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I just bought a 10BA in .308. it has a 20" fluted barrel with brake. I was told that these are the best Savages off the rack. I'm wanting to get some input on a 26" heavy barrel swap. Weight is not an issue. I just wonder if I would gain or lose accuracy with this swap?
Welcome to the forum.
Barrels are individuals. A heavier barrel might be easier to shoot well just because you physically influence it less. The extra mass takes more energy to move. But that doesn't mean that the lighter barrel will be less accurate. How does the 20" barrel shoot?
You don't specify the brand on the heavy barrel. If it's a Savage, the odds are that it would shoot very similar to your current barrel.
All the best.
Welcome to the Barrel nut....Congrats
Everything to gain. If you hunt 🦌, then by all means keep the rifle as is. If you like to shoot strings after strings of rounds, get you that upgraded barrel. Seeing as it’s a heavy barrel you wanted, you’re more likely a bench shooter so upgrade!
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The barrel im looking into is a x-caliber, pre-fit barrel. 26", 1.055-1. Contour. No flutes. 1-10" twist, 5r rifling. 11 degree crown. Cryo treated.
If it were me, I would not cryo treat the barrel. Waste of money b/c it is already a bull barrel but if it’s something that you prefer then that’s [emoji41] too!
Btw that’s a good barrel choice - can’t go wrong!
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MRCHIRO why not cryo? It has been proven many times to make wear items last 2-3xs longer. Throat should see a longer life span. What do I not know?
BB68, you are absolutely correct - but I wouldn’t do it b/c the extra amount of ammo you can shoot vs the time getting a new one screwed on isn’t all worth it to me. Besides - how long do you want it to last for some people who won’t even see a full box of ammo through their rifle a year.
It’s all about time for me but like I say, if its something you want-definitely so and go have it done.
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Thanks y'all. I think that's what i will go with.
Ok, I don't want to beat this into the ground, but I do have a question about rate of twist. I plan on shooting Hornady 178 or Federal 175g bullets. What do you recommend? 10,11, or? rate of twist?
The "Ideal" twist rate for that bullet is supposedly 1:11.25 (from research that went into developing the M-24 SWS.) I had a 5-R milspec .308 with the 1:11.25 twist barrel and it shot fantastic. I re-barreled (twice) with 1:10 Benchmarks and they shot fantastic. All with the same bullet and charge weights. Answer? Take your pick as either one is close to optimum.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinister762
If you are picking fly-poop out of ground pepper then technically the 1:11 barrel will be a little faster due to the slower twist rate. Question is, how much and does it matter?
Thank you for the advice. I think I'll go with the 1:11.
10
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Why the 1:10?
Bullet stabilization. Others have shot your bullet out of 12 and it does just fine in a few cases but let’s go by the book and stick with 10.
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This is a good read on the 308. http://www.6mmbr.com/308Win.html
1-10 for .308
But I would go 6.5-47L or 6.5 Creedmoor 28" 8 twist
^^^^^^^^^^^^definitely
My next build will be a .338 lapua. After that, probably a 6.5 creedmore. but for this one, i'm keeping it old school with the .308. thanks for the advice, though
The the 6.5, 22” barrel is all you’ll ever need unless you’re going for the reachhh. Gl and have fun !
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Barrel length has nothing to do with accuracy. Velocity is a different story.
I'd go with the 26" with 10 twist just in case you wanted to go with the 200's on a windy day. Mine is a 26' with 12 twist and 168 is all it will shoot. I tried the 178 Hornadys and it didn't like them at all. Get bugholes with 168's though.
I've got one of these in a Creedmoor w/o cryo treatment. Great barrel, shoots 1/2 - 1 moa no problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinister762
Pretty accurate out of the box. However every Savage barrel I have looked at w/ bore scope has the chatter machining marks. A good aftermarket typically will be an improvement.
+++Quote:
Originally Posted by Tempest
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I am going to get the 1:10 26" barrel from x-caliber. I just used all my lunch money on a high end AR i couldn't pass up (i love toys,lol). In the meantime, I did lap the stock savage barrel. It does ok, but i prefer a good old fashioned bull barrel with no flutes or brake, thus the future x-caliber.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tempest
Always a great question!
Savage barrels are Ok for the price eBay has a big amount of them most of the time.
I think after market is best you can find some from 300 to what ever you can Handel.
I wonder why all those Palma Shooters out there don't know this and barrel their .308's with 1:13, sometimes 1:14 twist barrels.Quote:
Originally Posted by homefrontsniper
Oh, could it be that it doesn't matter what the caliber is as much as the bullet length?
Want to know what twist rate? First decide on what bullet you are planning on shooting then consult one of the numerous stability calculators online. Two good ones are located at JBM.com and Berger Bullet's website.
Another factor few take into consideration, the twist rate stamped on the barrel is determined by what button was used to rifle the barrel or what the machinist set his singe point rifling machine at. What the ACTUAL twist on you barrel is can be slightly more or slightly less. If you are shooting a bullet length that puts it's stability close to the actual twist rate's limit, any error can make that bullet less stable than a longer/shorter bullet.
To say that .308's need 1:10 twist rates is a totally inaccurate statement unless you are going to include the bullet that will be used. BTW, 175 gr bullets come in several different lengths with Flat based being the shortest and Tipped Boat tails being the longest. This is why every shooter has his favorite "accuracy" bullet as it's the one that works best with his rifles ACTUAL twist rate.
Take a cleaning rod and a real tight patch, put a piece of tape on the rod to use as a "flag". Now push it through your rifle until the flag had indicated one full revolution. Measure the amount of rod that went into the barrel. That 1:10 barrel just might be a 1:9.5 or 1:10.5, depending. Can't tell until you measure.
How is Alaska this time of year?
Most of the Palma shooters use 155 grain bullets for the higher velocities and flatter trajectories. Most use 28-30 inch barrels. A slow twist can be used with a higher velocity. I have a 1 in 12 and it doesn’t like long bullets. But it will put 168’s in the same hole. 150 grain Ballistic Tips make little very small cloverleafs. Using 178 Hornady HPBT looks like a buckshot pattern. YMMV
Sorry bud, Don't know what you are talking about. I had several windows open and posted on the wrong thread on the wrong forum. Interesting response for 3 months on the forum though.
We generally try to play nice around here. Just PM anyone you care to throw sand at.