I'm going to recrown a rifle very shortly. It's an old Tikka 30/06 sporter. I see that all (or nearly all) varmit/target rifles seem to have the stepped Target style crown rather than the common round crown. If the target crown is good/better for these very accruate rifles, why aren't they better for all rifles? Why would I or anyone doing the job do anything else? I can't believe there is that much a cost difference. Is this really a better configuration or is there some drawback that wouldn't suit a sporter rifle?

A "sport crown" is just easy to do for a manufactureer. Idea of a crown is to protect the bore of a firearm at the last place it has contact with
the bullet. A deflet here can throw a bullet sideways if bad enough.
The only reason it is there is to protect the bore.

Cheezywan

I have two crowns that I like. The step down, and a tapered crown. The rounded ones seem to help save brushes from wearing out, but they are not the best. The step crown is the easiest to cut. When you make the last cut into the bore, make it straight and do not chamfer it. That is if you are trying to squeeze every ounce of accuracy out of your barrel. If you know your barrel is in the lathe straight and your lathe is tight, then you can cut the chamfer. This is only to help from eating up brushes.

I like the recessed target crown for sporting rifles as well as target rifles. As far as better only criteria I've been able to discern is that a damaged crown can mess up accuracy and it doesn't matter what kind of crown it has. Damaged, nicked and bummed up makes for larger groups.

You can get a piloted re-crowner from Midway or Brownells for the about the cost of having a smith do it. Once you have the tool new pilots for other calibers are available.

The only drawback over a standard crown is on very small profile barrels. It's easier to do a standard crown on them.

I like the recessed target crown for sporting rifles as well as target rifles. As far as better only criteria I've been able to discern is that a damaged crown can mess up accuracy and it doesn't matter what kind of crown it has. Damaged, nicked and bummed up makes for larger groups.

You can get a piloted re-crowner from Midway or Brownells for the about the cost of having a smith do it. Once you have the tool new pilots for other calibers are available.

The only drawback over a standard crown is on very small profile barrels. It's easier to do a standard crown on them.

fausettb has it right...all a crown can do is release the bullet evenly at the muzzle...can be a rounder radius crown, flat recessed crown, concave crown, steeped, or whatever.

But the recessed crown is eaier to cut...and being easier it's harder to screw it up in mass production.


Some are easier to damage than others, esp. for people who still poke cleaning rods in from the muzzle.

mcg6637,
Cutting the recessed target crown assures you that the barrel will let go of the bullet at the same time, 360 degrees. Not all barrels have the bore exactly on center, but the recessed crown will still be accurate, regardless. The 11 degree target crown works the same way. If the bore is not centered on the barrel, the round crown will cut deeper on one side than the other. This is what you are trying to avoid.