometimes i shoot as many as 3 but not very often. So personally im wanting just a hunting rifle for moderate ranges then I'm perfectly ok with a lightweight rifle with a pencil barrel. I've got a heavy barreled target gun for anything else I need to do.

 

[rcoody]

I believe caliber has a lot to do with it.
A sporter 338 barrel will probably be hard to tune and will walk more than a 22, 243 or 6.5 mm cal barrel in a sporter weight. All because the barrel walls will be thicker with the smaller calibers.

I will pass on the sporter 338. One range session and i bet most would.agree. if you were a big time elk hunter in grizzly country and only shot it a.few times a year guess it would make.sense.

 

[Pdvdh]

I believe caliber has a lot to do with it.
A sporter 338 barrel will probably be hard to tune and will walk more than a 22, 243 or 6.5 mm cal barrel in a sporter weight. All because the barrel walls will be thicker with the smaller calibers.

Agree with this and generally the other prior comments.

What's not been said is that you'll likely work harder during load development to get the precision out of quality light contour barrels, compared to quality heavier contour barrels. The light contour barrels might deliver good precision, but you may hunt longer and harder to find it.

I suppose this is the same as saying the lighter contour barrels are less forgiving when it comes to precision than comparable quality, but heavier contour barrels.

This from a guy with 90% lighter contour barrels.