increasing shroud volume
Has anyone ever machined down the diameter of the lothar barrels from factory? The reason i ask is i have pulled the barrel out of my standard .22 condor and was quite taken by how heavy the barrel actualy was. We have much much lower pressures than a powder burner, just curious why we need such meaty barrels? Would it be possible to turn down the barrel to a smaller diameter say standard is 16mm so the wall thickness of a standard barrel is around 5 mm, could that be reduced to 3mm or less?
The idea being 1) it would make for a lighter gun overall, and 2) would allow more volume in the shroud frame area. Any thoughts?
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If you turn a barrel down for weight reduction, you still must leave the thicker areas for the bushings, and the method the barrel was hardened might create a weaker barrel when the outer steel is removed. I’d call AF and see what they think. It’s a good question though. Harmonics and heat are other factors to contend with. A slower firing rate is needed with thinner barrels due to heat build up and natural warping associated with this, heavier barrels tolerate more heat and tend to be a little more rigid. Cold bore shot accuracy is affected too. That first shot will likely be off a little from the rest after warming.
I’m not an expert but from what I’ve seen about barrel construction there can be stresses from the rifling process that need to be managed in the steel. I’m not sure what turning the barrel would do to its rigidity, strength, and presumably some degree of harmonics?
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Thanks for the posts guys.. I too worry about the stress of the barrel if it is turned down, but asked anyway.
As for the heat build up, i cant really see this being an issue in a PCP. Yeah there is some slight heating of the barrel but not enough to warp the barrel, and being basically a free floating design there shouldn’t be any problems with that anyway..?? didn’t really think a condors barrel would heat up to be honest..
And if the barrels are to be turned down id machine new bushings for the frame to suit the new barrel. Actual i had the idea to perhaps make the bushing with an extension, threaded, so a shroud could be threaded onto the bushing acting and looking more like a bull barrel or a shrouded factory barrel like the Evanix, daystate or BSA type look. That way the shroud doesn’t look so obvious, but rather looks like a heavy heavy varmint barrel. i was guessing maybe an outside diameter of 19 to 20mm with an ID of at least 17mm.. with about 5mm of clearance/ volume in an ultra thin shroud..
Does the thickness of the shroud make much of a difference in deadening the sound? ie 1mm wall thickness versus 3mm??