Chrono'ing the 30" barrel
 

Going out here now gents to see what kind of velocity I've picked up with that 30" barrel VS the Accuras 27" barrel. :barmy:

This will be interesting!

I predict 90 fps.

UL LDR - 1876-1870-1916

V2 - 1803 - 1823 - 1846

100gr BH209, 250gr Powerbelt Aerolite, cci 209M primers.

Going to try 90gr BH209 next as the LDR prefers that charge.

Told you it wouldn't be enough to matter at ML ranges.

I prefer the shorter barrel for easier handling.

It may or may not matter. The extra velocity may stabilize a particular bullet better than a shorter and slower barrel will. I guess that it would depend on what is meant by the word "matters" in the statement above.
Does an inch or two matter?
Does a better group matter?
Does better penetration matter?
Does up to a 5.5% increase in velocity and penetration matter?
It could matter in competitions like those being held at Friendship, Indiana next month.
A precise velocity sure does matter to an Olympic shooter who is trying to hit the X with every shot using super expensive ammo which a gun may be harmonically in tune to a particular higher velocity.
IMO it can't be reasonably predicted that the increase in velocity won't matter
It can at least be said that the barrel offers a wider range of velocity options for custom tuning the gun to a particular bullet.
The actual benefit in performance may not have even been discovered yet. And that's just with Blackhorn, there are other powders too.

Jon is a hunter. It won't matter, and he's the one I was talking to.

The long barrel will matter in the brush though.

I see that MD posts about shooting precision groups a lot.
He's a target shooter as well as a hunter.
What's the difference between with potentially achieving better groups whether hunting or target shooting?
No matter what is being shot at, the higher velocity will cut through the wind better too resulting in less wind drift.
And since higher velocity penetrates better, maybe the longer barrel will shoot through the brush better too.
So obviously under certain circumstances higher velocity can matter.
The difference between the averages of the 2 samples is 53 fps (1824 fps verses 1877 fps), with a greatest difference of 113 fps between the lowest of one sample verses the highest of the other.
It would be interesting to see if either of the spreads could grow to be even greater with larger powder charges or with different bullets or powder.

the longer barrel sure didn't help when a bullet went half way through my chrono today :( Luckily it just skimmed it with half the bullet. Still works perfectly.

3 inches isn't going to make a difference as far as carrying goes as long as its not barrel heavy which Jon said it is not. Now to make a reasonable comparison would be a 25" or shorter barrel vs. a 30". A 27 vs 30 is not much of a comparison as far as carrying goes imo.

Well i have the 25" apex i can compare against if that helps, or the 24" wolf.

That would be a better comparison I think.

You did say the barrel heats up fast, and you don't like the trigger.

A little more powder in the V2 should make up the difference in fps.

If we were talking about a longer barreled V2 we might have something. I don't think a Traditions is in the same league.

Isn't it something how someone tries to show something and gets ridiculed? Maybe more should "order" one to test and write about. After the testing period just send it back if you do not like it.

He will be.

I don't know, I prefer a longer barrel myself. My opinion - for what its worth is that the longer barrel make more efficient use of heavier powder charges, give you a longer sighting plane for more precise aiming, and the heavier weight out front, at least for me, balances the rifle better allowing for a more stable hold should I need to shoot offhand. I believe that is the one reason I prefer my 32" barreled MLs over my 28" barreled ones.
But you know what they say about opinions? Some people prefer shorter barrels and some longer. At times I hunt some pretty nasty thick brush (mtn laurel/greenbriar) and I've never found the longer barrels a hinderence.

I've hunted with 32" barrels too, but that's not what everybody wants. When you see a rifle called a mountain rifle. It has a shorter barrel.

Back in the 80's hunters were fed up with long barreled muzzleloaders. They went to Tony Knight, and asked for a short barreled ML. The inline was born.

Long barrels do burn the powder better, but that's for real BP and some of the subs. Certainly not BH 209. It burns fine in shorter barrels.


I'm going to try long range ML hunting next year for something new to try. I don't feel a need to use a longer barrel than 27".

How long is the Knight LRH barrel? ;)

I like the longer barrel better for MLs you get a better burn of powder and in the woods I see no difference in the shorter barrel and long for me I like the longer better and the barrel onthe LRH I think its 28in with 26 1/2 in usable

I must be hunting thicker timber than you guys?

I carry the gun sideways to me ready to fire. A longer barrel definitely gets in my way.

I found hunting with a GPR, or my old Renegade with GM 32" barrel a pain.

Just giving my side of it.

As we all are Muley. That's why the manufacturers make different MLs with different barrel lengths. You can get the 24" barrel in the Wolf up the a 42" barrel in a PA long rifle. (some longer). Its all a matter of taste.
As for the thicker timber portion - I think not. A lot of the areas I hunt in eastern PA, you can't see 20 yds. Between the scrub oaks, mountain laurel, greenbriar and blackberry bushes. Some of these places when you come out the other side it looks like you were in a fight with a wildcat. And look at the bush poor Semisane hunts. Those swamps in LA with the palmetto bushes, and all that other underbrush. Its no wonder the poor guy has to hunt food plots. Some of those places are even harder to get through than where I hunt.

Yeah, i've seen that junk. Not fun hunting. I'd probably hunt in a tree too.

I'm talking about trees here. So, I have to either turn sideways, or move the gun. I do a lot less of that with a shorter barrel.

Jon will have to use open sights. That means shorter ranges. Will a 30" barrel help him?

If you walk through palmettos don't expect to see any game. It's noisy as a slumber party with a half dozen thirteen year old girls. There's two ways to hunt a palmetto bottom. Either get up high and sit still, or turn the dogs loose. If you ever heard a big deer busting through palmettos at full bore in front of dog pack you would swear a jeep was heading your way.

But as I recall not near 1/2 as much fun!!:popcorn:

So Bronco, you recall being a 13 year old girl? :s13: I knew your old mind was going downhill but didn't realize you were so close to the bottom. :p

Semi, It was a hell of a disguise - but it worked. A night never to be forgotten...lmao

I sure hope that wasn't you I was in the closet with!

If it turned out it was him or a him in the closet with, do you think you would have chrono' a lot of fps or not??

Feels Per Second??? :s2:

So, if i understand correctly, a feel is kinda like a meter?

meet her?!?

Meat her???

OK OK this is getting out of hand! Time to get back on topic.
I picked up the Lyman GPR this evening. Its still in the box cause we had a B'day party for the twins today B'day #1 (man that year went by so fast)
Maybe I will get out tomorrow to shoot it.

DANG! It seems as though you just posted the birth announcement.

You're going to love that GPR. Don't be too surprised if it takes a little shooting to break in and reach its best accuracy. And don't forget to give the bore a good cleaning with a solvent like brake/carb cleaner to get all of the factory grease out. It's been a few years since I got mine but I still remenber it took quite a number of patches to get it cleaned out of the grooves.

Thanks for the tip Semi - I may just do that first thing in the am.