Sporter vs Bull barrel - 800m/LRH Sporter rigs?

[SBD]

Just wondering how important a bull barrel is to long range accuracy, or more accurately how much of a disadvantage is using a sporter? We see 99% of the rifles built here using heavys, but for a long range hunter (4 or 2 legged animals) what can I expect from a sporter? GAP has their hunter with a #3 contour and I'd bet its classic GAP accurate

I get how heavy barrels reduce things like barrel whip and vibration, and offer heat resistance for rapid shooting (well at least more rapid), but in a coyote/deer/tango caliber like a .243/308 that also wants to punch paper out to say 800m - would a 24"-26" Bartlein/Brux/Obermeyer in a #3 or #4 contour be just as good? Or should I say, be as good as I can personally shoot it? Ammo is usually HSM loaded with Bergers (I don't HL)

I have no custom rigs at this point yet (son graduates from college in 90days!), but after doing some hog hunting with a 11lb+ AR last year, I know I want at least one light rifle that I can hike with, that still reaches out and touches em...dead

 

[Greyfox]

I hunted LR with sportier, medium , and heavy bull barrels. For the 700+ plus yard work the heavier barrels benefit to me is primarily the stability/weight of the rifle. They can all deliver simlar accuracy. I have settled on a #6 size, finding it a good compromise for carry type hunting, and getting excellent performance out to 1000 yards.

 

[Coyboy]

The light barrels may shoot as well as a heavy under certain circumstances. In my personal experience a #4 will have no problem shooting to 800 yards with a mid-bore clambering. I don't get many orders for a true LR rifle with a #3 contour, but I would guess with diligent handloads it could shoot as well. The actual shooting of a light gun is mechanically more difficult at LR because of the light weight, it is more influenced by things you find difficult to control. That said I would stay away from the big magnums on a #3.



all else being equal;
load development will be easier for a heavy.
where both a light and heavy will shoot under 1/2moa the heavy is more likely to shoot under 1/4moa.
The heavy will shoot better thru long strings of fire.

 

[Scot E]

If you are going with a lighter contour you will likely want to experiment with various shooting forms and styles as well. I personally find lighter weight guns to be similar in accuracy but the recoil can cuase the forend to be much harder to control which causes a drop in accuracy. I find that bipods are much harder to use with a lighter gun, especially lighter in the front end which a lighter contour barrel will do for you. If you can control the fore end I think you will be very happy with the lighter contours out to to 6-800 yards.

Scot E.

 

[SBD]

See that's something I didn't really think about, the handling of a lighter weight rig. I was just mainly thinking about the mechanics of the gun itself, but hey, everything must be taken into consideration of when talking about hitting what you aim at.
Other than setting up in a field with a bipod on coyotes, I don't see myself taking the uber-long range shots at game. But at the range that's different. All in all I think what I got from you guys is that I'd be ok with a medium-heavy sporter, provided I take the time to learn what it can do, or more importantly what it can't -