Bull barrel?

[Mike]

Kevin, Let me take a stab at this. If others add more reasons then we'll both be learning things. First, I must assume that a "bull barrel" is simply a rather heavy or very heavy barrel. The heavy barrels add a lot of weight to the rifles and that helps to soften their recoil. It doesn't eliminate the recoil but the punishment at the shoulder is reduced, quite nicely in some cases. Also, a heavy barrel will absorb more heat without getting truly hot while shooting. We can hope that the heavy barrels don't show as much sign of "wandering" as they get hot. Even at Quigley while shooting in the sun, my .44/90 with a #1 1/2 heavy barrel would feel almost too hot to hold comfortably after only 8 shots in a relay. That barrel is just a bit wider than 1 1/8" at the muzzle and the rifle weighs about 13 1/4 pounds. I also have a .50/90 with a #2 heavy barrel and that rifle weighs 14 pounds, my favorite Big .50. Another aspect of the heavy barrels that I appreciate is simply their appearance. I like my guns to look like "buffalo guns" and those were often made with heavy barrels, so the rifles might weigh 16 pounds or so. To me, getting a heavy barrel which will bring your rifle's weight up to 13 or 14 pounds is worth having. Shoot sharp, Mike