F T/R Build weight help

[Ajwilly96]

I am in the process of putting together an F T/R rifle. And I was wondering if something seems too heavy or where I can cut weight. At this point I’m only waiting on an action, barrel and bipod.

What I have in hand;
Stock: 70.8oz
Scope: 28.2oz
Rings with level: 4.5oz
Trigger: 2.24oz

Waiting on:
Action: 30.5oz
Barrel 30in finish 1in at muzzle(heavy estimate): 136oz

272.24 OZ total without a bipod. So that only leaves me about 18oz for a bipod the only one I’m able to find in that weight is the mystic precision MPod.

Are any of my parts considered too heavy for my build? I really would like to keep the barrel as is but I’m wondering if I should go down to .8 at the muzzle to shave some weight so I can go with a different bipod.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

It's "F-TR".

Offhand I would say your barrel is very heavy at 8.5 pounds. A good contour is a Palma or Heavy Palma, we leave the truck axles on the trucks and F-Open rifles.

The Joypod is right at 16-17 oz, but you are looking for trouble cutting it that close. Also that will limit the choice of riflescopes.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I just checked and my barrel is just under 6.5 pounds. 30-inch, heavy Palma.

 

[Ned Ludd]

8.5 lb barrel weight is a very heavy weight estimate. Even a Heavy Varmint contour barrel should run closer to 8.0 lbs than 8.5 lb at 30". So you probably have all the weight savings you need for a bipod in the barrel weight estimate alone. Only having an actual weight with each individual component will allow you to accurately determine the final weight. This can be a big problem when ordering components for an F-TR build, because you never really know exactly what something will weigh until you have it in hand.

Alternatively, you could go with something like an MTU contour, which is still a very heavy contour for an F-TR rifle, but will come in closer to 7.5 lb finsihed weight. Regardless of what you decide to do, I'd suggest going with an established barrel contour rather than a custom barrel contour. For the current situation, you're more likely to obtain an accurate weight from a barrel weight calculator. For buying barrels in the future, you're more likely to find a suitable replacement barrel blank in stock at a barrel vendor such as Bugholes (aka Southern Precision). A custom taper may mean ordering direct from the manufacturer, which can often mean very long lead times.

 

[Jdne5b]

What they said^

 

[acbrunton55]

I ordered a Heavy Palma barrel from BugHoles, and had them flute it. Knocked .75# off the barrel weight.

 

[dcali]

Duplin bipods are pretty light, and it's not that hard to knock a half ounce off them in a pinch.

 

[Jdne5b]

Duplin bipods are pretty light, and it's not that hard to knock a half ounce off them in a pinch.

The new improved duplin is really nice but 24oz or so.

 

[Ajwilly96]

The new improved duplin is really nice but 24oz or so.

I was under the impression that Duplin bipods were no longer being made?

 

[Jdne5b]

He is (or was) making a new version with better cant locking and swivel feet. I dont know if or how often they are available.

 

[Ajwilly96]

He is (or was) making a new version with better can't locking and swivel feet. I dont know if or how often they are available.

Do you happen to have a link or contact info for him? When I search on Google I only find third-party websites listing the bipod out of stock

 

[Jdne5b]

Do you happen to have a link or contact info for him? When I search on Google I only find third-party websites listing the bipod out of stock

I'm sorry, I don't. I got this one used.

 

[BP1]

The new improved duplin is really nice but 24oz or so.

That thing looks familiar

 

[XTR]

I haven’t shot anything lighter than a Heavy Varmint contour in 8 yrs. My last barrel was 1.0+ at the muzzle.

NF comp scope
NF Ultralight rings
aluminum pic rail on my defiance, dovetails and Kelbly rings on the Panda
Kelbly action (my Defiance works too, but it’s closer on weight)
BnA trigger (they are 1oz lighter than Jewel)
HV contour. 30” (I did 3 or 4 in a row that were custom contours that were slightly heavier than a standard HV but my last few have been off the rack HV)
Joypod (they weigh about 19 Oz). The old Duplin was about the same

plenty of room left for most stocks other than maybe XiT’s or something with a RAD. This wil not work with a Phoenix bipod. They weight a pound or two more than a Joypod

Build it, if it’s over weight cut the barrel back till it makes weight and order one that is lighter for your next barrel. If you get serious you need to order your next barrel as soon as you put a new one on…. Or sooner.

Vortex GE adds several Oz’s
in addition to being great triggers BnAs are lighter than others
My mirage shield is very thin light carbon fiber

Only on one scale did I ever have to take my caps and sunshade off to make weight. Always made weight even with my rain gear (shooting international you shoot in the rain)

 

[Robert G]

He (Duplin bipods) doesn't make them anymore for sale. I was trying to get a 2nd one from him recently and talked with him. Unfortunate, because I really like mine. Very nice and light.

 

[1911mag]

I have Duplin both versions old and new with can’t feet. New one has never been used if want it PM me.
I use a joy pod and wife likes old version.

 

[D-4297]

Happened to get one of each , purely by accident , and knowing Duplin is out of business , I'll have a good workable Bi-pod for years longer than I'll probably be shooting .

 

[BradY]

That stock is quite heavy too. I was able to make weight with a Barnard P action, HV profile 30” krieger, tuner on the end, NF competition scope and seb joypod. And the stock was similar in length to the prt lowboy ftr stock. The key was making the stock right. Best shooting ftr rifle I have seen was a 28” parallel on a dual port panda in a kelbly 1m stock. It made weight with nf comp and a joypod too. The gun used to put 200H into silly size groups.

 

[Ajwilly96]

That stock is quite heavy too. I was able to make weight with a Barnard P action, HV profile 30” krieger, tuner on the end, NF competition scope and seb joypod. And the stock was similar in length to the prt lowboy ftr stock. The key was making the stock right. Best shooting ftr rifle I have seen was a 28” parallel on a dual port panda in a kelbly 1m stock. It made weight with nf comp and a joypod too. The gun used to put 200H into silly size groups.

I had a tough time finding a stock for it that I liked. It’s a Kelbly Fclass panda action. I picked up a MasterClass 1000 benchrest fiberglass