Brux Barrels

[sinman]

I know most of you have not used a Brux barrel and a lot may have never even heard of them so I figured I would tell you a little bit about them from my point of view (riflesmith/barrel chamber cutter). Right now I have worked on a dozen or so Brux barrels and I have never been more amazed by the quality that they put out. I just chucked up a .224 1/8" blank, I set it up and indicated it off the bore like always, tweaking the 4 jaw chuck into alignment. Running off a dial indicator I was able to align the bore almost perfectly straight, through the whole chamber area (223 AI) the bore varied off center from .0001-.0004" which is amazingly straight as I have just cut an Adams and Bennett barrel and it makes those look awful. The barrels always cut smoothly and finish to a mirror with minimum work. For the $100 over a standard barrel I wouldn't even think of the price difference if you want a top notch barrel. I know anytime I want to make a special rifle for myself I will defiantly be going Brux. a nice #1 or #2 in 6.5x55 might be looking good here next year. If you have any questions feel free to ask I will try to answer them the best I can.

[sharpshooter]

I would have to agree 100%. I have chambered about 50 so far this year and they definately require less work than other brands. The finish is on size and superb. I've been shooting one in a 6x47 Lapua and doing quite well. The first match I shot with it was the IBS 600 yd Nationals this year and I ended up 6th in HG score. They have been doing well in competition with several new records in 600 yd and F class.

[desertdog]

cool! can we see more comparisons from both of you guys? be it good or bad? likes or dislikes? 8) dd

[GPM]

Sinman,

I hope you're still checking this thread, but I wanted to ask a question about the #1 or #2 Brux barrels that you mentioned might go on a 6.5 x 55.

What do you feel are the tradeoffs in going to such a light barrel contour? I saw the brux website, and those are fairly light/thin barrels. Would you expect to have much POI drift due to heat, and if so, how much shooting would you expect to be able to do before it set in?

I'm looking to build a lightweight rifle, and would like to hear your perspective on the tradeoffs as I go down in contours. The rifle would be a hunting rifle, but I like to shoot my hunting rifles a lot on the targe range.

Thanks

[sinman]

I almost missed this thread but I did remember to look haha. I am hoping for little drifting but if it does I will convert them into my Zombie Hunter barrels to stiffen them up and still keep them light. The barrel would be a tensioned barrel and that will keep the stiffness up there with the varmint barrels and keep the weight down to a sporter barrel.


Desertdog, the bad thing about the Brux barrels is the 10+ week wait time that they have right now, but all you have to do is plan ahead.

[GPM]

Sinman,

Thanks for the reply. I'm in the market for a lightweight barrel, and I'll need to get this done soon if there's a 10-week wait.

Can you clarify what you mean by converting a barrel into a Zombie Hunter barrel? What do you mean by a tensioned barrel? Also, what's your experience with getting a slightly larger barrel, but using fluting to reduce some of the weight?

I don't know how much weight the flutes actually take off in a sporter barrel. It doesn't seem like much, but hopefully I'll be surprised.

[sinman]

Here is the link to my zombie hunter barrels. http://savageshooters.com/SavageForum/index.php/topic,25506.0.html

Flutes can be good and bad, You can save a lot of weight on a heavy barrel by cutting the flutes deep but on a thin barrel they are to be really shallow. I would go with just a #1 or #2 contour and leave it unflutted because I don't think you will gain anything by flutting such a light barrel and for the cost of a $100+ thats a lot for maybe 3oz or so. On a heavy barrel with deep flutes you can take a lot off but then you still have a heavier barrel.

[GPM]

Sinman,

I saw the pics, and the rifle looks great - and seems to shoot even better. However, I'm still not sure I understood some of the things you were discussing.

1. What is a tensioned barrel? Is that what the 'sleeve' you were referring to does?

2. Does a lightweight (#1 or #2) barrel, with whatever weight is added by the 'tension' system, work out lighter than simply going up a contour? For example, I see on the Brux website that their #2 barrels weigh 2.8 lbs, and a #3 weighs 3.0 lbs. Would tensioning a barrel add enough weight to the barrel (.2 lbs, or ~3 ounces) that it would be just as heavy as a #3 contour? Which would be better at avoiding POI drift due to heat?

3. How long is the wait for a Sin Arms barrel? I'm looking for a 22" barrel for a 7mm08, in the lightest weight that will allow me to avoid POI drift. Also, how would you characterize the differences between the Sin Arms barrel and the Brux barrels?

Thanks.

[sinman]

Its a sleeve that has a nut on the muzzle end so you can the tension. If done correctly a sleeved barrel will have the strength of a bull barrel and weigh less than a magnum barrel. On my test barrel I did not get any drift from a 223 after shooting 30rds one after another. And the Sin Arms barrels are your standard grade barrel and take about 8 weeks, the brux are top notch barrels and nothing less. How much shooting do you plan on doing when you are worried about drifting?

[GPM]

The rifles' primary purpose will be a lightweight, carry-rifle for hunting. However, I like to shoot my hunting rifles a lot, so I will go to the range and typically shoot anywhere from 30-50 rounds. It might be more if we're shooting some kind of varmints, or informal shooting competitions. It will not be rapid fire for the duration, but there will be strings of 5-10 shots within a few minutes.

But since it's built to be a hunting rifle, I really want to manage the weight. I will be backpacking with the rifle, so it's an 'ounces to pounds' thing. As a result, the tensioning idea sounds extremely promising.

To clarify, if I understand you right, I could get a #1 or #2 contour barrel, have it tensioned, and I would be able to get minimal POI drift. The accuracy would be determined by the quality of the components I put together, but I should be able to get consistent accuracy.

From who/where/how do you get a tensioning system installed? Is there another tradeoff involved with going this route that I don't understand? What about approximate cost, and weight?

Thanks...

[cowboyarcher]

Sinman is the guy to do the tensioning, though I amnot sure he has set a price on the job yet.

Sinmans 223 he built weighed 8lb 4oz with a 25" barrel. You's should be in that neighborhood, less the 3" of barrel.

The only other consideration is that the barrel channel will need to be opened up on your stock to accomadate the larger diameter of the sleeve.

Adam

[jpdown]

I just finished trying to build a lighter weight Savage rifle. Components included Savage standard LA, Stockade Hunter stock with center feed blind magazine, Sinman .260 barrel 22" #1 contour, Burris Xtreme bases, Signature Zee rings, and Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x36 scope. I went with a LA because I need the flexibility to also use as a switch barrel rifle. It weights in at 7 lbs, 14 oz. A short action would most likely shave off another 4 to 6 oz. It will shoot 3 shot groups under 0.5" and 5 shot groups under 0.75". Yes, the barrel heats up faster, but also seems to cool down faster between groups. A sleeved barrel would add cost without much gain, IMO, if a light weight hunting rifle is your goal.

[sinman]

I would get a standard #1 barrel first and try it and if you are getting poi drift then tension it. That would probably be the best way of getting the lightest gun possible. a tensioned barrel will add weight that may be unneeded.

[GPM]

JPDown,

Have you noticed the POI shifting due to heat with a #1 contour? Have you shot long, consecutive strings yet?

It's interesting that your rifle ends up weighing a little bit more than the Savage Weather Warrior; is the Stockade stock a bit heavier than the factory stock?

Sinman, has your experience shown the #1's to drift? I see that going to a #2 contour will add between 6-8 ounces (based on Krieger & Douglas contour charts), is there much of a benefit in terms of accuracy/stability?

Thanks all those who answered.

[sinman]

I have not had enough experience with the customs in the #1 and #2 contours to give a good comparison. Each barrel is going to be different though so one guys #1 will drift like crazy and the next one will not move.

[jpdown]

I have not shot any long strings with the # 1 contour barrel. I have not seen any significant POI shift with fairly rapid 5 shot strings. The Sin Arms 22" barrel I received weighed around 2 lbs. The Stockade Hunter LA stock weighed 34 oz. My rifle weight of 7 lbs 14 oz was with scope mounted. The Savage composite stock is a few ounces lighter than the Stockade Hunter. No comparison in quality. The Drop Box or Flip Open magazine assembly will add about 9 oz to a stock verses a blind magazine stock. No comparison IMO in quality and accuracy potential of the Stockade verses tupperware stock.