H Bar 1/9 twist 16" versus an 1/9 M4 (O.A.L. ?) style? thinner barrel and some contour too.  Has anyone compared the accuracy out to say 400 yards, did you see any difference between the two barrels - Caliber 5.56  

Just wondering,

Thanks,
szst8h

Barrel weight in and of itself has no effect on accuracy.  That said, a lighter weight barrel will heat up faster and you will begin to see your groups open up.  Furthermore, some argue that a heavier barrel will allow you to hold the rifle more steady, but that really depends upon your strength.

A heavier (fat) barrel has less "barrel whip" compared to a thinner (light) barrel, which in my opinion has a lot to do with accuracy...

Quoted: A heavier (fat) barrel has less "barrel whip" compared to a thinner (light) barrel, which in my opinion has a lot to do with accuracy...

Sorry to go off topic. What exactly is barrel whip?

Quoted: Quoted: A heavier (fat) barrel has less "barrel whip" compared to a thinner (light) barrel, which in my opinion has a lot to do with accuracy... Sorry to go off topic. What exactly is barrel whip?

First lets look at "barrel whip" theory. We understand whip to be movement around the barrel's "static" state caused when the bullet is accelerated into a rapid spin or when the stock has significant drop so there is muzzle rise when the rifle is fired. It should be most pronounced in long thin barrels like those typically used on ultra light hunting rifles



From www.shootingsoftware.com/barrel.htm

Quoted: Quoted: A heavier (fat) barrel has less "barrel whip" compared to a thinner (light) barrel, which in my opinion has a lot to do with accuracy... Sorry to go off topic. What exactly is barrel whip?

never mind, the other guys explained it better than me.

 Barrel whip happens when the barrel vibrates up and down and in a circular motion when being fired... Although there are some up and down vibrations, the main vibrations are circular... If this were not true, then a 3 shot group from a rifle would always be in a vertical string... Most 3 shot groups you will see will be virtually triangular in shape, this is caused because as the barrel vibrates through its "circular arc" one bullet leaves the muzzle at say 12 o’clock, another at say 4 o’clock and the third at maybe 8 o’clock... The larger the arc of the barrel, the less accurate the rifle will be, and the larger the triangle... As a rule the less mass a barrel has (the thinner), the more it is affected by the vibrations, this is the reason that a "heavy" barrel seems to shoot more consistently than a thinner barrel...

Builders of accurate rifles agree if the barrel's movement can't be eliminated, the next best thing is that it move consistently with each shot... That's why good shooting rifles have stiff "heavy" barrels and their actions are firmly bedded in the stock with nothing touching the barrel in front of the receiver (free floating)...

Quoted: H Bar 1/9 twist 16" versus an 1/9 M4 (O.A.L. ?) style? thinner barrel and some contour too.  Has anyone compared the accuracy out to say 400 yards, did you see any difference between the two barrels - Caliber 5.56   Just wondering, Thanks, szst8h

Close range, you shouldn't notice much difference... At 400 yards, you most definitly will see a difference...