DK Firearms

Are light rifle barrels inherently not accurate?

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  • d_holliday

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    My thoughts used to be that a heavy barrel's extra mass kept it more stable while aiming: it was less affected by wind or a nervous shooter. It would be less likely to warp or bend with rough handling. It would be less likely to bulge with hotter loads. A heavy barrel also dissipates heat faster than thin-walled barrel. A hot barrel is detrimental to groups. The rising mirage can distort your sight picture. Intuition might also have me believe that a heavy barrel vibrates less when fired. I would think vibrations throw bullets off course. I would think a heavy barrel for a sniper rifle or a long-range varmint barrel to be par for the course. Why were HBAR barrels so popular on so many AR type rifles? Long range accuracy with a flat-top pic-rail-mounted scope?

    This man tries to debunk the so-called light-barrel sloppy-shooting lie:

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    FireInTheWire

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    pronstar

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    I’m not sure all of the benefits posted are correct...?

    For example:

    I don’t see how a heavy barrel is less affected by wind, unless it’s blowing so hard that the gun itself is affected.

    Also, more mass equals an ability to absorb more heat...but the ability to dissipate this heat is a function of the type of metal, not really the mass of it.


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    zackmars

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    A heavy barrel can dissipate heat better, a lighter barrel will heat up faster, hence groups will open up quicker. The rifle moving in the wind really isn't something that happens. You can kind of cheat the system by getting a tapered profile, which has more meat on the chamber vs at the muzzle, like the Facon gunner profile or LaRue predatAR profile, etc.
     

    zackmars

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    as for why HBAR's used to be so popular, that was a number of things, the AWB meant most AR15's were limited to fixed stock, low capacity, rifles with either a muzzle brake or no muzzle device at all.

    at that point, might as well get an HBAR. Not to mention very few rifles were free floated back then, in theory an HBAR will suffer from less deflection when you either sling up or put pressure on the handguard
     

    d_holliday

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    Personally, I think the OP is trying to convice us of how little he knows and how impressed he is by youtubers that don't know any more than he does.
    It's working.

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    no, not trying to impress a soul... I must confess I'm no expert about barrel design vs accuracy by a damn sight ... I was just throwing out my preconceived notions as to why I once thought heavy barrels to be inherently more accurate ... years ago I was considering buying an AR HBAR for shooting woodchucks and ground squirrels up to 500 yards and thought I absolutely needed a heavy barrel for that task .... the dead giveaway was that most HBAR AR's, particularly Colt Sporters during the AR-15 ban, had picatinny flat-top uppers for scope mounting... I associated therefore HBAR with scope-mounting ability, hence long-range varmint accuracy... can you consistently hit chucks and squirrels out to 500 yards with a standard 20" normal-weight/normal profile AR barrel in a classic carry-handle type AR-15? Many new-age Colt AR-15's have a detachable carry handle to put a varmint scope on the pic-rail below. There is still the standard M16A2 style barrel. Is a new-model Colt AR-15A4 (if you can even get one) an out-of-the-box long-range chuck or squirrel shooter?
     
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    TexMex247

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    Barrel harmonics are usually better on a heavy barrel, reducing "barrel whip" but like others have already said, it's the back to back shooting scenarios where they shine. I have a beautiful model 70 extreme weather rifle chambered in 7mm wsm. It has a fluted tapered profile barrel that is good for maybe 2 shots before it opens up. Makes shooting groups a nightmare but it's made to hike around with a be a one and done hunting rifle.

    From the bench I appreciate a heavy rifle from the field or deer stand a tapered will do.
     

    TexMex247

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    For your purposes I'd go full bull barrel 20 or 24". No flash hider needed and will do well if they keep popping out. A standard profile will do but your POI will walk around as it heats up.
     

    popsgarland

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    For what it's worth.

    I have a Ruger mini 14 ranch/target rifle in 223. This rifle has a thicker barrel than the standard mini 14. To help stabilize the thicker/heaver barrel, it has a Harmonic damper "stabilizer" on it. I also have a martin 336 JM in 30-30 that has a thin barrel. I took them to the range and fired 20 rounds through each of them. The 223 barrel didn't get hot, just warm. The 30-30 barrel got pretty hot to the touch.

    I couldn't tell any difference/change in the accuracy, at 100 yards, of either rifle.
     

    LeadChucker

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    For what it's worth.

    I have a Ruger mini 14 ranch/target rifle in 223. This rifle has a thicker barrel than the standard mini 14. To help stabilize the thicker/heaver barrel, it has a Harmonic damper "stabilizer" on it. I also have a martin 336 JM in 30-30 that has a thin barrel. I took them to the range and fired 20 rounds through each of them. The 223 barrel didn't get hot, just warm. The 30-30 barrel got pretty hot to the touch.

    I couldn't tell any difference/change in the accuracy, at 100 yards, of either rifle.


    That's because the pedal depressed pan-chromatic resonance effect doesn't occur until after the 21st shot.


    :)
     

    d_holliday

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    I’m not sure all of the benefits posted are correct...?

    For example:

    I don’t see how a heavy barrel is less affected by wind, unless it’s blowing so hard that the gun itself is affected.

    Also, more mass equals an ability to absorb more heat...but the ability to dissipate this heat is a function of the type of metal, not really the mass of it.


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    The law of inertia in physics: heavier objects are more resistant to movement, ie wind currents pressing against the side of barrel. As a military truck mechanic, and later an automobile mechanic by trade, I was schooled that thicker brake drums and rotors dissipate heat faster, more metal, than thinner ones so thicker drums/rotors are less prone to brake fade than thin ones due to less heat buildup. All drums/rotors are made of steel as is all gun barrels.

    Also a lighter barrel is going to be more sensitive to a shooter that has jittery hands or a jittery trigger finger and is more likely to move off target when the rifle is fired. Heavier guns like heavier vehicles are inherently more stable with added mass. A big, heavier car is smoother running than a lighter car over the same bumpy road at the same speed. This is why heavier guns recoil less: added mass makes them more inert, resistant to movement from the thrust of the discharging bullet and propellant gasses.
     
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