Thought about the action and barrel for LR
The new season is approaching and we all begin to think about the new equipment. I've been thinking about the calibers previously. But what barrel and action should I choose? And what do I expect from them?
The barrel is the most important part of the system. It is definitely worth not to save money and choose the quality (honestly - where you can actually save in Long Range, right?...).
Length - after all my experience I would now choose the longest one I'm willing to carry (or what the rules allow me). The longer the barrel is the higher the speed of the bullet (and we already know that we want the speed...). Opinions of the type "long barrel obstructs and is not practical" I think now are silly. This year I have also participated in a lot of challenging tactical competitions with camouflaging and hidden movement. And the length was never an issue nor did I ever start to think about it at all. It was only the weight I was thinking about.
Profile - the barrel shape especially in terms of thickness. The fatter the more stable and simply it shoots better. Thinner barrel is only lighter but it gets warmer faster and can cause the point of impact shift during high volume fire. But the thick barrel is unfortunately heavy.
It all means that the ideal barrel - long and fat - will have a higher weight. Weight is good and advantageous when it comes to shooting itself. A heavy weapon is more stable (in some disciplines there is maximum weight limit because of it) so the shooting is more precise. On the other hand - who wants to carry some heavy beast around...
When I think of target shooting where the weapon is primarily lying on the ground and I do not have to carry it anywhere - then it's clear. Heavier is clearly better. But if I'm thinking about tactics where we shoot from different positions and the weapon has to be carried with - then the lighter is better. Or it could help to improve our physical fitness, right?...
The material - definitely stainless steel. It lasts longer, muzzle speeds are higher, it gets less dirty and is easier to clean... But nowadays there are even other options...
...the carbon fiber barrels... More accurate name would probably be "stainless steel / carbon fiber". Their big advantage is the lower weight - by more than half. This will allow the barrel to be long and fat and at the same time lightweight. They also have excellent thermal performance. The pictures are from Proof Research which is the top among carbon and classical manufacturers. Their disadvantage is the high price and bad accessibility in Europe (but we are working hard on that)...
What to actually imagine as a carbon barrel? The base is a stainless steel barrel. Than they remove some material from the center part and instead of the steel - several layers of carbon fiber with a resin are added. The result is that the barrel still has quality stainless steel parameters with regard to the bore - because it remains. But the weight will be significantly reduced (up to 64%) heating will be reduced and cooling will be accelerated. The result is that these barrels are as precise as stainless steel but are lighter and do not heat up so much. In addition there is almost no point of impact shift during high volume fire. Also they greatly reduce the mirage from hot barrel (which significantly worsens the aiming and affects the hits). Carbon fibers are up to 30 times stronger than steel and up to 7 times stiffer - which helps to reduce the barrel vibrations.
Action - we also have certain requirements for it. Quality of course. But from the user's point of view there is more aspects...
Short or Long Action
SA (Short Actions) have a shorter bolt travel for faster handling, are lighter, stronger and have a larger selection of stock and chassis as well as magazines. But we're limited to SA calibers. Which is no longer a problem today - we even have SA magnum calibers. LA are longer and heavier. But you can choose a really long caliber which are the classic magnums or some new supermagnums.
Another aspect is the number of locking lugs. Some actions have the bolt opening angle 90°. In this case the optics must be relatively high to prevent the collision and have some manipulating space. With a faster firing rate the bolt handling requires a great deal of hand movement. It's slower and the shooter's position is more difficult to maintain (and that's the key to good hits). These are typically the systems with two locking lugs (here it is worth mentioning that Tikka T3 has only two lugs but it opens only by 70°).
Actions with three locking lugs typically have a 60° opening angle. The optics can be lowered without interfering with the hand or even bolt. At the same time handling the bolt is a bit faster and for the shooter is easier to maintain a good position when shooting faster.
Another thing to consider is the extractor and ejector. Pictured on the left is the Ruger bolt with three locking lugs and an external extractor. On the right is Remington's two lugs bolt with internal extractor. Typically it is reported that the Remington internal extractor occasionally cracks and can be a source of trouble. I can confirm that we have such a defect. It was with our school rifle at the course abroad. Fortunately I had a spare part. But on the other hand it is easy and fast to change even in field conditions. Our school rifles have a some history including a lot of rough handling and it happened only once... So that's not a big problem - but it is wise to have a spare part though...
Since I mentioned some of the calibers in the previous article a variant of the multi-caliber system with a quick caliber change can be interesting for some shooters. As is in this video. This system has proven to be great and I am really excited about it. After all most of my success this year has been achieved with this system. So now I can say that it is really well tested and functional...
So what systems do we plan for the new season? We will of course stay with the proven ones that we already have. They work well. But I am going to introduce one new system to the new season... I want it to meet the following: - quick and easy caliber change. Ideally even between standard and magnum calibers - Short Action due to weight, strength, accessories and especially fast and easy operation - bolt opening 60° for easy and fast handling - Remington 700 stock interface. This is due to the availability of stock, chassis and triggers
It took a long time and a lot of effort but I managed to find such a system. And importing it in cooperation with Beareka company. The design is really great. To find any machining marks is waste of time - the surface is like a glass everywhere. It is as solid as a tank and above all - meets all the criteria I have for such a system...
It even has interchangeable bolt heads so it is possible to use a caliber with a cartridge base of .223 and .308 as well as magnum standards. The exchange is complete without tools in less than minute... Note the double ejector for reliable and quick ejection of the cartridge in any conditions.
It is Canadian action Ultimatum Deadline.
Barrels for this built I want to have 26" long. This length has been proven to be the most practical. Rifle with this barrel length fits into a case that I can store across the car and I do not have to fold my seats. And unlike the shorter barrel it gives me the chance to use full ammo potential and get a decent muzzle speed. I would not choose a shorter barrel anymore...
So for this multicaliber system I will use: - heavy 26" stainless steel barrel for precise shooting - of course with effective muzzle brake - fat but lightweight carbon 26" barrel for tactics - of course with effective muzzle brake I will use Proof Research barrels (their import is coming to the successful end now). They will arrive in time for the new season. Above all - I can not wait to get the carbon one in the hands!
Next time I will think about other components ...
Not only to members of our team we can offer help or advice when choosing the right equipment. We already have some experience and results with it... Do not be afraid to contact us.
