Moderators - AGAIN

[DL]

So is that the Ti mod you were working on Thar?

The rifle's interesting too, was it hard work getting a heavy barrel into a tikka allweather stock?

 

[Thar]

So is that the Ti mod you were working on Thar?

The rifle's interesting too, was it hard work getting a heavy barrel into a tikka allweather stock?

No, that mod is a aluminium body with the primary blast baffles in stainless steel and the secondary ones in aluminium.

The rifle is not a Tikka but a early Howa (one of the first in the country) its stock does look very similar to a 595 tikka, latter Howas had the wider forend, now they come with the Hogue stock.

Sorry I can’t put any photos up of the Ti one at the minute. I can give a few details; I got the weight down to 400gms, not to bad for a mod that will effectually moderate a 30-06 sized case. It is an over barrel and extends 100mm forward of the muzzle.

I am not an expert, although I am an Engineer, but I am not by any means a metallurgist, (if anybody is I would welcome your input) this is my take on the subject with a lot of research and some practical experience. I look forward to constructive debate on the subject.

I know a lot of people think Ti is the ultimate way forward and so did I but after working with it I am not totally convinced any more once you facture in the additional cost. I am sure the people who are selling them will say other wise.

It is a good material for baffles as it has a high melting point so resists flame cutting well. Although Ti is over twice as strong as aluminium with the same cross section (we are talking aluminium alloys and Ti alloys not the pure metal) because Alloy weighs less you can use material that has a greater cross sectional density to off set some of this. Weigh for weigh Ti is about 25% stronger than Alloy (comparing the best Ti alloys with the best Aluminium alloys). The thicker the material the more effective it is at sound reduction which is a bonus when using alloy.

I would say that a carefully designed Aluminium over barrel moderator with just Ti baffles could be made with a weight of around 450gm and extend 4 to 5” forward of the barrel. A full Ti one would weigh around 400gms. The Ti cost me around £50 in the one I built, it is more difficult to machine, but TIG welds easily. I would think a fair increase in price for like for like moderator would be £100 to £150 more max’.

It is easier to make a lighter forward mounted moderator than a reflex type, the only problem is that because of where the weight is on the forward mounted moderator it can make the rifle more unwieldy than a heavier reflex type, added to that is the extra length the forward mounted moderator makes the whole combination longer.

Best rgds

Tahr