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HOME / 50 CALIBER / Fifty Caliber Barrel Rigidity

FIFTY CALIBER BARREL RIGIDITY

By: Daniel Lilja  Search …

In this article we will take a look at the rigidity or stiffness of �fty caliber ri�e barrels. Barrel
stiffness is important because it is one of the most important elements of a barrel that
contribute to potential accuracy. Because the centerline of the barrel is above the center of Barrel Information
gravity of the typical ri�e, the barrel will whip vertically during recoil. The muzzle will lag
behind the rest of the ri�e and this whipping vibration will be set up. The exact pattern for a 
particular gun or even individual shot will vary. This can be caused by a number of factors
including bedding problems, action face or bolt face misalignment, cartridge case wall  PRICING
variations, and the shooter’s hold on the ri�e or its relative position on the sandbags.
 BARREL LENGTH

 STANDARD CONTOURS
We can see then, that a stiffer barrel will whip less and also will be more forgiving of other
problems associated with the ri�e or ammunition. Two important physical dimensions of a 

barrel contribute to its stiffness or lack of it. These are barrel length and outside diameter.
The size of the bore also has some effect, but as we will explain later, this effect is minimal.  PRINTABLE ORDER FORM

Intuitively we can see that a longer barrel will be less stiff and that a larger diameter barrel
will be more so.
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The relative stiffness of a barrel can be determined mathematically if we are familiar with
the physics involved. A free-�oating ri�e barrel is a classic example of a cantilevered beam.  PRE THREAD OPTION
It is supported at one end by the receiver and acts as if a load is applied to the muzzle. The

basic formula for de�ection of the muzzle is:

 OCTAGON
D=(W*l^3)/3*E*Ix
 FLUTING

Where D in this equation is the de�ection at the muzzle in inches, W is the force or load  SPIRAL/DIAMOND FLUTING

applied to the muzzle in pounds, l is the free length of the barrel (not including the
threads), E is the modulus of elasticity (also known as Young’s modulus) for the barrel
material, and Ix is the moment of inertia of the barrel.
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We’ll take a look now at each element of the formula and explain what might not be clear. 

While it would be very dif�cult to determine the exact load on the muzzle of a barrel, we  22 RIMFIRE MAINTENANCE
can compare the stiffness of one barrel to another by plugging the same load (W) into the  .50 CALIBER MAINTENANCE
formula. In all of the examples shown later the load used is one pound.


The length (l) of a barrel is easily measured. It is the free length of the barrel allowed to
 QUANTITY PRICING
vibrate and does not include the receiver threads. We can see, though, that the length is
 RETURN POLICY
raised to the third power in the formula, meaning that rigidity decreases with the cube of
its length.  COMPUTER SOFTWARE

The modulus of elasticity (E) is a constant, and in the case of steel it is 30 million PSI.
Perhaps surprisingly, this value does not change with either heat treatment of the steel or Top Rated Products
the type of alloy being used. It is unchanged for all steels. So unless the barrel is made from
some other type of material, this part of the equation is not a variable.

As an example of the importance modulus of elasticity plays in overall stiffness, it might be

$410.00
interesting to compare our ri�e barrel to another example of a beam supported at one end
that most gunsmiths are familiar with. That is the boring bar used in the lathe. The farther
out the bar is slid in its holder, the more easily it de�ects during a cut and the tendency for $380.00
chatter to occur increases too. Increasing the diameter of the bar would help, but bar size is
limited by hole diameter. For this reason, the best quality boring bars available are made
from carbide not steel. The modulus of elasticity for carbide is about 94 million PSI, or over $355.00
three times that of steel. As a result, carbide boring bars are more than 3 times as still. The
same would be true of carbide versus steel end mills.
$355.00
With ri�e barrels we are limited to steel, but we can see from these examples the role that
modulus of elasticity plays in rigidity.
$355.00

The moment of inertia (Ix) of a barrel is the most dif�cult part to calculate. It is a sort of
measure of the cross sectional area of the barrel integrated over its full length. A larger
diameter barrel will have a higher moment of inertia value and will therefore be stiffer.
Computing the moment for a straight cylinder barrel is relatively easy. The equation looks
like:

Ix = Pi * (D1^4 – D2^4)/64

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diameter barrel since 2^4 is 16.

We can now see why the two important physical characteristics of a barrel as related to
stiffness are its length and diameter. A barrel loses rigidity with the third power of its
length and stiffness increases with the fourth power of its diameter. As we mentioned
earlier, the caliber of the barrel does not make a signi�cant contribution. The reason is that
in the above formula, the caliber is raised to the fourth power, too, then subtracted from
the outside diameter raised to the fourth power. When the inside diameter is a decimal, (as
it would be for all small arms, in this case .510″), and it is raised to the fourth power, the
number becomes smaller. For a �fty caliber barrel this number becomes .067652″.

Although computing the moment for a straight cylinder barrel is easy, doing so for a
tapered barrel is a real bear. It requires the use of calculus, and without the aid of a
computer would be so tedious that it would not likely be done at all. Working with a friend
of mine, Mel Klasi from Rapid City, South Dakota, (a professor of Civil Engineering) I
developed a computer program that calculates the moment of inertia for tapered barrels,
allowing us to compare the relative stiffness of barrels commonly used in benchrest type
shooting. The program also computes the weight of the barrel. The moment of inertia
formulas for the tapered barrels are much too lengthy and involved to be shown here.

In the table which compares the stiffness of various length barrels, the contour of each is
the same. The example barrel has a straight taper starting from a 5″ long cylinder which is
1.850″ in diameter. The taper is .015″ per inch. The thread shank used was 1.5″ long by 1.5″ in
diameter. This thread length is not used as part of the free length of the barrel. For
example, I started with a 28″ barrel, meaning that 26.5″ of that barrel was free to vibrate. I
compared barrels varying in length from the already mentioned 28″ to one 46″ long,
increasing the length in 2″ steps. Because the taper was the same for all of the barrels, the
muzzle diameter decreased as the barrels got longer. Since the selected taper was .015″ per
inch, the muzzle diameter decreased .030″ per each 2″ step.

As an added wrinkle to the comparisons, I included another number to look at as the

lengths change. That number is the amount of rearward movement the ri�e undergoes
from recoil while the bullet is still in the barrel. Editor Eric Williams had an excellent article
about recoil and �fty caliber ri�es in the third issue of VERY HIGH POWER from 1990. This
article dealt with the subject of muzzle brakes and their ef�ciency. But as Eric pointed out,
the gun has started recoiling long before the powder gasses which make muzzle brakes
work so well ever reach the brake. Because �fties �re such a heavy bullet for a shoulder-
�red ri�e, using a large powder charge to do so, their recoil while the bullet is in the barrel
is signi�cantly more than for smaller arms. Eric compared a �fty to a 6MM PPC benchrest
ri�e, and the movement was about four times as much for the �fty. I won’t go into detail
concerning the formula for this calculation, but anyone interested can look up the article.
The highlights were that overall gun weight decreases movement, and barrel length
increases it. On the downside, it becomes more dif�cult to consistently shoot good groups
with a ri�e that moves a lot while the bullet is still under its in�uence.

For the examples shown, I assumed that the ri�e weighed 25 pounds without the barrel. I
then added the weight for each sample barrel (again calculated by the computer) to the 25
pounds to arrive at a total gun weight for the recoil distance calculations. So as the barrel
length increased the overall weight of the ri�e did, too. This gives us a fair comparison of
recoil as barrel length increases. I assumed that in each case the bullet weighed 700 grains
and that the powder charge weight was 235 grains – typical �fty caliber loads.

From the chart we can make some interesting comparisons. For example, the 28″ barrel is
573% stiffer at the muzzle than the 46″ version is. The 28″ barrel is also 27% stiffer than its
30″ neighbor. Other comparisons can be made by dividing the de�ection �gure for the
longer barrel by the de�ection for the shorter one.

We can clearly see that the shorter barrels are stiffer. A stiffer barrel is potentially more
accurate. The obvious question, then, is what are the advantages to a longer barrel? One
bene�t is that the expansion ratio increases with length and results in higher velocity.
There is also some indication that the muzzle velocities for bullets will be more uniform for
longer barrels. The obvious advantage of higher velocity is reduced wind drift over the
course of �re, and to a lesser extent, a �atter bullet trajectory.

When target shooting at 1000 yards, reduced wind drift is a real advantage. So the next
question: how much velocity increase can we expect from each inch of barrel length, and
how much will it reduce wind drift at 1000 yards?

The best way to learn how much an inch of barrel contributes to velocity would be to start
out with a long barrel and cut off each inch, chronographing as we cut. I have not done
that with a �fty but I have with a 338/378 Weatherby Mag �ring the 300 grain Sierra MK HP
bullet and using IMR 5010 powder. With that cartridge and load, I found that each inch was
worth about 12 fps from 46″ down to 30″. Below 30″ each inch was worth about 25 fps.

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I also have an internal ballistics program that calculates velocities and expansion ratios, and
I ran some numbers through it changing the barrel length. In the past this program has
always come quite close in predicting actual velocities. In this case it indicated that we
could expect a change of 12-16 fps per inch, with the greater change coming with the
shorter barrels.

So, it would seem that each additional inch of barrel in a �fty would produce at least 12 fps
and possibly as much as 16 fps.

It is an easy matter now to calculate how much wind drift penalty there is for using a short
barrel at 1000 yards. If we assume that we can drive a 700 grain bullet with a C1 ballistic
coef�cient of .80 at 2650 fps from a 28″ barrel, we can run those numbers through an
external ballistics program that calculates wind drift. In this case I used the program
TRAG1Q from Tioga Engineering. I found that with the above mentioned bullet and
velocity, a 10 MPH direct cross wind would de�ect the bullet 52.98 inches from its course
under standard sea level conditions. Increasing the velocity by 16 fps to simulate the
velocity expected from a 1″ longer barrel showed that the bullet would drift about 52.48
inches or .50 inch less. If we carry this line of reasoning along a little farther and add 160 fps
to simulate a 38″ long barrel the drift is 48.17 inches or 4.81 inches less. Actually, according
to the program the velocity gain for a 38″ barrel would not be quite this great but we will
give it the bene�t of the doubt. As mentioned these drift �gures are for a 10 mph wind. For
a 20 mph gust the drift would be doubled and likewise for a 5 mph push it would be cut in
half.

It can be seen, then, that there are some advantages for longer barrels as far as velocity
improvement is concerned. It is possible to some degree to have both a long barrel and
one that is stiff. The barrel block bedding system holds the barrel, and the block is bedded
into the stock. The action and remaining free length of the barrel both �oat. The length of
the barrel block is not critical but with smaller caliber 1000 yard type guns they are often in
the 8″ long range. Some blocks clamp the barrel and others are epoxied onto the barrel.
Using an 8″ long block with 1″ of barrel between the block and action would effectively
reduce the amount of free barrel by 9″. Referring to the chart we can see that this would
make a marked decrease in muzzle de�ection. Also blocks are able to support a long and
heavy barrel better than some actions.

We can now see some of the advantages and disadvantages to long and short barrels. To
summarize, barrels decrease in stiffness with the third power of their length, but increase
in rigidity with the fourth power of their outside diameter. Increasing barrel length
increases the expansion ratio of the barrel and results in higher velocities. Higher velocities
translate into less bullet wind drift and potentially better groups on the target. After all is
said and done, when making any changes to a ri�e in search of greater accuracy, the results
have to be seen on the target to make them worthwhile.

BARREL MUZZLE WEIGHT RECOIL DEFLECTION

LENGTH DIA DISTANCE

28″ 1.505″ 15.83# .071″ .000431″

30″ 1.465″ 16.68# .075″ .000546″

32″ 1.445″ 17.49# .079″ .000682″

34″ 1.415″ 18.26# .083″ .000842″

36″ 1.385″ 19.00# .087″ .001029″

38″ 1.355″ 19.70# .091″ .001244″

40″ 1.325″ 20.37# .094″ .001493″

42″ 1.295″ 21.00# .098″ .001777″

44″ 1.265″ 21.59# .102″ .002101″

46″ 1.235″ 22.16# .106″ .002470″

Notes about the chart: The barrel length shown is for the overall barrel length. The free
length of the barrel in the calculations is the overall length minus the thread shank length
used which is 1.5″ The muzzle diameter decreases as length increases because the barrel is
a straight tapered one with a taper of .015″ per inch. The barrel also has a cylinder length of
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As of January, 2000 we have added the computer code, used to compute the above values,
to the end of the article entitled “A Look At the Rigidty of Bench Rest Barrels“.

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