What are the plus & minuses of a carbon fiber barrel? Disregard cost!

Pros- light weight, very stiff barrel, longer barrel without the added weight, larger accuracy node.

Cons- barrel mirage after 3-4 rounds, not to be used as a target barrel unless you use a barrel band of some sort.

They make great hunting rifle barrels for the light weight and minimal amount of shots at one time so barrel mirage is not a huge factor.

What is barrel mirage?

Charlie

The heat from the barrel will create a "mirage" just like the desert will.

FIFY

Barrel mirage will distort the bottom of the scope image. As it heats more it will become more pronounced and bleed higher into the scope image. This is common with suppressors, which is why many of us put covers over them.

Exactly. When the barrel heats up, which is in 3-4 rounds, it will begin to radiate this heat upwards, and what you see when looking through the scope is a massive amount of mirage. It's like looking down a long stretch of road in the summer time and seeing the road surface dancing from the heat coming off the road. This is mirage, and the mirage coming off the barrel when looking through the scope is the same thing.

Sportsman's Warehouse just opened a new store where I live and they have a Christenson Arms 6.5 Creedmoor with a carbon fiber barrel. It's the first one I've got to handle. Very light, surprisingly light. Where were the things when I was a young man hunting in the mountains every fall? I'd love to shoot one. Baker

Google "carbon fiber rifle barrels pro con". The first link will provide a lot of useful information.

The misleading statement most often made about them is the implication that carbon fiber barrels are as stiff as steel barrels. While it is true that carbon fiber is stiffer than steel OF THE SAME WEIGHT - the fact is that in actual rifle barrel applications carbon fiber wrapped barrels are not as stiff because they are significantly lighter.

There is a lot of other stuff you will read on several other factors.

The basic takeaway from most who are experts is that the negatives outweigh the positives - all things considered. Which is why they are not nearly as popular as they used to be. Most who seek a lightweight hunting rifle simply opt for a lighter contour steel barrel these days.

I don't know the actual scientific results as to which one is stiffer or not. But the carbon fiber barrels exhibit different group patterns than a traditional steel barrel does. I have 2 carbon fiber barrels in for load work up right now, and I will plan to use them as an example later. But generally, the carbon fiber barrels have a larger sweet spot, or accuracy node, than a steel barrel does (non bull barrel steel barrel).

Take this target below. The target I'm referencing is the bottom target. It was shot with a heavier target barrel in 6.5x284 with a 140 grain bullet. Load D has 4 rounds in the same hole and 1 flier, but this is obviously the best load. Now look at load C and E, which are just before and after the sweet spot load D. The groups are open and stringing a little. Now on a carbon barrel, the loads around the sweet spot load are also generally tight, and do not show near the openness or stringing patterns in the groups. So, what causes this difference? Is the carbon barrel more stiff than a traditional barrel? I don't know. But what I do know is that the carbon barrels exhibit less harmonics, or barrel vibration, that causes the groups to open up. I'll try to provide some targets later of the carbon load work-up once I have shot the rifles.

carbon dissipates heat better than steel
that's why carbon barrel generally group better , longer as compared to regular steel barrels

I wouldn't say carbon fiber barrels group better than a steel barrel. But they tend to have a larger sweet spot. Steel barrel can shoot lights out no problem with the right load.

A good information point would be their usage/popularity for both benchrest and hunting applications.

From just observation at the various big hunting shows I attend it would seem they are largely a niche market as compared to a few years ago.

I couldn't say on the benchrest/competition side although my guess would be steel is still king.

Not entirely true. I watched a video on line where a match grade stainless barrel was put up against a proof research Carbon barrel. In both rifles the same ammo was used and same number of shots fired, 4, then they took temps from the outside and inside of the barrels. The stainless barrel had a more even temp, albeit hotter on the outside, it was cooler on the inside of the carbon barrel. Because of the glue used in carbon wrapping it actually holds more heat in the metal, it does dissipate heat faster but it builds heat faster too.

I have seen similar tests and writings reflecting same. Claims can be very misleading and results are not always as they are advertised/implied to be.