Fieldcraft is about to be back on the menu boys

[ljalberta]

It’s even more absurd if you owned one and are still taking the position that a flexible stock is the reason they use full length bedding.

Carry on my friend. I have paid my toll to the troll today.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Please explain the benefit of full length bedding a barrel instead of just the action or the action with a short barrel pad like everybody and their brother who builds rifles for accuracy does to free float the barrel. I can't wait to hear this.

 

[SavedByGrace2001]

There is nothing flexible about the fieldcraft stock, I’ve personally owned 12-15 and none of them have a flexible stock. In all reality the stock helps to firm up on barrel vibration. That’s the reason why they fully bedded it.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

So you actually believe that the stock is more rigid than the steel tube running through it? I think I've heard it all now.

 

[SavedByGrace2001]

You should do some reading on Melvin Forbes and his fully length bedding on his rifles. The full length bedding on the fieldcrafts will stabilize the barrel, which helps with accuracy.

 

[ljalberta]

Please explain the benefit of full length bedding a barrel instead of just the action or the action with a short barrel pad like everybody and their brother who builds rifles for accuracy does to free float the barrel. I can't wait to hear this.

With Forbes, it started with designing stocks that were significantly stiffer than other stocks designed at the time using carbon and kevlar. Stiffer than the barrels in some cases. By using an extra stiff stock, you could properly bed and torque the barrelled action to the stiff stock, which would effectively damper or remove barrels vibrations by the time the bullet was exiting the barrel.

The use of stiffer stocks, not flimsier stocks is what allows for the use of fully bedded rifles. Of course, this information has only been available for 30 or so years.

A fun fact is that really thin barrels aren’t that stiff and can flex compared to heavier barrels. Another really interesting fact is that other materials exist that can be as flexible as, or even less flexible than thin barrels.

But let’s not let facts get in the way of feelings here.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Yes but they only bed the action and not the barrel. Barrett bedded the full length because otherwise that flimsy ass stock would flex and touch the barrel. The Seekins is a free floated barrel unlike the fieldcraft and the forend is incredibly rigid.

The FC stocks are carbon fiber made by AG composite the reason they full bed them is you get zero POI shift with or with can...If you have ever put a can on freefloated barrel you know you get a POI shift when you add the can.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

With Forbes, it started with designing stocks that were significantly stiffer than other stocks designed at the time using carbon and kevlar. Stiffer than the barrels in some cases. By using an extra stiff stock, you could properly bed and torque the barrelled action to the stiff stock, which would effectively damper or remove barrels vibrations by the time the bullet was exiting the barrel.

The use of stiffer stocks, not flimsier stocks is what allows for the use of fully bedded rifles. Of course, this information has only been available for 30 or so years.

A fun fact is that really thin barrels aren’t that stiff and can flex compared to heavier barrels. Another really interesting fact is that other materials exist that can be as flexible as, or even less flexible than thin barrels.

But let’s not let facts get in the way of feelings here.

The fieldcraft has a hand layed carbon fiber stock, just like a manners elite shell only the manners has significantly more material so should be stiffer. Yet I can flex my manners that also has an ARCA rail running down the thing. You also don't see people bedding them because its not conducive to accuracy to have a barrel be full length bedded as apposed to free floating.

As to bedding the barrel helping with harmonics, maybe but only if it's perfectly consistent and I doubt anyone outside of Barrett has tested one full length float to one not so I can't speak on that and neither can anyone else. What I can tell you however is that the multiple (223, 243, 6.5CM, 308, 7WSM) Kimber Montanas that I owned also all had pencil profile barrels and were free floated and every one of them shot better than my fieldcraft did.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

The FC stocks are carbon fiber made by AG composite the reason they full bed them is you get zero POI shift with or with can...If you have ever put a can on freefloated barrel you know you get a POI shift when you add the can.

So they full length bedded them all including the non threaded models so that they wouldn't have a POI shift with a niche item that most buyers would never attach and couldn't even attach to some? Makes sense.

FWIW my TBAC Ultra 7 has never caused a POI shift on any of the rifles I've attached it to which is easily in the triple digits in the 7 years of owning it. My heavier cans have though. So there's that too....

 

[SavedByGrace2001]

Well you can carry your 12lb pound seekins rifle and I’ll carry my 5lb Barrett. It’s amazing how this post is supposed to be about fieldcraft rifles coming back. One thing I love is a used fieldcraft still goes for almost double the of what the msrp was and a used seekins go for what 20% less than new? I’m not saying seekins Is a bad rifle. But fieldcrafts are great rifles too.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Boy I opened up a can!
I like the simplicity of the fieldcraft and plan to thread mine pretty quick.
Just wanted to see if there were any new offerings before I started.I actually have three but none are threaded,and no there not for sale
I would actually buy a seekins and they do offer a smooth barrel but 20 is as short as they will go.
And there over 3200.
Why not offer short barrel options,they know the popularity of suppressors and shorter barrels.
I know lots of guys that use big game rifles and very few even shoot 400 yards in my area.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Well you can carry your 12lb pound seekins rifle and I’ll carry my 5lb Barrett. It’s amazing how this post is supposed to be about fieldcraft rifles coming back. One thing I love is a used fieldcraft still goes for almost double the of what the msrp was and a used seekins go for what 20% less than new? I’m not saying seekins Is a bad rifle. But fieldcrafts are great rifles too.

That's the rifle they're holding in the thumbnail dude, they make many more rifles than that. They make a rifle thats lighter than the fieldcraft and folds. The SLAM 308 is 5lbs .5oz.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Boy I opened up a can!
I like the simplicity of the fieldcraft and plan to thread mine pretty quick.
Just wanted to see if there were any new offerings before I started.I actually have three but none are threaded,and no there not for sale
I would actually buy a seekins and they do offer a smooth barrel but 20 is as short as they will go.
And there over 3200.
Why not offer short barrel options,they know the popularity of suppressors and shorter barrels.
I know lots of guys that use big game rifles and very few even shoot 400 yards in my area.

As I've already said, they'll make you whatever you want. They make the new SLAM in a 16" configuration, they make others in 16" and 18" too. Call the custom shop and I'm sure they'd make you an SBR if you want to form 4 it. I can't imagine they'd charge $400 on top of the normal price of an Element to do a custom length barrel but even if they do you can get Elements for about $2400 if you shop around and send it to them and just have them rebarrel that in whatever you want for $500 and you'd be $2900 into it and have two barrels.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Yeah how HEAVY is that gun?????

THats their PRS gun, the havak element short actions are 5.5 lbs. the long action elements are like 6lbs.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Im just telling you what they told me this week.
20 inch in Havak is there shortest they said they do.
I would order a 6.5 today if they would do a 16.5 inch non fluted barrel.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Well you can carry your 12lb pound seekins rifle and I’ll carry my 5lb Barrett. It’s amazing how this post is supposed to be about fieldcraft rifles coming back. One thing I love is a used fieldcraft still goes for almost double the of what the msrp was and a used seekins go for what 20% less than new? I’m not saying seekins Is a bad rifle. But fieldcrafts are great rifles too.

No comment on the fieldcraft but that seekins in the video is their PRS gun, not really made to be packed around. The havak element short action is 5.5lbs and the new slam rifle is barely over 5lbs.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Im just telling you what they told me this week.
20 inch in Havak is there shortest they said they do.

Send it to kampfield and have him cut it, threat it etc etc for 200 bucks and you dont even need the 500 dollar re barrel.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Im just telling you what they told me this week.
20 inch in Havak is there shortest they said they do.
I would order a 6.5 today if they would do a 16.5 inch non fluted barrel.

That makes no sense at all why they wouldn't do a shorter barrel. The forend of the stock can accomodate it and their machines can clearly accomodate it since they make shorter barrels than 20" including a 16" 308 for the Element Slam. They're even willing to make me a non standard barrel in a twist rate that they don't use on anything else that's much more complicated to change than telling the computer program to cut and thread at this length and stop the fluting at that length.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

So they full length bedded them all including the non threaded models so that they wouldn't have a POI shift with a niche item that most buyers would never attach and couldn't even attach to some? Makes sense.

FWIW my TBAC Ultra 7 has never caused a POI shift on any of the rifles I've attached it to which is easily in the triple digits in the 7 years of owning it. My heavier cans have though. So there's that too....

No idea don't own any FC that aren't threaded from the factory. It would make sense though most folks cut them down, and it's easier from a production standard point. Honestly that rifle was designed for can...take any 18" FC and shoot it with and without the can completely different experiences.

I have several AG composite stocks on other guns..they are not flimsy.

 

[Runningwater]

Seekins looks like a nice rifle. I have no complaints with my 3006 FC. It's 6lb, 6 oz with mounted trijicon 3x9 scope, is more accurate than I can shoot and to me has great understated look. I can attest that for me personally i dont want a rifle in that cartridge much lighter - its on the verge of being a bit snorty! I sure hope they bring them back. I don't need one in short action but want one. 284 win please!