I am not sure I buy the light rifles shoot as well as the heavy ones. For hunting rifles probably...but you sure as hell dont see any #1 contour barrels on and competition rifles....and it is not just about recoil. As barrels heat up they do loose some accuracy even heavy ones, just not as much. The heavy barrel are consistant in holding zero and repeatable accuracy not once or twice but time after time. The military is not carrying around heavy sniper rifles because they dont know better...they need consistant repeatable accuracy and that what those heavy barrels give them.
LC
