Houston Warehouse Project

[pepper savage 111]

Hey guys. So I'm intrigued by the project but i cant help but wonder about the 21.75" ideal barrel length. Is this measurement 21.75" of rifling or total barrel length (including chamber)? I figured I'd try this lentgh with a .243ai I want to build.

[barrel-nut]

Patrick K. would know, but I haven't seen him on here in a while. He posted a link to a great article about the project a long time ago.
FWIW, the rifles used in that experiment were almost certainly chambered in 6PPC, and were probably bull barrels or more correctly, NBRSA- legal taper, which amounts to 1.25" diameter the first five inches, and tapering to .900 over the next 24", or .900" at 29". Although virtually no short range bench rest rifles have 29" barrels, so a shorter barrel can have a larger muzzle diameter as long as it follows this taper. So the taper of the barrel as well as the chambering would affect the harmonics in my opinion. I don't think that the 21.75" ideal length is meant to be universal.
If you're building a .243AI, I'd assume you intend to shoot it at distances longer than 100-200 yards, and if so, my opinion is that it'd be smarter to use a longer barrel to gain all the additional velocity you could from a relatively overbore cartridge. With a 21.75" barrel you'd be leaving a lot of velocity on the table.
If you really are only shooting shorter distances, do yourself a favor and build a 6BR.

[pepper savage 111]

I'd be taking it to 800 yards and maybe 1000 one day. I figured since its the same projectile that maye the theory would translate.

[LongRange]

im with barrel-nut...26" to 28" so you can take advantage of the AI cartridge.

[barrel-nut]

If you're going to 1000 yds, you're not going to be using the short 50-something grain flat based bullets that were used in those experiments. You're gonna want 100+grain bullets going as fast as possible. For that you'll want a fast twist 1-7" or 1-8" barrel in 26" or 28". If you want maximum barrel stiffness, go with a full bull contour. But it will be heavy. Still not real clear as to your intended purpose..?

[pepper savage 111]

Just brainstorming right now. I want an absloute tack driver capable of sub .2" groups that can also be used to reach out and touch p-dogs. I'm trying to prepare for a p-dog hunt next year and I basically want a laser vaporizer (preferably in a short action :)).

[Robinhood]

22 ppc. Much of this information is meaningless with the exception that brass prep is serious bidness.

[hcpyro13]

"Laser vaporizer" for small furry things, Scope Eye should be around with some advice.

[GaCop]

im with barrel-nut...26" to 28" so you can take advantage of the AI cartridge. +1!

[Texas10]

Here's the link to the Houston Warehouse article

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2013/10/18/secrets-of-the-houston-warehouse-lessons-in-extreme-rifle-accuracy/

This should be a sticky :)

[sedstar]

i posted the houston warehouse on another gun site before, lol, and i myself have often wondered about the magic of the 21 3/4 inch barrel length "absolute" the man spoke of.

i WILL ADMIT, that i once was slowly putting together the "poor mans bench rest rig". Naturally i had a savage 110, 308 caliber... on the advice of a f-class shooter? i went with the ultimate varmint stock for the one piece CNC machined v blocks for a solid footing. the rifle had come with a sporter tube 308, and i used THAT until I got my 26" savage barrel in heavier taper in.

I worked up a GREAT load for 100 yards with that thin tube? and it was 22 inches, LMAO... my heavy longer tube was very RELIABLE, and very REPEATABLE. It was able to utilize a wider range of powder/projectile combinations very well... BUT, while it was more USEFUL, it never printed a smaller 5 shot group at 100 yards.

i always WONDERED about the 22" houston directive, lol.

================================================== ============================================

for my moneys worth? and this is us all just giving our OPINIONS out, mind you... when a tried and true, tested "expert" in the field makes a blanket STATEMENT, say for instance, " ALL guns shot BEST with a 21-3/4" barrel" ?? I tend to take that as FACE VALUE, and go with it...

I myself often wondered, does the 21 3/4" measure from the chamber, the throat, or what? LMAO... I always meant to get a "full bull" taper and specify it to be... 21 3/4" long, an air guaged "ultra match" or whatever the highest grade was, to spin onto a savage 110 action in my ultimate varmint stock, just to see for myself how it went...

if its not "best" for 1000 yards? then its not best for 1000 yards, you know? 100 and 200 yards is "common range distance" at most ranges, and, i figure a couple hundred yards for g-hogging should be fine too...

[bsekf]

You must remember the Houston Warehouse Project was nearly 20 years ago, it was strictly BR and there have been improvements in barrel making since then. HOWEVER, I still like short fat barrels. The 21.75 length had to do with harmonics and 200 yards was maximum. The article is a great read, they took the elements and humans out of the equation. It was down to mechanics......they only touched the rifle with the pad on their trigger finger....BR! Quarter ounce triggers, lapping barrel threads, action tolerances of 0.0001. The 22 PPC was the most accurate, but remember they were indoors.... no elements.

A great read!

[Jamie]

You must remember the Houston Warehouse Project was nearly 20 years ago, it was strictly BR and there have been improvements in barrel making since then. HOWEVER, I still like short fat barrels. The 21.75 length had to do with harmonics and 200 yards was maximum. The article is a great read, they took the elements and humans out of the equation. It was down to mechanics......they only touched the rifle with the pad on their trigger finger....BR! Quarter ounce triggers, lapping barrel threads, action tolerances of 0.0001. The 22 PPC was the most accurate, but remember they were indoors.... no elements.

A great read!


^^+1 along with barrel-nut. Excellent read and you can learn things from it but what they were doing is far different than what you are trying to do.