F-Class heavy barrel contour

[UndFrm]

Hi

This is more of a which of the 2 contour question than a "what contour to get".

I have been talking to a barrel maker and got a quote for the specs. He said the heaviest he can do is a "Heavy Palma", due to me requesting a prefit and all.
I asked about the straight bull, and he said that he can but I'll have to get it shouldered and will be a higher cost.

For F-open, is a Heavy Palma 30" barrel good or should I spend more time and $ to get a straight bull? Any opinions between these 2?

Thank you

 

[smoothy8500]

Seems most of the F-class open guys around me are using the heavy Palma. I’m going F-t/r so I don’t have much personal info for you.

 

[Stuey]

I will look on Accurate Shooter website for more detail information. As a former F-Class shooter Heavy Palma barrel is a good choice. Your barrel life is going to be around 1500 - 1800 depending on your caliber. So if you don’t like that one you can switch out when your burn out that barrel.

I would personally stay away from a Straight Bull barrel. Stick with one with a contour for better weight.

 

[Bks22345]

Most F-class guys I shoot with are using 1.25 straight. I’ve got a “pre-fit bull” that I think is about 1.06. I’ve got a 1.25 ready to chamber when this one goes down. I actually need/want the added weight.

 

[bpd459]

What are you shooting, FTR or FO? A .30cal 30“ heavy Palma is 6.5#, and HV contour is 7.5#.

 

[kthomas]

@MikeMiller

 

[MikeMiller]

Heavy Palma is plenty of barrel for F Class in F TR we ran that or medium Palma.

 

[UndFrm]

I'll be in F Open, running a 6mm.

 

[bpd459]

I'll be in F Open, running a 6mm.

Most FO shooters are using a straight 1.25”. With my 6 Dasher, I use an HV contour.

 

[UndFrm]

I've a follow up question.
Can I get a straight 1.25" blank and get a smith to do a shouldered prefit for Zermatt Origin action?
Fairly new to this so I wanted to confirm before I go order one.

Thank you

 

[Bks22345]

I've a follow up question.
Can I get a straight 1.25" blank and get a smith to do a shouldered prefit for Zermatt Origin action?
Fairly new to this so I wanted to confirm before I go order one.

Thank you

It would not technically be a prefit. But he should be able to shoulder it and you would do away with the barrel nut. That's what I have on one of my F-O Savages. I would confirm with your smith. My actions are the target actions that use the large shank. The Origin uses a Savage small shank.

 

[UndFrm]

It would not technically be a prefit. But he should be able to shoulder it and you would do away with the barrel nut. That's what I have on one of my F-O Savages. I would confirm with your smith. My actions are the target actions that use the large shank. The Origin uses a Savage small shank.

Thank you
But I don't understand why it won't be a prefit?
Also, trying to figure out why a Palma can be a prefit but a straight bull cannot?

 

[Bks22345]

It’s really just semantics. A prefit is typically a barrel you purchased already chambered, crowned and threaded. It’s not specific to any one action, just the tenon thread pitch and diameter. You see them a lot with Savages. You buy it, screw it on, headspace it and tighten the barrel nut. A blank you have to have it crowned and chambered by a smith and it’s threaded to headspace correctly on your particular action.

That is likely why the barrel mfg said he could only do a heavy Palma in a prefit. A heavy Palma will still fit inside a barrel but. I don’t think a straight will.

Here’s two examples. The laminate stock rifle has a Shilen pre-fit in whatever the biggest diameter I could get. The black stock rifle is a 1.25 straight that was chambered and threaded to fit that action.

 

[Bks22345]

At the end of the day I think you should make a decision based on your shooting style, budget and commitment to competing. You can get a prefit for about $400. A 1.25 straight blank will run $400-500 and a chamber job will be about $275-300. Add in another $300 or so if you want your own reamer. If you’re just testing the waters, a pre-fit is a cheaper option. Either way if you want to get out of it you’re going to lose money. The bigger barrel will obviously be heavier. Probably not a big deal for a 6mm as it shouldn’t have much recoil. My smaller prefit is a 284 8 twist. Shooting the 180s at 2800 it has a lot of torque and a fair amount of recoil. Even with a high $ front rest, I have to handle the rifle. I want the front end heavier to tame the rifle a little more.
It might now be a big deal for your rifle or maybe you’re good at managing the rifle the same way every time. I am not.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

First of all. Don't do a barrel nut. They are super lame and going out of style for a reason.

Any smith worth a shit can spin up a shouldered prefit for your origin. You can buy them off the shelf from places like proof. The contour of the barrel doesnt effect how the smith does their job so cost should be the same. A heavier barrel will recoil less, take longer to heat up and be less likely to have the bore open up during contouring/threading.

 

[MikeMiller]

First of all. Don't do a barrel nut. They are super lame and going out of style for a reason.

Any smith worth a shit can spin up a shouldered prefit for your origin. You can buy them off the shelf from places like proof. The contour of the barrel does effect how the smith does their job so cost should be the same. A heavier barrel will recoil less, take longer to heat up and be less likely to have the bore open up during contouring/threading.

What he said The barrel butt won’t let you go heavier than heavy Palma and if your goal is ultimate accuracy the shouldered barrel will be cut, torqued on then chamber cut. Best way for that

Pre fits and barrel nuts work great for lots of things but not the best for chasing all 5” X ring hits at a 1000 yards