Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles lightweight barrel accuracy

I'm curious if anyone has experience with lightweight barrels with regard to accuracy. Assume a free float handguard. I'm sure the first few rounds out are plenty accurate, but wonder how quickly accuracy degrades as the barrel heats up.

No different than a light bolt gun tube... figure in extreme heat 2-5 rounds dead on... after that it will wander a bit, but generally even on skinny tube bolt guns unless you are hosing em out.. the guns tend to stay around 2 to 2.5 moa from what I've seen in skinny tube hunting guns that have been floated and bedded etc...

For coyote/deer/pig hunting... you shouldn't have any issues.....

My skinny tubed gun is "minute of coyote" accurate.




Seriously though, I have never gotten it very hot. I designed it as a LW hunter, rather than a gun class or combat type rifle.

With MK262 it will do fair at 100:


and 200:

Not to steel this thread but how much weight is saved by going to the Carbon Fiber Free Float Tube vs an Aluminum Free Float Tube?

I have a Bushmaster 16" M4 ORC that I use for Calling Coyotes from time to time. It will hold 3/4" for 5 rounds from the bench at 100 yards quite regularily with it's perferred load with a 4.5x Scope. I guess I haven't shot a few groups in a row without letting it cool a little to know if there is a change after that or not.

Larry

Lightweight barrels cool off much faster than heavy profile barrels also.

Yeah... once you quit shooting.... no point there really. Heavy tubes you can shoot until they are too hot to hold or touch and they'll still be down the middle...NTIT matches prove that.

my 16" 1-9 and my 20" 1-12 with float tubes both shoot about 1 1/4 with their best loads and kill anything they are pointed at. Russ

blanket, what bullets does your 1-12 like best? Is it an old Colt SP1 barrel?

Yes it is an old Colt barrel and 55 Nosler BT and 748 powder Russ

I've shot thousands of rounds from Colt lightweight barrels. They work... but I've never fired one with a magnified optic.

I found harmony with a medium weight Saber Defense barrel and Winchester White Box.