PROOF Research makes carbon fiber-wrapped rifle barrels. The obvious attraction is that they are much lighter than steel barrels. Dig a little deeper and it turns out they have better accuracy and increased barrel life. Possibly one day soon, every factory precision rifle is going to have a PROOF barrel.

What makes these barrels so special?  Well, PROOF says:

  • They are up to 64% lighter than steel barrels
  • Have Match-grade accuracy
  • Improved heat dissipation for cooler and longer lasting barrels
  • No point-of-impact shift during high-volume fire
  • Reduced harmonic barrel vibration
  • Unprecedented durability

How can that possibly be true?

PROOF Research is an American company on the leading edge of several technologies. The Montana firearms facility produces composite barrels, stocks, and complete rifles. The Ohio aerospace division works on high-temperature aerospace and defense projects – including the F-35 Strike Fighter and B2 Stealth Bomber. Their products include next-generation prepreg, resins, adhesives and composite materials with service temperatures up to 1500° F.

PROOF Research brings all this together to make a barrel no one else in the world can make. Their manufacturing process combines advanced composite materials and sophisticated thermo-mechanical design principles. They have solved the problems of heat resistance and durability with science producing barrels superior in every way to steel. They are also stiffer, creating greater accuracy potential.

PROOF Research: Possibly the Best Rifle Barrel Ever Made

The first cannon in history was used in 1282 in Manchuria. The barrel was made of iron. As the use of cannon later spread to Europe and the Americas, they were mostly made of bronze. Bronze is more expensive but it is more flexible than iron.  Iron cannon tended to blow up unexpectedly which made them less popular with artillerymen. The last major material improvement in barrel making was 1856, when Krupp A.G. in Germany produced a 9 cm rifled gun of cast steel. In the 21st century, we are overdue for new material development. The PROOF carbon fiber wrapped barrels are the next major barrel improvement, every bit as revolutionary as the adoption of steel.

PROOF Research: Possibly the Best Rifle Barrel Ever Made