Barrel contour vs. Length

[Plumsask]

Hi everyone, I have a question regarding barrel length and contour vs accuracy.
I currently have a 6mm Rem A.I. built on a savage action. .800" @ the muzzle and 26" long. It's a great round and very accurate. My issue is it is quite heavy and I would like to build another with a lighter contour to reduce weight. I would not want to go less than 26" because I feel this round needs a 26" barrel to deliver what its capable of. What would be the smallest contour you would go with at 26"? And how would it effect accuracy?

 

[mike a]

Hi everyone, I have a question regarding barrel length and contour vs accuracy.
I currently have a 6mm Rem A.I. built on a savage action. .800" @ the muzzle and 26" long. It's a great round and very accurate. My issue is it is quite heavy and I would like to build another with a lighter contour to reduce weight. I would not want to go less than 26" because I feel this round needs a 26" barrel to deliver what its capable of. What would be the smallest contour you would go with at 26"? And how would it effect accuracy?

The next size down in Shilen is .685 Savage Heavy sporter. Mike

 

[Plumsask]

The next size down in Shilen is .685 Savage Heavy sporter. Mike

Hey Mike thanks for the response, I'm more looking for opinions/info on how a lighter contour effects accuracy on a 26" barrel for mainly coyotes and deer. Would it be a noticeable difference ?

 

[AckleymanII]

#5 has proven to always be very accurate, #4 bare minimum.

 

[ckrifles]

How many rounds do you get to shoot on a coyote or deer. Never shot a group on one yet. A #3 contour will shoot very small 3 shot groups. Just do your part.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Many of the barrel makers will make whatever contour you desire.
As for which is "best," I prefer some weight at the muzzle and a fairly straight contour...but anything within reason can shoot very well. I prefer a barrel that is not super stiff but is heavy enough to not walk and to serve as a good heat sink. This means little to nothing on a hunting rifle..assuming a premium barrel and proper stress relief is done. While it may be a little heavy, I actually think your existing contour is an excellent choice for accuracy. More precisely, I think it's a great contour for tunability and accuracy, both.
For practicality in a gun that will be more shooter friendly to one who needs a gun they can carry from time to time and/or shoot offhand reasonably well, you might look at something like a hunter class contour and have the shank turned down to 1.055ish to work on your Savage. Again, if you tell your barrel maker what you want, they can very likely do it when they make the barrel.

As others have alluded to, it's best to not try to make a target rifle from a hunting gun..and vice versa.

 

[mike a]

Hey Mike thanks for the response, I'm more looking for opinions/info on how a lighter contour effects accuracy on a 26" barrel for mainly coyotes and deer. Would it be a noticeable difference ?

I don't know but this is my coyote rifle. It's .800 muzzle and will soon be .685 next time. I doubt the coyotes are going to notice. Mike

 

[Plumsask]

I don't know but this is my coyote rifle. It's .800 muzzle and will soon be .685 next time. I doubt the coyotes are going to notice. Mike

That's a sweet looking rig. I'd be curious to see the weight difference from .800 to .685

 

[Darwin]

That's a sweet looking rig. I'd be curious to see the weight difference from .800 to .685

1lbs 3oz. less. Shaw barrels shows a std mag .675 muzzle at 3 lbs 3 oz. Yours is about 4lbs 6oz.

 

[FeMan]

I hunt a lot and shoot targets a lot. I have rifles as heavy as 20 lbs and as light a 7 lbs. Even the light ones are capable of great accuracy, so I personally don't get too hung up with barrel weight per se on hunting rifles. IME light rifles are harder to shoot accurately, especially if they are bigger calibers. Balance is a biggie to. If a rifle is too nose heavy, it can be tough to manage off of a bipod or field rest.

For hunting rifles, the ones I tend to like the best seem to weigh in at 10.5 to 12 lbs with optics. My go-to hunting contour is a Krieger #4.5. HTH.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Hi everyone, I have a question regarding barrel length and contour vs accuracy.
I currently have a 6mm Rem A.I. built on a savage action. .800" @ the muzzle and 26" long. It's a great round and very accurate. My issue is it is quite heavy and I would like to build another with a lighter contour to reduce weight. I would not want to go less than 26" because I feel this round needs a 26" barrel to deliver what its capable of. What would be the smallest contour you would go with at 26"? And how would it effect accuracy?

I have built 2 hunting rifles chambered for .280 Rem. that my son and I use mainly for deer. I have kills out to 800 yds. At 400 yds groups well under 2 in usually. Both are 26 in in the Remington Varmint contour . Seems to be fine accuracy ways without being overly heavy, finished rifle with 6.5 x 20 scope just under 11 lbs. That might be an option for you. Stocks are wood without any effort to build light so you might be able to do it around 10 pounds or a bit less.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Hi everyone, I have a question regarding barrel length and contour vs accuracy.
I currently have a 6mm Rem A.I. built on a savage action. .800" @ the muzzle and 26" long. It's a great round and very accurate. My issue is it is quite heavy and I would like to build another with a lighter contour to reduce weight. I would not want to go less than 26" because I feel this round needs a 26" barrel to deliver what its capable of. What would be the smallest contour you would go with at 26"? And how would it effect accuracy?

As far as lenghth vs contour vs accuracy rule of thumb shorter is stiffer thus better accuracy possability but shorter means a bit less velocity. If you have a premium custom barrel in a properly built rifle an overly heavy barrel will be of insignificant advantage for 1 or 2 shots at a varmint.My light gun 6ppc has a mag sporter barrel to accommodate a tuner, it shoots in the zeros and .001s in good conditions.

 

[Doug Beach]

Check out the light Palma contour.

 

[sw282]

l have a 700 LVSF in 221FB with a 22 inch fluted barrel @ app 8lbs.. lts just as accurate as my 700 VLS in 223Rem with a strait HB Varmint contour 26 inch barrel. lts around 12lbs.. 0nly difference is the WEIGHT.. I think most of us can use a bit LESS of that!!!

 

[Plumsask]

l have a 700 LVSF in 221FB with a 22 inch fluted barrel @ app 8lbs.. lts just as accurate as my 700 VLS in 223Rem with a strait HB Varmint contour 26 inch barrel. lts around 12lbs.. 0nly difference is the WEIGHT.. I think most of us can use a bit LESS of that!!!

Much agreed!

 

[mao0720]

Check out the light Palma contour.

I’ve been eyeing a light palma for two projects of mine. One would be a shorter (18-20”) 243 or 6.5 of some kind for deer. Looks like an 18” light palma barrel will weigh in at about 3lb which is the same weight as a 26” proof carbon barrel. I’m not too worried about muzzle velocity, I should still be able to make 2800 fps with 105gr bullets.

 

[AckleymanII]

I had a 20" 243 on a used BR barrel, 14T Light varmint contour, concussion was horrible to say the least.

 

[mao0720]

I had a 20" 243 on a used BR barrel, 14T Light varmint contour, concussion was horrible to say the least.

I shoot suppressed

 

[Oso]

You have a trade-off that you have to decide. If this is a high volume or rapid shooting for short period of time then you want a heavier weight barrel to deal with the heat (less effect from heat so doesn't get as whippy and also the barrel takes longer to heat up so can shoot more rounds before there is an issue)

If it is a rifle that you will be packing around and having to carry and you won't take more than 2-3 shots before letting it cool down then the Carry-ability (less weight) is more important,

The other option is to get a heavier profiled barrel that is fluted. Lija has a great article/studying on impact of fluting and barrel rigidity. Assuming same barrel weight, the fluted barrel, which will have a larger diameter (Peak of flutes) is noticeably more rigid then barrel bi fluting (narrower diameter).

The only issue with fluting is at what step in the process the fluting is done. Simple answer is if fluting is done before the bore is made and then the barrel is properly heat treated to remove any internal stresses there should be no impact on the accuracy. Select a fluted barrel from one of top makers and just confirm their process for stress relieving the barrel.

If you are shooting with suppressor either heavier barrel or fluted barrel to offset potential point of impact shift from weight of can.

 

[Plumsask]

The intended use of the rifle/barrel would be coyotes, antelope and the occasional deer. No long strings of fire or target shooting. Here in Canada suppressors are a no-no. Again with the cartridge I'm intending to chamber it it ( 6mm A.I.) shooting a 90 gr Sierra TGK. I feel a 26" barrel would be preferred to get the most out of the cartridge. If anyone has any input on velocity loss of this cartridge from a 26" barrel to a 24" please chime in.

Ave

You have a trade-off that you have to decide. If this is a high volume or rapid shooting for short period of time then you want a heavier weight barrel to deal with the heat (less effect from heat so doesn't get as whippy and also the barrel takes longer to heat up so can shoot more rounds before there is an issue)

If it is a rifle that you will be packing around and having to carry and you won't take more than 2-3 shots before letting it cool down then the Carry-ability (less weight) is more important,

The other option is to get a heavier profiled barrel that is fluted. Lija has a great article/studying on impact of fluting and barrel rigidity. Assuming same barrel weight, the fluted barrel, which will have a larger diameter (Peak of flutes) is noticeably more rigid then barrel bi fluting (narrower diameter).

The only issue with fluting is at what step in the process the fluting is done. Simple answer is if fluting is done before the bore is made and then the barrel is properly heat treated to remove any internal stresses there should be no impact on the accuracy. Select a fluted barrel from one of top makers and just confirm their process for stress relieving the barrel.

If you are shooting with suppressor either heavier barrel or fluted barrel to offset potential point of impact shift from weight of can.