Cheap barrel tuner - LimbSaver Sharpshooter X-Ring Barrel Dampener

[BoydAllen]

The companies that produce the rubber donuts have chosen to call them "dampeners", or some other similar name. That doesn't necessarily imply anything mechanistic about how they're actually working. I doubt the mechanism by which the rubber donut tuners work is substantially any different than a metal tuner. The only real difference might lie in where the two types of tuners are placed on the barrel. I also strongly doubt that a piece of rubber has any "dampening" effect on barrel harmonics by virtue of the material of which they're made and/or "squeezing" the barrel. They're simply functioning as a tuner and affect barrel amplitude/frequency in proportion to their mass and where they're positioned. By analogy, a more typical metal tuner could also be called a "dampener" for both practical and advertisement purposes because they effectively could be perceived to "dampen" barrel harmonics and shrink group size when properly adjusted.

If you tap along a free floated barrel on my 6PPC with a small loosely held metal object, you will get a sort "ting, ting ting" sound, with some short period of ringing. With one of the deresonators on the barrel the sounds from the same tapping will be a much more abbreviated " tunk, tunk, tunk". The difference is unmistakable. Sometimes things do not behave as we guess they would, which is why we do actual tests. I have tested several types of tuners that are metal as well as the "rubber doughnuts".

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I have one of those stainless rugers with the hollow stock and it cane with the limbsaver thing on the barrel. I took it off before i ever shot it. Took it out to sight it in for a kid to use and it shot about an 8” group. I slid the donut back on it and it got down to 1.5”. I figured i didnt have anything to lose and it resides there to this day. Been responsible for a couple of first deers before i built a dedicated kids rifle on a model seven

 

[Intheshop]

Just rambling here,feel free to ignore....

I believe they (limbsaver engineers) came from the world of machine balancing. The Nava-sumthin rubber was their brainchild. Machine balancing can get a little confusing...... not the technical side of it so much as the marketing. We use limbsavers on bows pretty much without even thinking about it these days,rightly or wrongly.A lot of that came from marketing interestingly....

Hard to put into words how the help a bow limb..... but my gut feeling is it's pretty much the same thing on a rifle barrel. Obviously it effects the tune.On a bow it relieves some of the torque going into the handle... which may not in itself make the bow more accurate but it does show up on your score card because of torques cumulative effects over many shots.

I've never tried one on a rifle barrel... choosing to modify stocks and bedding to deal with impulses and hopefully,dissipation.

 

[NorCalMikie]

Had one, tried it on my straight pipes, didn't change anything, sent it "down the road" for other shooters to try.

 

[AckleymanII]

I bought a Savage pump in 30/30 in an auction out West. Brought it home, did a trigger job, then put a Swift 4x12 scope on it for a beater deer rifle.

I worked up loads and about 3" was all it would do. ON a lark, I bought that rubber doughnut. Shooting two shot groups, I found a node that would shoot 3/4", and it has repeated on many different days of the year.

I have not tried it on any other rifles.

I have a Ruger 77 in 270 with the boat paddle stock, the rubber Doughnut would be a good marriage with that boat paddle stock.

 

[muleman69]

I bought a Savage pump in 30/30 in an auction out West. Brought it home, did a trigger job, then put a Swift 4x12 scope on it for a beater deer rifle.

I worked up loads and about 3" was all it would do. ON a lark, I bought that rubber doughnut. Shooting two shot groups, I found a node that would shoot 3/4", and it has repeated on many different days of the year.

I have not tried it on any other rifles.

I have a Ruger 77 in 270 with the boat paddle stock, the rubber Doughnut would be a good marriage with that boat paddle stock.

This is great considering all your components(good job)

 

[#40Fan]

I wanted to repeat my results today, but after tidying up a job, the wind was blowing quite a bit. I gave it a three shot string and got a ... from right to left and called it good. Winds will favor me on another day.

 

[AckleymanII]

What if barrels may require 2 or 3 doughnuts, that would make you look smarter!

Perhaps doughnuts would work much better if they had #9 bird shot in them or Heavy shot.

Hey, hey.....forget the doughnuts, how about putting those stick on wheel weights the barrel, they are good for 160 mph or better? Gunsmith could mill a flat along the length of the barrel!

You can get 20 lbs of those stick on wheel weights for $30!

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Look up tuned mass damper.

 

[savagedasher]

I assume nobody has shot archery
They came out with product for damping vibrations in the bow
And today they are on all high end bows
They do control vibrations

 

[#40Fan]

What if barrels may require 2 or 3 doughnuts, that would make you look smarter!

Perhaps doughnuts would work much better if they had #9 bird shot in them or Heavy shot.

Hey, hey.....forget the doughnuts, how about putting those stick on wheel weights the barrel, they are good for 160 mph or better? Gunsmith could mill a flat along the length of the barrel!

You can get 20 lbs of those stick on wheel weights for $30!