What is the lightest centerfire rifle barrel you've personally seen (weighed)? I have a Sauer 202 Lightweight (fluted) in .270 Winch. It is 22" long and .625" at the muzzle. It weighs 2 lbs 1.8 oz. That is pretty darn light for a .625" muzzle diameter. Sauer seems to know how to flute to reduce weight and still stay within the margin of error for barrel rupture.

Numerous European rifles have barrels not much over a half inch in diameter especially on single shots, doubles and drillings. No idea what they weigh but all I have handled had a lively feel.

I once built a 6mm which was .450 at the muzzle. It was pretty damn light. I have also built a 6.5 which was around .480. Both shot well enough. Both rifles were well under six pounds , ready to hunt. GD

A now passed away barrel maker up here made at least one experimental barrel from titanium. I imagine it was fairly light....

I never heard how it turned out or how long it lasted unfortunately.

Jc Higgins 51L is the lightest, thinnest barrel I’ve seen.

My kimber adirondack 308 fluted barrel

My old tang Ruger M77 RS 35 Whelen's barrel measures .560" at the muzzle.

the factory pre 64 M70 fwt barrel on a 30'06, 22" with sights is usually right at 2 lbs.

My Sauer 202 LW 30-06 fluted barrel is 1 lb 14 oz and my Benchmark Sauer 202 6.5x55 fluted barrel is 2 lbs 4 oz.

Ghost:

I have two Sauer 202 lightweight bbls---one in .270 and one in .30-06. I weighed my .270 bbl the other day and it weighed 2 lbs 1.8 oz (postal scale). I'll reweigh it. My scale might be off and I'm gonna weigh my '06 bbl this weekend. How did you get a Sauer 202 barrel from Benchmark? Did they make it for you' cause as you know the bolt lugs log up in the breech of the bbl which requires EDM capability. Those Sauer 202 lightweight barrels are awesome. Which someone made that same contour and fluting and same bbl material and manufacturing method for generic bolt action rifles. Its a phenomenal bbl.

Melvin Forbes builds great LW rifles that shoot extremely well. I would follow his barrel profiles and bedding in a good stiff stock.

Maybe someone used the breech of an old barrel to make a barrel extension for the Benchmark. This is common practice. GD

I've heard of it being done. There was a gunsmith in Texas (Bill Wiseman was his name) years ago (when the Sauer 202s first came out) that was advertizing he could weld on a barrel extension from your old barrel and then give you whatever wildcat you wanted with a new tube.