Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Is 5R rifling the real deal?

Just picked up a 3R 6.8 SPC II barrel from AR15performance oit of Key West, FL. Can't wait to see how the 3R button rifling performs.

Had 3-G P-N barrels shoot amazing, and 5R.......and "CHOSE 4-G" when I could have had 5.......

Odds are a good barrel will out shoot what we can hold

A wet patch and a few dry ones is all I’ve ever needed on my barrel. I’d say that is easy.

I also have a 5R that was made by obermeyer in 300 win. it is very accurate.

It's been interesting reading this thread. I'll share what I know to clear up a few misconceptions;
Boots Obermeyer did not "invent" the 5-R rifling pattern. He got it off the Russians. When the AK-74 was introduced by the Russians, Boots was asked by the gubmint to produce barrels to T&E the 5.45x39 ammo that was captured. He produced barrels in multiple configurations all with the 5-R being the most consistent. The "R" in 5-R is "Russian". Boots being a match shooter adopted it for his highpower and long range barrels where they did well. When the Army was developing their M-24, a 5-R barrel was spec'd. Mike Rock who apprenticed with Boots and whom Boots taught how to cut the compound angles of the Russian pattern produced the prototypes. When the M-24 was adopted and put into production, Remington elected to part ways with Rock and invested in the hammer forging tooling to produce their own 5-R barrels.

I don't know if a 5-R barrel is inherently more accurate but they're certainly not a detriment. I believe that the execution in producing the barrel probably has a greater influence, and Boots is/was one of the best so naturally his 5-R's shot. Boots would says that the 5-R pattern produced less stress on the bullet jacket when you were pushing a bullet hard.

There's more color and detail to the story, but this is what Boots had shared with me during our conversations. Fascinating man. I hope ole Barret J recovers and returns to barrel making.

Very informative post.

Thanks.

Tag

Don't know but I suspect a little more care goes into the Remington 5R barrels and the hammer forging mandrels may get less wear or be replaced sooner than the regular production run of barrels. I think this is true of the 40X rifle barrels even with conventional rifling. They can be easier to clean and sometimes produce slightly higher velocity but hard to generalize about all of them. I have not heard of any negatives to them. My experience is with Bartleins and you would expect anything they turn out to be good.

Bartlein states that the 5 R is not any more accurate than their 4 groove.

Popularity drives sales.

I have more than a few of 5R in various calibers and one 3R in a 6 Dasher. They are all accurate and easy to clean like all custom barrels. As to whether or not one is more accurate than the other, I could not say that.

Bore uniformity from one to the other, with perhaps a .0002 choke toward the muzzle is what I like the most. 4 groove and 6 groove of top brands will not fail you, and I have never had a bad three groove from several makers.

Getting a good straight chamber in line with the bore is way up on my list vs. groove design or number of grooves.

When I was shooting Benchrest Competition, there was a saying going around, that if a guy showed up with a Wheel on the side of his scope, and he won the match, then at the next match, everyone would have a wheel on their scope.

I have ran into two very good gunsmiths that will refuse to chamber a 5 R barrel due to the increased chance of reamer chatter, and I am not expert in this at all. My 5 and 3 R's came off without a hitch.

I think that it is nothing short of amazing how one group or type of barrels are popular with Benchrest shooters, then another with Tactical shooters, etc.

Note, I don't think that Remington his hammer forging their barrels now, they are made in Alabama. They bought all the barrel making equipment from what is now X caliber and moved that equipment from Montana to Alabama. X caliber folks did not want to move, and they started their own company, now making some fabulous barrels.

I have chambered a bunch of 3, 5,.and 6R barrels never had a hint of chatter in any of them.

Dusty, in the two that I have chambered, I never had a problem. One of those things that make you go hummm........eh?

odd groove barrels are about all I try to stay with these days. Easier on the bullets and pressures to start with. Never had an accuracy issue with them either. Actually can say the only accuracy issues I've ever really had are 3 Douglas barrels, and I'll never ever run one again. By 3 seperate smiths on top of it just to try. Even Mickey talked me into my LAST one.

I have done 5R shilen 6.5-06 and 5R Benchmark 6mmBR and 7mmRM.

Just like any custom barrel that was hand lapped at the factory, they shoot so much better than me, I can't tell a difference.

This is interesting, mostly because Shilen does not make a 5R ???????

4 groove Krieger's for me!!

You are correct. They make a 4 groove Ratchet. A good barrel is a good barrel.
Bart Sauter just shot a new 5 shot World Record, .282, at 600 yards. He used a 4 groove Lederer barrel.

Thebarrelman.com Customer Invoice

25 Highland Park Village
Suite 100-573 P. O. Number:
Dallas, TX 75205 CPO 1423
214.405.8981 Date:
Email: thebarrelmanwans.net 2/3/2014


Ship To Address
Clark Magnuson


Quanity Description Price

2 #3 Stainless select match Caliber 308x13 Ratchet twist $510.00
1 #3 Stainless select match Caliber 6.5x8 Ratchet twist $255.00
1 #3 Stainless select match Caliber 257x9 $255.00


I guess I made an erroneous assumption that "Ratchet twist" is "5R"