Barrel Choice for Standard Ammo

[Eurodriver]

I have no expertise, but if two barrels are made of the same material (and assuming we are talking about the same length) then the greater mass barrel will have more surface area than the less mass barre, since it will be thicker. So, one of your assumptions seems to be incorrectly made. That said, I do not purport to know if this difference in surface area would be significant to heat dissapation.

We would need someone who is an expert on thermodynamics to tell us whether the increased mass would offset the increased surface area.

[MistWolf]

I have no expertise, but if two barrels are made of the same material (and assuming we are talking about the same length) then the greater mass barrel will have more surface area than the less mass barre, since it will be thicker. So, one of your assumptions seems to be incorrectly made. That said, I do not purport to know if this difference in surface area would be significant to heat dissapation.

Shape has a lot to do with surface area. Let's say you take two barrels of the same length and made of the same material but the mass of each differs. If the barrel with more mass is made round and the barrel of less mass is fluted, the lighter fluted barrel could have equal or possibly greater surface area to radiate heat.

[Pappabear]

Ive bought fluted barrels and Ive never thought they gave jack shit in help cooling down faster. ie 14.5 BCM fluted LW barrel. IMHO in 90% of most practical applications just shoot the gun and make hits, that matters. Everything else is goofball science. Just buy there Sionics barrel if its much cheaper, I do believe in buying quality. That does matter.

PB

[vicious_cb]

We would need someone who is an expert on thermodynamics to tell us whether the increased mass would offset the increased surface area.

I'm not sure what you are asking. You are making it sound that barrels holding more heat is a bad thing. It's the opposite, the thicker barrel holds more thermal energy before it will change in temperature which is what you are trying to avoid.

[Firefly]

You could actually get by on a 1/9 barrel super easily if you are just shooting walmart smmo.

Like I had a Bushmaster 1/9 in the early 00s and just shot it and thought little of it.

HBARs are good for static shooting I guess. I have a semi HBAR on one of my SR25s. It ekes out more “warm up” than my storebrought but caveat, I didn’t intend on it to be so fat and I dimpled it.

Really, I think this is over thinking it. You don’t want a match barrel, you only want to shoot the occasional heavy round, you want mostly cheap or storebrought Wally World, but you want it to maybe be a lazer?

That’s just a lot. To think about.

Too existential for me. I just shoot the piss out of my Colt barrel and when it dies I’ll get a new one or something else maybe 1/8

[voiceofreason]

+1

on comments above that your technique/skill on SOTM and the 2-2.5" benchrest groups of the surplus ammo will have far more to do with your results than the barrel profile.

Practice + solid training will provide you the ability to shoot either barrel effectively. (even if the barrel heats up)