Barrel differences

Been away from bolt actions for years, just retired from the military and my focus for obvious reasons was with the M4. Want to get back into bolt actions and focus more on accuracy and distance, versus high round counts. My previous history with bolt guns was with hunting rifles with sporter barrels, 3-5 rounds to sight in / confirm zero ever year and 1-2 rounds for game at any one time. I bought a Savage Hog Hunter .308 early last year and was able to sight it in real quick but have not been able to shoot it since and it will more than likely be sometime next year before I pick it back up - two major shoulder reconstruction surgeries as well as a third surgery to fuse 4 vertebra in my neck will keep me away from heavier recoiling rounds for a while. I only include the injuries to explain the caliber choice, not weight concerns.

I'm looking to have some rifles made for me, my boys, my wife (hopefully if I can talk her into it) and for my daughter for when she gets a little bigger. I've decided on .22-250 for target shooting and type of hunting that we will be doing, mostly varmint, predator, with some deer and hog mixed in hopefully. The choice of .22-250 will be good for me with my injuries, especially any sustained shooting if we can go varmint shooting and a common caliber for the family will be easier to reload and easier on the wallet. The 22-250 will give the best versatility and growth for the kids as well - varmints to medium game.

My question is in regards to any perceived differences between the predator profile barrels vs. the varmint barrels, besides an approx. 1-1.75lb weight difference in the rifles. I understand that most varmint barrels are usually full or close to full bull barrels while the predator barrels are described as a tapered bull / medium bull / heavy sporter barrel. It is my understanding that both are / can be almost equally accurate, especially if careful hand loads are developed.

What I'm wondering is, how much of a difference is there with the predator barrel (vs the varmint barrel) when used for sustained shooting sessions - some target shooting but mostly for varmints? Obviously not going to be shooting them like an AR banging away, maybe something like 1 round every 30-60 seconds until empty and then let it cool for 3-5 minutes, reload, the shoot some more. Will it still heat up too much and string the rounds?

I've not seen any mention about high round count (for a bolt gun) shooting sessions and predator barrels. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, and thanks for reading the above babble. :pop2:

Steve

First, welcome to the site and thank you for your service.

I am not a competitive shooter, nor have I had the pleasure of much varmint hunting. However, my experience from the bench and just "goofing" around is that the rate of fire you describe is fine with either barrel contour, in most cases. However, barrels are like people. They each have a personality of their own and some are more sensitive to heat than others. You may find it needs a couple minutes between shots and then several minutes to cool off after 5-6 rounds. Weather plays a role as well. Powder and load choice also plays a role as well as loading practices. (Chamberring a round in a hot barrel and letting it sit there a few minutes before firing will have a different affect than leaving the chamber open and loading a round immediately before firing.)

Sporter barrels are generally 0.550" at the muzzle
Medium/heavy sporters are usually in the 0.600-0.650" range at the muzzle depending on caliber
The Predator profile Savage uses (IIRC) is right around 0.700" at the muzzle
Savage Varmint contour is 0.820" at the muzzle
Savage Target barrels and bull barrels are 1" or larger at the muzzle (depending on shank and if it's nutted or shouldered)

The bigger weight factor is the length of the barrel more than the contour. Most sporter barrels are 22 and 24" long. The Predator barrels are 20 and 22" long. The Varmint barrels are generally 20, 24 or 26" long depending on model/year. Savage Target barrels are 26 and 28" long.

For what you're doing and the cartridge you've chosen I'd stick to the Predator or Varmint contour. The only people running Target or bull barrels are generally doing so for the added weight in competitive shooting. Sporter weight barrels are nice and light if you're carrying them in the field all day, but they heat up quick (also cool down faster though, so it's a trade-off).

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your replies. Believe I will go with the predator profile barre0 in 24 inch for the builds. That weight would make it easier for the wife and kids to carry and the extra weight of a varmint barrel is not needed for recoil mitigation with the 22-250 cartridge for them. Thanks again.

Steve

Grimm don't overlook a 260 Remington when looking for a lighter recoiling cartridge. I had shoulder surgery and can no longer take heavy recoil. After much reading I bought a mdl 16 in 260, it's light, accurate and doesn't have much recoil.

I also have a mdl 12 FVSS in 22-250 and it's very accurate, but it's over 12 pounds.

Thank you sir for your service.