Barrel tuners ?

6mmBR

New member
How many of you are using a barrel tuner in F Class or F TR ? I haven't seen any on the rifles at our local matches. But it would seem with all the other disciplines using them why aren't the F open and FTR folks using them
 
Main reason is- how do you know what change you made without an instant proving target like at 100yd? You can tune it beforehand but will it still be in tune the next day?
 
Main reason is- how do you know what change you made without an instant proving target like at 100yd? You can tune it beforehand but will it still be in tune the next day?

Yes if you have plotted it correctly it will provide you with your desired results over and over again.
 
Main reason is- how do you know what change you made without an instant proving target like at 100yd? You can tune it beforehand but will it still be in tune the next day?
It'll be very close...Remember, that's a big part of what a tuner offers...a wider tune window. The rest is up to the nut behind the trigger. Yes, a sighter target that can be be shot and seen is helpful when fine tuning, but if a given load and tuner setting is in perfect tune today, at 70°, it'll be very close tomorrow at the same temp. Charting is crucial for on the fly adjustments where sighters aren't feasible for whatever reasons. That said, you'll never be very far out of tune with one, relative to tuner travel to bring it back in. Different tuner designs and other factors dictate how much movement it takes, but it'll likely be from just a mark or two, to less than 1/4 turn. All those threads on there mean very little in regard to how much you actually need to move the tuner in use.
 
Those of you who think no one is using tuners in F Class should check out ozfclass.com! there are a couple of threads covering tuners.
There are a number of VERY sharp guys developing a common gun for the Oz F Class team so they are competitive in world competition! And, yes, it is a tuned gun.

Now, don't think you can buy a tuner from Billy-Bob down the street and instantly blow your competitors away at the range. Tuners take some understanding. Tuners will not make a bad barrel shoot better, but can and do keep a well tuned gun at it's peak of performance with very little effort. Some guns don't need tuners depending on a number of things.

You pretty much need to be tutored by a knowledgeable user!
There is an excellent small book by a fellow named Graham Mincham called, "Optimum Barrel Length." I believe this book is available from the SARA (South Australia Rifle Association). This book does not teach tuners but is a mandatory primer for someone ready for a tuner. The book tells how to find the natural frequency of lateral oscillation of a given barrel and then trimming it to the correct length to properly tune it. If you would like some control over the barrel's performance at different Density Altitudes and temps, then you may want a tuner instead of trimming the length. You will learn from this book. Then camp out on the ozfclass.com forum and look under tuning and scientific stuff. There are a couple really sharp guys you could do well just reading their answers to other folks. WILLIADA is the most notable. He will confuse you very quickly! However, he knows tuners as well as a bunch of other stuff!
To use a tuner is quite simple once you have characterized your barrel with it so you know how to adjust it for various atmospheric conditions. WILLIADA and his friends can help you understand enough so you can use a tuner with ease. You can determine what your barrel is doing by reading their stuff.
Good luck.
 
I use a tuner in both Short Range Group Sooting and Short Range Score Shooting.

Using it in group is easier, as I am not concerned with bullet impact change. Score is a different Story. If I decide to move the tuner, I have to get on the sighter and determine exact point of impact. It does no good to get the rifle in tune and suddenly be off of the X enough to hurt.

I don't shoot F Class, but in any discipline where actually staying in the center of the target is paramount, you have to be sure how moving the tuner will affect your point of impact.
 
I use a tuner in both Short Range Group Sooting and Short Range Score Shooting.

Using it in group is easier, as I am not concerned with bullet impact change. Score is a different Story. If I decide to move the tuner, I have to get on the sighter and determine exact point of impact. It does no good to get the rifle in tune and suddenly be off of the X enough to hurt.

I don't shoot F Class, but in any discipline where actually staying in the center of the target is paramount, you have to be sure how moving the tuner will affect your point of impact.

Just like a switch in the flags...That's why we have sighters and knobs on scopes.
 
With respect to my thread above;

Check out the champion team in F-Open at the recent world match!

This should be a warning to those not interested in tuners! Everything these folks did are still somewhat top secret, but suffice it to say, they left NOTHING to chance!
 
Tuners are/will be a must in short time!

I backed into tuners as a "genius" mistake made by me switching comps on my .223 semi auto, and .223 bolt gun. I made both tuners and looking at them without my "reading" specs on, they are twins.

At the range my semi was shooting stupidly small 5 shot 100yd groups at 0.275" where it generally shoots .400" to .600", but my bolt gun was all over the planet at 1.5MOA+? This is a .500" rifle all day.After realizing my stupidness <word? I switched back, they normalized, and I made a retreat to the shop to see what was up.

The comp for the bolt gun has a dead nuts perfectly aligned bore to the threads and muzzle face<<<important...well good as I can get it with my lathe set up. The semi was off by 0.0018" or just under 2 thousandths over 2.5" of comp bore length. That's all it took to go from "HOLYFRIGGINDOOKY" groups to "Meh lets get lunch" groups. And this was just from a comp, not a purpose built tuner, or "Adjustable Barrel Devise" as some like to call them.

Where is this going? well, if you want to compete in the next say 2 years...you better get on the "Tuner" wagon, or get left in the dust. I shoot rimfire bench and I would never think to let a barrel go out of the shop without a tuner on it. You just cannot win without one these days. EVERY barrel is better with a well executed tuner setup.

Basically what they do for you is reduce the effect of the slight deviation in ammo specs and what would be a flyer, becomes part of the group. For kicks, take a few moments and look at a few rimfire forums and you will get the deal with the world of tuners. Small bore dudes are Tuner masters.

Have fun,
Gerry
 

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