Info on barrels
 

I am thinking about buying a CVA rifle. They have the Scout models which have stainless steel 22" fluted barrels and the Apex which has a stainless steel (same grade stainless on both barrels) 25" fluted Bergara barrel. How much better would the Bergara barrels be and how much difference would the extra 3" in length make? There is probably about $200 difference in the cost of the 2 guns.

I cannot speak to whether the Bergara barrel is better or not, but I can definitely say you don't need the extra 3". Just makes it harder to maneuver.

Bergara barrels Have a good reputation. I don't know the answer to the extra 3 inches but I am sure there is a difference. Some place I saw a chart on velocity's per inch over 24 inches for Muzzle loaders.
Try to goggle it or another search engine.


:D Al

The CVA Scout and Apex rifles look to be pretty short to begin with. There's really not much of a receiver hung onto that barrel. I'm not seeing the downside of 3 extra inches on the muzzle end. It would add to your velocity and could help bring the balance forward.

I bought my grandson the Scout in 35 Whelen with a 25" stainless fluted bull barrel with a muzzle break. It is a well balanced gun with a great trigger. I don't why CVA makes the Scout 35 Whelen with the 25" barrel and muzzle break when the others are 22". The owner of the gun store didn't even realize the difference until it came in. I will post and let y'all know how it performs!

Question 1: How old and how experienced a shooter is your grandson? 2: Is he familiar with heavier recoiling rifles? 3: Do you reload?

The reason I ask these questions is, with that light setup, even with a muzzle brake, that bugger is going to pack one hell of a punch on the butt end! Granted it's more of a "push" than a sharp snapping kick but it's going to still be a pretty good shoving match with that light rifle setup.

The reason for the extra 3 inches is that cartridge absolutely NEEDS at least 25" of barrel to get optimization of burn and pressure release. The best performing .35W I have ever shot or owned had a 26" barrel loaded up with a 250 grain Speer Spitz-SP on top of 53.5gr H335 ( warning , that load is a pretty well compressed load and should only be shot in a VERY strong action rifle) Dang thing printed sub MOA at 100 with that particular load.

C'mon Super - if a Whelen needs a 25" barrel to burn, a .30-06 would need 34"!!! While it's nice to have extra length, it's not really a "need." A 35W was one of my first custom rifles, and WAS my first custom big game hunting rifle. I put a 20" tube on it as a brush busting carry rifle. Wasn't winning any drag races, but it was short and handy, and it punched like the hammer of Thor.

It's nice getting the extra velocity, and I expect that is why they made it a 25" instead of a 22". Pick up as much speed as they can on a relatively slow flying cartridge. Of course, a brake on a 200-250grn pill is always nice.

For a break action rifle, I wouldn't balk at carrying a 25" tube. I often carry 26" bolt guns, and they often feel incredibly long in hand and shoulder slung. But a break action 25" barreled rifle is most likely SHORTER than a 22" barreled bolt gun.

I tried a 22" as well as a 20" tube as I really have always liked the .35W since I am a "get up close and personal" type hunter. I haven't really ever had the "need" for long range speed demons. Although I still have the dang things anyway :D But with both of those barrels, I honestly felt like I could throw a bullet at a damn elk faster! H335 isn't a typically "slow" powder but the faster ones just didn't group well. Those short tubes shot fine but I was getting upwards of 200FPS faster out of my 26" and better grouping. Just seems to me that the cartridge likes a longer barrel.

Thanks again for the info. I have the 35 in an H and R handi rifle and though it has a 22" barrel, it has performed well. I haven't shot deer over about 130 yards, but it was right on and packed a punch. In fact, it has become my go-to gun where our shots are going to be well less than 200 yards. As far as the recoil, I will say it is the only rifle that I really notice after I have shot but it is not really offensive to me. I have friends though, who "cry" about the punch. My theory has always been, "If you're gonna dance, you gotta pay the fiddler!"

Yeah but a young shooter (it's why I asked how old your grandson is) can be totally turned off from shooting enough to get proficient with a rifle that brings out snot bubbles every time they pull the trigger. There is a difference between paying the fiddler and stupid practices.