I believe the inexpensive Limbsaver Damper (a rubber sliding 'weight') may do the same thing in a less elegant way? Perhaps a good way to try the concept?
Correct me if wrong, but my impression of these devices is that you 'find the node' in the length of the barrel to calm the harmonics thus reduce the spread of the shots into a smaller group.
If yer good enough to tell.....

 

Some use them many don't. Some very good shooters use them many don't. Will they work alone, maybe. How do they work, not a relevant issue. Is there a difference in types, yes. Is one better than another, maybe. If I buy Eley test lots should I get any 3 machine. My friend shoots Midas and beats me, if I switch to Midas will I shoot better. Answers are found on the bench not the internet.

 

Thanks for the reflective response about mid barrel tuners. As for your ammo questions, you shouldn't buy Eley, regardless of machine. And don't shoot against your friend. He'd no doubt still beat you even if you switched to his rifle.

 

Some guns respond well to them, others don't. You can make a gun shoot pretty well with one without a tuner if you get it in the right place. Could it be competitive with just the mid barrel tuner, I personally don't think it can.

 

PG, They work and at least Charlie Scott's brand really work well. IMO they dampen the barrel. they have a sorbothane pad between the barrel and mid tuner to aid in this dampening.
I no longer use them as I seem to get better results since going to lite tuners.

Lee

 

If you want to try one without spending bug $$$ you may want to try one of these

https://whiteheadindustrial.com/1-nominal-pipe-size-repair-clamp-6-wide-2-bolt-no-hrc6-1/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5pmAipDy4wIVhZ6fCh32AwuIEAQYGCABEgISMPD_BwE
The upside is, if it does not help it may come in useful at some point.

 

AND expensive with NO guarantees!

 

+1 on Glen's comment and I'll see you both in a couple of weeks!

To the OP. I have one rifle with a mid barrel, as mentioned by Lee, it is a Charlie Scott and it does work. Tried two on same barrel, didn't see better results so went back to one. And yes, I can see the difference when moving it on the barrel in relationship to group size on the target. Basically you install on the barrel per the instructions, about 1-1/2" ahead of the forearm, if I recall correctly. The instructions say to move, I believe, one inch at a time forward while shooting groups, forgot the number of shoots the directions said, I use three and I moved it 1/2" at a time. Directions said set your primary tuner at zero during this process. I set mine at 100. So there, several things I did the directions said to do something else. The groups still got taller and shorter as the mid barrel was moved. When I found a place that was the smallest, I left the tuner there and started with the second. Groups got taller and smaller as with the first, but never smaller than only the first one, so I took the second one off and threw it in my kit. It's still there.

Now, this entire little explanation means nothing, to some point. Your rifle, John's rifle, my other rifles, may be totally different. Go ahead and read the next paragraph then pay particular attention to the last one I typed. Direct quote from John, who you seemed to take exception with. You asked for an explanation, you got one. Bottom line is still where John said it was....which is not here.

Keep in mind there is an endless array of gadgets, accessories and methods to tune a rifle barrel. I could possibly take my front weight and tube off, remove the mid barrel and retune with just the Harrell's and end up with a tune just as good as I have with all the 'jewelry' on the barrel, but possibly not. How do you find out? See below.

Lot of truth to "finding answers on the bench". Most of the time, it's the only place to find answers. Good luck to you.

Thanks for this response. It has some helpful information, as do some others posts above.

I said I didn't know anything about mid barrel tuners. I've never seen one, never read instructions for one, and never talked to anyone who had ever heard of one. As a result I asked my questions. I was simply seeking information from which to learn. Obviously many of the posters in this thread have the opportunity to discuss with other shooters all manner of shooting related issues. Not everyone does.

I wasn't looking for any shortcuts to doing better off the bench. Nor was I seeking to appropriate anyone's hard-earned solutions to improved results. If someone fears giving away "state secrets" then not responding to a question is the right thing to do. It's not necessary to answer a question.

I also understand that there are no easy answers. Anyone can see how often knowledgeable people on RFC disagree with one another that there often is no consensus, let alone easy answers.

In asking the questions I raised I wasn't looking for answers like maybe it will, maybe it won't. That answer covers every possibility available and is a meaningless tautology. My wife could have said that despite not knowing a thing about the question.

I was only looking for helpful information about mid barrel tuners. If I appear to have taken exception with John's post I apologize. At the same time I didn't intend for exception to be taken for asking the questions I did. No one should regret asking a question unless it is very foolish.

 

Post #4 is hilarious, competition is the route to all evil, Kenny here said all I need to know, when this game begins to become a chore, it's time to step away

 

That's your opinion and that's mine, your comment has nothing to do with the post either

 

I suggest you also try Google and Wikipedia and compare results. You got a crash course in mid-barrel tuners and didn't have to leave the house, spend a dime, or fire a single shot. You should be over the moon.

 

I'm not over the moon. My wife gave me the same advice and she didn't have to leave the house, spend a dime, fire a single shot, or even post a question on RFC's Bench Techniques and Equipment. The only difference was that she didn't mean to be unconstructive. I take no offense from your easy irritability. I hope you get better tasting corn flakes.

:yeahthat:

Water carrying is so often underappreciated.

 

The fact that you realize your wife's opinion is as good as mine or anyone else's shows the light is beginning to come on. Just trying to shine my light on the rabbit holes so you don't fall into one and end up in another world.

 

Altruistic concern is always welcome. Of course my wife gives the same answer to everything shooting-related as she doesn't shoot, let alone know anything about shooting. But since I can't get a MBT there appears to be little danger of falling into that potential rabbit hole. For that and the money likely saved my missus would no doubt appreciate the caution as well.

Kenny, thanks for the very generous offer. Unfortunately sending a MBT or a tuner or other similar device, even scopes or barrels, would violate ITAR rules which forbid the unauthorized export of these kinds of items. Nevertheless, I want to express my appreciation for sharing your valuable experiences and insights with regard to the subject.

 

If you need the information and the help, Kenny is the man to ask

 

There is a real lesson here and it is once you have your 3 lug Stiller Turbo Shillen Muller with a heavy lite tuner, two mid-barrels, combo 6 and 12 ignition, in a traditional straightline wood fulfill stock and go to the bench you still have to be able to shoot. This is the Benchrest rabbit hole and it is all too easy to get sucked into all the side issues and end up tilting at windmills.

 

There is a real lesson here and it is once you have your 3 lug Stiller Turbo Shillen Muller with a heavy lite tuner, two mid-barrels, combo 6 and 12 ignition, in a traditional straightline wood fulfill stock and go to the bench you still have to be able to shoot. This is the Benchrest rabbit hole and it is all too easy to get sucked into all the side issues and end up tilting at windmills.

This is so True! I am a good example. if I was to exchange my rifle with any top 5 shooter and used his rifle shooting his ammo, I would still get my butt kicked big time

As John was trying to say in his own way, don't get wrapped up on trends. time at the bench is the best way to get where you want to go with results you want.

Lee

 

Penage...I know you are up there in BR no mans land, I've read most of your previous posts and that's why I gave the advice I did. It's your gear and you can do whatever you want whenever you want. John

 

Several of these responses are exactly why most of the best shooters stay off these forums.

 

:bthumb::t

 

I've read of shooters using a mid barrel tuner. Some have posted pictures of these on their rifles. But that's all I know about them. I'd like to learn more.

Is there much of a difference between different makes of mid barrel tuners? Are they essentially weights that are moveable along the barrel?

How do they work? Do they need an adjustable tuner on the end of the barrel, or can they make a difference on their own (provided of course they are on right location on the barrel)?

Do many bench shooters use mid barrel tuners?

Is there a difference in function between the two barrel attachments shown below? (Note that the first two pictures are of the same device.)

I have this mid barrel tuner for a while now, but have not use it yet. During this time, I was experimenting with sensors to measure barrel harmonics. The main reason I wanted to use this is to dampen the node vibration. So, you need to know how many nodes there are in your barrel to determine the location of the node. Check this link: Barrel tuner setting explanation