Interchanging barrels regularly

[ELR LVR]

I'm simply trying to explain why I don't swap barrels. There's one thought that never ever crosses my mind :

"I finally got a rifle set up so that it is capable of winning matches, functioning perfectly, With a load that perfectly matches the chamber and the distance to lands with a scope mounted Securely, The bedding of the rifle working well with the action, hand loaded a couple hundred rounds that are tailored to those specifics And now that i've finally gotten to this point , let me tear it all apart and risk any of 2 dozen different factors making my rifle not function well, not shoot accurately, be less capable of winning matches, not work well with my loaded ammo and worse... put a bunch of noise in my head right in the middle of a match as to the reasons the rifle isn't shooting well anymore .... all because I had to mess around and did not leave a rifle that was shooting well as it was."

I have never and will never go there. Variables are the enemy, and equipment consistency and personal confidence are the best tools to have in the tool bag When you go to the line. That's what forms my thinking on this issue. Thats just me. If others come to a different conclusion, that's cool.

I Am blessed enough to be able to afford different rifles, So that's what I do.

A final example... right now , i'm getting ready to purchase another vehicle. The Jeep Wrangler looks like a lot of fun.But I know a fourth toyota tacoma will be reliable and not give me a bunch of grief. Guess which one i'm buying.

I understand what you're suggesting
I will admit I have 2 rifles that are such good shooters I always tell myself
"Dont change ANYTHING!"
I wont even swap rings or bases on those rifles
but it's more of a superstition thing
----
however,
once you do "Go There"
you will find
the barrel can practically be hand tight, and shoot accurate out to a Mile
many of us are just saying, our experiences show, it's not a factor to worry about
we're not suggesting you do it
but if you happen to have an extra good shooter one day, you can try it and see
it may surprise you, especially if you're thinking about rebarreling it soon anyway.
think about the what you're doing here
in effect unscrewing and screwing back on a bolt, indexed to the same spot, or torqued the same
which is not a variable but a constant.

 

[JLittle]

I don’t do “ switch” barrels as my shooting discipline prone with a sling involves iron sights. A little more aggravation leveling and plumbing sights. Once level I do take them off the bases and may switch between iron and scope when allowed. Very little if any change in zero. Not enough to worry about. When it’s time to replace the barrel, the zeros are often extremely close to where they were previously. Not changing calibers or barrel profiles. Loads are also about the same. I’m not changing anything much but the barrel.

 

[GetReal]

I understand what you're suggesting
I will admit I have 2 rifles that are such good shooters I always tell myself
"Dont change ANYTHING!"
I wont even swap rings or bases on those rifles
but it's more of a superstition thing
----
however,
...

I'm a simple man
With a simple life
I work from 9- 5
Heyhell I pay the price ....

 

[69mach]

Hi

In order to cut down on costs, I've been thinking about getting a barrel chambered in another caliber while keep the same action, scope etc.
The idea is to switch barrels on my own when I want to switch the calibers (usually twice a month). From what I have discussed with people, the scope zero will be very close everytime I switch barrels and can verify the zero on the day of the match (F-Class).

Is it a decent enough idea/plan or am I overlooking something?

i’ve got a couple rifles that i can switch shouldered barrels out on and i’ve found that i don’t swap them much anymore. between rechecking my zeros, the little bit of extra barrel wear and the cost of reloading components over the life of your set up, the gas and time to go to the range to double check everything before a shoot, you might just as well buy another action. plus i’m more confident if i haven’t just recently swapped barrels on a set up.

 

[4xforfun]

What bbl change systems did you use in what calibers and how often did you change bbls ? Are you still shooting those rifles / actions / barrels? Did you ever change bbls mid - match? Why? Are you sure there was no wear on the barrel threads or the action itself from all of the Frictions and pressures and torque of barrel changing ? Was re- zeroing the same after every bbl change?

I could go on and on and on about the possibilities such as i've listed above , that changing barrels introduces.... that no precision shooter needs those headaches. More importantly... why ? Why not just leave a rifle that shot well alone ? If you're goal is to win matches, why are you playing musical chairs with your action / bbl all the time ? If your rifle is not broken, Why are you fixing it ? Does it. not make more sense to just leave a good shooting rifle alone? I just dont get the point of it all.

Pls IM me your real name and I can educate myself.

"BBL change systems"?? LOL How often??.... Change BBl mid match?

MY questions...can you not read my posts. Some times 5 to 6 changes a day. Changed during the sighter period of a match. It's all there in the above posts. 2011 IBS nats is my only "overall"....otherwise just HG score or lg group kind of wins.

Tod Soeby

PS.....lets have YOUR name so we can see how well YOU did NOT changing BBLS and just buying more guns.

 

[GetReal]

"BBL change systems"?? LOL How often??.... Change BBl mid match?

MY questions...can you not read my posts. Some times 5 to 6 changes a day. Changed during the sighter period of a match. It's all there in the above posts. 2011 IBS nats is my only "overall"....otherwise just HG score or lg group kind of wins.

Tod Soeby

PS.....lets have YOUR name so we can see how well YOU did NOT changing BBLS and just buying more guns.

Mark Kozak

My competitions focused on 50 yd ARA benchrest. To make it more interesting , I just used a bipod and a rear bag. I did ok. In only two years of competition I had multiple match wins and pretty much always placed top 3. Then I got out of competition.

For centerfire rifle, Im a hobbyist. All my builds shoot 0.35 moa at 100 yd and are good out to 1000 yd. Both bolt and semi auto.

You have an impressive resume. Well done. Far better than mine. I'm glad what you do works for you.

As far as this thread, i did get a little off focus with you.But my main point is to explain why I don't change barrels until inaccuracy requires it.

What I do works for me. I certainly have no desire or intention to tell you what you should do. Just that its not part of how I get the accuracy I get.

 

[Sniper338]

I have one rifle that I switch between 260 tac, 308 win, 22-250AI, and 6XC.

I haven't had time to compete in many years now. But I would throw on the 6XC, load up my loads, go shoot the next day and placed in each f class competition I shot. I was only beat by speedy G and a 300 WSM f class rifle and f class front rest. I used a bipod on a 6xc hunting rifle setup.

If your barrels are smithed good, they tighten to the same spot. There's no compressing stainless steel by hand tightening a barrel and snuggling it up.

Someone claiming switching barrels introduces all kinds of variables, yada yada, purely has no experience in it and it shows. Not to pick fun at Get Real, but get real vato! Sounds like if you got all that money you should build a switch barrel rig!

 

[JoelRusso]

I doubt any serious regular match winners use bbl swap actions.

Kahl Harmon, AMU shooter, won the 2023 PRS Pro Series and Golden Bullet Award shooting a Terminus Zeus QC.
Look it up.

 

[round]

Imagine only needing an allen wrench to swap barrels.

 

[jimmymac]

I should have made popcorn for
this thread.

Swapping barrels for competition shooters is marginally harder than changing your socks. We do it all the time and never give it a second thought. It is so simple that I don’t even bother recording scope settings anymore.

Here are the first nine shots after a fresh barrel swap. The barrel was never fired prior to this.

NBRSA 100 yard practice target shot at 100 yards to bore sight the barrel. My initial aim point was the orange dot until I felt comfortable with my sight in. Shots are numbered. First shot was low and right. Dialed a scope adjustment. Shots 2 and 3 hit the orange dot with the adjustment I made. I cleaned the barrel and made another small scope adjustment. Shot 4 was a fouler on the freshly cleaned bore. I liked what I saw because POI corresponded with my scope adjustment. Shots 5 through 9 speak for themselves.

Barrel swaps are the norm for anyone shooting Benchrest games. It is no big deal.

 

[kneedtospeed]

Switching barrels does not
introduce variables, but flags do.
Some guys hold on the X everytime.
You can’t buy consistent Wins..

 

[AckleymanII]

Quote:

"Record scope settings for each barrel, then change the scope settings when you change barrels. Should have you very close to zero."

This is what I do.

Every action I own has multiple barrels, and be sure to label the barrel with the action it goes on AND the recoil thickness of the recoil lug that you use on that barrel.

One stock, one trigger, one scope, and one action with multiple calibers. Barrel changing IS as easy as changing a light bulb. With heavy barrels, the stock's barrel channel is inlented for an unturned blank, in which case, you do not have to take the stock off when changing barrels.

Some actions have several stocks bedded to that action and various barrel contours.