upgraded barrel wanted

[bloombloom88]

i just bought a model 111 .300 win mag a few days ago, i love the gun but hate the fact after 3 shots or so you have to let the barrel cool off in order to maintain accuracy.

can somebody please help me find the barrel i need? id like to have one with a muzzle brake and something to withstand the heat more so i can shoot more than 3 or 4 rounds before taking a break, i do mainly target shooting now but hunting is in the future.

any suggestions tips or comments are appreciated!

[thomae]

First of all, welcome to the forum. I believe you will find a wealth of information here that can be used to your benefit. Thanks for giving us a try.

I think we need to know a little more about you and what you will really use this rifle for if we are to provide you with any kind of educated opinions. (I can give you my ignorant opinion, but it probably won't really help you in the long run.)

Here are some thoughts to consider:

Pausing (a full minute or two or three) between shots can keep the barrel cool. It can also be boring (which is why sometimes I bring along a .22 to shoot at the range while i am waiting between shots.)

If you are shooting more formal competitions, pausing between shots may not be possible because you have a time limit to get off a certain number of shots for record.

It takes longer for a heavy barrel to heat up because there is more metal to "absorb" the heat. So a heavy barrel is better with respect to heat.
However, a heavy barrel may not be ideal for some types of hunting because it can be a lot to lug around depending on where and how you hunt.

Here's a link to a barrel weight calculator. I've never used it, but it may come in handy.

Compared to some non-magnum chamberings, magnums tend to burn more powder and generate more heat. Do you "need" the magnum for what you do? (Only you can decide the answer to that question, although there are many who will chime in with very strong opinions one way or another.)

There are some other non-magnum chamberings that are very good long distance accuracy rounds. Some are good for hunting as well, but again it depends on what distance you are target shooting and the distances/types of animals you will be hunting. Converting to and from magnum calibers to non-magnum calibers is usually not too difficult with a Savage rifle.

So, if you are willing, please provide us some additional details on what your goals/projected uses really are, and you will have forum members lining up to give you their respective opinions on everything.

[r3dn3ck]

You're trying to serve 2 masters and you will not enjoy the results of doing so. A hunting rifle is light and accurate and should be something you test fire from a cold bore. Waiting several minutes between shots with the bolt open and chamber empty so air can circulate is necessary and right for such a gun. If the barrel were heavy enough to sit around shooting it in long fire strings then you'd definitely not want to carry it in the field. Trust me on that. No matter how big a stud you think you are, a 8lbs rifle is appreciated a lot more 5 miles into a hunt than a 11lbs rifle.

For shooting from the bench at paper and steel you should have a different gun, something set up for that. Another savage 111 is a fine option but you'll want something with a nice long heavy barrel on it, something in a bull/varmint taper. I'd start with at least a 24" tube and really I'd recommend a 26-28" barrel of at least varmint taper if you're intent on staying with a magnum. If you want just good long shooting fun at the range, I'd pick up a Savage 10FP in .308. You can shoot that quite a number of times before it gets really hot.

Secondly on this front and this bit is PURE opinion: .300WM is a magnum calibre and will chew up barrels much faster than say a .308 would. If you're just popping paper at a couple hundred yards you don't really need to burn all that extra powder and soak up all that extra recoil and burn up barrels.

[Blue Avenger]

many places can sell you a heavy target barrel, but you may want to keep the light barrel in the closet if your going to carry. If you hunt from a stand, no worry. Are you wanting a generic target barrel for pleasure or high end for match shooting?

[bloombloom88]

thanks for all of the info guys.

i do not currently hunt, but will start very quickly, mainly deer. i picked a 300 win mag because if i ever made a trip out of state to hunt elk or other larger game i wanted to make sure i had the gun to do so.

i enjoy target shooting, 100-200 yards and having to wait in between shots for the barrel to cool is not fun, so it looks like i may find another rifle to target shoot with. i didnt realize how much heavier the thicker barrels were.

[Blue Avenger]

Now your on to a good plan! .300wm can be hard on a bench shooter!

[r3dn3ck]

Reducing barrel taper adds mass faster than adding length does. Barrel fluting helps with cooling and weight on heavy profiles but not very much.

[thomae]

Reducing barrel taper adds mass (emphasis mine, not r3dn3ck's) faster than adding length does.

Possible typo? Not sure what you are trying to say here.

Edit (why waste bandwidth with an additional post?): Ok, r3dn3ck explained it in the next post...and, of course it makes perfect sense. I guess I was having a Homer Simpson (Doh!) moment. Mea culpa.

[r3dn3ck]

to reduce taper is to make it closer in profile to a cylinder shape than a funnel shape. No typo, you'll figure it out.