Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Barrett Fieldcraft
Light enough to carry for long distances yet accurate enough for long shots, this Sporter is the perfect rifle for the hill, says Bruce Potts
When you are young, keen and eager, the overall weight of a new rifle, scope and moderator is not your primary concern. Often you think you need a heavy or long barrel for the best ballistics and accuracy, and to hell with the handling. That is fine in the comfort of your sitting room but out on the hill, after three hours’ rough handling and every ounce of energy sapped from your legs, you will wish you had bought a lightweight Sporter. Enter the Barrett Fieldcraft.
Barrett is well known for its behemoth 50-calibre sniper rifles, but now it has turned the other way and gone bantam weight. The Barrett Fieldcraft’s origins lay in the Ultra Light Arms rifles of Melvin Forbes fame, which I first saw in the US gun magazines of the day. I have shot a few original Ultra Lights, and a friend owns a 6.5x55mm version he uses for tahr hunts in New Zealand.
Visually, the Ultra Light and the Barrett look very similar. The Fieldcraft, with its overall length of 40.5in, 21in barrel and weight of 5lb without sights, is ideal as a compact yet fully functional stalking rifle. It has no open sights and is only drilled and tapped for scope mounts. Here the Fieldcraft starts to show its practical hunting heritage, as it uses larger No.8-40 head screws to secure the scope bases, which on a light gun is essential to stop recoil shearing screws off. Also, the front mount has three holes so you can position to suit any scope mounting length.
Talley Manufacturing makes a specific set of mounts for this rifle and I had the low 1in aluminium type, which weigh next to nothing. It is what I term a “walking rifle” — light enough to carry for long distances yet accurate enough to take a long shot if necessary.
Instant appeal
Every part of this gun has been clearly thought about to save weight but still perform like a custom rifle. This is obvious as soon as you pick it up. Sure, its feather weight is instantly appealing, but look closer and the bolt action, despite being a 6.5 Creedmoor size round, has the profile of one for a .223 cartridge. Everything is scaled down yet retains maximum strength due to the stainless steel used throughout.
The action is only 5.5in long and 1.2in wide, with a generous ejection port and faceted sides for visual appeal. The bolt itself is a dream: 6in long but only 0.6in wide in the body, with seven shallow flutes that reduce weight while allowing less binding in operation — and they look good too. It is beautifully machined, featuring large twin locking lugs up front with
40 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE a large Sako-type extractor above the right lug and a spring plunger ejector set into the bolt head.
The bolt handle is straight with a slight swept-back gait and pinned to the bolt body with a blackened bolt shroud. The bolt knob is small but has ample grip and is hollowed to reduce weight.