For me, learning about Avient’s multi-layer composite heat-release barrel technology started with a phone call from a dear friend of many years, Jim Bequette, former editor of Shooting Times magazine and long involved in many television shows, including Guns & Ammo, Petersen’s Hunting and others. “I know you like shooting, hunting and learning about new technology,” he started, almost laughing. He continued, “I’ve got a favor to ask — can you set up a whitetail hunt for Jesse Baird of Avient, you and myself?” He continued, “The company Jesse works for, Avient has developed a new rifle barrel technology that we’ll get to use on the hunt.” It sounded great to me. I called Travis Wright with Heart of Texas Outfitters and made arrangements with him for a whitetail hunt just south of the Oklahoma border, near Wichita Falls, Texas.

After meeting Jesse and his bride, they, Jim, and I headed to meet Travis. After quick introductions, we headed to their rifle range. “The barrels on the two rifles I brought are totally different. They started essentially with steel barrels milled down, leaving just enough metal to support lands and grooves. We call that the ‘barrel bore’. To these has been applied a unique and specialized ceramic layer, which draws heat away from the steel. Over the ceramic layer is applied a customized carbon fiber composite sleeve. All are proprietary and unique to our system, with patent pending. Essentially our system draws heat away from the bore when the shot is fired. Our new barrel technology reduces the overall weight of a barrel and the process stiffens the barrel. From what we have experienced, the prototype barrels are extremely accurate.” Commented Jesse.

At the range, I watched Jim and Jesse put all their shots, using Hornady ammo, in essentially the same hole at 100 yards and nearly so at 200 yards. Jesse shot several rounds as quickly as he could, bolting in a fresh round then shooting again. What I noticed immediately about the new barrel technology is that all the shots were essentially in the same hole. There was no vertical stringing on impact, as you would expect from a conventional steel barrel when it heats up.

I questioned Jesse about the barrel technology, but at the time all things were pretty ‘hush-hush’. What I did know was that the barrel produced extreme accuracy with Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X loads, both in the 7mm PRC Jesse shot and the 6.5 Creedmoor Jim shot.

Both Jesse and Jim shot really nice whitetail bucks, especially Jim’s — a monstrous 140-class eight-point. I left the North Texas hunt with an invitation to send my 7mm PRC Mossberg Patriot Predator rifle to the gunsmith Avient was working with, Tom Sarver with Thunder Valley Precision. I was ecstatic.

I had Stealth Vision send my rifle to have the barrel work done in hopes of having the rifle back in time for a spring bear hunt that I would do thanks to Mark Sidelinger, who works with Avient through his Media Direct Creative company. Mark commented he and Avient’s Mike Mosely would also be on my bear hunt. Once my rifle was returned, Stealth Vision would mount one of their fabulous SVT 3–18x44 scopes with their potentially illuminated reticle and their patented internal anti-cant system.

As luck would have it, UPS put a hold on my and several other barrels. They called the barrels “hazardous materials” and held my rifle until after I had left on the bear hunt.

On that bear hunt, I visited Mike Mosely, Avient’s general manager of advanced composites, to discuss their new barrel technology. Mike explained several things about their new layered heat-releasing barrel technology. “There is thermal conductivity and thermal inertia. Thermal conductivity has been the primary method used for material selection to manage heat. It essentially measures how material absorbs energy in the form of heat. It doesn’t measure how well a material releases heat. Steel, being very dense absorbs and holds more energy or heat than lower density materials such as ceramics.”

“Thermal inertia measures how quickly a material returns to ambient temperatures after heating. Materials that exhibit lower thermal inertia, such as ceramics, cool considerably faster than steel,” Mosely continued. “The ceramic middle layer we use in the new barrel technology has been specifically formulated by Avient to reduce thermal inertia; thus it quickly transfers heat away from the steel barrel bore to the rifle barrel’s outer carbon fiber sleeve. The outer layer of the barrel utilizing our new technology may be warm, however, the steel barrel bore is considerably cooler and does not continue heating up with subsequent quick shots.”

I should add Avient’s Jesse Baird and Mike Mosely are serious shooters and hunters. While in Alberta on the black bear hunt, Mike took two great bears; one was huge, which he took with a rifle utilizing Avient’s new barrel technology.

Back home I was able to introduce Jesse Baird and Avient’s new barrel technology to Dr. John McCall and Joe Cunningham with Stealth Vision. While waiting on my new Avient multi-layer, composite heat release barreled rifle to arrive, Jesse sent Stealth Vision the 7mm PRC rifle he used on our earlier whitetail hunt. Upon arrival, Joe mounted a Stealth Vision SVT 5–20x50 scope on the new barrel technology rifle. I was there to help sight it in for a 200-yard zero. That done, Joe Cunningham shot a three-shot group at 500 yards. All three shots were in exactly the same hole. This was witnessed by several who saw him do so. At 800 yards he shot a three-shot group that was just a shade over two inches. At 1,000 yards his three-shot group measured two-and-a-half-inches, outside-to-outside. At 1,200 yards his three-shot group measured two-and-three-quarter-inches. Is the new Avient technology barrel accurate? I’ll let you be the judge!

The next morning using the rifle, Dr. John McCall shot 12 rounds as quickly as he could at the 500-yard target. Those 12 shots created a far less than three-inch group.

He then immediately loaded three more rounds and again shot at the second 500-yard target. The first shot — the thirteenth — in rapid succession struck the target in the bull just above dead-center. The fourteenth and fifteenth shots hit the left edge of the bullseye and were almost in the same hole. The group was about one-and-a-half-inches.

Rapid heat releasing? Let me put it this way — try that with a conventional 7mm PRC all-steel or even other carbon-wrapped barrel rifles and see what happens.

My Mossberg Patriot Predator 7mm PRC rifle with my new Avient technology barrel arrived a few days ago. I immediately took it to the range and put 10 shots through it. I shot less than a one-inch group at 100 yards.

A few days later I was in Crockett, Texas with the Stealth Vision crew at their range. After putting a Stealth Vision SVT 5–20x50 scope on my 7mm PRC, we bore sighted it. Using Hornady Precision Hunter ammo we shot it another 10 times; this time at 200 yards it shot a really tight group.

After 20 rounds we properly cleaned the barrel and chamber. Afterwards we shot two fouling rounds. After making the appropriate dial-up Joe shot one shot at 500 yards; it hit exactly in the middle of the bullseye. At 800 yards, the bullet hit the top edge of the two-and-a-half-inch bullseye; at 1,000 yards it hit almost exactly in the same place. These were shot as quickly as possible once dialed up could be done and a fresh round seated in the chamber.

Mirage was starting to get pretty bad; we did not shoot three-shot groups nor at the 1,200-yard target because of mirage, but we will do so in the near future. I can hardly wait to take my rifle on several hunts this fall.

I’ll let you know how I do on those hunts and determine what kind of groups my Mossberg rifle, Avient barrel, Stealth Vision scope and Hornady Precision Hunter ammo combination produces at 1,200 yards.

I will be filming all my hunts for our weekly “A Sportsman’s Life” digital television show, which can be seen on CarbonTV.com and our YouTube Channel, or by going to my www.larryweishuhn.net website where there is a link.

If you would like to know more about this revolutionary new barrel technology, go to www.avient.com. Rifles with these new barrels soon should be available from select custom rifle makers as well as select commercial firearm manufacturers.

Photo credit: Larry Weishuhn Outdoors