It just took the right amount of stimulating content to lure him out of the digital bushes.

Well all things considered. It still takes one hell of a good light weight barrel set up to be as "accurate" as a heavier barrel. Granted I do believe one thing. A well made barrel by any manufacture is going to shoot. 2" groups out of a "hunting rifle" at 300 yards is nothing to knock around. That's a good consistent group and is shooting well. I personally shoot "hunting rifle" setups against a lot of heavy barreled custom rifles all the time and stay very competitive to a point. Now that said I agree on that one point you can shoot well with a lighter barrel but after all these years I have come to know one thing.

If you were to group us all together and start shooting paper at all kinds of ranges. The end result would be the same as I have already come to know. The barrels with the "meat" win most of the paper matches. The hunting style rifles win in the fields where versatility and speed come into to play. But when it's off the bench and it's setup versus setup on paper at various ranges I know this one thing. Us non heavy barreled boys better have our game on because it's just plain harder for us to win. So the real story boys and girls is apples to apples, rigidity wins the day. It's a lot easier to make a rigid barrel shoot than a non rigid barrel. Nah I'm not buying this one. You have a well made rifle and that's about it. I know I have a few myself. Go do some competitive shooting you'll see.

I'm mighty proud I can stay in the top five shooters in a region competitive with a "lighter barreled" rifle. And that's enough for me I don't see the need for all that extra money spent on a rifle when I'm more of a hunter than a target shooter. Stand them target shooters up off the bench and the day is ours. No there's no comparison light rifle class to target rifle class. The real competitive shooters know that. Even the weight of the rifle itself will help it be steadier on a rest.

You have a great rifle be satisfied with that.

And that's the way it is!!!

I was going to scan this but I think it might be an infraction of the forum rules. I probably should've quoted this directly from the book on the original thread.

Here is one of the more simple explanation of what this thread was all about. This is directly from the book entitled "The Rifle Book, a new addition of shooters classic" by Jack O'Connor published by Alfred A. Knopf, inc.

This is from the chapter: What is Accuracy. Page 111

"The question is often asked if a light barrel can be as accurate as a heavy one. The answer is that barrel weight is just one of many factors affecting accuracy. A good uniform and straight light barrel will out shoot a poor heavy barrel. It is true, however, that the heavier a barrel is within reason, the less sensitive it is too poor bedding and to vibrations in loads because it vibrates last violently. Nevertheless, a good light weight barrel with a good bedding job will shoot as accurate as a heavy weight barrel especially for the first three or four shots and that is all that matters in a big game hunting rifle."

If you don't agree with it, then take it up with the Jack O'Connor Center for hunting education.

While you really can't say those are 2" groups without a more precise method of measurement (say, a caliper?), what we have here is very likely a "sub-MOA rifle." But, it's not quite a "half-minute" rifle.

And given what you spent on it, it darn well better shoot that well. Not to take away that it's a very nice rifle, and that any of the rest of us would probably be proud to own it, but let's get over how enamored you are of it and think reasonably here.

Most hunting rifles should be able to shoot 1 MOA groups. Better hunting rifles half that, and the best rifles, a quarter of that. When you're printing a 3" group or smaller at 600 yards, we can start bragging (provided you can do it consistently and with more than three rounds per group). You got a shooter. Leave it at that.

Watch high-quality and standard barrels in slow motion as bullets are launched from them and you'll know the truth. Accuracy is a function of predictability, and barrel characteristics are just one of many players in that equation.

Since you're such a worshipper here of anything Jack O'Connor, be sure you're not taking the point here out of context. I've added a little emphasis for you.

You bought a fancy rifle, best not make fancy statements while you're worshipping it. Jack's ghost won't be happy with you until it has some gouges and scrapes in the stock and a few elk and sheep under its belt.

Oh please........who is worshiping the rifle??? The statement and concept is in general not directed toward one gun. Sure I am using this one particular gun as a example because thats one of the guns I own that fits the topic. You kinda sound defensive, snarky and oddly hostile for no reason. Why make this personal?? I am not hiding anything. I am supplying pics, excerpts from the book, and being totally transparent. If you think I am cherry picking my information you are welcome to crack a book and do some research yourself. I personally don't like to speculate or get my information directly from the Internet. Either enjoy the topic and discussion or post in other threads that you are into. If JOC, Winchesters or the topic isn't your thing then fine. Find a topic of conversation you do enjoy talking about. Its all good. This is not the first book I have read nor is JOC the only author I have read on the topic. Its no secret that I do appreciate JOC back ground as a author and hunter probably because I have a masters degree in engendering myself. Worship? No Appreciate? Yes. Its a gun forum. I would have though posting pics to back up a theme would be refreshing considering all the smack talk and b.s claim made without any empirical evidence to back it up.

What are these 100yard groups?? Looks like less than a 1/2 moa to me. Even with two different brands of ammo. I can repeat this at will.

3-shot group.

Looks like someone should register in their local match and get their name on the club's wall for low aggregate! Make sure you take some cash with you when you go, just in case it does not work out as planned.

A good heavy barrel will produce better aggregates that a good light barrel, all else being equal.

Sporter rifles can and do often shoot an occasional great 3 shot group. That is terrific for hunting. Glad you have a nice rifle.

Thank you.
I am a bow hunter first,, then pistol hunter, then rifle hunter in that order. If do my job right, i never have to take a rifle in the woods unless its a booked hunt out of state. I competed professionally in IPSC in the 1990's. (I was the first sponcered shooter to use the 10mm in IPSC limited class. This was pre 40s&w days so that should date me). Serious competition requires too much time to stay competitive and my interests and hobbies are too varied these days to commit the time for stay competitive. I only compete against critters I am hunting and the occasional IDPA match or 3D shoot.

Who's worshipping the rifle? You tell me. When you first showed it off, I thought - as probably did many other readers here - it was a fitting tribute to "JOC". But then you used it as a vehicle to convey out-of-context interpretations and it was rather obvious that the rifle's owner was into self-aggrandizement. As if your opinion somehow has more weight because your rifle has his name on it and you can spin something he wrote into something that fits an argument that - get this - you didn't need to bring. That's right - YOU. You could have left it at "look at this nice rifle." No, that wasn't enough for you. If you can't stand the heat...

FWIW - I don't read this stuff on the internet. It's in "Storm Tactical Precision Rifle Data Book." It won't do you any good to read it, because it doesn't come from the printer filled out. Therefore, my copy contains all original data, albeit for one rifle, but for one rifle that appears can shoot circles around yours in spite of costing half as much (not including optics). When you break into 1/4-minute-land at 600 yards after putting over 750 rounds down the tube, you can poke me in the eye.

Although I agree with O'Connor's statement, I don't agree with the manner in which you've interpreted or applied it. If you don't like that - tough. You can be entitled to your opinion, but you can't entitle me to your opinion. And further, I don't think you'd have made that statement at all, were it not for your pretty rifle. Call me "snarky" if you choose - but recognize that it wasn't me who started a thread that didn't need to be started, given O'Connor's original quote that you've twisted to make your point.

Mark me as "unimpressed" from here on out. Don't care how pretty your rifle is, really don't care about 100 yard groups if the truth be known. If Jack O'Connor knew they were selling a rifle with his name on it for as much as you paid for it, he'd probably bring you the scunion for buying one.