Does Barrel Contour Matter for Rimfire?

[Franko]

Does having a heavy contour on a 22Rf help accuracy vs having a thinner lighter contour? My current rig has a pretty heavy barrel and now I am contemplating the benefits of less weight for better handling. Perhaps a carbon fiber Bartlein in a Heavy Varmit or M24 contour.

And I guess the next followup is what's the chances of anyone being able to shoot the difference between a pencil barrel and an M24?

Thanks for reading.

 

[RTH1800]

One thing for sure is the heavier barrel is easier to shoot consistently. Otherwise doubt it’s a huge factor.

 

[littlepod]

What kind of shooting are you doing? Put a 25lb rifle on a tank trap, and put a 12 lb rifle on a tank trap. The heavier one is more steady.

Primary goal one is to balance things, that way you're not fighting the rifle wanting to constantly fall backwards.

Try to balance a rifle with a thinner contour - almost undoable with the standard stocks/chassis out there.

 

[Franko]

What kind of shooting are you doing? Put a 25lb rifle on a tank trap, and put a 12 lb rifle on a tank trap. The heavier one is more steady.

Primary goal one is to balance things, that way you're not fighting the rifle wanting to constantly fall backwards.

Try to balance a rifle with a thinner contour - almost undoable with the standard stocks/chassis out there.

High accuracy plinking off a bench or other stationary object but maybe rimfire PRS in the future. Would you have any idea of what kinds of weight guns rimfire PRS folks are running?

 

[kbiss]

15 on low, 25 on the heaviest side

 

[b6graham]

if considering PRS it's more about balance than anything

rimfire barrels are typically shorter than centerfire so balance with light barrels isnt as easy without adding weights

barrel weight is free. chassis add ons arent

 

[littlepod]

+1 to the people above. They go from 15-25 lbs. I started around 15, and it took me about to 18lbs to get mine balanced in my XLR Envy Pro. For me to run the same action in an MPA Matrix Pro, the weight goes up to like 22lbs because the rear of the matrix pro is heavier.

If I'm shooting off the bench, then heavy has no problems. If I'm running and gunning or doing offhand shots... 16+ lbs starts getting heavy and having a 10-12lber is pretty fun.

Carbon barrels, depending on mfg also tend to have lower precision. Proof carbon barrels don't test that well compared to their steel barrels at the Lapua test center.

 

[King_beardsly]

Balance is what you’re chasing with the heavier contours, I just throw on a 23” straight 1.20 to my RimX to get it to sit correctly on barricades/props but comes in at 17.1lbs. Now on the other hand I've got a B14R with the factory barrel that comes in a 11.4lbs but can’t get it to balance to save its life.

Now as for being to shoot the that’s a toss up, the heavy rig definitely shoots better for positional stuff due to not having to fight the gun from falling rearward but it’s a bear to huck around on field style matches. The light rig is awesome to huck around but no where near as stable on props due to the fighting balance.

 

[littlepod]

Not the prettiest of rigs, but it does balance at 11.5lbs.

Vudoo 360 w/ 22" Benchmark Benchrest Contour with a Holeshot Tuner
Element 4.0 Magnesium
Vortex Razor AMG 6-24

 

[obx22]

Does it help accuracy? Hard to really say. Shootability? Definitely.
10-15 rounds fired in less than 2 minutes, a heavy barrel is going to be far more consistent than a light whip of a barrel.

 

[King_beardsly]

Does it help accuracy? Hard to really say. Shootability? Definitely.
10-15 rounds fired in less than 2 minutes, a heavy barrel is going to be far more consistent than a light whip of a barrel.

It would be interesting to see an experiment comparing the light contour vs heavy contour mounted up in a fixture to see the barrel whip.

 

[b6graham]

It would be interesting to see an experiment comparing the light contour vs heavy contour mounted up in a fixture to see the barrel whip.

i'd wager you'd need rather expensive camera gear to see the difference between the #2 pencil on the Mk2 i got when i was 12 and the Heavy Varmint on my RimX

 

[King_beardsly]

i'd wager you'd need rather expensive camera gear to see the difference between the #2 pencil on the Mk2 i got when i was 12 and the Heavy Varmint on my RimX

Definitely but seems like something Brayn Litz would do just because he’s got the ability to do it and document it for science.

 

[todde]

On a barrel of .850 it can be measured by point of impact changes at 50 yards with different tuner settings.
Todd

 

[Emerson0311]

High accuracy plinking off a bench or other stationary object but maybe rimfire PRS in the future. Would you have any idea of what kinds of weight guns rimfire PRS folks are running?

15 lbs+

 

[King_beardsly]

High accuracy plinking off a bench or other stationary object but maybe rimfire PRS in the future. Would you have any idea of what kinds of weight guns rimfire PRS folks are running?

I just weighed mine and it came in at 17.1 for the RimX and 11.7 for the B14R

 

[12Bravo20]

Here is my experience shooting Savage MkII rifles with the thinner sporter barrels and the medium profile varmint barrels.

I find the varmint barrels to be more accurate overall, especially as the barrels heat up. This also coincides with my experience with shooting Savage centerfire rifles with the sporter and varmint barrels.

I have also noticed a difference in my AR22 rifles when shooting a M4 profile barrel versus a heavy barrel.

Others might have a different experience than me.

 

[Lastsaint21]

A heavier barrel, usually makes the gun more balanced, which makes it way more forgiving to shoot it accurately. In a round about way, a heavier barrel can over all make the gun lighter (which is what I am doing)..a longer heavier barrel allows you to use less weights to make it balance..A half pound of weight, does more to balance the gun when it's 24'' from the balance point vs 1lb right at the balance point (meaning on the foregrip)

 

[King_beardsly]

A heavier barrel, usually makes the gun more balanced, which makes it way more forgiving to shoot it accurately. In a round about way, a heavier barrel can over all make the gun lighter (which is what I am doing)..a longer heavier barrel allows you to use less weights to make it balance..A half pound of weight, does more to balance the gun when it's 24'' from the balance point vs 1lb right at the balance point (meaning on the foregrip)

23” straight contours gives you a ton on balance just a bit heavy and I probably could of gotten away with something a little slimmer.

 

[Lastsaint21]

23” straight contours gives you a ton on balance just a bit heavy and I probably could of gotten away with something a little slimmer.

I have a 24'' Shilen R07 in an ACC and it is to light.. I have all the internals and 4 Externals to make it balance, comes in at 23lbs.

 

[King_beardsly]

I have a 24'' Shilen R07 in an ACC and it is to light.. I have all the internals and 4 Externals to make it balance, comes in at 23lbs.

That chubby

 

[camocorvette]

Would you have any idea of what kinds of weight guns rimfire PRS folks are running?

My Anschutz 64 weighs 22lbs, buddies voodoo weighs 20lbs, his Anschutz weighs about 23-24lbs. That's what we use for competition.

 

[GIXXER2000]

I have a Vudoo/ MPA chassis on order and after talking with them I went with the 22in MTU. They said it has a better balance with the longer/ heavier barrel. I am going to the MTU contour on all my AI barrels as well.

 

[King_beardsly]

I guess my “heavy” 22 isn’t really that heavy is the scheme of things

 

[Coyote777]

My Vudoo in a MPA matrix with 20” MTU, EC tuner and 4 Gray Ops external weights is 19.14lbs. That’s fully dressed w/Mark 5 5-25 and mag.

 

[Rob01]

I have a Vudoo/ MPA chassis on order and after talking with them I went with the 22in MTU. They said it has a better balance with the longer/ heavier barrel. I am going to the MTU contour on all my AI barrels as well.

That's a good choice. It's heavy enough but not overly heavy. The Vudoo MTU contour is not the same as the centerfire MTUs though so you know. It is a good choice for a match rimfire rifle though and gives enough weight to balance and settle the rifle into a bag but not too much weight to hinder movement through a stage.

 

[GIXXER2000]

I am putting a Tract Toric 4.5x30 on the Vudoo so I am thing with the MTU and chassis weight plus scope should be in the 20ish range. That is about the same as my AI's.

 

[Rob01]

I am putting a Tract Toric 4.5x30 on the Vudoo so I am thing with the MTU and chassis weight plus scope should be in the 20ish range. That is about the same as my AI's.

Probably won't be that heavy. Probably around 17.5-18 pounds like mine. Unless you load extra weight into the chassis.

 

[Frank Green]

Partially a old wise tale.

This is what I always say...barrel contour doesn't effect accuracy as much as people think it does. In the end it really only effects weight and balance.

The old saying is, "a heavier contour shoots better than a lighter contour". This is partially correct and applies more to button rifled type barrels because of the stress induced into the blanks. The heavier contour will want to resist POI change as it heats up vs a lighter contour barrel. Not as much of an issue with cut barrels.

I've seen plenty of examples where a light gun at a bench match has cleaned house and beat out heavy guns and even unlimited class guns.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[Franko]

Partially a old wise tale.

This is what I always say...barrel contour doesn't effect accuracy as much as people think it does. In the end it really only effects weight and balance.

The old saying is, "a heavier contour shoots better than a lighter contour". This is partially correct and applies more to button rifled type barrels because of the stress induced into the blanks. The heavier contour will want to resist POI change as it heats up vs a lighter contour barrel. Not as much of an issue with cut barrels.

I've seen plenty of examples where a light gun at a bench match has cleaned house and beat out heavy guns and even unlimited class guns.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

One quick question, is your MODB400 barrel steel available for 22LR barrels? Because who doesn't need a barrel that will last for 3 or 4 generations of shooters...

 

[ECK]

Coming from a CZ 455 with a 20” varmint profile barrel that was .820” at the muzzle I had to play around a bit to get it to balance in the right spot. I ended up using a weighted Arca rail and stacked extra weight on the end of the rail that extended past the fore end. It also balances better on barricades if I leave the bipod attached to the rail. Bolt on weights wasn’t really an option since it has the Manners stock.

So when I ordered my Vudoo last month I spec’d it to come with the 22” no taper contour for the added weight over their MTU profile which I believe is .820” dia at the muzzle. The folks at VGW told me about the 24” no taper option but I wasn’t ready to make that big of a jump.

The Vudoo is going to sit in a XLR chassis, and I’m hoping it will only need one or two internal weights, if that, to balance it out and I’m hoping for 17-18 lb total weight once the scope is mounted.

So for me, the heavier contour is more about balance and weight.

 

[King_beardsly]

Coming from a CZ 455 with a 20” varmint profile barrel that was .820” at the muzzle I had to play around a bit to get it to balance in the right spot. I ended up using a weighted Arca rail and stacked extra weight on the end of the rail that extended past the fore end. It also balances better on barricades if I leave the bipod attached to the rail. Bolt on weights wasn’t really an option since it has the Manners stock.

So when I ordered my Vudoo last month I spec’d it to come with the 22” no taper contour for the added weight over their MTU profile which I believe is .820” dia at the muzzle. The folks at VGW told me about the 24” no taper option but I wasn’t ready to make that big of a jump.

The Vudoo is going to sit in a XLR chassis, and I’m hoping it will only need one or two internal weights, if that, to balance it out and I’m hoping for 17-18 lb total weight once the scope is mounted.

So for me, the heavier contour is more about balance and weight.

I’ll say a 23” straight contour balances out a RimX with a 4.5-27 razor sitting in a PRS1 with ease, so that 24” should do you solid.

 

[4O6shootist]

22" bartlein M24, rimX, ats tuner, xlr envy pro with medium nose extension, gen3 razor. Hope to get balanced with minimal weights in the barrel channel.

 

[MdQT]

I’m running straight 1.25 22” Krieger barrel in a MDT JAE with no weights, Gen 3 Vortex Razor and it’s coming in a just a bit over 20 pounds. Balances right at the magwell. Previous to this barrel it was an 18” Ace Vudoo barrel, don’t know that I’ve noticed a huge amount of accuracy difference but larger barrel is easier to balance. I would say that the noticed Accuracy has come from the chamber and the fact that it’s far less picky with ammo.

 

[b6graham]

I’m running straight 1.25 22” Krieger barrel in a MDT JAE with no weights, Gen 3 Vortex Razor and it’s coming in a just a bit over 20 pounds. Balances right at the magwell. Previous to this barrel it was an 18” Ace Vudoo barrel, don’t know that I’ve noticed a huge amount of accuracy difference but larger barrel is easier to balance. I would say that the noticed Accuracy has come from the chamber and the fact that it’s far less picky with ammo.

and even that big barrel is rear heavy it seems since you said right at magwell...not 4-5" in front of magwell

 

[MdQT]

and even that big barrel is rear heavy it seems since you said right at magwell...not 4-5" in front of magwell

Yes, I would love just a few inches in front but I can cheat and leave the bipod on. Waiting for some internal weights for the JAE.

 

[b6graham]

Yes, I would love just a few inches in front but I can cheat and leave the bipod on. Waiting for some internal weights for the JAE.

that's what i do with mine. an Atlas Super CAL helps a lot there ha

 

[Rob01]

I am putting a Tract Toric 4.5x30 on the Vudoo so I am thing with the MTU and chassis weight plus scope should be in the 20ish range. That is about the same as my AI's.

I got to weigh my rifle to make sure and it's 18.5 pounds as pictured. 22" MTU and ATS tuner. The S3 6-36 is a couple ounces lighter than the Tract but not enough to get you over 20.

 

[Emerson0311]

I grabbed a couple sets of exterior weights for my ACC when they were on sale. Now I can take the bipod off and still balance well. Makes the transitions much quicker and smoother just sliding that long flat forend onto the bag.

 

[Frank Green]

One quick question, is your MODB400 barrel steel available for 22LR barrels? Because who doesn't need a barrel that will last for 3 or 4 generations of shooters...

Yep! No worries!

 

[JAS-SH]

I have used both on my CZ 457 build, using a KRG Bravo as a platform. The 24-inch .22 WRM "pencil" barrel that came with the CZ American is very accurate, especially at 50 yards.

But it can't match its replacement - a Lilja 23-inch match barrel in the same caliber with a .900 inch straight barrel. Especially at 100 yards.

That said, I can't say whether the Lilja advantage is its .900 straight barrel, or the fact the its bore is the best one I have seen of all my rifle, EVER. When I saw that bore I didn't even want to shoot it. It is that good. And I have many target pictures to prove that. 3000 rounds or so later it still shoots bug holes at 50 yards pretty much on demand.

 

[MajorD]

Look at every precision oriented competitive rifle discipline since the muzzleloader and one thing they all have in common is heavy barrels. in my youth I shot nra high power/ service rifle and small bore. Heavy barrels ruled. Same with international matches. Small bore silhouette ditto, even biathlon where the shooter has to lug that rifle while skiing HB. There is a clue.. I don’t shoot service rifle anymore, but the rifles used there run in the near 20 pound range, compared to a standard M16A2 at almost 1/3 the weight. Can a standard or light weight barrel be accurate? Obviously yes, but as mentioned there are lots of reasons heavy barrels predominate

 

[zeke06]

Most of the top rimfire BR guys shoot a straight .900 barrel between 22"-25''. That OD is spoused to be more reactive to tuning and the longer barrels will help even out the pressure and help with ES in velocity. That said the BR game vs PRS/NRL are like comparing apples to oranges. Weight and balance will defiantly be big factor in your setup and how it shoots for you.

 

[4O6shootist]

This is a 22" m24 Bartlein rimx build. Has an ats tuner at muzzle. Heavy gen3 razor glass. Had to install the 6" arca extension to get it balance decent without bipod installed. With heavy arca extension rifle weighs 16.2#
Edit: I do plan to switch to a bit lighter glass, prob an s3 zeiss 6-36 as I'll be adding a rear bag rider and trying to keep balance without weight. Nrl22 matches do have a lot of movement and odd positions where a heavy rifle will just slow you down.