Barrel Profile Importance

[Twitchy]

I'm thinking about getting another R700 (223) set up for F/TR and plan on going with a Remage / Criterion barrel from NSS. I called and they said they should have 26" varmint profile as the heaviest they can get. I guess a bull or some other beefy profile is a special order item.


What are your thoughts on Varmint profile for this application (F/TR). Will it make much of a difference with the little 223 vs the bigger cartridges?


I guess (putting aside the mouse gun puns) the question is, will the varmint profile be a liability when compared to a bull or some other heavy profile?

 

[mac86951]

In my experience the heavier profiles tend to give me the widest accuracy nodes (or smaller changes in accuracy as I tune). I have a 222 that I have to find with calipers and usually I'm to blame more than the load; and my 30-06 pencil barrel does wonders as long as I'm +/- 0.5 gr, and I let the barrel cool 3mins between shots...

I would expect you'd be just fine with a heavy varmint, but if your ultimate goal is maximum capability, better get the full bull and not second guess what if later.

 

[Ned Ludd]

FWIW - 26" is pretty short for an F-TR rifle, especially in .223 where the bullets of ~80 gr or below are already giving up quite a bit in terms of BC to most .308s. If you're thinking of shooting the 90 VLDs, again 26" of barrel won't be enough to get the velocity you really need to make them competitive. I'd go with at least 28", and 30" would be even better. Trust me on this one, you'll end up later wishing you had gone with the longer barrel. If you're looking for barrels in stock,

For your other question, I shoot the 90 VLDs out of a .223 F-TR bolt gun with a 30" Bartlein 7-twist .218"/.224" 5R barrel. My .308s all have 30" MTU contour Bartlein barrels and come in similarly equipped at very close to 18.0 lb, or just under the limit. After talking with the guys at Bartlein several times, I came away with the idea that a 30" M24 contour barrel would be about as heavy as I could go for the .223 rifle and still make weight. With the right bipod/stock/scope setup, you might just barely be able to make weight with a Heavy Varmint or MTU 30" barrel, but I didn't want to push it that close. I'm guessing due to the smaller bore size that a .223 M24 contour barrel is probably reasonably similar in relative stiffness to an MTU contour in .308.

If you want the longer barrel and weight is an issue, you can always look at a Heavy or Medium Palma contour, which are significantly lighter than Heavy Varmint or MTU barrels of comparable length. If you're open to other options than Remage/Criterion, check with Southern Precision (aka "Bugholes"). They have currently barrel blanks in stock from both Bartlein and Krieger that would likely suit your needs.

http://bugholes.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=88_89

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I wouldnt go any bigger or longer with a barrel nut on a remington.