Carbon fiber rifle barrel

Carbon Fiber THM

THM Tension

Ultramate


We all knew this day was coming and as far as I know these light weight barrels are only made for .22's... right now...
so how light are they? well the lightest of the three, the Ultralite Barrel is... drum roll please...

Specs
•Due to the barrel design it is not drilled & tapped to accept our barrel mounted scope mount.
•Available in 22 LR only
•15oz base weight

And how do they shoot?
how the hell would I know... Darn things start at like $300 bucks and go up from there... that's a lot of money and I'm quite happy with my 10/22 the way it is now...
Still if I had the money for one... I think I'd go for one of their custom built target pistols like this stingray...


or maybe one of their custom rifles.


Oh well just one more thing to add to my list of things I want to buy... after I win the Mega Millions lottery...

Barrel wear is something I would be highly concerned with.

I'm not going to spend 300 bucks plus on a carbon fiber barrel to lose weight on my .22s if they don't stand up to it.

If they aren't rated for more than 80,000 rounds I don't bother.

a reply to: HardCorps

I was just thinking about the feasibility of CF rifle barrels the other day, cool to see that they are actually a thing, I had no idea.

Those custom firearms are awesome looking, all futuristic and junk, nice.

a reply to: projectvxn

They didn't post photo's of their construction... but the top two look to only be sleeved with carbon fiber...
what they sleeved is made out of??????

still kind of pricy to drop a few oz's

They are not carbon fibre barrels. They are carbon fibre sheathed barrels with a normal barrel under the carbon.

originally posted by: urbanghost
They are not carbon fibre barrels. They are carbon fibre sheathed barrels with a normal barrel under the carbon.

true but they did shave off a lot of weight by doing this.
question is... how's it hold up to heat over time?

When you lighten a barrel it overheats very quickly, after a few shots, making the point of impact vary quite a bit. By wrapping it in carbon fibre it is more efficient at transferring heat than an all steel barrel, and will bring the accuracy up to match grade.
It also reduces vibration at the barrel.

What they do is shave a lot of metal off. The heat can weaken the metal. The carbon fiber sleeves they use are supposed to help dissipate the heat, but it is still heating up the barrel. The process is different than barrel fluting since they remove a lot more material.

If you hit the range like I do, even .22s get hotter than hell. The sleeve doesn't change the physics on the barrel internally. So barrel wear becomes a larger issue for me.

These haven't been on the market long enough for me to consider purchasing one for my 10/22. Like I said, if they can stand up to 80,000-120,000 rounds or more before changing barrels I will consider it. But I just don't think they will.

I dont like it at all. Carbon Fiber will change shape under heat. I cant imagine one of these holding up to rapid fire.

Id much rather see some sort of kevlar byweave material used.

These Barrels have been around for quite some time. Ten years + actually. They hold up just fine in 22lr offerings and I would not hesitate to use one in a survival setting.

The technology has evolved a bit in the past ten years, they are churning out lighter barrels now than before. These will easily shoot 100k+ rounds, but like any rifle barrel they will degrade over time.

For a .22, I much prefer the Tactical Solutions barrels that are target profile with a stainless inner sleeve and aluminum outer barrel.

They weigh less than a standard profile factory steel 10/22 barrel and are extremely accurate.

The carbon fiber wrapped barrels are a bit gimmicky. The benefit to the carbon fiber wrapping is negligible and I think many people are buying them more for the aesthetic quality.

a reply to: HardCorps
Carbon fiber is all the rage but the concept is not new. The Winchester model 59 shotgun [1959-1965] had a fiberglass wrapped barrel and weighed only 6.5 pounds in 12 gauge. Recoil was noticeable. I remember shooting a Browning Double Automatic that purportedly also had a glass wrapped barrel. It was a little heavier but would still belt the shooter.

a reply to: HardCorps

That sting ray is awesome.

How do they get a rifling twist in carbon fiber?

Carbon fiber barrel seems like a bad idea to me.

originally posted by: urbanghost
They are not carbon fibre barrels. They are carbon fibre sheathed barrels with a normal barrel under the carbon.

So, then, what is the point?

a reply to: smithjustinb
Light weight is the point.

originally posted by: pteridine
a reply to: smithjustinb
Light weight is the point.

How is it lighter weight if its still made of metal with only an outer cover of carbon fiber?

originally posted by: smithjustinb

originally posted by: pteridine
a reply to: smithjustinb
Light weight is the point.

How is it lighter weight if its still made of metal with only an outer cover of carbon fiber?

It's lighter than a sleeved aluminum or full-steel barrel of the same diameter.

The purpose of a target profile barrel is stiffness and heat dissipation with the side effect of recoil reduction. The carbon fiber barrels are inferior in both regards but they definitely offer lighter weight than steel or aluminum which is why some people like them for smaller calibers.

a reply to: smithjustinb

A portion of the metal in the barrel has been removed and then replaced with carbon fiber which is much lighter than the steel, and in certain configurations almost as strong or stronger as the steel.

a reply to: captaintyinknots

Kevlar is a component of carbon fiber.

a reply to: HardCorps

Volqaurtsen with trijicon accupoint. Carbon fiber.........I think not.