Another Aussie

[stokesrj]

Welcome to Blaser Buds, and good luck with your Caliber selection. My personal favorite in the standard contour barrel is the 6.5 Creedmoor, it is unbeatable for shooting comfort and effectiveness on medium game. I wrote an article comparing the 308 and 30-06 in the R8 you may find useful if you plan to use factory ammo.
I have a 308 barrel but plan to dedicate it for use with a moderator, the 308 shines with shorter barrels.
viewtopic.php?f=85&t=12994

[SPEEDY]

I'd avoid a semi weight in 308, its extra weight for no extra gain.
That standard contour will be just as accurate and lighter.

[IanF]

Thanks Guys. Speedy the extra weight is a difficult one. I am used to what I think are heavy spotters like the wood stocked Sako 85 and the black bear so I’m not sure if I should be worried or not? Going second hand is almost a must for me given the prices involved to get into the system. However I feel if I bought a semi weight and decided I didn’t like it I could sell and semi weight barrel and buy a sporter without too much cost difference if I needed to. Only issue that remains then (if it even is an issue) is the barrel channel would be oversive by a small amount for the barrel. Would the 19mm channel really look much different if a 17mm barrel was used?

I’m kind of at the point that second hand is my way forward if I go Blaser so some compromise will be needed. If I want a new gun I may have to look at something non Baser but I really don’t want to do that.

[mchughcb]

Nah. I have a 22mm safari barrel in my R93 but mainly shoot the 17mm standard profile. Gap is not that big and performance unaffected.

[9.3x64]

I would choose the standard 17mm barrel unless it was a big bore or high volume 22-250 or something similar.

[SPEEDY]

My channel is 22mm, but I prefer the standard channel on sporter barrels.
Its not that big a difference, I can't even notice it but I know there is a difference.

[stokesrj]

I have professionals with both sized channels, while I prefer the proper one for a close fit, it isn't that big of a deal, and non Blaser owners never realize that it's a wider gap than normal when I have a 17mm barrel in a 22mm channel. I know it is a wider gap, and it bugs me but if I were in your shoes, I would not worry about it, function is not impaired and esthetics are not bad.
However, I would just go the standard profile barrel and stock, they are going to be far more plentiful and cheaper than a semi-weight in most of the world. I do see far more semi-weight barrels in Europe than I do in the US but it is the notion that the added weight of the semi-weight barrel promotes a smooth swing on driven game that drives that decision. For all around use the standard profile is the way to go.

[IanF]

Hey thanks guys for comments. I’m not looking for a semi weight as such but I know of one in a professional stock that could be an option and at second hand price is attractive. Weight is now my only concern. Anyone know what a standard length semi weight 30 cal barrel in a professional stock weighs?