Barrel Length?
- Thread starter Mike7
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My CZ 527 Varmint works quite well although I have only shot to 200m, it is pretty accurate with Norinco ammo. 20" barrel with a profile between medium/varmint and is a bit about 7.5lbs before you add a scope. It's only a 9 twist but I've only been shooting the norinco so far to get brass to reload.
If you read my post regarding stiffness - I could not have been more specific. I did not say that fluting increases barrel stiffness I said that a fluted barrel of the SAME WEIGHT AND LENGTH is the stiffer of the two. This is an absolute fact.
A longer barrel does not increase RPM exactly, but you are almost right. A longer barrel to a point can result in an increase in velocity. Since the bullet is traveling slightly faster it is by default spinning faster in terms of RPM, but the rate of rotation per linear foot of forward movement is constant regardless of barrel length. This is very minor and should not be interpreted to mean that a 1 in 7 16 inch long barrel is comparable to a 1 in 9 30 inch long barrel. That is absolutely not the case.
You seem to have misread my post as you seem to be correcting things I never said.
bigmedicine
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Yup 20" would me my pick if you want a nice handy rifle. .223 uses a fairly fast powder, so you wont be losing a ton of velocity with your shorter barrel.
I put a 26" on mine and can put a 70gr VLD runnnong 3050fps, awesome for reaching out there.
I personally like the 1:8 twist and a Wylde chamber, it will shoot almost anything well. If I was putting together a bolt gun for 500-600yds at the range with the odd field trip for some hunting I would probably go with a medium contour 22 inch 1:8 but a 1:7 would also be fine. You can't overstabilize a bullet so a 1:7 would be good if you plan to shoot really heavy (long) bullets sometimes but will mostly be in the 65-80gr zone. The 1:8 should be fine though for 90% of the bullets available and that you would use for hunting.
I try to find one bullet that my barrel really likes that will do everything I plan to do with the rifle and then stick with it just to keep things simple. I reload for quite a few different calibers so I may be a little biased against working up loads for a bunch of different bullets for the same rifle. I do test quite a few but the goal is to have one load for each rifle when I'm done.
Good luck, and post some pics when your done.
I try to find one bullet that my barrel really likes that will do everything I plan to do with the rifle and then stick with it just to keep things simple. I reload for quite a few different calibers so I may be a little biased against working up loads for a bunch of different bullets for the same rifle. I do test quite a few but the goal is to have one load for each rifle when I'm done.
Good luck, and post some pics when your done.
For a good explanation of fluted/standard barrel properties, look in the FAQ section on the Shilen website. Given equal length, material and weight a fluted barrel will be stiffer. Why? Because the diameter of the fluted barrel will be larger to compensate for the missing material know as fluting. Do fluted barrels shed heat faster? Yes, because there is greater sufrace area from which to radiate heat. The downside is, given equal barrel diameter, the fluted barrel will heat up faster because it has less mass.
Do NOT buy a precision match grade barrel and have it fluted. Cutting out flutes induces asymetrical stresses that can cause the bore to swell or change shape. Given the mild temperature change experienced in a heavy barrel from a 5 shot group, the extra cooling from a fluted barrel has a negligable affect on precision.
Regarding barrel length vs accuracy;
Shorter barrels, given equal diameter, are more rigid, which can be more precise (repeatable shot placement).
There is a common misconception that longer barrels are more accurate.
Here's how it works. Longer barrels (to a point) will yield higher velocity. This higher velocity translates into a higher hit probability in a situation where the range to target is not exactly known. This is why most "varmint" rifles have longer barrels. When hunting varmints, one often has to estimate range and wind quickly. A higher velocity projectile will have a higher hit probability when the variables are not exactly known. When target shooting, a lower velocity round simply means more clicks on the scope to compensate for wind & elevation.
Do NOT buy a precision match grade barrel and have it fluted. Cutting out flutes induces asymetrical stresses that can cause the bore to swell or change shape. Given the mild temperature change experienced in a heavy barrel from a 5 shot group, the extra cooling from a fluted barrel has a negligable affect on precision.
Regarding barrel length vs accuracy;
Shorter barrels, given equal diameter, are more rigid, which can be more precise (repeatable shot placement).
There is a common misconception that longer barrels are more accurate.
Here's how it works. Longer barrels (to a point) will yield higher velocity. This higher velocity translates into a higher hit probability in a situation where the range to target is not exactly known. This is why most "varmint" rifles have longer barrels. When hunting varmints, one often has to estimate range and wind quickly. A higher velocity projectile will have a higher hit probability when the variables are not exactly known. When target shooting, a lower velocity round simply means more clicks on the scope to compensate for wind & elevation.
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