I know this discussion probalby has taken palce on there before, but I would like to get some opinions. I am having a 300 WSM built on Stiller's new Predator action. I want it to be as lightweight as possible for dall sheep hunting. I am considering having a the barrel turned down and wrapped in carbon fiber by Christensen Arms. Anybody have experience good or bad with these? I know the reasons people would not want to use them for a competition gun, but the benefits seem like they would be worth it on a gun for my purposes. The chambering will be done by a competent BR gunsmith, and Christensen Arms guarantees 1/2" 3 shot groups when they do the work. Am I missing something? I haven't read much positive from people on this and other forums. I am not worried about the heat disipation characteristics, I want to make one shot count.

Browning makes an A-Bolt with the Christensen Arms carbon fiber wrapped barrel. There is one for sale at Guns America right now. I have shot one and it shot well, as well or better than my standard A-Bolt Brownings. What I didn't like was how the gun pointed, the barrel was too light for my taste. I like a gun to be a little forward weighted. It seems to help me steady the rifle when aiming. But thats me; I think the idea is pretty cool. BTW I took my one and only Dall sheep on an Alaska drop hunt. One of my favorite hunts. I'm envious of you Alaskains and all the choice hunts you have. Good Luck.
Woody

carbon barrels actually hold more heat and fry barrels faster than staright steel barrels. Carbon is a great insulator and the steel does nto cool fast enough. But for your purposes, that does not matter nayway. They realy do not save you weight. Just go with the lightest contour SS barrel you can get. Lilja makes some very good small diameter barrels in SS. My sheep rifle has a fluted Shilen because I was pressed for time and could get it quickly. It shoots fine, but I probably could have saved 3 more oz's if I had the Lilja or had taken the time to turn down the Shilen before I chambered it and cut it to length.

I built a rifle for an AK sheep guide last Summer and he killed a 41" sheep with it last Fall. It weighed 5# 0oz with 3-9 scope installed

What components did you use to get it to 5 lbs with a scope installed? I am going to use a Lilja barrel, but he makes pretty much the same countour barrels as other makers. What small diameter barrels are you referring to? He also won't flute anything under a #5 contour. I was under the impression that the barrel could be lighter than a #2 contour, but as stiff as a #5 or #7.

Marc, how about some spec's on this?

quote:

I built a rifle for an AK sheep guide last Summer and he killed a 41" sheep with it last Fall. It weighed 5# 0oz with 3-9 scope installed

As to the composite barrel's, is your quote from personel use? I have several thousand rounds down a Carbon barrel without a flaw or loss in accuracy.

carbon barrels actually hold more heat and fry barrels faster than staright steel barrels.

I have never owned a carbon barrel. I am glad that you are veyr happy with yours. Of course they can be great shooters and I made no comment on that. I just pointed out that Christenson or whoever started the carbon barrel fad has it ass backwards in their advertising hype. Carbon barrels hold heat in and keep the steel hot longer. In barrels that get shot a lot, stress corrosion is accelerated and the life of the barrel will be shorter. This would most likely be seen in a prarie dog town or something like that. Note that I said in the first post that heat dissipation did not matter for a sheep rifle anyway.

The Lilja barrel I was referring to is not fluted. It is their #1 countour (I thought they had a #0 but did not see i t on the site just now). The fluting I mentioned was on my 5# 8oz .270. It was a Shilen #2 (a.k.a. Shilen Banana Barrel-but it shoots!) that I bought because I needed a barrel the next day and it was the best I could get. I hunted with it and then had it fluted the next Spring. the barrel now weighs 2# 2.2oz and shoots very well. but it is still a couple onces heavier than it should be.

Remington Moutnain Rifle COuntour bbls weigh 2# 0oz. Lilja #1 wieghts must be in th eshop and it is cold an dI am not wearing any shoes, so I can't give you the wieght. But i would bet you a pair of plastic boots (I like Scarpa Invernos please) that it is much less than the carbon barrels.

THe light weight files are heavily modified and start as Rem Ti rifles and I go from there. The SA 5# rifle had a Leupold 3-9Compact and my 5# 8oz LA has a Swarovski 3-10x42. So there are real scopes on the rifles.

And they shoot.

And both have killed sheep.

Sounds like a kickass set up. I would like to play with a carbon barrel but never would come off with the cash. I do not know how far along you are or if you have your heart set on a carbon barrel Predator. If you want a 5lb sub MOA all day any day. Melvin Forbes at UltraLight arms is your man. Price will be the same maybe less. Alex Sitman (Masterclass Stocks) just did a barrled action for a buddy. south of 6lbs with a 4.5x14 Luepold in a Banser stock. Whole thing came in shy of 2 grand. Banser has a 16oz Sheep rifle stock now. Just throwing another idea out there not saying you might not be on to something. Custom built rifles are expensive as well as sheep hunts.