sporter barrel and long range shooting?

[squirrel_slayer]

had a quick question about barrel contour and accuracy. I bought a 300 win mag barrel off of the classifieds thinking it was the bear hunter barrel which has a heavier contour (my bad not the sellers) so before I spin it on my action am I wasting my time? I got this to stretch my legs a little (I shoot my .308 at 1000yds) I have some 208 a-max's and some re-22 and H1000. I'd be happy with a 1 MOA load but will a thin sporter hold up to strings of fire? say 10 rounds at a round a min between cooling?

[Robinhood]

I've only seen them walk. Magnums build heat fast.

[jpx2rk]

I have a Ruger American (RAR) 223 with a standard/sporter barrel and I cannot shoot a 3 shoot group w/o the barrel heating up and it start walking or throwing flyers everywhere. If I wait 10 minutes between shots, it's fairly accurate for an entry level rifle, but it has to have a cold barrel to do this.

[LongRange]

will a thin sporter hold up to strings of fire? say 10 rounds at a round a min between cooling?

no...youll be lucky to get 4.

[squirrel_slayer]

guess that settles it going to see if my brother wants it if not back to the for sale section.

[big honkin jeep]

Maybe I'm the only guy in the world but I have a completely different perspective.
I have a pretty nice stable of toys including some Savage factory sporters that are just plain stupid accurate.
In fact, they are what gave me the Savage bug many many moons ago.
Best I can tell and what works for me, It's all in finding the the load, with some being more stubborn than others.
Shoot it and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised.

[daddyusmaximus]

I have found that Savage makes good accurate barrels, even sporter weight. However, any lighter barrel will be good for less shots before it heats up and starts stringing shots. The Axis my wife bought me is very accurate, but not for very many shots in a row.

[LongRange]

Maybe I'm the only guy in the world but I have a completely different perspective.
I have a pretty nice stable of toys including some Savage factory sporters that are just plain stupid accurate.
In fact, they are what gave me the Savage bug many many moons ago.
Best I can tell and what works for me, It's all in finding the the load, with some being more stubborn than others.
Shoot it and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised.

no actually you are far from the only guy in the world with an accurate sporter barrel but take that accurate sporter and shoot a 10 shot group through it and see how accurate it is after 4 rounds...ESPECIALLY a large magnum caliber.

the OP asked if a sporter in 300WM was a good target barrel for say 10 shot strings not is a sporter barrel accurate.

[wbm]

the OP asked if a sporter in 300WM was a good target barrel for say 10 shot strings.

Yep he did, and no it ain't....simple as that.

[big honkin jeep]

I know I have several that will run a very impressive 10 shot string over and over again. I knew I was the odd man out before even posting. Internet lore has already decided the answer to this long ago. No place on the internet for real world results.

[SavageShooter]

I ain't got a dog in this dust up, but one thing I have always wondered about and that is how come people carry around those long, heavy barrled rifles? Are they just glutton's for punishment, or is it because they see some advantage in shooting those heavy barrels? Heavy barrels are even available for the AR platform rifles. Why do you suppose they are? This is a mystery to me. I just can't figure it out.

[Londerko]

I have a Magnum contour (.700 @ muzzle)
and with 208s and H1000 at 2940fps I still have to shoot 3 shot groups, not 5. It heats up pretty quick.
so my answer would be No

[RC20]

I ain't got a dog in this dust up, but one thing I have always wondered about and that is how come people carry around those long, heavy barrled rifles? Are they just glutton's for punishment, or is it because they see some advantage in shooting those heavy barrels? Heavy barrels are even available for the AR platform rifles. Why do you suppose they are? This is a mystery to me. I just can't figure it out.

Well I carry one of those from the cart to the bench but no further!

Its a statistical thing, much higher chance that a heavy barrel is less prone to walking as it heats up, less whip and takes longer to heat up.

So pretty much if you want to shoot long strings you are better off with a heavy.

I have a Savage 06 light barrel (donor for a build and wanted to see what it would do) didn't get it to shoot what I wanted, but it also would be good enough for a Caribou or a Moose. Muzzle measurement was pretty loose for a new barrel (I have the tool to check 30 caliber). I also did not spend a whole lot of time with it, I may do so down the road.

So for a 300 WM I would go a Savage Varmint contour.

[RC20]

I have a Magnum contour (.700 @ muzzle)
and with 208s and H1000 at 2940fps I still have to shoot 3 shot groups, not 5. It heats up pretty quick.
so my answer would be No

Curious how long the barrel is?

[scooterf79]

I'd go with a heavier barrel. I've got a 7mag factory sporter barrel I bought for a deer rifle. I've been working up a load for it and while it seems like it's gonna be a good shooter, it takes along time to shoot it. Heats up really quick and starts walking. 10 shot strings would be pretry much out of the question in my opinion.
Scooter

[Londerko]

Curious how long the barrel is?
my barrel is 27"
If I'm going for groups i keep it to 3, pretty hot after 5 shots
but I built the gun to be a long range Hunter, not a "long fireing string target gun". Just a different application, but very happy with it for the purpose I built it

[LongRange]

I know I have several that will run a very impressive 10 shot string over and over again. I knew I was the odd man out before even posting. Internet lore has already decided the answer to this long ago. No place on the internet for real world results.

you are the odd man out...if sporter barrels stringing shots with heat was just an internet lore then why do guys post on every shooting/hunting forum about this very problem almost daily?

[jim_k]

I routinely get great 5-shot groups from hunting weight rifle barrels (1/2 MOA or less). 10-shot groups are naturally larger in any rifle, and 20-shot groups are even larger than that. I think every shooter should test his rifle for himself. One thing I know is that a quick 10-shot string from a .300 Win Mag without free recoil capability is not fun, and I won't do it. The barrel is also going to heat up a BUNCH, no matter how heavy it is. Use something else for long strings. For a hunting rig, there's no reason to carry a heavy barrel if your rifle can shoot a cold-bore shot predictably, and 1-2 quick follow-on shots with good accuracy, when needed. Not even all heavy barrels will be predictable for the first cold bore shot. By that, what I am looking for in a "special" hunting rig is the barrel which puts the first cold bore shot in the middle of the subsequent 3-5 shot group, whether the barrel is fouled or clean. Those are the ones to carry when a big hunt is on the line. You also have to send rounds downrange at the longest distance that you are willing to shoot an animal, if you plan to actually go out and shoot game at long range. For that matter, the bullet time of flight is 1/2 second at 400 yds., and 1 second at 700 yards, so don't shoot at a grazing blackbuck at those ranges. They're likely to move before the bullet gets to them, and that can lead to embarrassing, expensive, and inhumane terminal results. There's a reason you see unsuspecting elk getting shot at long range. Big target; won't move abruptly if calm.

[squirrel_slayer]

I ain't got a dog in this dust up, but one thing I have always wondered about and that is how come people carry around those long, heavy barrled rifles? Are they just glutton's for punishment, or is it because they see some advantage in shooting those heavy barrels? Heavy barrels are even available for the AR platform rifles. Why do you suppose they are? This is a mystery to me. I just can't figure it out.

can't speak for everyone but long range shooting has replaced plinking for me since ammo prices have never really came down. I can spend hours shooting and have lots of fun doing it with less than 50 rounds of ammo. it's quite rewarding to send a round 600+yds and connect with steel. I seldom shoot paper anymore. I like the feedback right now vs walking back and forth. another interesting aspect of long range shooting is how much it forces you to focus on the fundamentals. you can see your faults in the scope on the target if your not pulling the trigger directly back, keeping the reticle level to the earth, or if your not loading the bipod correctly. if you have the rifle planted correctly you can even check your follow through by how much the scope veer's of target. consistancy is key to accurate shooting. those disciplines will also translate into other aspects of shooting. now having that thicker heavier barrel allows you to shoot longer between brakes. which in some instances can be important. especially when learning to read the wind.

That being said this wouldn't be a hunting rig. one day i'll build a "Mountain Gun" where weight will trumph volume of fire. in a rifle like that yes i'd want accuracy but as long as it held that accuracy for 2-3 shots i'd be happy. that would be a rifle thats carried alot and shot seldom.