Why have a barrel channel at all?

[Dusty Stevens]

what if, instead of the fore end coming up around the barrel, it was turned over so the bottom was sled like pontoons and the top was flat?

That may raise the center of gravity up too high and torque would ruin it

 

[Topstrap]

Barrel channels are overrated.

 

[R L U]

For more than two years I have been using this style of stock to compete in IBS 600 yard and have done fairly well. Combo of stock and front plate attachment and SEB Max rest have worked very smooth.

 

[Think4Self]

Surprisingly a tube is stronger than a solid bar.

Only if the mass is the same……..I believe

 

[Fuj]

what if, instead of the fore end coming up around the barrel, it was turned over so the bottom was sled like pontoons and the top was flat?

Think I-beam laid on it's side. You would have both a barrel
channel and railroad tracking. It's on my bucket list of evil
ideas.

 

[FNSafari]

View attachment 1319419
Really thinking outside the box.
From Guns of the week.

Looks similar to the Shelly Davidson skeletonized stock of maybe 30 years ago.

 

[XTR]

The old McMillan F-Open stocks were a flat blade front end

 

[boltfluter]

Think I-beam laid on it's side. You would have both a barrel
channel and railroad tracking. It's on my bucket list of evil
ideas.

Fuj,
That should run like it's on rails, literally! Lol. Looking forward to your testing.
Paul

 

[ebb]

There was a guy that wrote the newsletter at Manatee, a lawyer named George that had a Sako that Dana English built. George "the mouthpiece" hadn't decided what stock he wanted to use so the cut the wood stock to fit the barrel, there was not barrel channel left. It was a 7 RUM and it shoot really good. He beat me in the 1000yd match in a shoot off twice. I can't stand lawyers.

 

[hdskip]

A barrel block set up would be another example.

 

[bsekf]

Been building Contender and Encore forends like that for years. Start with a 2x4 piece of hard wood, drill hole to bed pillars and have at it. I cut the barrel channel off a BR type stock with a table saw to reduce weight..... no change in accuracy. You do need to start with a heavy wide stock or it will be to thin and will flex.

I really like that 260 Mystic with the barrel block, both ends hang out there in space. Just need a barrel that has no taper for 5-6 inches ahead of the threads,

IMHO, Main reason for a barrel channel is aesthetics and it adds $200 to the cost of a custom stock.

Bill

 

[CJ6]

what if, instead of the fore end coming up around the barrel, it was turned over so the bottom was sled like pontoons and the top was flat?

I would think the downside would be raising the center of gravity/height .

 

[M-61]

Surprisingly a tube is stronger than a solid bar.

Sure is.
The strong man in the circus bends a solid steel ROD not a tube.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Looks similar to the Shelly Davidson skeletonized stock of maybe 30 years ago.

That is shelley himself posing with his tinker toy, not just similar its exact

 

[Edd]

Sure is.
The strong man is the circus bends a solid steel ROD not a tube.

If the bar and the tube are of the same material and have the same diameter and length, the bar is stronger. When you drill a hole thru a bar, it becomes weaker.

A tube of the same weight can be stronger because to have the same weight it will have a larger diameter.

 

[shoobe01]

Plenty of these have existed. Here's a Blazer 93 Tactical, as far as I know current production.

One of the issues I see is that barrels get hot. If you have to grab the gun after a string of fire, you have to be real careful with this layout.

 

[FNSafari]

That is shelley himself posing with his tinker toy, not just similar its exact

Well there been so long I didn’t recognize him. As I recall the rifle shot very well. Butch Lambert knew him well I believe. I have a match select barrel Shilen made especially for him. Bought it thru butch.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Well there been so long I didn’t recognize him. As I recall the rifle shot very well. Butch Lambert knew him well I believe. I have a match select barrel Shilen. Are especially for him. Bought it thru butch.

I knew him well too. He shot br with us. I dont think id call it shooting well but shelley would rather innovate than win. He got his share of licks in though. He was a good enough shooter he could actually validate if his experiments actually worked or not

 

[Tommie]

shelley would rather innovate than win

A man after my own heart.

Yeah Dusty I deserve an eye-roll for that...

 

[Dusty Stevens]

A man after my own heart.

Yeah Dusty I deserve an eye-roll for that...