carbon fiber barrel
 

i was wondering what u guys thought about a carbon fiber barrel, and some gods and bads.

RE: carbon fiber barrel
 

The composite barrel was developed to have a heavy barreled varmit or benchrest performance without the weight. The barrels are very expensive when compared to steel. i have not heard of anything that is necessarily bad. I believe that if the outer layers of the composite material wouldget punctured that the barrel would have to be scrapped. The steel portion of the barrel would be open to moisture and debris without a way to clean it. How well it the metal end cap secured on the barrel? I believe that this could come loose after a few hundered rounds. Unless you are a serious varmit hunter that walks alot and you treat you rifles like they are made of glass, i would recommend that you stay away from the composite barrels.

RE: carbon fiber barrel
 

I am currently building carbon fiber sleeved barrels. The ones done by Christiansen Arms are wrapped with carbon fiber after turning down most of the barrel to a fairly small diameter. I'm utilizing a sleeve of rigid tubing with internal de resonators. Either way, the concept is that the barrel is very stiff but not very heavy. Also, carbon fiber disperses heat very well and isquite stable over a wide variety of temperatures. The material is very strong and I have not had any issues so far with rough use. Its best application seems to be varmint rifles - although I have done a few for police snipers. Most folks consider it an alternative to barrel fluting.