Jud96
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I am constantly researching topics and I ask a million questions if/when given the opportunity to those who know a lot more than me and/or with much more experience than myself. One such topic I never can learn enough about is barrels, particularly centerfire rifle barrels. I decided to start this thread to hopefully have a discussion with some of those that know barrels and have much more knowledge than myself and to maybe answer my questions. I titled it “Deep in the Weeds” because I’ll be starting more threads in the future on other niche topics and precision related questions, so I thought that would best describe where my brain is at when thinking of this stuff.
So my questions are. How much do you think choke in a bore (.0001-.0003 smaller bore at the muzzle) affects how well a barrel shoots. I had a really good discussion with a barrel maker last year and he told me he purposely puts about .0002 of choke in all of his barrels. I also overheard some fellow BR shooters talking about how well Lederer barrels shot and they were discussing them having choke in them. A similar question is, what about progressive depth rifling? I know this was used on old muzzleloaders, but have been told by a barrel maker their process leads to a slight amount of progressive depth rifling.
How about gain twist barrels? Some people love them and swear by them, but some barrel makers have told me they think an extremely uniform twist is more desirable. Thoughts? I’ve heard the gain helps “drive” the bullet, similar to what I’ve heard about the benefits of choke in a barrel.
Final thoughts, what about bore diameters, groove diameters, and rifling geometry? For instance 6mm you have .236 and .237 bores. I’ve heard people championing both options. I also have seen some 0.238 bores on 6PPC rifles. I don’t know much about experimentation with groove depth, but I’m sure it’s been done. And lastly, rifling geometry. I’ve heard/seen everything from 2 grooves to 8 groove barrels. Seems that 3, 4, 5, 6 grooves are most common and I’ve heard all sorts of mixed feelings and thoughts on them. What’s your thoughts on some barrels, like Broughton, being consistently “faster” than equally spec’d barrels from other makers. What about canted lands, square lands, polygonal, etc etc. I’d love to hear your guys thoughts, opinions, and actual experiences with these questions of mine. I’m hoping it leads to some good discussions and maybe we can all learn something. Thank you!
So my questions are. How much do you think choke in a bore (.0001-.0003 smaller bore at the muzzle) affects how well a barrel shoots. I had a really good discussion with a barrel maker last year and he told me he purposely puts about .0002 of choke in all of his barrels. I also overheard some fellow BR shooters talking about how well Lederer barrels shot and they were discussing them having choke in them. A similar question is, what about progressive depth rifling? I know this was used on old muzzleloaders, but have been told by a barrel maker their process leads to a slight amount of progressive depth rifling.
How about gain twist barrels? Some people love them and swear by them, but some barrel makers have told me they think an extremely uniform twist is more desirable. Thoughts? I’ve heard the gain helps “drive” the bullet, similar to what I’ve heard about the benefits of choke in a barrel.
Final thoughts, what about bore diameters, groove diameters, and rifling geometry? For instance 6mm you have .236 and .237 bores. I’ve heard people championing both options. I also have seen some 0.238 bores on 6PPC rifles. I don’t know much about experimentation with groove depth, but I’m sure it’s been done. And lastly, rifling geometry. I’ve heard/seen everything from 2 grooves to 8 groove barrels. Seems that 3, 4, 5, 6 grooves are most common and I’ve heard all sorts of mixed feelings and thoughts on them. What’s your thoughts on some barrels, like Broughton, being consistently “faster” than equally spec’d barrels from other makers. What about canted lands, square lands, polygonal, etc etc. I’d love to hear your guys thoughts, opinions, and actual experiences with these questions of mine. I’m hoping it leads to some good discussions and maybe we can all learn something. Thank you!
Theories give me the hives and migraines - performance results on target make me smile.
