How to buy a barrel tuner?

bigHUN

bigHUN

Regular
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Location
Aurora/ON
I would welcome some education with this, please.
I know what the tuner does, I have two barrel tuners on my BR target airguns.

This barrel what I have is a 28" heavy, full length tapered in W308, not threaded.
Measuring 0.915" at the muzzle. Only marking on the barrel is an engraving "308 Obermeyer", the chamber has tighter specs I guess.

Anything exist off the shelf I shall be looking for, or the tuner would be custom built?
I am not educated enough to know how to search for it.
Not sure if I want an integrated muzzle brake, unless removable.
 
I have not seen any clamp on barrel tuners, not saying there aren't any, just I have not seen any.

You can get the tuners, that thread on, either by themselves or in combination with a brake. Generally the ones with a brake you need to use with it afterwards, but there are a few that you can hold on with just a thread protector, but those look cheezy.

Dominion Outdoors carries a few varieties as well as the cortina ones.

https://www.dominionoutdoors.ca/search/ec+tuner/
 
Ok, so I have learned that is called a "clamp on" tuner.
Thanks
I know for sure that the barrel has a uniform taper the entire length.
Next time I have my caliper in my hands I will measure and calculate what is the angle on that taper.
I would really like to avoid re-cutting the barrel for a thread or make a cylindrical OD.
 
Pointdexter said:
Do tuners even work? Are they specifically for target rifles or would they work for hunting rifles too?
Click to expand...
Pointless for hunting rifles IMO, because their biggest advantage is to change from match to match

Also. A hunting rifle does not need anywhere near the accuracy parameters of a match rifle .
Cat
 
Last edited:
I would tend to agree, tuners are mostly for minute changes due to conditions. I have one on my “do all” rifle that I shoot long range with, and have shot a few deer with it as well.
I have mostly left the tuner alone but have adjusted it and have seen a difference in groups for sure. I don’t really like adjusting the screws on mine however and will get a Cortina tuner/brake for my next barrel.
 
Lead hammer said:
I would tend to agree, tuners are mostly for minute changes due to conditions. I have one on my “do all” rifle that I shoot long range with, and have shot a few deer with it as well.
I have mostly left the tuner alone but have adjusted it and have seen a difference in groups for sure. I don’t really like adjusting the screws on mine however and will get a Cortina tuner/brake for my next barrel.
Click to expand...
The Spearhead tuner-brake uses the same plastic-tipped set screws as Cortina's. So you don't have to adjust the set screws at any point during the tuning process.
 
My shooting is 90% with BR 100M airguns vs the powder burners.
Temp or humidity change = I am re-tightening the groups with a barrel tuner like every day, morning or afternoons.
I understand that we are tuning the harmonics with a powder amount, but I would really want to see what the tuner would do in this case with my diy 308 reloads.
Just playing with ideas, I am not educated in high level with CF.
I just got home from my 300M range, I had four groups of 10 shots. I didn't process yet the POI but I think there could/may be a room to improve.
So far I can see what powder amount gives me the tightest groups and it is not the tightest ES, next I will play with seating depth.
Hopefully the weather will cooperate next time, today I got soaked wet.
 
In my club today I saw a similar heavy barrel setup with a brake, I asked a fella where he got he's tuner from. He is a PRS shooter and just looking into he's equipment pretty deep dive into that game.
He gave me two gunsmiths he had in contacts... he said waiting several months to cut the barrel is a norm these days.
I will make some calls after the Easter weekend.
 
bigHUN said:
In my club today I saw a similar heavy barrel setup with a brake, I asked a fella where he got he's tuner from. He is a PRS shooter and just looking into he's equipment pretty deep dive into that game.
He gave me two gunsmiths he had in contacts... he said waiting several months to cut the barrel is a norm these days.
I will make some calls after the Easter weekend.
Click to expand...
Yes, the norm these days is extremely long delays at gunsmiths.

Dominion in MB tends to be pretty fast. Insite in AB can also be pretty fast.
 
bigHUN said:
In my club today I saw a similar heavy barrel setup with a brake, I asked a fella where he got he's tuner from. He is a PRS shooter and just looking into he's equipment pretty deep dive into that game.
He gave me two gunsmiths he had in contacts... he said waiting several months to cut the barrel is a norm these days.
I will make some calls after the Easter weekend.
Click to expand...
Good lord. I could thread a barrel in one afternoon.
 
Got to the range yesterday, realized late that I forgot my long range paper pack.
These airgun target rings I have always in my range bag, so I use these 300.
Sipping rain, occasionally I lost my view on the bullet holes through that mist, but I could save the paper for my analysis.

20250418_140129.jpg

This is a second group test. Not really happy but considering all the elements not bad... the bench table top was also making me emotional, throwing out my bubble, realized late.

10 shot groups, powder incremental deduction from 46.2 - 46.0 - 45.8 - 45.6 grain, bullet seating depth just a starting point at 0.033" from land.

Through my testing I got two tightest groups, one at 46.6 gn and this #9 one at 45.8 gn .

I will be working with that group #9 with a seating depth incremental starting from 0.020" and in steps of 0.005"

Wondering how much the tuner can possibly tighten that group?
 
What is the group size?
Target 8 does not impact on the same plane as target 9, target 10 impacts similarly but angled groups are not desired. It looks like with this load you have a small window. Maybe once you try seating, target 10 would also join target 9.

Think of a tuner as a way to adjust for a change in weather. Loads should be developed with a tuner on and not adjusted at all, then if a load goes out of tune, and if an adjustment in the tuner won’t fix it, the load needs a tweak.
 
Lead hammer said:
... Target 8 does not impact on the same plane as target 9, target 10 impacts similarly but angled groups are not desired. ...
Click to expand...
Only when I got to #9 I realized that the bench table top throw the rest out of bubble slightly.
I have not seen it earlier, for the bubble to check I would need my reading glasses, but not using these when aiming through the scope.
My bubble is integrated into the scope mount, it is below the focus ring not really a convenient place, also out of focus for my eyes.
So yes, two separate problems with angled groups.
First I need to check how can I hard lock my rest, or what bench tops at the range are better then a pure @#!@%. I could see just by breathing on the bench top my reticle was moving half a MOA.
Also, I will probably invest into some sort of "level indicator" that I can see out of focus, like some perimeter vision electronic gizmo with go-no go lights.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom