Originally Posted By: Plant.Onepersonally i'm a fan of medium to heavier profile barrels. but thats because i tend to shoot better (offhand) with a gun thats a little more front heavy. a lighter front of the gun tends to make the 'figure 8' a lot more noticeable for me.
i guess it comes down to what kind of total weight you're comfortable lugging around. grab your favorite walking gun and throw it on a scale. at least then you have a baseline to work from.
just for reference i weighed my 26" rem 870 and it tipped the scales at 8lbs 9oz loaded with 5 rounds of 00 Buck.
i'm pretty comfortable with around 9 lbs (without mag) and can hike 2 miles or so with a gun of that weight. i have several ars that are +/- a few oz of 9 lbs. they all have 12-15" handguards, heavy profile barrels & scopes. getting into the >10lb range is for me where they start to get uncomfortable to lug around. My LR308 comes in at about 10½ lbs and its bulky for longer-ish hikes.
if you want to shave weight - there are other ways you can cut ounces besides the barrel profile.
there's a LOT of ultralight handguards on the market these days, including multiple carbon fiber offerings. if you shop the weight on your handguard you can probably save yourself as much a half pound there alone. keep it just long enough to protect your gas system and give you a comfortable grip point if weight is a concern.
speaking of the gas system - go for a low profile gas block. those big bulky railed type jobs are going to add a couple oz onto your system.
the same thing would apply to optics. dont stack a super heavy monster on top. i'm not suggesting that you cheap yourself out, but be conscious of the weight of your scope and ring choices.
the other word of advice if you're trying to manage carry weight - dont hang a bunch of extra crap on it. K.I.S.S. you probably wont need BUIS , a laser, a vertical foregrip, etc etc etc. think anti-tacticool look
all you REALLY need is sling mounting point(s) and maybe a short rail at the 6 o clock position (or sling stud) for bipod mounting.
HTH
Wow... Appreciate the help. I will be going for a smooth free float rail and no extra crap on this one. It is strictly going to be used for calling/varmint gun. If i want a tactical/ shtf gun, i will build another.
I have been looking at Bear creek arms because of their pretty decent prices on their heavy barrels.
I most often have been carrying my bolt savage synthetic. It is about 7.5 lbs with 4 rds in it, but i know an AR is going to be a bit heavier.
Maybe i have been over thinking this barrel contour thing....
Fluted Heavy Barrel from Bear creek arms doesn't seem so bad now.
I have to piece this thing a little at a time as i cant afford to do it all at once so been doing alot of research.