Nut Barrel vs Shouldered

[NC/Br Shooter]

I always wanted a nut barrel chambered in ppc when I still shot 700 type actions. I never won with the 6br but soon as I figured out ppc, It sure made it possible. Won a few now and its funner. Still got a fewcof the nur barrels, but they are for groundhog matches.

Here's the test, can you use your nut barrel, work up a load for it. Take it off, then when you put it back on, you still have tune.

 

[Longtrain]

I’ve shot shouldered barrels forever, until this year. My gunsmith prepped barrels shot and shoot very consistently and accurately. I’ve taken them off and on a few times with everything right where it was before.

With that being said, because I like to tinker the idea of a prefit intrigued me. So, I got a Dasher barrel from the Urbanrifleman and have another one in 223 ISSF on order. I also got another Dasher from Preferred Barrel Blanks that needed trued dimensions, which they offer, which is nice. Installation of all the barrels were straightforward and my gauges confirmed a good installation. So far the results on paper has been great. Both barrels, Dashers, are shooting under 1/2 MOA usually in the 3’s at 100 and 200 yards. Will they stay in tune and can I stretch them out to 1000 yards? The juries out on that one right now. Again, I’m having fun, so far they work.
At this point in my shooting career, I’m a casual competitor, try to do my best and enjoy the camaraderie and maybe put up some good scores. So, for me, I don’t see a downside to prefits.
P.S. they are way less expensive too.

 

[Texas Solo]

I always wanted a nut barrel chambered in ppc when I still shot 700 type actions. I never won with the 6br but soon as I figured out ppc, It sure made it possible. Won a few now and its funner. Still got a fewcof the nur barrels, but they are for groundhog matches.

Here's the test, can you use your nut barrel, work up a load for it. Take it off, then when you put it back on, you still have tune.

As long as the headspace and nut torque are the same, I don't see why not.

 

[Woollybugger]

I saw a hunter’s Begara Premier rifle the other day that had a floating bolt head design too. I’m not sure if all Begara’s are made this way or not.

Only the Premier. Same bolt as a Kauger.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Some years back when he was still making Short Range Benchrest Action, Jerry Stiller made a few Viper Actions with floating bolt heads.
There was some type of problem, I think it had to do with the lugs making such good contact it wiped them clean.
Maybe someone else who was around 20+ years ago can remember if he cured the problem or just decided to abandon the floating bolt head.

 

[AckleymanII]

The problem with barrel nut jobs is that many people will look at you like a hair-lipped, limp wristed reject of the human race.

I have taken Hart-shouldered barrels that are shooting in the 2's(223 AI and 22 PPC) on Rem Actions, cut the tenon off, re-chamber, they still shot in the 2's with a Nut....80 ft/lbs on the nut.

Getting down below 1/4" involves some serious skill sets, including wind flags.

My thinking is that many pre-fits may not get the attention in examining bore dimensions, uniformity, condition, and most importantly, they are not indicated to the degree that a benchrest barrel would be.

 

[Will Henry]

I have two Savage target rifle actions in the rack. On neither of them does the bolt head float. It is a snug fit in the bolt body. I think the whole "floating bolt head" thing might have been a ploy to explain those which fit sloppily. I like the separate bolt head though, just from a manufacturing standpoint.
As far as nuts are concerned, I have only used them when there wasn't enough barrel for an adequate shoulder. For instance, on a BSA action, the tenon diameter is 1 1/8". The barrel I had to put on it was 1.150. I didn't like the amount of shoulder, so I made a nut to increase rigidity (in my mind anyway). I'm sure the rifle shoots just as well as it would have without the nut. I did the same thing, for the same reason, when I put a small shank barrel on a P-14. WH

 

[Rat Rifle]

Only the Premier. Same bolt as a Kauger.

The Kauger Bolt Heads are interchangeable but do Not float.

LOVE My Kauger action !

 

[Woollybugger]

The Kauger Bolt Heads are interchangeable but do Not float.

LOVE My Kauger action !

agree, the Begara Premier is the same bolt.

 

[DShortt]

I have two Savage target rifle actions in the rack. On neither of them does the bolt head float. It is a snug fit in the bolt body. I think the whole "floating bolt head" thing might have been a ploy to explain those which fit sloppily. I like the separate bolt head though, just from a manufacturing standpoint.
As far as nuts are concerned, I have only used them when there wasn't enough barrel for an adequate shoulder. For instance, on a BSA action, the tenon diameter is 1 1/8". The barrel I had to put on it was 1.150. I didn't like the amount of shoulder, so I made a nut to increase rigidity (in my mind anyway). I'm sure the rifle shoots just as well as it would have without the nut. I did the same thing, for the same reason, when I put a small shank barrel on a P-14. WH

I have a Savage action I use for a 'switchbarrel' rifle. It's a very nice feature to be able to swap out bolt heads and go from say a 7mm-08 to a .223Rem.
It's no benchrest rifle. It IS highly versatile and easily shoots under 1moa with multiple barrels. Plenty good enough for what I use it for.

 

[NC/Br Shooter]

agree, the Begara Premier is the same bolt.

Does Bergara make a single shot Action?

 

[Alex Wheeler]

A barrel does not require much to keep it stable. We are under 100 foot pounds on a 1-1/16" thread joint, thats like finger tight compare to what torque would be used on a joint that actually needed a 1-1/16" fastener. So the pros and cons of a bolt vs a stud will not come into the picture. Its when you start to actually stretch the fastener that you can talk about the differences in a bolt vs a stud. Which is the shoulder vs nut argument. In the application we are talking about, I prefer a shoulder in every way but the nuts work fine.

As to floating bolt heads, I have not been a fan. The exception came when I worked with Kauger and had them index the cross pin so it cant rotate and drag on the firing pin. All other designs will have some amount of variable drag on the firing pin. Even though the Kauger/Bergara bolt head is not designed to intentionally float there has to be some amount of clearance to be able to change bolt heads without pressing them in so theres a small amount of float.

 

[swadiver]

My gunsmith and experienced benchrest shooter and I have often debated the nut barrel concept. I have several barrels from NSS/Criterion and Urbanrifleman. Both brands have been consistently accurate (1/4-1/2 MOA) when I do my part. His favorite saying is, “A nut barrel will never win a match”. I’d be interested in hearing some opinions from more experienced shooters

back in 2016 to 2020 was an active F/TR shooter. assembled my own rifle, (Savage Target Action, XLR chassis (bag rider stock), .308 Bartlein barrel chambered and threaded by an excellent gunsmith for a barrel nut installation. installed and headspaced the barrel myself. did very well at the local 600 yd matches and in 2017, participated as an individual and team shooter at the F Class world championships in Ottawa, Canada. took a Silver medal in one 800 meter match and finished in the top 25% overall.. pretty much everyone else had gunsmith assembled high end rifles. i believe the only real limitation on me doing better was ME, not the rifle. the rifle always shot excellent.

 

[Woollybugger]

Does Bergara make a single shot Action?

Don’t know, Kauger does.

 

[Fuj]

I avoid threads like these but i do take my wild cat work to match's. Really don't
care what happens at the end of the day. I will shoot both nutted and shouldered.
I do all my own work and prefer a chassis build. All actions are the Savage PTA's,
stock trigger and so on. Current work just funning around is my 7.2 Greedmore
based on the .284 win case. Using the much longer and thicker International
Barrels nut. I was just doing initial powder work ups when this showed up. Since
then, I hit 3580 FPS and hit a 3 shot zero, an a bunch of ones. Scary part is......
Was it my nut or my newly designed solid copper bullet......Going to be a fun winter
in the shop......

 

[Hondo64d]

Some years back when he was still making Short Range Benchrest Action, Jerry Stiller made a few Viper Actions with floating bolt heads.
There was some type of problem, I think it had to do with the lugs making such good contact it wiped them clean.
Maybe someone else who was around 20+ years ago can remember if he cured the problem or just decided to abandon the floating bolt head.

Shilen DGRs and DGVs have a floating bolt head.

John

 

[NDSU]

I appreciate all the responses. This forum ROCKS!

 

[SeabeeKen]

Every nutted barrel I have shoot .5 or better (deer rifles) with several shooting .1 and my 6mmAI shooting .027". If everything is square and true, why not