Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Barrett Fieldcraft in 30-06

LOL!

Yep, Barrett FC 6.5 Creed on top, Kimber Montana 84m 7mm-08 on bottom.

Thank you. That's what I thought, but just checking. I'm sure the FC in 30-06 would be a similar stock contour.

donsm70

+1!

That's what's keeping me from getting a FC in .308.

+2
Yes, my thoughts exactly..... !

Hey,thanks for posting that Jordan.There looks to me to be more size difference between my Forbes 270 and my Montana 7-08. I don't know though if it's just because of the picture as opposed to a personal view or actual difference. I'll try to learn the new picture hosting and post one of my combo.

I think there is some serious hair splitting going on here. I’d say my 22” (.56) 84M in 338 Fed points fantastically. I’d also say it has less of a weight forward feel than my 21” (.55”) Fieldcraft in 6.5 Creedmoor that is full length bedded. At least they are so close that the difference in the field is truly trivial.
For Barrett to choose a lighter contour on a rifle designed to be ultra-Lightweight makes sense. It works incredibly well as they designed it. If your PREFERENCE is for more weight that’s fine, I might even agree for some applications. But what they made works in terms of pointing and feel, and is ultra light. I’m finding I appreciate having less weight in the rifle as the scopes I’m shifting to are more than making up for it. For my latest build having less weight in the barrel works to my favor. With wood and an SHV I’ll take all the weight reduction elsewhere I can get.

If it wasn't for hair-splitting, this would be a pretty small forum.



That's the key for me. My preference would be to have more weight forward. That's what feels best.

I’ll take a muzzle diameter of .600 - .620” @ 22” personally...

308 Win - 5.1 lbs (2.31 kg)

30-06 Sprg - 5.5 lbs (2.49 kg)

Weights from Barrett's website. There appears to be .4 lb difference between the 21" 0 contour .308 and the 24" #2 contour 30-06. ~.25lb (4oz) should be action weight, so the barrel difference is ~.15 lb or about 2.5 ozs. I'd love the .308 to have the #2 contour at 22" (or even 24", it's easy enough to have it cut).

Dry firing the 6.5 CM and the 30-06 off hand really lets me see how much the forward balance steadies the long action.

For me, the less a rifle weighs, the more important "where" the weight is. Generally, I'm not shooting off a rest and the weight forward helps settle things down, especially on a light weight rifle.

I'm no expert, but it seems that the 6.5x55 has it all together with regard to mag box length and barrel contour. I sure like mine.

I suspect that the same rifle in 30-06 would be a bit sporty off the bench with full-power 180 grain loads.

I'm not sure 24" is not the more important number in that equation rather than the diameter. Clearly both are relevant though. I've always thought saving weight in the barrel, receiver, mag, bolt, etc. but adding a fixed sight at the muzzle would really be the best solution. At least have the weight be useful.

When I rebarrelled my 84M I went to 23" and .585 at the muzzle. While I do like the feel, I honestly can't say I shoot it better in the field. If I were shooting at competition targets and keeping score, and a half inch mattered, then maybe a difference would reveal itself. But for quick shots at game I find the 84M works fantastic. Haven't shot the Barrett at a critter yet but it points well too. To make a real difference I would have to add so much weight that carrying it would be a pain. One I get the Barrett back I'll take it out and shoot it offhand at 10yds for score and compare to my 26" bull barreled .308 and 84M in 338 Fed and see how much it really matters.

I've no complaints with my FC 6.5 CM, but if I had the choice, I'd probably have gone with the #2 they use on the long actions. I went back and forth on the FC in CM vs. Swede for that reason and since I had two Swedes and no CM's, the decision to go CM made the most sense. Recoil of the '06 in that light of rifle would concern me...

Please turn in your rifle looney card....... 😉

I just went with the 6.5 CM and made it a 25" barrel length to keep the weight at the end of the barrel. But honestly I am not nearly astute enough to get wrapped around the handle on balance. I have had whippy barrels and have had heavy bull barrels. From field positions it really doesn't matter to me that much which it is. But I suppose I could act like I can tell the difference between a 21" and 23" barrel of the same contour if I were to pick up one with my eyes closed.

What field positions are you referring to?

Agreed.



Also 100% in agreement.
Perfect melding of cartridge to magazine length, twist rate, and correct barrel contour for the rifle setup.

Something's not quite right there. The barrel length difference alone will be around 2.5 ounces, let alone the difference in contour. Would be nice to weigh a long action and short action Fieldcraft of the same caliber to see the difference.

The more closed grip on that Forbes variant allowed the back on the trigger guard to rap against my middle finger. Once was a warning - the second time at the same range session was brutal.