[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Heavy barrels are the next obsolete firearm feature. Convince me I’m wrong. (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 9/15/2018 6:53:05 PM EDT
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Forward assists. Plex reticles (with capped turrets). Carbine-length gas systems (on a rifle). Bayonets and bayonet lugs. All pointless features that are obsolete.
After putting a silencer on a featherweight 6.5 creedmoor bolt-action, it’s a kitten to shoot and consistently makes tiny little 5-shot groups. I don’t wait for the barrel or can to cool between shots. Rifle, scope, and silencer weighs well under 8 lbs. Heavy barrels are completely pointless. |
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Heavy barrels have advantages as far as harmonics, shooting strings for accuracy, recoil reduction, and velocity (longer is heavier). Heavy barrels aren't going anywhere. It sounds like they don't fit the type of shooting you do though. Edit: If "featherweight" barrels are all that, you'd be seeing them run in various F-Class and Benchrest comps. You don't see that for a reason. You should probably head over to the MOA all day thread and post some results of that featherweight barrel shooting .5s all day with a suppressor attached. |
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Quoted:
Forward assists. Plex reticles (with capped turrets). Carbine-length gas systems (on a rifle). Bayonets and bayonet lugs. All pointless features that are obsolete. After putting a silencer on a featherweight 6.5 creedmoor bolt-action, it’s a kitten to shoot and consistently makes tiny little 5-shot groups. I don’t wait for the barrel or can to cool between shots. Rifle, scope, and silencer weighs well under 8 lbs. Heavy barrels are completely pointless. |
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Quoted:
Forward assists. Plex reticles (with capped turrets). Carbine-length gas systems (on a rifle). Bayonets and bayonet lugs. All pointless features that are obsolete. After putting a silencer on a featherweight 6.5 creedmoor bolt-action, it's a kitten to shoot and consistently makes tiny little 5-shot groups. I don't wait for the barrel or can to cool between shots. Rifle, scope, and silencer weighs well under 8 lbs. Heavy barrels are completely pointless. |
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Heavy barrels will always be more accurate, stay accurate during longer strings of fire, able to withstand more rounds in shorter times, and have less chance of damage if the gun takes a fall.
Prove me wrong. All of those attributes seem real important on a combat weapon. |
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You can make a skinny barrel accurate.
It's way way way easier to make a heavy barrel accurate. I agree, in some perfect world every company would make proper, cryogenic treated stress relieved barrels, but hey, sometimes a big fat honkin barrel is easier and cheaper. |
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Heavy barrels have advantages as far as harmonics, shooting strings for accuracy, recoil reduction, and velocity (longer is heavier). Heavy barrels aren't going anywhere. It sounds like they don't fit the type of shooting you do though. Edit: If "featherweight" barrels are all that, you'd be seeing them run in various F-Class and Benchrest comps. You don't see that for a reason. You should probably head over to the MOA all day thread and post some results of that featherweight barrel shooting .5s all day with a suppressor attached. I need to find this “MOA all day” thread you speak of... |
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Pencil thin barrels are lighter but they also warm up faster and open up more. |
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Quoted:
Forward assists. Plex reticles (with capped turrets). Carbine-length gas systems (on a rifle). Bayonets and bayonet lugs. All pointless features that are obsolete. After putting a silencer on a featherweight 6.5 creedmoor bolt-action, it’s a kitten to shoot and consistently makes tiny little 5-shot groups. I don’t wait for the barrel or can to cool between shots. Rifle, scope, and silencer weighs well under 8 lbs. Heavy barrels are completely pointless. "Pointless features"?!? I think not. Every lug that I buy is a political statement. I get them because some fuck-ass politician says I cant. |
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Quoted: I will start taking more pics. I’m new to this rifle (and shooting for groups in general) and I easily manage sub-MOA with factory Hornady 140gr BTHP “American gunner” rounds. It’s becomming evident that manufacturing tech is making even cheap hunting rifles as accurate as the heavy guns. I need to find this “MOA all day” thread you speak of... Take a look at the bolt gun division.... I don't see many (or any at a quick glance) "featherweight" barrels in there. If I had to guess, your .5 groups, probably aren't .5 true groups consistently. |
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Quoted:
Forward assists. Plex reticles (with capped turrets). Carbine-length gas systems (on a rifle). Bayonets and bayonet lugs. All pointless features that are obsolete. After putting a silencer on a featherweight 6.5 creedmoor bolt-action, it’s a kitten to shoot and consistently makes tiny little 5-shot groups. I don’t wait for the barrel or can to cool between shots. Rifle, scope, and silencer weighs well under 8 lbs. Heavy barrels are completely pointless. |
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A brake or silencer also soaks up recoil without the weight. Quoted:
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Nice on otherwise too-light guns to soak up recoil |
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Quoted:
Forward assists. Plex reticles (with capped turrets). Carbine-length gas systems (on a rifle). Bayonets and bayonet lugs. All pointless features that are obsolete. After putting a silencer on a featherweight 6.5 creedmoor bolt-action, it’s a kitten to shoot and consistently makes tiny little 5-shot groups. I don’t wait for the barrel or can to cool between shots. Rifle, scope, and silencer weighs well under 8 lbs. Heavy barrels are completely pointless. Stabbing assholes has been going since we started walking. Not obsolete and never will be. |
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Quoted: I will start taking more pics. I’m new to this rifle (and shooting for groups in general) and I easily manage sub-MOA with factory Hornady 140gr BTHP “American gunner” rounds. It’s becomming evident that manufacturing tech is making even cheap hunting rifles as accurate as the heavy guns. I need to find this “MOA all day” thread you speak of... |
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Yeah, those bench rest and F-class guys don't know shit. Quoted:
Quoted:
Forward assists. Plex reticles (with capped turrets). Carbine-length gas systems (on a rifle). Bayonets and bayonet lugs. All pointless features that are obsolete. After putting a silencer on a featherweight 6.5 creedmoor bolt-action, it’s a kitten to shoot and consistently makes tiny little 5-shot groups. I don’t wait for the barrel or can to cool between shots. Rifle, scope, and silencer weighs well under 8 lbs. Heavy barrels are completely pointless. 
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I'm very impressed with light barrels of late but they are only good for a few shots before the start to move a bit.
If you are shooting higher round counts a heavier profile has major advantages. Hunting? Yeah, go with a nice light barrel (unless you are blowing through a few hundred rounds a day at prairie dogs). |
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Quoted: Laughs in unlimited class with 3” OD bull barrel https://image.ibb.co/f7NkBe/3_D882_DFB_20_C3_44_F2_9_C7_D_24_AEAB6_EAF35.jpg 
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I'm swapping out the 14" BA Hanson on one of my rifles for a 14.5" Colt SOCOM barrel. The size of the POI shift between suppressor attached/detached is just something I don't want to deal with considering the optic that's on the gun.
Heavy barrels have their place and considering .mil is swapping pretty much all M4s over to them, I don't think they're going anywhere anytime soon. |
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I’m quite inexperienced. These are the cheapest loads off the shelf. With practice and handloads, no reason this can’t be a .5 MOA rifle.
200 yds: Attached File 100 yds: Attached File |
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My Barret says you’re wrong. Quoted:
Quoted: And slim barrels will see a much sharper POI/POA shift when mounting and unmounting a suppressor. Because if not, your Barret doesn't prove anything in relation to his statement. |
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I’m quite inexperienced. These are the cheapest loads off the shelf. With practice and handloads, no reason this can’t be a .5 MOA rifle. 200 yds: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/421435/6F843FD5-0448-43E7-84AB-C263065F4E44-672631.JPG 100 yds: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/421435/7AEEFAEC-9E09-468E-857C-14FC7BC967B7-672632.JPG |
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Wait, what? This is news to me. Citation? Quoted:
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Heavy barrels have their place and considering .mil is swapping pretty much all M4s over to them, I don't think they're going anywhere anytime soon. 
Army has been converting all M4s to A1 models for a few years now (ETA: apparently 8 years) and AF just started not too long ago. ETA: I believe USMC has replaced all their A4s with M4A1s and M27s by this point, too (both of which have heavy barrels). |
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Quoted: Those are single 5-shot groups that are likely your best of the day. Let's see you repeat that 5 times; bonus points if you don't let the barrel cool like you talked about in your OP. Attached File |
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Ok, I shot one 5-shot group today to confirm my zero before hunting season. I pulled two shots left and knew it when I touched them off. It wasn’t a great day at the range. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/421435/AD9E8EC7-2A1C-44B7-8E3B-BDD7B7118646-672641.JPG Quoted:
Quoted: Those are single 5-shot groups that are likely your best of the day. Let's see you repeat that 5 times; bonus points if you don't let the barrel cool like you talked about in your OP. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/421435/AD9E8EC7-2A1C-44B7-8E3B-BDD7B7118646-672641.JPG 
Eta 0.0614MOA |
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Quoted: Laughs in heavy barrel 600 yard group https://image.ibb.co/dK9nPz/0285725_B_3_EFB_4277_BAB4_38_B7_AB73_E664.jpg |
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Quotes world-record setting group as proof... Quoted:
Quoted: Laughs in heavy barrel 600 yard group https://image.ibb.co/dK9nPz/0285725_B_3_EFB_4277_BAB4_38_B7_AB73_E664.jpg |
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Quoted: Yes to show that when accuracy is paramount, people who know choose heavy barrels, and people who don’t know start threads |
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Ok, I shot one 5-shot group today to confirm my zero before hunting season. I pulled two shots left and knew it when I touched them off. It wasn’t a great day at the range. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/421435/AD9E8EC7-2A1C-44B7-8E3B-BDD7B7118646-672641.JPG Quoted:
Quoted: Those are single 5-shot groups that are likely your best of the day. Let's see you repeat that 5 times; bonus points if you don't let the barrel cool like you talked about in your OP. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/421435/AD9E8EC7-2A1C-44B7-8E3B-BDD7B7118646-672641.JPG Where are the .5 groups you claimed? The ones you shot without letting the barrel cool down. |
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Quoted: Give me a few hours, I’ll find a recent example of someone using a bayonet on a rifle to convince you that bayonet lugs are still relevant. Fact is we haven't faced a foe that sends human waves at us since Vietnam, and bayonets were used often in Vietnam. Facing the Norks probably would have seen Bayonets come back out. |
