Proof research or Carbon 6 ..

[worx53]

Carbon barrels.. which is your preference and experiences? I have a proof prefit that shoots great . I have a Carbon 6 prefit that gauged ok but wouldnt seat a loaded round. I figured the throat wasnt right. Called and they said to send them the whole barreled action. 3 weeks later I called and asked what was going on. C6 said their reamer was worn and a few hand turns all good and will ship the next week. Got a call from C6 the next week that the barrel engraver failed ( bit broke i think he said)and ruined my now fixed barrel. So now still waiting on another barrel.
Not impressed.


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[fightthenoise]

I’ve been waiting on one from C6 since January. I like to think they’re f***ing it up as I type this.

 

[Alaskanopolis]

Carbon 6 took forever to fill my order and it ended up being the wrong contour. The quality seems high and it shoots great, but I won't purchase from them again.

 

[Broz]

CarbonSix and I have used many of both

 

[Tahoe1305]

I bought a C6 last year. I was a bit frustrated to be honest with a few things in the process of ordering and then receiving the barrel.

That said I did eventually receive it and the gun shoots great (1/3 MOA pretty consistent). I also note that for whatever reason it appears a bit lighter than proof and some other models. I actually think they are about the lightest out there, especially in their FW contour .

Hope that helps.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Bartlein
Proof
And out of shear desperation maybe Carbon 6, they use shitty button rifled McGowan blanks which are nowhere near the quality of the other two mentioned

 

[Broz]

Many things to consider in what each has to offer. Proof barrels .270 and down are 4 groove. Are you going to shoot jacketed bullets? CarbonSix offer 5 or 6 groove. 4 groove barrels inscribe the jackets wider and some 4 groove designs deeper. That is not good if you want the ability to shoot some of todays thin jacketed bullets like ELDM's and A tips. I was watching a 6.5 Proof 7.5 twist on a SAUM yesterday disintegrate 153 A tips somwhere just past 100 yards. Over and over. I have seen this many times from 3 and 4 groove barrels. So you may want to consider that too. I have owned 13 Proof 30 cal barrels over the last 4 years or so. Not one stole my heart for accuracy. Monday I will be picking up my 300 Terminator from DE. The Proof is off and the CarbonSix is on. I will be dropping off my 300 HCM to remove the Proof from it as well. I know for a fact some Proof barrels can shoot, but I have struggled with them, especially 30 cals and I know some smiths that will tell you they will install them, but you are on your own after that. I have owned plenty of cut and button rifled barrels over the years. Many of my best shooting rifles were button rifled. I don't care what method they use. As long as it shoots and is 5 or 6 groove.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

The problem with McGowan barrels is that they're inconsistent.
I've owned 5 and two of them shot great, the others had issues with consistency and copper fouled really badly.
You get what you pay for there's really no way around that.

I'm not a fan of CF wrapped barrels, in my opinion the downsides outweigh any benefits.
If I were to go CF again it'd be a Bartlein, their excellent barrels combined with a better wrapping process would make them the safest bet that it'll be a shooter.

 

[HuntHarder]

The problem with McGowan barrels is that they're inconsistent.
I've owned 5 and two of them shot great, the others had issues with consistency and copper fouled really badly.
You get what you pay for there's really no way around that.

I'm not a fan of CF wrapped barrels, in my opinion the downsides outweigh any benefits.
If I were to go CF again it'd be a Bartlein, their excellent barrels combined with a better wrapping process would make them the safest bet that it'll be a shooter.

What do you think are the downsides to carbon wrapped barrels?

 

[Tahoe1305]

What do you think are the downsides to carbon wrapped barrels?

You didn’t ask me directly but I’ll throw in my 2 cents.

The only major benefit in a hunting situation (small shot strings, first round accuracy most important) is being able to add a suppressor(larger shoulder thickness) without a large weight penalty.

A sporter profile steel barrel (especially flutted) will be lighter than a CF in my experience. But it takes a bit of creativity getting the thickness to the point of safely attaching a can or with a few adapters.

For hunting un suppressed I’d go steel. I see more benefits for a target barrel. But many target guns you want heavier anyway...

 

[Ryan Avery]

Bartlein
Proof
And out of shear desperation maybe Carbon 6, they use shitty button rifled McGowan blanks which are nowhere near the quality of the other two mentioned

Interesting, I have helped work up loads for at least 20 McGowan barrels, all shot well. I am on Carbon 6 number five and they all shot well. Plus I know of at least five more that @Unknown Munitions did load workup for and they are great. I have had a bad run on proofs over the last few years but I have had lots that shot very well. I was at Defensive Edge the other day and Shawn told me they will not guarantee accuracy with a proof carbon barrel.

If I have to pick a carbon barrel right now out of those two it would be a Carbon 6. But my first choice would be a Christensen Barrel...... gasps! HAHA. They have come a long way over the last ten years and now make the best carbon barrel IMO. But good luck getting one without buying a complete rifle.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

What do you think are the downsides to carbon wrapped barrels?

1. Price

2. Turning the barrel way down and building it back up with CF wrapping can introduce stress and impact consistency

3. A SS #3 contour is actually stiffer than a proof Sendero

4. CF is an insulator and the skinny steel barrel underneath actually gets hotter faster which can lead to shorter barrel life (this is the opinion of quite a few barrel makers, I haven't tested it myself)

5. CF creates serious mirage issues after a few shots, I've experienced this first hand and its annoying

6. CF is lighter than a steel barrel of the same diameter, but a fluted #5 that's .730 at 24" weighs about the same as a sendero contour CF barrel, its also much stiffer and won't heat up as fast.

Bartlein leaves more meat on the steel blank which is the main reason why I'd use them over any other CF barrel

 

[Brendan]

I feel like I've heard more bad experiences with Proof than any other CF brand. Don't think I'll ever buy one because of that.

I have an HCA / Benchmark that I love. Have a C6 that ordering and getting it in as spec'd was easy, but haven't shot it yet.

Ordering right now, I'd probably choose Bartlein with the uprated steel they offer...

 

[Broz]

With dozens and dozens of CF wrapped barrels under my belt, I have to agree with Ryan. The Christensen Arms barrels as of late are the most consistent and best shooting CF barrels we have used. And we have used plenty.

 

[choovhntr]

Very interesting thread! I only have one carbon barrel (a proof sandero light) and can say first hand that the 4 groove in a 6.5 Prc with a 7.5 twist will blow up thin jacketed bullets. Have had zero issues with the 155 Berger, and clearly zero issues with the 131 hammer hunter. I’ve read proof barrels are slow, inconsistent, etc. but mine has proven great so far. I don’t know the numbers off hand, but I think it’s a safe bet that Proof produces at least double the amount of carbon barrels than the nearest competitor. My point being people very rarely post about the good barrels, but always do about the bad ones. If they were all that terrible, they probably wouldn’t be the leader in the market. My point is that every maker is prone to producing a bad barrel here and there. Since proof produces the most, they are prone to producing the most bad ones. The smith that built my gun has had great luck with carbon 6 and bartlein. He gives the edge to bartlein. That being said, they weigh almost a half lb more for a similar contour and thus taking away one of the largest benefits. May as well just run a fluted steel barrel for half the cost IMO. It’s going to be a tough decision for my next barrel, and I’ll be watching this thread to see what others have to say. With their experience I would take Ryan and Jeff’s experiences to heart. They have probably
shot through more barrels than most. My opinion so far is that they all have pluses and minuses to them.

 

[WRO]

Just FYI benchmark is putting out cf barrels now. I've never had a benchmark that wouldn't shoot well.

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[Rky Mtn Farmer]

I just finished a semi custom Tikka build in 300 WM. I debated on proof or Carbon 6, and ended up going with Carbon 6 because they give an accuracy guarantee and are more affordable. What sealed the deal was C6 went one sale, and ended up being about $400 cheaper then a proof.

I haven’t done any load development for the gun yet, just shooting older stuff for a previous 300wm, my first 5 shot group was .41”. I can’t say all C6 barrels are shooters but mine sure seems it will be.

 

[Axlrod]

I have a custom being built by a respected accuracy gun smith, he said he would only use a Bartlein carbon barrel, due to problems with other CF barrels.

 

[ID_Matt]

I’ve been waiting on one from C6 since January. I like to think they’re f***ing it up as I type this.

I imagine proof is even further out than that....

 

[ID_Matt]

I have had 3 proofs and all shot very good but my carbon six is my best shooting. The C6 would shoot anything I put in to it. When I did load development for it I loaded half grain increments over a 5 grain total spread and all 10 shots went under .75 moa. The load I settled on is about as forgiving as they come and hasn't shot anything over .5 moa. I don't know if I lucked out, but I was sure happy.