is a heavy barrel any benefit in a hunting rifle ?

[BOOTYMONSTER]

on something like the remington 700 sps ( http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=9935_13987_14246_14249&products_id=98802 ) or the savage 10FP LE (http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=9935_13987_14246_14249&products_id=86781 ) does the heavy barrel provide any benefit for a hunting gun ? im thinking that the extra weight will help a lil with recoil , not that a 308 is a hard kicker . ive got bad knees so id be in a stand or blind and not walking/stalking all over the place so im not worried about the extra pound of weight . also............are there any cons to using these tactical/law enforcement models for hunting ? im thinking one of these with a bushnell 3200 3x-10x would take care of anything east of the mississippi and south of canada that i might go after or encounter . i like the hogue stock better on the remington but the savage has the acu-trigger . id probally get the savage for the trigger and get a hogue/different stock later if i feel a need to change . anyone know if either of the synthetic finishes on these guns is more durable that the other or better at protecting it ? i know you still have to take care of it , like anything you want to last .
thanks .

[sniperVLS]

I shoot a lot from the bench using the same rifles I hunt with and having heavy barreled .308's loaded with a good scope and mounts drastically reduces the recoil. I can shoot hundreds of rounds a day, wearing a t-shirt, with no fatigue whatsoever. My SPS Varmint turned Police weighs in at around 13 lbs and if one is in decent shape and has a good sling, it shouldn't be a problem on a hunt unless your packing it into the mountains for tens of miles and plan on off hand shooting.

I haven't used a heavy barreled rifle for off hand shots and I can't imagine it being very pleasant compared to a sporter model. It all depends on the individual in the end. Those thin barrels are just as accurate as heavy ones most of the time, it's a huge misconception that the tactical/varmint/sniper barrels are by default, much more accurate. I just prefer the feel of the tactical models and again, when summer rolls around and weather permits, I shoot hundreds of rounds a day, so I know the ballistics of each round intimately and no sporter model will be as forgiving as my tacticals when it comes to recoil. I don't care for a sore shoulder and/or a persistent headache but that's just me 

If you plan to hunt from a stand and not be very mobile, I for one say get a heavy barreled model, some may disagree.

** Savage/remove stock/add new one/get the trigger you want right out of the box

** Remmy/remove trigger/add after market one/keep the original stock

It would be cheaper to get the Rem and spend 125 on a trigger than to get the savage and spend 200 on the stock you want but...

If your gut says go with Savage, do it, ya can't put a price on peace of mind.  I'm obviously a Remmy fanatic so pointing you in that direction isn't easy but I can be level headed when I need to be 

[mountainview]

Booty,
While it is not my personal choice for a variety of reasons, I know of one guy who uses a 20" heavy barrel for whitetail hunting out of stands and he seems to do alright with it. If you know your capabilities and are proficient with that kind of gun, go for it. Shot placement is more important than the type of rig you are packing.

I'm a big fan of the Savage (I love my 12FV and Accutrigger) but I would not hesitate to get a heavy bbl Rem model if the shekels and space in the safe were available. It is a a tough decision but go with the one you like, it is highly unlikely you'll go wrong with either the Savage or Rem.

[Graybeard]

Quite the contrary in my opinion I see it as a major disadvantage. If you hunted from a shooting house over a green field and drove or were driven right up to it each time I guess the weight wouldn't be a real issue but if you walk far or do spot and stalk a heavy rifle is a real pain to tote around or is for me. I prefer lighter rifles for my hunting and use mostly guns like the Remington Mountain rifles or their Model Seven and such.

If a rifle weights much over 6.5 pounds as it comes from the factory I consider it too heavy for me for any but the heavy kickers which for the most part I don't use anyway. The heaviest rifle I own for actual big game hunting is a Remington 700 LSS in .30-06. I think it weights about 7 pounds as it came from Remington and wears a Leupold VX-III 2.5-8x36 scope.

[beemanbeme]

I agree with GB. Also, at best, any advantage you are gonna gain in accuracy would be measured in fractions of an inch. 

[sniperVLS]

I knew I'd be in the minority 

[jro45]

I own the 458 Lott and it weights 10.3 LBS And I'd say that's a good weight for it. It is the heavest rifle I own

[lilabner]

 I can hold a rifle weighing 9 lb. a lot steadier than one that weighs 7. However, if you can take a steady rest, the lightweight will shoot just as accurately as the heavyweight for 2 or 3 shots. If you are climbing the Rocky Mountains, it is much easier with a light rifle. If I am hunting more level terrain, I often carry a rifle weighing 8 1/2 or 9 pounds. For mountain hunting, I like a rifle weighing not more than  7 1/2 pounds with scope and  I carry shooting sticks that weigh just a few ounces

[Freezer]

   I'm with Graybeard also.  Unless your going to shoot allot at one sitting like shooting prairie dog or bench competition I'd stay with a standard sproter.  The heavy barrels just din't swing well and a sporter wieght is fust as accurante for the first 2-3 rounds.
   My son has a Rem 700 with a custom barrel in '06.  Two years ago he was put in the long shot stand since he partices at 500yrds.  To make a long story short the biggest buck he'd ever seen ran under his stand but he couldn't get a shot off, teh gun was too heavy to swing.  I had a similar situation with a NEF 25-06 haevy barrel on a huge doe.  Big heavy guns don't handle will off hand.

[PartsMan]

I have much more confidence when I am holding a rifle that scary accurate.
If that means more weight, so be it.

[R.W.Dale]

I have much more confidence when I am holding a rifle that scary accurate.
If that means more weight, so be it.

 I have some freakishly accurate rifles and some OK shooters. When choosing a hunting gun I ONLY worry about one shot groups. As long as that first cold bore shot goes EXACTLY where I expect it to go I could care less what the other four shots do (within reason). In this respect sporter weight rifles are just as well off as the heavies if not better, after all it's hard to shoot good when you're winded from toting a 10lb rifle around.

[jro45]

 I never really noticed the weight in any of my rifles I have
them all recored. There is one that weights 10.3That would be a little bit on the heavy side But I wouldn't want it any lighter.

[IOWA DON]

I much prefer rifles with fairly long and heavy barrels. For me they hold much steadier from the offhand position, and I can get on-target faster with them as they don't bob around so much. Also, I find them somewhat easier to hold steady from rested positions. I am 59 years old, and they may be more work to carry, but that's my choice. Also, heavy barrels reduce recoil and long barrels reduce noise level.

[Graybeard]

There is no specific direct causal relationship between how long or short fat or skinny a barrel is and how accurate a rifle will be.

True a short barrel of same diameter is a bit more stiff than a long one thus vibrations are more constant and thus it's maybe a wee bit easier to make a short fat barrel accurate than a long skinny one. True also a skinny barrel heats up faster than a fat one regardless of length. But barrel length and diameter do not really determine how accurate or inaccurate a rifle is.

What does is the quality of that barrel, how well and precisely it is chambered and how properly fit all the various components are fitted together. That's why custom rifle makers blue print the actions to make sure all the parts fit precisely together as they should. Barrels that shift POI when they heat up are just improperly made barrels pure and simple. It is not a fact of life that a light weight barrel will shift POI as it heats up nor that a heavy one will not. It's the stresses in those barrels and how they are relieved or not relieved that make the difference.

Yes you can just get a long heavy barrel and hope that helps it be more accurate or you can just buy a properly made rifle that will be accurate regardless of weight. The rifles from NULA are a testiment to that. They are super light and shoot as accurately as a target grade rifle and don't shift POI when they heat up. It can be done it just costs more when you do it right.

[torpedoman]

you usually have about a 5 inch target on deer size and larger game the increased accuracy of the heavy barrel is'nt worth it if you have to tote the gun all day. JMHO

[RaySendero]

I knew I'd be in the minority 

Minority - Maybe - But not alone!

My son uses a 20" fluted bull barrel 308 Rem M700 for his all around deer rifle.

[Muskie Hunter]

I have heavy ones,long skinny ones,short fat ones and light wippy ones and as I am 61 with back,neck and feet problems,I go for the lightest one I have,that does the job,and then I get a young big one to drag the deer out.I have bench shot all and with load development can get them to shoot great groups.It is not worth the effort for me to take a heavy rifle for a walk anymore.Food for thought.

[rbergum95]

i have a cousin that uses a remington sendero in .308 with a 24" heavy barrel for deer here in PA. he has more confidence in that rifle than any other and confidence counts for a lot. with the scope and all the extras it comes in around 13.5 pounds. more than i want to walk around with but the ones i usually hunt with arent exactly lightwieghts either. if you feel comfortable with it is say go for it.

[Florida Jim]

I have a custom 7mm STW "Bean field" rifle with a 26" heavy barrel. It sits in the safe 90% of the time.
I find most of my hunting is with a #3 Ruger in 45-70.
About 7 lbs. and a gem to carry.

[beemanbeme]

I can imagine hunting all day with a 13.5# rifle.  I can also imagine a little skinny fellow wearing a loin cloth carrying it for me too. 

[Cement Man]

There are plenty of light, good handling rifles that have excellent accuracy.  The older I get, it seems I do less tromping up hills, through the thick stuff, and the swamps than what I used to do, but I still prefer a light rifle even for the shorter walks and especially in a treestand.  I've had a couple of pencil-thin barrels, which I don't always prefer, but none that couldn't give me two or three shots with a tight POI cluster.  I shoot more than once about 10% of the time. 

[sniperVLS]

I can imagine hunting all day with a 13.5# rifle.  I can also imagine a little skinny fellow wearing a loin cloth carrying it for me too. 

 

That image is just wrong 

[PartsMan]

I gave up a shot on the buck of a lifetime this year because I didn't trust my rifle.
If my 7mm-08 shot like my heavier 223 he would be on the wall.

I have fixed that problem with Remington's help.

[beemanbeme]

That sounds like a hunting story waiting to be told, Partsman. Let's hear it. 

[PartsMan]

That sounds like a hunting story waiting to be told, Partsman. Let's hear it. 

Na, just another deer are smarter than me story.
They always know were I am, what gun I am holding, and how far I will shoot it.

He was just a 10 point but he was the thickest oldest looking 10 point I have ever seen.
A rack so even you would sware there was a mirror between them.

I watched him all season. He never got within 300yd without being behind a hill or one of four trees on the place.

I had my 7mm-08 handi that would group a core lokt about 6" at 200yd on it's best day.
That was my max, and he knew it.

7mm-08 has plenty of power at 300yd and I had a good rest.
The gun held me back.

[dw06]

I had my 7mm-08 handi that would group a core lokt about 6" at 200yd on it's best day.
That was my max, and he knew it.

7mm-08 has plenty of power at 300yd and I had a good rest.
The gun held me back.

My hats off to you Partsman, a man who knew his limitations under the circumstances and stuck to them. Sad to say, but many now days do not.
If you are a stand hunter like many have said then by all means have at it and go with the heavy barrel, but for me when still hunting or when I know I'm going to cover allot of ground I'll take a lighter weight rifle. JMO.

[Cement Man]

PartsMan,
I have to agree with dw06.  I admire someone who doesn't pull the trigger when they don't feel it is a good shot - for whatever reason.  Hats off to you.  You'll get him next time.

[beemanbeme]

+3