Breech & barrel diameter.
Is there a standard diameter for AirForce barrels & the breech section above .25 caliber or is it up to the builder? Is there a standard barrel wall thickness required for airguns. I know some airgun have soda straw barrels but they are low velocity low caliber airguns.
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So, AF DOES make larger caliber than .25. The Texan is not an exception or a prototype. It is a production rifle.
Back to your observations, the barrel thickness is also related to barrel stiffness. Again it is a matter of engineering.
The 18″ is thicker that the 12″ so it won’t bend too easily. Also, at high velocity it will create harmonics, etc…
Barrels are designed to get the most out of their geometry and material.
While there might be general guidelines that gunsmiths use for building a barrel, at the end of the day the engineering of the material type and of the barrel geometry dictates thickness and composition.
Large manufacturers have to optimize material cost vs barrel performance and quality. Bull barrels are more stable, they are over engineered to give better performance and accuracy. Thin barrels are light and if built with expensive metal alloys can perform exceptionally, but with cheap metal they perform poorly, vibrate and have bad accuracy. But this is also related to the caliber. The “tube” stiffness is a function of to the inner diameter and the wall thickness. The Texan barrels are not very thick and yet stiff.
The fact that AF does not make all the barrels is purely market driven.
Lothar has an excellent product, and an AF with a Lothar barrel has a better marketing success than an AF with a Gamo barrel.
Same for the caliber. The big bore market is very appealing, but not for the majority of the air-gunners, yet. AF is probably making the most money in the lower calibers, but if the Texan has a great success, it might steer AF to produce .300 or .357 rifles as well.
Does that answers your question?
I have some different caliber AirForce barrels and was wondering if there was a standard for the different barrel and breech diameters. My 18″ .20 caliber is a larger diameter barrel than the 12″ .25 caliber. I expect it is because it may be a custom Lothar Walther barrel. Since AirForce does not produce guns above .25 caliber except the Texan does the standard stop with .25 and above that it is whatever the builder wants within design limitations?
Hi,
I think this is an engineering question: Those things depend on what type of metal the barrel is made of, the pressure applied, etc.
Too much of a general question.
You can put any type of barrel in the AF rifle, put your own made breech and fit any size you want.
The frame has an ID of 1″, and it is just a support (with limits) to whatever barrel you stick in there.
What is the true question about? Are you trying to make a barrel?
Cheers
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Thanks for the concise, detailed answer. I realize the Texan is a production rifle by AF, Do they produce any other big bore barrels or are all other big bore barrels custom and aftermarket? I realize machinists are machining .257, .308, and .357 barrels and it is a bit confusing with different breech and barrel diameters affecting the breech and barrel bushing size. I have a 24″ .357 barrel with breech and barrel bushings coming. Looking forward to checking it out.