3 Groove Barrels

[blawton]

Yes and i would agree with you there except for on one point. With less groves you get a wider land and less throat erosion. The 3 and 4 groove barrels will give you slightly longer life. The other thing i cant figure out is why im getting higher MV then expected with them. The bearing surface is still the same so you have the same ammount of drag but for some unexplainable they just shoot faster. Maybe its just the way the lap. I will agree 100% that no matter how many grooves it has or how they are done a good barrel maker will get you a good barrel almost every time.

 

[johara1]

Butch,
I think people should judge a barrel at the level they play at,what is good to some are take off for an other. Most here may never have a hummer to know how good it makes you look and then you drop back to reality when it wears out. None of the ones were 3 grove, but it could happen......jim

 

[Flybuster]

So Butch and Jim believe that your odds of getting a hummer barrel are better with a 4 groove configuration opposed to a 3 groove configuration based on the consensus of point blank bencrest match results. Most of those barrels are probably Kreiger or Bartlein as the trends seem to be showing. Just curious have cut barrel rifle makers 3 groove barrels been tried in point blank BR? I usually only see them being produced by button rifling makers.

So realistically for most disciplines including anything but point blank benchrest a 3 groove would be acceptable and make ~95% of shooters happy.

 

[butchlambert]

Man, The internet is sure funny and it is amazing what people come up with. I just found out from my fellow posters what my thoughts are.

 

[Flybuster]

I'm psychic I really am! Butch do I need to rephrase that or am I correct?

 

[butchlambert]

I need to go back and read where I said that a 3 groove wasn't any good.
Butch

 

[therifler]

hey i have a question do you think the guy should buy a three groove or stay with 4 grooves ? T.R.

 

[Flybuster]

Butch didn't say they were bad, but he said in a satirical tone that they were "so good" and that could be interpreted in many ways. Butch has seen more barrels than alot of us from what I understand, that's why I thought he would be a good resource to ask, but its like pulling teeth or somthin ;D

 

[butchlambert]

If you do a search on the forum you will find a couple post by Frank Green[Bartlien] that says the amount and shape of the lands and grooves are secondary. You build what the folks ask for. They are in the business to make money and if they knew that a certain configuration was superior to another, that is all they will build. You can buy a 4,6, and 8 groove from Shilen and they also have a ratchet which is like the 5R only with 4 lands and grooves. Some barrels are faster than others, but not because of the amount of lands and grooves. It seems that every few years one brand starts edging out another in popularity. It seems that it goes in cycles.
Butch

 

[johara1]

I would say it would be better chance to get a hummer in a 4 grove barrel than a 3 grove simple because every barrel maker offers them and the best ones at the present time make them and the best shooter buy them.Next year a different barrel maker may be on top, they are all good but some just better.
Just call around and see how long the waiting list is,that will tell you the story.......jim

 

[KMart]

To therifler, it is too late to change. I bit the bullet and ordered a 3 groove 8 twist barrel from Pac Nor yesterday.
I would probably have gotten a 3 groove anyway even with no input from others. But, I sure got some interesting conversation.

 

[therifler]

Kmart i would be interested in the data that you aquire on this project . i know very little about 3 groove i build on mostly 4& 5's . the 5 groove has served me rather well. The two 3 groove guns i built where lija barrels . i got no feed back on either gun one way or the other . T.R.

 

[butchlambert]

Guys are with barrels like they are with their Dodge or Ford pickum up trucks. Has any of them admitted that they made a mistake when they bought them? No, they will defend them to the death.
I have never owned a terrible barrel. Some have been better than others and that is with all the brands that I have shot.
Butch

 

[KMart]

Rifler. The build is a long term project. And as to my ability with a rifle, well lets just call it average. But that doesn't keep me from trying to get good stuff and I will take a chence here and there. I was MUCH better with a shotgun in my competitive days, but after 30 years of doing that, it became work. Now I am retired, the rifle range is close and it is good therapy. All that being said, I am not sure how much valuable info I would be able to supply.
Ken

 

[blawton]

I have build 3 groove barrels on everything from a 20 cal to a 375. They shoot fast (high MV), very easy to clean and dont copper up very much, have a long throat life, and are not picky at all when it comes to bullets or powder charges (shoot factory ammo great). I cant say anything bad about a 4 groove or 5r either. Many 5r's that i have every put on shoot great as well and were easy to clean.

Butch is dead on when it comes down to how well they are made in the first place matters the most. A good barrel is a good barrel when made with care. I have seen enough good results with 3 grooves that i can say they work and work well when made right. As far as records go i have seen first hand how close some of them have come to smashing the light gun records. When it comes to this sport anything can happen.