Suggestion for a custom barrel for hunting: contours, materials, prefit vs blank, and other!

[simone]

Hello everyone. I am looking at a barrel for my next custom build. The rifle will be used for hunting up to medium and even long distances (i consider a 450 yards shot a long one for small 50 lbs roe deer) and the overall weight will be between 11 and 10.3 lbs, depending if i will use a bipod. The reputable smith (not the same of my last thread) who will help me in the process suggested me a bartlein or a krieger and i have seen that the general opinion on both of these brands is very good. Being a newbie in custom barrel selection i have a few questions:

1) what is a good contour for both brands? I need a good compromise that will give me reasonable stiffness and not too much weight. Keep in mind that the barrel will be .308, 1:10, 22/24 inches of lenght and i want it threaded at the muzzle. No fluting, no carbon fiber.
2) what is the minimum diameter at the muzzle to have it threaded without compromising integrity and performance?
3) i noticed Bartlein contours tend to have a stronger taper at the end, what are pros and cons of this?
4) any relevant real world difference between a standard rifling and 5R?
5) what about materials? SS or other types of steel?
6) lastly, everyone suggested me a barrel blank instead of a prefit. I am leaning towards a deviant action (which doesn't work with prefits and i don't care about being able to switch barrels by myself) so it seems like a blank is the way to go. If the smith does a good job, what is the advantage of a blank vs a prefit?

Thanks, as always!!

 

[bultinkle]

For gun weight is that simply a raw rifle or

with an optic and if so which one,
With a suppressor if so which one,

What's your stock weight?


Bartlein contour usually runs 1 size heavier. A Bart 3 is a Krieger 4. To get 5/8 threads at 22" you're gonna be like .700 on a Krieger 4 contour. Some smiths won't go below .725 on an 5/8 and some will. A Bartlien 3b/Krieger 5 should get you there just barely.

 

[simone]

For gun weight is that simply a raw rifle or

with an optic and if so which one,
With a suppressor if so which one,

What's your stock weight?


Bartlein contour usually runs 1 size heavier. A Bart 3 is a Krieger 4. To get 5/8 threads at 22" you're gonna be like .700 on a Krieger 4 contour. Some smiths won't go below .725 on an 5/8 and some will. A Bartlien 3b/Krieger 5 should get you there just barely.

Thanks for the answer. I thought the ideal contour for a hunting rig for mid-to-long range shooting was a bit slimmer. Why there are many hunting rifle threaded at the muzzle but with much thinner barrel?

10.5 will be full rifle, locked and loaded for hunting. With bipod it's more 11 lbs. The stock will be a manners mcs-t (standard, not carbon).

 

[bultinkle]

2.5 lb stock
2 lb wction
.25 for bottom metal and trigger
4 contour @22" is ~3lbs and would put you right around 7.6-7.75lbs raw rifle.


Go up to a 5 contour and you're probably looking at ~8-8.25

I have a standard shell mcmillan, defiance Tenacity long action, and a #4 at 21" and it's right at 7.5 lbs raw, the rest depends on your choice of scope, mounts, sling mag vs bdl

 

[simone]

2.5 lb stock
2 lb wction
.25 for bottom metal and trigger
4 contour @22" is ~3lbs and would put you right around 7.6-7.75lbs raw rifle.


Go up to a 5 contour and you're probably looking at ~8-8.25

I have a standard shell mcmillan, defiance Tenacity long action, and a #4 at 21" and it's right at 7.5 lbs raw, the rest depends on your choice of scope, mounts, sling mag vs bdl

Thanks for the answer! Yeah i already did the calculation for weight and you are right, the scope will be a march 3-24 x 52 and the bipod a notched harris. Rings will be aluminum from a good brand. Aluminum rings on steel receiver integrated bases seem not to be a issue as far as I understood.
Total weight will be around 10.5-11 pounds. Thats said, you are suggesting a #4 contour but I noticed different brands of barrels have different specs for a #4 contour so what brands are you referring to?

 

[simone]

I checked all the main options with sporter Bart and Krieger contours but i found out something weird.

BARTLEIN
#Sporter 2 .800 - .600 at 24 inch, only cromemoly 3.35 lbs taper per inch 0.0111
#sporter 2b .850-.630 at 24 inch, 3.6 lbs
#sporter 3 .870-.670 at 26 inch, 3.95 lbs
For 2b and 3 taper per inch 0.0122

KRIEGER
#2 sporter .800-.600 at 26 inch, 2.8 lbs
#3 sporter .830-.630 at 26 inch, 3 lbs
#4 sporter .870 .670 at 26 inch, 3.5 lbs

1) why Krieger barrels are reported to be lighter with same contour and even longer barrels?
2) how much will the weight change between unchambered and chambered?
3) are these weights considering unchambered or chambered barrels?