Bloop tube

G

garrisone

Guest
Could someone exsplain how a bloop tube works and why they are used? Where can one purchase one and how much would a good one cost. Thanks for any information. garrisone.
 
They extend the sight radius for "iron sight" shooters, giving finer clicks and more precise eye alignment. A few shooters claim they have a tuning effect but they are not heavy enough or adjustable for that use.
 
I believe some tuners have a bloop tube available, not for a front sight but for some tuning reason. Time precision has had a heavier bloop tune available for many years with a tuner. But it is for a extended front sight and tuning. Why some are using them for benchrest I am not sure. Used to hear years ago that a bullet had to stabilize after leaving the muzzle. The old term " Hummer barrel" some thought meant the bullet went to "sleep" a little quicker with less effect of wind at the muzzle. I have wondered if a bloop tube would give a bullet some protection from the wind until it stabilized. But I don't know that it has ever been proven that a bullet needs some distance from the muzzle to stabilize and what that distance would be. I use a Time bloop tube/tuner on an old Martini MKIII for prone. It definitely gives smaller groups at 50 yards from the bench. Is this from tuning or something else?. The barrel is so fat and heavy I wonder if the light Time tuner could be giving the benefit. Anyhow the 10 inch heavy tube is noticeable in my hold. Pushes the gun with scope to near 16 1/2 pounds with a lot of that towards the muzzle and I just can't hold it steady. Just a lot of questions and few answers. Rich
 
Eric,

Give James Pappas a call. He has tested them extensively and makes some. I believe that Calfee designed them and Pappas makes them:D;), I could be wrong.

Maybe Pappas will chime in and give you his theory on them.
 
Dan, I think you are right.

Eric,

Give James Pappas a call. He has tested them extensively and makes some. I believe that Calfee designed them and Pappas makes them:D;), I could be wrong.

Maybe Pappas will chime in and give you his theory on them.


You can't just buy one from James they are not for sale....they cost him more in time and labor he says than he could ever sell one for. I remember seeing a label on one that said something about who did or did not design it but I don't remember.

Joe Besche has one of the Pappas weighted,vented, calibrated bloop tubes on his Anschutz 54 which he has shot two 2500 targets with...I don't know if that made the difference but obviously it did not hurt it.

You can't buy one, but if you could buy one, which you can't, it has made a difference on some rifles.

Maybe he will make some spec bloop tubes and sell them to the highest bidder.

Charlie
 
Fudd Makes his tuners with and without bloops. Harrell sells bloop tubes for his tuners. I made some copies of Jame's and tried them on several rifles. Some really improve with the addition of them and some don't.
Don
 
Maybe he will make some spec bloop tubes and sell them to the highest bidder.


That is too funny Charlie. I wish I would have thought of that.
 
pappas tube aka "Parallel Noodle"

I think you are confused Dan; the Noodle was "invented, built and desingned by James Himself. And further the sticker on mine says that Bill Calfee had nothing to do with the procuction of this "killer" device.
Hope this helps clear up the mis-information and confusion concerning this
"no shooter should be without device". As soon as I saw this device and the notice on it I knew I was in luck I could actually buy one since James told he has no problem with shipping to both California and Nevada.
 
I think you are confused Dan; the Noodle was "invented, built and desingned by James Himself. And further the sticker on mine says that Bill Calfee had nothing to do with the procuction of this "killer" device.
Hope this helps clear up the mis-information and confusion concerning this
"no shooter should be without device". As soon as I saw this device and the notice on it I knew I was in luck I could actually buy one since James told he has no problem with shipping to both California and Nevada.

Are you sure????? If it has to do with barrels Calfee would have had to invented it....Right?;)

Charlie
 
You

betcha Charlie! That 'ole carney' invented everything [ well... except the internet...........that was Al Gore, i believe?]
Colt.45
 
bloop tubes

Could someone exsplain how a bloop tube works and why they are used? Where can one purchase one and how much would a good one cost. Thanks for any information. garrisone.

I will most likely be banned from this site for staying on topic, but to answer your questions....

A "bloop tube" or extension tube increases the sight radius on a rifle, resulting in a better focal distance, thereby making sighting easier from an optical standpoint. The two side benefits are that the rear sight adjustments also become finer (due to simple trig), and it also allows you so see your movement better.

They were originally developed by international style 3-position and prone shooters for better aiming purposes as stated above.

A tube can have an effect on the performance of a rifle. In some cases, it makes them better, some cases worse. As is well known, any time you hang some weight on the end of a barrel, you will impact the vibrational characteristics.

Some sources are as follows:

http://www.medeshafirearms.com/Extension Tubes.htm
(I have been using a Medesha tube for over 15 years with no issues.)

http://www.champchoice.com/shop.php?code=TUBEMT
 
My first exposure to bloop tubes was in shooting silhouette, they have been used there since at least the early 80's. The reason for using them was twofold, one was to have the shortest barrel possible, most shooters used 16 & 1/2" barrels to minimize the time the bullet was in the barrel, and hence less chance of wobbling off target before the bullet left the barrel. And the second reason was to have a way to add weight to the end of the bloop tube so the rifle would "hang" better for off-hand shooting.

I have also used running boar rifles with bloop tubes, the reason for using them on a running boar gun is to enhance a smooth swing by having the mass up front.

Finally, as previously mentioned, they extend the sight radius for position rifles.

drover
 
All the latest Harrell's tuners are threaded for weights and bloops which they offer in 2 lenghts.
 
The sight radius is not a factor on scoped rifles so exclude that from your thinking.
The ones James makes have 12 holes ala a muzzle break. They are the only ones that I have found to improve accuracy. The solid ones do not seem to do anything. I have ruled out the weight change in my experiments with James design. Making the bloop tube replace the identical weight removed gives improved performance. I have tried it on 5 rifles now and see improvement on 4 of them with absolutely no change in weight on muzzle.
I can not give you a scientific explanation but emperical results have convinced me. Okay James it is up to you now. If I owe you a royalty for copying your design, we will settle up at the indoor nationals. I am not interested in selling them but have them on my guns. In fact if I sell one of the guns, the bloop tube comes off.
I have them on Harrell tuners and Butch Lamberts tuners.
Don
 
My first sighting

I saw my first Bloop Tube ( Sight extender ) in 1968. They were used by the Schuetzen clubs around Fredericksburg, TX.
 
Thanks To My Friends

Eric,

Give James Pappas a call. He has tested them extensively and makes some. I believe that Calfee designed them and Pappas makes them:D;), I could be wrong.

Maybe Pappas will chime in and give you his theory on them.

Maybe I can clear up some of what my "friends" posted yesterday. First of all the tubes I make are not bloop tubes. They are called "Parallel Noodles". They were not invented By Bill Calfee. I have made and tested appx 20 prototypes the last two years. The Parallel Noodle is an aluminun or pvc tube appx 9 inches long. It screws into a Harrell tuner and is appx the same dia as a Harrell tuner. It has holes drilled in it so gas can escape. Some have a sliding weight on them and some don't. The sliding weight was Joe Youngblood's idea. I have given some to friends to test. Joe Besche has spent quite a bit of time testing them and had alot of success with the one he has been using. They have worked very well on some of my rifles and made no difference on others. As for theories, I don't know why they work but do agree with what Don Stith said. An 8 oz. weight and a 9 in tube that weighes 8 ozs. make a rifle react differently. Sorry Charlie, no "Spec Noodles" have been made. I will try to post a picture of some of them soon.
 
Friend Dan,

I guess we both just got kicked out of friend James' will.

Friend James, give em hell this at Grand Prarie tomorrow.

Friend Dan, take it easy on Friend Joe Besche this weekend in KS and NE.

Luckily I enjoy a good braunswieger and tomato sandwich.

Friend Charlie
 
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Friend Charlie....

Friend Dan,

I guess we both just got kicked out of friend James' will.

Friend James, give em hell this at Grand Prarie tomorrow.

Friend Dan, take it easy on Friend Joe Besche this weekend in KS and NE.

Luckily I enjoy a good braunswieger and tomato sandwich.

Friend Charlie

You don't need to worry about the will. My wife will sell my rifles and pistols for about $100.00 each.
 
Friend Charlie

You have GOT to knock it off!!!! I bout drowned while taking a drink of coffee and reading your "Friend" post!:D:D:D

Friend Colt.45:p
 
Cicignani Barrel Tuner with Bloop Tube

STABILIZZ.%20CON%20PROLUNGA.jpg

while i was at the Benchrest World Championships in Milan, Italy back in JulyI bought one of these.
with doing some fine tuning with it i have manage to hit scores of:

249-10 10x's
250- 12 10's
all at 50m
it seems to work for what reason i have no idea but i saw a number of people buy this item and are starting to hit good scores with them. the tube is solid aluminium but it did need polishing inside, but a great product.

AndyD UK
 
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