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How much does barrel profile really matter?

DRandi

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
May 24, 2014
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Due to life throwing me a curveball via five ruptured spinal disc’s, (go big or go home right) I’m needing to make some changes. I’m not going to give up shooting, but I have to be more mindful of how I do things.

Looking at a 22” Criterion varmint contour Savage prefit in 6x47 Lapua from Northland Shooter Supply for my Nucleus action. How much of a penalty in barrel heat up would I be looking at going with a lite varmint contour instead?

Would it be something like 10 rounds rapid fire instead of 12 before letting things cool down? Rapid fire being let the round fly, spot impact, corrections, next shot. If that’s the case then it’s a insignificant difference.
 
I have similar injuries. I still shoot larger caliber rifles sometimes but pay for it afterwards. Now shooting 6mm Creedmore, 16.5” Proof Carbon, Heavy Varmint Contour, suppressed. I also have the same barrel in Criterion SS. The Carbon barrel is about a pound lighter. Also very quick out the window of blind or truck. BTW, after three steroid injections and surgery, Stem Cell treatment in Mexico seems to have helped more per $$ than anything.
 
What the heck were you doing to get jacked up like that?

All the fun stuff in life. ? 20 years auto tech, crashing on my mountain bike, hiking, martial arts, falling in a hole on a night ruck march. Ahh so many memories to chose from.

Another option would be to get a carbon barrel in a heavier profile, or do some serious fluting.

Was considering a Proof barrel till medical bills came rolling in. Got to be very budget minded if I want to keep shooting right now.

Is this a bench rifle? If so, I'd go with a heavier profile/ rifle to reduce felt recoil. I dont think you'll notice a few extra pounds from the truck to the bench.

Rifle is a field target gun. I never was much for benchrest shooting. Was thinking about PRS till I got hurt.
With herniated spinal discs impinging on the nerves, picking up a can of Coke can be difficult. So I’m trying to not push my luck too much and end up back in the doctor’s office.
 
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I have similar injuries. I still shoot larger caliber rifles sometimes but pay for it afterwards. Now shooting 6mm Creedmore, 16.5” Proof Carbon, Heavy Varmint Contour, suppressed. I also have the same barrel in Criterion SS. The Carbon barrel is about a pound lighter. Also very quick out the window of blind or truck. BTW, after three steroid injections and surgery, Stem Cell treatment in Mexico seems to have helped more per $$ than anything.

Think I’ve had a total of eight injections. Three in the C3 C4 region, three in my T7 and T9 and two in my L5. I’m trying to avoid needing surgery so I’m trying to be proactive and changing things. Still working as a auto tech, but my days are numbers. Stem cells, have to look into that.
 
In practical terms, I've only even been compelled to shoot rapid fire in two kinds of situations; National Match Highpower, and Firefight Meeting Engagements in Vietnam. Surprisingly, I used the same firearm (mostly) in both, the M14/M1a.

Weight, recoil, and heat are the main considerations. The weight affects supporting muscles and framework, the mass affects recoil, and the heat affects accuracy (often permanently for that rifle) as it becomes extreme.

For unsupported shooting, lighter weight/mass helps. Shooting unsupported is in no small part a matter of confidence. We acquaint ourselves with the concept of the 'Wobble Zone', and then practice to make our own wobble zone smaller. Mostly, It's about relaxing and accepting the reality.

Rapid fire is not a big part of my training regimen. The only part of it that helps me is that it allows to speed up my recovery from recoil to back on target. Otherwise, I don't really foresee how rapid fire proficiency is going to prepare me for any real world application; and it can also accelerate bore wear.

Contrarily, it's really just a better way to waste ammunition faster, or as LowLight says, you can't miss fast enough to (insert desired outcome here).

I would only employ a heavy barrel in a supported shooting application, and I downplay the concept of a heat sink. While it's hot, the bigger thermal mass takes longer to cool, and all that heat is in there working away at the heat treating/barrel stress relationship.

In more practical terms, you wait longer before the barrel can accept more heat again. Folks rush that and the latent heat in the bore can end up burning up bore throats as they rush the cool down and return to shooting too early.

My heavy barrel rifles are Range Queens, and I bring several so I can shoot some more without having to wait interminably.

My field rifles are lightweight, with my antiquated Model 70 30-06 being the best example. I would never consider it for a firefight, but it did win me a 4th in the 1997 NJ State Sniper Championships by shooting at a reasonable firing cadence. I also know I can carry a rifle like that all day hunting deer.

Practical wisdom often turns out to be pleasing, but wrong.

I will tell you very simply that if your physical debility can be aggravated by recoil, you are doing yourself no favor by ignoring/hedging your medical prohibitions. If it's something your really like doing, hold off until you're certain you can continue it for the remainder of your life. It's worth the wait. Besides, that's why they make 22lr's

Greg
 
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