Rifle Competition Events NRL Barrel Question

[ThatGuy01]

I am new to NRL Hunter and currently building my first rig. My question is…which barrel is better for NRL? I don’t have experience with either. My thoughts..

Steel Fluted = can hold up to longer (8 rds) strings of fire but heavier depending on contour. Possibly could go shorter to save weight but then I lose velocity/power factor.

Carbon = lighter & possibly longer which benefit weight and velocity but may start to drift the more it heats up. Even with a thicker contour I don’t think that is enough to change how the heat will affect it given how they are constructed.

Or neither and I should look into something else.

*Im trying to stay in the open light division with a 6.5 CM setup

 

[021411]

The least you can shoot and clean a stage is 4 rounds. The most can fire period is 8 over the course of the par time. You’re not going to shoot so fast where heating up the barrel will throw off your shot. That said I haven’t had accuracy issues with my Proof carbon barrels in both Sendero and Sendero Light profiles.

 

[021411]

View attachment IMG_0014.jpeg
This is a .750 Taperless profile finished at 25” and chambered in 7mm SAW. It’s 42.5 oz (2.66#) on the scale.

 

[Sheldon N]

The vast majority of NRL Hunter open light competitors seem to be running carbon fiber barrels from what I've seen shooting/RO'ing, especially those at the top.

I don't think there's any reason to be concerned with drift or heat with a quality carbon fiber barrel.

 

[ThatGuy01]

View attachment 8689600
This is a .750 Taperless profile finished at 25” and chambered in 7mm SAW. It’s 42.5 oz (2.66#) on the scale.

Wow that’s only a couple oz off what a 22” 6.5 CM CF barrel weighs.

 

[powdahound76]

Just finished shooting the RO match and ROing for 2 days here in CO.

Saw a lot of both fluted and CF.
Nearly 50/50 for guys in OL.

First big match like that. Learned a ton, met loads of nice people.
I suck at finding steel fast. But will learn!

Look forward to shooting more of these as it was a load of fun!

Shout

 

[wpeach1912]

I’d probably go steel like a preferred .750 or .810 taper less, 3b, or a fluted light or medium Palma. Although I have had good luck the last couple years with a proof CF prefit on my light rifle.

 

[Char'ed Cuterie]

Regarding the power factor component of your question: A 150 grain projectile going as slow as 2,534fps makes power factor. Even if you're down at sea level, since you don't yet own this barrel, you could get it in a 7.5 twist and you'll be all set to run the heavies in 6.5 Creedmoor. If you'll exclusively be at higher altitude, they're plenty stable out of an 8 twist. It's not hard at all to hit that speed with a shorter barrel, either - I just made power factor with Berger 153.5's going 2,536 or so out of an 18" sporter barrel with a nothing-special magazine-length load... at the Colorado match at 6,000ft, but you get the idea. Anything longer than 18" will make power factor with the heavies. Some of the factory-loaded Berger is way hotter than others, and if you had a 20" or longer barrel that was completely broken in, I'll bet the factory 153.5 load would make power factor, too. For whatever reason, the last lot of factory Berger 156 EOL was almost 200fps slower than the 153.5 LRHT, so buyer beware if you need factory ammo.

I will say that the 18" barrel didn't balance for shit, I was balancing inches further aft than I wanted to, and that came up as a problem more than once.

Either steel or carbon will be fine, the example from earlier in this thread is a great example, and it was a 25".

 

[Cynical]

Regarding the power factor component of your question: A 150 grain projectile going as slow as 2,534fps makes power factor. Even if you're down at sea level, since you don't yet own this barrel, you could get it in a 7.5 twist and you'll be all set to run the heavies in 6.5 Creedmoor. If you'll exclusively be at higher altitude, they're plenty stable out of an 8 twist. It's not hard at all to hit that speed with a shorter barrel, either - I just made power factor with Berger 153.5's going 2,536 or so out of an 18" sporter barrel with a nothing-special magazine-length load... at the Colorado match at 6,000ft, but you get the idea. Anything longer than 18" will make power factor with the heavies. Some of the factory-loaded Berger is way hotter than others, and if you had a 20" or longer barrel that was completely broken in, I'll bet the factory 153.5 load would make power factor, too. For whatever reason, the last lot of factory Berger 156 EOL was almost 200fps slower than the 153.5 LRHT, so buyer beware if you need factory ammo.

I will say that the 18" barrel didn't balance for shit, I was balancing inches further aft than I wanted to, and that came up as a problem more than once.

Either steel or carbon will be fine, the example from earlier in this thread is a great example, and it was a 25".

Just want to add that power factor doesn’t really matter with 6.5 cm factory loads with bullets over 130 grain, except for a tiebreaker.