Floating Barrels

M

Method

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The higher end competition shotguns I've seen on the Skeet field (primarily Kolar and Krieghoff) feature floating barrels. I've seen this feature emphasized on both shotguns and some rifles. When it comes to shotgunning, what benefit do floating barrels really provide? If anybody knows the science behind it (i.e. the physics) I'd be interested.

Cheers
 
Are you talking about free floating barrels that don't actually contact the stock?
Just guessing, but since shotgun barrels are so thin, they must whip quite a bit.
Free floating must allow them to do so without hindrance, so they can have more consistent patterns.
 
With rifles, it is done for accuracy since the wood changes with moisture and that could affect the barrel. With shotguns, it is done to aid in heat dissipation with more airflow around the barrel(s), and to keep the heat off the wood.
 
Are you talking about O/U shotguns without side ribs?

Unlike rifles with one piece stocks that may provide support for the barrel; typically, the fore-wood of the shotgun is there to give you something to hold on to other than a hot barrel. Most double barrel shotguns are joined at the muzzle with a connecting plate, or gusset. Then, the longitudinal void between the barrels is covered by ribs. Several designs (including the K-guns) just use a simple hanger between the barrels and omit the side ribs. This has a couple of advantages, without the side ribs; the gun is a little lighter, has better cooling and is easier to re-regulated than a conventional fully-ribbed design. If the barrels of your Citori don't hit the same spot at a given distance, you're basically out of luck; but, with a divorced barrel gun, re-regulating isn't a huge problem -- just adjust/change the hanger.
 
In particular, I'm referring to O/U models with nothing between the barrels except at the end. For example, on a Blaser F3...

http://www.blaser-usa.com/F3-SuperSport.1098.0.html

...you can see there is no ribbing between the barrels. However, on a Winchester Select (my current competition gun)...

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/imagepreview.asp?mid=513015

...the barrels are not "floating." The idea of heat dissipation makes the most sense on this question, though I thought I read on the Kolar or Krieghoff sites that "floating" barrels are also supposed to produce more consistent patterns.
 
though I thought I read on the Kolar or Krieghoff sites that "floating" barrels are also supposed to produce more consistent patterns.
Click to expand...

Barrels do not produce consistent patterns - consistent ammo through a good choke does that.

No side ribs makes it easier to make, adds less weight in front of the hinge pin, and makes it easier to adjust POI/POA
 
I thought I read on the Kolar or Krieghoff sites that "floating" barrels are also supposed to produce more consistent patterns.
Click to expand...
Perhaps they were meaning that "consistent patterns" were well regulated barrels hitting the same spot, not repetitive patterns for an individual barrel.
 
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