Bartlein Barrel - SS, 6.5mm, B#12 Heavy Palma, 8 twist

Discover the world of precision shooting with Bartlein Barrel's Stainless Steel masterpiece. Our 6.5mm, B#12 Heavy Palma barrel with an 8 twist rate is designed to elevate your shooting experience to the next level. With a 29-inch blank and 5R rifling, Bartlein Barrel delivers the performance and accuracy you demand.

Do Contours Affect Barrel Weight?

Yes, the contour of a barrel does influence its weight and performance. Heavier contours are known to provide better stability, particularly as a barrel heats up during continuous shooting. This helps maintain accuracy and reduces the tendency of groups or shots to wander on the target.

Do Heavier Contours Offer Superior Performance?

Generally, a heavier gun with a heavier barrel tends to perform better. The added weight helps shooters manage recoil, reducing fatigue, and enabling more rounds to be fired consistently over extended periods.

However, it's worth noting that lighter weight contours can also perform exceptionally well, and the importance of barrel weight may not be as critical as some believe.

Should Suppressors Be Used with Any Barrel Contour?

No, suppressors should not be attached to just any barrel contour. Suppressors add weight to the end of the barrel, affecting its harmonic vibrations. For optimal performance, it's recommended not to use a suppressor on anything smaller than a medium palma contour.

Why is Single Point Cut Rifling Superior to Button Rifling?

Single point cut rifling, the method employed by Bartlein Barrels, avoids introducing excessive stress into the barrel blank. In contrast, button rifling can exert significant stress on the blank, which can lead to undesirable bore size changes and openings when the contour is reduced in size. This is not an issue with single point cut rifling, ensuring consistent bore dimensions.

Additionally, threading the muzzle for muzzle brakes or suppressor attachments can sometimes cause the bore to open up in button rifled barrels, negatively impacting accuracy. This is less likely to occur with single point cut rifling.

Why is Fluting a Barrel Important?

Fluting offers several advantages, including weight reduction, improved barrel cooling, and an appealing aesthetic. By removing material from the barrel without altering its contour, fluting decreases overall weight, enhancing rifle maneuverability. The increased surface area created by flutes enhances heat dissipation, crucial during extended shooting sessions. Moreover, many shooters appreciate the unique appearance that fluting adds to their barrel.

Questions About Fluting

When considering fluting, it's important to avoid excessive depth, as this can lead to harmonic and vibration issues, potentially affecting accuracy. If you cannot add fluting during your barrel selection, it may indicate that the contour is too shallow to accommodate it.

Does Fluting Make the Barrel Stiffer?

The stiffness of a fluted barrel depends on the measurement criteria. Generally, if you compare two identical contour barrels and flute one, the fluted barrel may not be as stiff. However, the impact on stiffness varies, and other factors play a role in barrel performance.

Why is the Rifling on a Barrel Important?

Rifling is crucial for accuracy and performance. Bartlein Barrels offers three types of rifling: 4-groove, 5R, and Conventional-5. The number of grooves or style of rifling does not significantly affect accuracy or barrel life, as confirmed by feedback from ammunition and bullet manufacturers who use our test barrels.

Additional Benefits of 5R Rifling

The 5R rifling style offers unique advantages, including reduced bullet deformation and improved flight. The gentle angle on the sides of the lands in 5R rifling minimizes bullet distortion when transitioning from the case into the rifling. This design helps combat bullet failure and enhances bullet flight, contributing to superior accuracy.

We've also received feedback from ammunition and bullet makers confirming that 5R rifling positively impacts bullet flight. However, there are exceptions, notably with short jacket 6mm bullets commonly used by short-range bench shooters, as they may not perform optimally with 5R rifling due to insufficient bullet grip.