Is a bull barrel necessary?

[Mike D]

I probably should have said "heavy barrel"...I think.

So what would you recommend in a .223 varmint style rifle? Heavy or standard barrel?

If it's 20" or less standard would probably be fine. Anything over that length I would want a heavier barrel.

BTW, you don't need over a 20" barrel on .223.

[caughtandhobble]

I probably should have said "heavy barrel"...I think.

So what would you recommend in a .223 varmint style rifle? Heavy or standard barrel?

Hi Buddy,

It all depends if you are hunting or bench shooting. If you're bench/ target shooting it is easy enough to carry that 15# rifle from the truck to the bench. Hunting, I'd go with the lighter rifle all day long.

Get you a Savage with Accutrigger and it will shoot most anything well. If you reload you can make any of them shoot well out of the Savage (most others as well, I like Savages)

Like mentioned above, the rate of burn of the powder will determine the length of the barrel, ex. use fast burning powder for the shorter barrel... Rate of twist is way more important than the thickness of the barrel. You need to get a barrel suited for the job that you want the rifle to do. If you are going the try some serious long range shooting you need a barrel with more twist so it will shoot heavier bullets.

Heck, you can pick up a Marlin X7 with a Centerpoint scope foe under $400 out the door. You will be surprised how well it shoots

[reddogdan]

I very seldom take my bench rifle into the field if I'm not shooting prairie dogs. Sometimes it goes on coyote hunts.

[dmaxshawn]

I use em on my prairie dog rifles and bench guns I had in the past.

[JW]

Is a bull barrel necessary?

I shoot out to 600 with a standard contour 22 inch 270. So I say no.

[FullDrawFanatic]

Great info...good read...thanks guys!

[MikeW]

My 2 cents(shot competitive benchrest for about 8 years) if you aren't shooting over wind flags you won't be able to tell the difference and that's the truth.

I can say two things that surprised me in all that time. I saw a Savage varminter place second against 3K rigs in a match that had at least 150 shooters. And a EBG place around 5th in a big match. Drilling bullet holes or hitting something small at 500+ yards is all about reading the wind.

[triffnix]

interesting question.
Im also in the market for a huntingrifle.

I think ill go with a remi 700 sps tactical in 308 with the bullbarrel.
First it looks very nice and the little extra weight shouldnt be to hard to carry around..

needed or not? i dont know..

[Rangefinder]

No a bull barrel is just for looks!

[muzzlebrake]

415 yds Prairie Dog, Sako Vixen .223
435 yds cull buck, Savage 110 7mm WSM
I know these little skinny barrels ain't supposed to shoot that far so maybe mine were just luck.
I have shot many hundreds, maybe thousands of P-dogs with light sporter weight barrels, 22-250 A-bolt and the .223 Vixen. Many have been out past 300 yds and most were in the 250yd range.
A good weekend 2 day P-dog shoot will require around 2000 rounds of ammo.

PS: Love my savages

[txchuck]

Here's my take, A heavy bbl has no inherent advantage over a standard tube for first shot hunting accuracy. Quality is much more a factor that weight or stiffness. A heavier tube is easier to hold steady in an off hand shot situation and will not walk as much as it heats up.
Chuck

[sniper steve]

The rifle I'm holding in my avatar is a standard contour barrel M14 in an EBR chassis. Standard issue for Army snipers, replacing the M24(heavy barrel Remington 700) which I carried on previous deployments.

I accurately engaged targets at 800-1000 regularly with the setup. Heat was the weapon's Achilles heel. Cold bore, I always knew where my round was headed. Dump a mag, barrel got hot, accuracy suffered greatly.

In a hunting rifle, I see absolutely no need for a bull or heavy barrel, unless you're doing a lot of shooting.