01-01-2014, 02:50 PM
I think you may be reading your test results wrong, It's possible that the BHW is actually the faster barrel of the three... If you handload. As Mr Alexander and others have pointed out, the barrel that produces the least friction, will have less pressure, and will shoot slower with factory loads. XCountryRider took offense to it, over the course of several pages, at the implication that the 5R would be slower due to lessened pressure.
With the BHW barrel producing less pressure, it might possible to work up loads that are running faster, but showing pressure signs later than the other barrels. It just shot slower because it was producing less pressure, and that pressure might be brought back up to match the others, at an even higher velocity.
My brother and I just put together an 18 inch BHW barrel 264LBC for him a few weeks ago, and with some of the handloads I had made for my 24 inch barrel, he was nearly 200fps slower. We started working up hotter loads of CFE223, and by the end, the same two guns were only 100FPS apart. WAY too many variables for me to try to state any of this as a fact of course. New barrel, vs old barrel. Temps were stable as we were loading in my basement, and stepping outside the house to shoot, but outside it was only 10 degrees etc. We simply haven't done enough testing to make any actual statements, but it's something I've been considering, and looking into on development of loads this spring/summer/fall even before I read this thread.
With the BHW barrel producing less pressure, it might possible to work up loads that are running faster, but showing pressure signs later than the other barrels. It just shot slower because it was producing less pressure, and that pressure might be brought back up to match the others, at an even higher velocity.
My brother and I just put together an 18 inch BHW barrel 264LBC for him a few weeks ago, and with some of the handloads I had made for my 24 inch barrel, he was nearly 200fps slower. We started working up hotter loads of CFE223, and by the end, the same two guns were only 100FPS apart. WAY too many variables for me to try to state any of this as a fact of course. New barrel, vs old barrel. Temps were stable as we were loading in my basement, and stepping outside the house to shoot, but outside it was only 10 degrees etc. We simply haven't done enough testing to make any actual statements, but it's something I've been considering, and looking into on development of loads this spring/summer/fall even before I read this thread.