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Thick barrels
7.62x39Lover
Member Posts: 3,937 ✭✭✭
What makes a thick barrel more accurate that a thin barrel?
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Could you refine your question?
All other specs being equal (material, twist rate, rifling, length, etc.), what makes a thicker barrel more accurate than a thinner barrel? I think we already got the best answers possible, but you're more than welcome to chime in.
Good components, like a good action, and good barrel are essential for accuracy. Assembling them stress free, and very rigidly, are also essential. Havier barrels are more rigid, as a general rule, and the shorter they are , the stiffer. The stress free part applies not just to the barrel and action, but to the whole package...barrel/action/scope base/scope rings/scopeand the stock. That is why the majority of todays crop of custom tack driver's, in standard chamberings, have shorter than normal barrels, and are meticulously beddded on pillar's, and the barrel's are free floated.
Best
What makes a thick barrel more accurate that a thin barrel?
All of above.
To make one of the above points clearer more weight at the muzzle means more inertia out there.
This in turns means that while its slower to get a heavier barrel on TARGET {edit}, once its there, it tends to "sit" there more (ie less vibration and natural "wiggle" due to pulse, breathing, etc).
That's why match shooters like heavy guns, and why they'll even go to the lengths of ADDING extra mass to weight their barrels.
If the question is whether or not you should put a heavy barrel on YOUR gun, that depends entirely on what you intend to use it for.
For a "fighting" carbine, I think the extra weight and poorer handling associated with a heavy barrel are more of a disadvantage than any small gain in accuracy.
In contrast, for an "accuracy" type gun (ie competition, any kind of long range shooting, varmint shooting), I'd say a heavy barrel is a no-brainer.
"All other specs being equal (material, twist rate, rifling, length, etc.), what makes a thicker barrel more accurate than a thinner barrel? I think we already got the best answers possible, but you're more than welcome to chime in."
The reality is that this may not be true in all cases, all the time.
Barrel makers are getting better material and better manufacturing processes which results in a superior product with less regard for the contour.
These targets were shot with a hunting style rifle using a #3 barrel contour which has a muzzle diameter of 0.650" at 26" in length.
These are typical, not exceptional targets from most of these rifles. Here the difference is noticeable from factory rifles as opposed to these custom rifles because of three factors:
- Bartlein Barrels
- Fastidious attention to every detail for precision fitting and chambering of the barrels to the actions.
- Precision stress-free bedding on pillars.
Now, these barrels will show an increase in group size when extended shooting takes place (long strings). But even this can be controlled to a certain extent by using cooler burning powders for the loads.
The cold bore first shot from these rifles is consistent and repeatable. Since that's the most important shot for hunters, there is little to worry over when that record buck sticks his shoulder out from behind that tree on opening morning.
Best.