Help calculating barrel weight

D

drover

Member
Okay right up front - I am not a mathmatician, I barely squeaking through math in school and promptly forgot anything I may have learned about algebra, geometry or any other advanced math.

Here is my problem - I installed a new barrel on my 22 rimfire and I am now two ounces overweight. I need some help on calculating what removing various amount of barrel length will remove in weight.

figures - barrel diameter at muzzle .780

barrel diameter one and one-half inches back from the muzzle .795

barrel diameter two inches back from the muzzle .800

What would removing these lengths remove in weight??

Thanks in advance for the help.

drover
 
I did some quick calculating and found that if you took 3/4 of an inch from the end of the barrel, it would reduce the weight by 2.98 ounces. Before I cut it I would like some other peoples calgulations to confirm the weight reduction.....Slim
 
Before we start to cut on the barrel, what kind of stock, what kind of action and bolt handle, but plate,scope rings,and scope.
 
I don't believe you can just cut the muzzle off and not effect the accuracy of the rifle. I would defiantly look elsewhere to remove weight.
 
Slug it first to see where the choke is. If it was put on right in the first place, it will be crowned at the choke. If you must take off some barrel, take it off the chamber end and rechamber. The stock, rings, scope, buttplate, trigger gaurd, bolt handle as advised above are all better alternative than losing the choke. How good is the chamber? You may want to freshen the gun and improve it with this weight loss.
 
Thanks for all of the replies.
I am building the rifle for silhouette competition rather than benchrest but with that being said I will also be using it in a different stock for club level benchrest. I am limited to 8 &1/2 lbs. total weight for hunter class silhouette, currently I am 8 # 10 oz. I have already removed any excess from the stock and I am using the lightest mounts and rings that are available, the scope is a Leupold 6.5x20 EFR which is pretty much a minimum scope for silhouette. I really do not have anywhere else to remove weight except from the barrel which is 24 inches long, I can remove some weight from the front of the barrel without seriously effecting the off-hand balance I am seeking.

The rifle is a Cooper model 57M, it has a Cooper 24" varmint contour fluted barrel fitted to it. The stock is the Cooper Jackson Hunter synthetic stock. This rifle is absolutely the best grouping 22 I have ever shot, which includes some top-end benchrest 22's. However with that said it is primarily going to be a silhouette rifle and accuracy is not as critical in that discipline as it is in registered benchrest, with that thought in mind I am going to cut the muzzle end and hope that I am lucky.

I came to the rimfire benchrest forum with the question because I felt that this is the most likely spot to get good information since weight is a major concern in the benchrest game.

thanks again for all of the thoughts on it, I would like to see some other folks estimates if anyone else would care to chime in.

drover
 
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Drover:

Are you restricted to a 6.5X scope or less for silhouettes. The reason I ask is that a Weaver T-6 scope weighs 14 oz and your 6.5-20X40 weighs 16.5 oz. If you can use a 6X, that would save you 2.5 oz and you might make weight limit...If you need more magnification, you might look at a Weaver KT-15. I shot .22 rf silhouettes with a KT-15 for years and never felt underscoped. The KT-15 weighs 14.4 oz.

Dave
 
Just in case you decide that cutting the barrel is correct, you might want to download this programBarrel Weight Calculator. It will allow you to calculate the weight of any barrel you can imagine. Well almost.
 
Dave,
No restriction on scope power whatever, however I like the versatility that the 6.5x20 provides. Quite often matches are shot in extremely windy conditions and I like the option of being able to turn the scope down so that there is less apparent movement and I don't start chasing the dot, and at calm matches I like the ability to turn the scope up to 20 so I can focus on a spot on the target. Another plus is that this particular Leupold has been "bullet-proof", it has always tracked perfectly which is something that is not true with all 6.5x20's and since you have shot silhouette you know that a failure to track even once can cost the match.

I do have a KT-15 on a loaner/back-up rifle but I have never warmed up to it, mostly for the reasons given above.

MKnarr - Thanks for the link hopefully it is not too mathmatically challenging for me.

Thanks for the replies - drover
 
Thanks for all of the replies, an engineer friend ran the numbers for me and it looks like it will run right at 1 ounce per 1/2 inch of barrel removed. This gives me the option of first removing 1.5 inches and check it for grouping and if it is not satisfactory I can start working back to another "sweet" spot.

I really appreciate all of the inputs - you are all a great source of knowledge and help.

Thanks, drover
 
How much does the stock weight by itself, as replacing it with a light weight wood one would be a better choice than messing with your barrel. Mr. Don Stith has some very light weight materials. You are lucky because the original weight for Hunter class was 7.5 lbs. It was raised about the time the Browning 52 sporter copy was brought out ( imagine that!)
 
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Blades - Yes I was competing at that time also, there were a lot of nice stocks butchered in order to make the 7.5# weight limit. Most 1700 Anschutz sporters would not make the 7.5# weight and I saw some really nice sporter stocks have the butt stock drilled our, under the buttplate, and many fore-ends opened up to just a splinter. I was shooting a Kimber at that time, it had a beautiful stock on it but I had to do some serious destruction to it in order to make legal weight. I am glad that they upped the weight limit to 8/5#.

By the way - per my engineer buddy the calculations on the barrel diameters listed above came out to just slightly over an ounce per each 1/2 inch of barrel removed. 1 & 1/2 inches removed = 3 oz and 2 inches removed = 4 oz.


Thanks again to all the replies and thoughts.

drover
 
It might be more benificial to remove the weight from the breech end of the barrel. I've seen numerous barrels ruined by cutting off too much of the muzzle to make weight.
 
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