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February 21, 2011
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Did anyone here try this technique, which I picked up elsewhere?
I've never heard of it till today.
"A little known fact, because the barrel is under tension from both ends it sets up a harmonic and you can actually "tune-in" a barrel.
Shoot a group, tighten a bit, shoot another, and so on at some point the group will grow wider instead of tighter, back off the nut to the last known position it was shooting tightest and there you go! Better accuracy.
Try it if you don't believe me!"
Comments & observations, as it doesn't sound too far fetched it might be possible?
Matthew Quigley on handguns:
“I said I never had much use for one. Never said
I didn't know how to use it.”
December 12, 2009
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Depends on the gun. I have a 22 and 357 Super that could care less were it is set. Now I have a 357 that will not even try and group unless you are close to 006. And when I say not even try, we are talking larger then a silver dollar vs a nickel. What I do is close the gap until you have some binding and back it off a little, usually 002-003 and bench it for a group, keep taking it out until you reach 008. Nobody will go over 008 as velocity and powder spray is really bad already. I have friend that are avid DW collectors and this is their method too. If you see no real change in group size run the 002-003 if you can. Also we do have some issues with cold at tight gaps, I will set it and throw it in the freezer for a hour, and then dry fire and shoot a dozen threw it, if their is no binding when frozen run it. 
December 12, 2009
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AS FOR TENSION, Nothing sucks worse than a barrel coming loose in the middle of a competition, set that gap and crank it tight. ALWAYS.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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I think you are talking about how tightly tensioned the barrel is between the two anchor points (frame and muzzle) rather than gap. The theory of this sounds interesting, sort of like tuning a guitar string to give the correct note. I think the reality might be that as the barrel heats up and cools, the tension might change enough to make that elusive sweet spot pretty hard to find and keep.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
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March 27, 2009
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I am with Steve on this one! My fear is always getting things to tight and not being able to back it off! So I run snug and check it if tossing several roads down range!
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December 4, 2011
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Can't say with gun barrels, but it does work with spoked wheels. Years ago, they used to use a tuning fork to "tune" a set of wire spokes. You would tap the spoke and compare to the pitch of the fork and then use a wrench to adjust tension till they were all the same. Had to be done in a pattern and repeated as you thightened the others. PIA and took a long time with over 100 spokes per wheel. Once tuned though, the wheel tracked best.
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February 21, 2011
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Just to clarify here.
We are talking torque on the barrel nut, not cylinder gap.
Matthew Quigley on handguns:
“I said I never had much use for one. Never said
I didn't know how to use it.”
November 23, 2008
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Greetings
I tighten all my DW barrels to what I would call " as tight as I can get" with my thumb pushing hard on the old style tool grip hex side. I experimented back in 1983 with my 15-2 and 41 mag. They both shot best with the barrel nut tight. Years later did the same with the 375 SM & 357 Max.. tight barrel shot best. When I started loading for the 414 SM I did not experiment.. Just tightened the barrel tight.
Mike in Peru
December 12, 2009
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Yeah he got them tuning fork ideas. Not a good idea to run it loose at all, you should always tighten the best you can, Not so tight you can't get it off...lol. I have seen many DW on the line make it half way threw a match and start hitting the table and then the trees, while spraying powder and lead on everyone in a 15 to 20 foot radius as the barrel shot loose. This is not a good time for you, or your gun, but the guy your shooting against likes it a lot. We have found over the years that their is some truth to it, but it will always do better tight then loose. And some guns have a gap setting that will make them shoot better, and some guns could care less.
May 17, 2010
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I read an article about barrel harmonics, but it had to do with rifles. However in that article the harmonics were "tuned" via the powder load, aka the speed of the burn versus the speed of the projectile as I recall.
Upon ignition there is wave (series of waves) that travels the length of the barrel and returns, then begins to travel the length of the barrel again (like a ripple). The trick is to have the projectile exit the muzzle when the wave is approaching/terminating at the muzzle as well.
Thats what I recall of the article. But I dont see how it applies to the Dan Wesson tensioned barrel system. Whether the harmonics could be improved on relative to the barrel nut torque, seems to me strange science. Maybe it could work, but I don't think that barrel nut torque is the proper method for increasing accurracy, as that torque affects proper tensioning of the barrel to the frame. It would be interesting from a testing point of view.
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February 21, 2011
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I was curious if the idea was real or just more internet waffle. I've not tried varying tension & if I tried to it would vary between tight & tighter as having a loose barrel is obviously not a good or safe idea.
It struck me as "plausible" as Myth-busters would say, because if you tension say a string & pluck it you can see the multiple harmonic vibrations change.
Matthew Quigley on handguns:
“I said I never had much use for one. Never said
I didn't know how to use it.”
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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As I recall, there is/was a Mini 14 model with an adjustable barrel weight at the muzzle that allowed you to tune the harmonics of the barrel for accuracy. Based on my Mini 14 experience (and I'm not trying to be a "hater") that's kind of like putting M&H drag slicks on a Ford Pinto to get off the line faster. Looks cool, but ...
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
February 11, 2010
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I had a Pinto 
-Blacktop
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Blacktop said:
I had a Pinto
-Blacktop
Oh yeah? I can top that, I had a Vega!
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
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December 4, 2011
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There is probablly an optimum tension (read torque) that would produce best accuracy. That said, since these are hand guns and aren't being fired regularly from vises, I doubt that there would be any practical real world gains that even the experienced shooter would be able to notice.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
January 27, 2012
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SCORPIO said:
There is probablly an optimum tension (read torque) that would produce best accuracy. That said, since these are hand guns and aren't being fired regularly from vises, I doubt that there would be any practical real world gains that even the experienced shooter would be able to notice.
Exactly. You could jeopardize reliability for unperceivable increase in accuracy.
With any handgun short of a T/C i would not even try to tune it. The longer the barrel the more flex you'll get during the bullet travel from the barrel even an 8" Dan Wesson VH would not notice an increase in accuracy…Now lets talk about my Remington 700.
Good shooting and be safe!
December 12, 2009
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I trump that 700 with a 110...
. Seriously folks bad things can happen running them loose, play with your gap all day long. If you can rely on it to stay put then fine, but it must stay put. Safety is number one, shred of bullet or powder to the face is no treat.
September 26, 2010
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This sounds like a good reason to do more shooting, I 'll try experimenting with the tension after the weather improves.
We still have 3" of snow on our fish and game club range. I broke a path down to the backstops on my snowmobile last weekend. A few of us use snowshoes to practice in the winter.
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March 27, 2009
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Steve CT said:
Blacktop said:
I had a Pinto
-Blacktop
Oh yeah? I can top that, I had a Vega!
I still have a Vega!!! now top that!!
Great info guys as time allows I will do some tuning! I wonder if we could get EWK to drill and tap a couple set screws in a shroud so as to lock the nut in place. Not sure what good it would do!
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