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Descent Into Madness: Intro to Teludyne Tech and the “Straight Jacket”

Descent Into Madness: Intro to Teludyne Tech and the “Straight Jacket”

Over the last few years, the quality in the A15 barrel market has improved substantially… even basic, free floated barrels have been shown capable of 1 MOA or better with quality ammunition. Not only has the quality improved, but so has the pricing. In spite of any advancements the market has made on cost and quality, barrels still face the same problems that they faced 100 years ago; harsh firing schedules deteriorate accuracy and will anneal the steel, groupings walk as the metal heats up, and accuracy nodes have to be “isolated” to get the most out of a product. At the highest levels of competition, shooters will discard a barrel after a few thousand rounds to make sure that the barrel isn’t a factor in their overall score.

Teludyne Tech says they have found the answer to these age-old problems… through what can only be described as a total departure from traditional barrel manufacturing methods. Teludyne’s answer to the quest for accuracy is simple on paper; they begin by turning down your existing barrel to a skinny profile, they then insert it into an aluminum sleeve and fill the void between barrel and sleeve with a proprietary compound. The pressure the compound exerts on the barrel is said to be something close to 13k psi which adds stiffness and structure to the bore. Additionally, the composite compound acts as a heat sink by drawing heat away from the bore and towards the aluminum jacket, and then to atmosphere.

That’s hard to digest… Let’s break down some of the benefits and concepts that Teludyne claims the SJ system accomplishes:

STIFFNESS, STIFFNESS, STIFFNESS

Teludyne claims that their Straight Jacket stiffens the barrel some 900% over a similar profile steel barrel. So how does that help? For starters, the increased stiffness negates the accuracy loss from barrel whip. Everyone who has seen high-speed video of a Ar15 firing has seen the barrel dance and whip as pressure is built up and released in the propulsion and expulsion (uncorking) of the projectile. Skinnier barrels will have more whip, and heavier barrels, being stiffer, will have less whip at the cost of weight. When a barrel whips, there is the potential for the barrel to release the projectile on a slightly different X,Y axis with each shot. If you eliminate whip, then you are eliminating a variable that will get in the way of accuracy. Ideally, a traditional barrel with the correct “tuned load” will release the bullet on a consistent manner with each shot.  The Straight Jacket ensures that each shot is released on the same X, Y Axis so there is little need to seek out a harmonic sweet spot with the barrel.

Teludyne Straight Jacket

 

While heavy contour barrels are good at keeping the POI shift at a minimum, the Straight Jacket mimics the performance of a heavy Palma profile while being lighter. In Modern Advancements In Long Range Shooting Vol 2, the three top performing barrels for accuracy during the 50 round slow fire test were the Straight Jacket (.54 MOA) followed by the Heavy Palma #1 (.59 MOA) and then the Heavy Palma #2 (.67 MOA). The weight of the Straight Jacket was 3.8 lbs while both Heavy Palma’s were 4.2 lbs. More accurate and lighter weight? Who would leave that on the table?

So what else does it do?

KEEP IT COOL

The proprietary compound injected between the bore and sleeve is our next stop. Teludyne claims the composite moves heat efficiently from the bore to the exterior aluminum sleeve. In effect, the entire barrel external of the bore becomes a giant heat sink. Literature provided denotes that “every shot is a cold bore shot.” There have been both anecdotal and substantiated reports claiming that the Straight Jacket keeps things cool. Cal Zant noted, again in Modern Advancements Vol 2, that the Straight Jacket was the coolest barrel tested under FLIR observation. Anecdotal evidence stems from YouTube where we see shooters put their pinky into the barrel chamber after long strings of fire and suffer no injury. By keeping the barrel cool, Teludyne claims there is an increase in weapon reliability and a substantial increase in bore life.

Teludyne Straight Jacket (8)

Teludyne Includes their muzzle brake which matches the OD of the barrel.

Temperature extremes also are reported to have little effect on the Straight Jacket. Teludyne sent off a 300 Win Mag barrel for a before and after evaluation to H.P. White Laboratory and published the results for all interested parties. They also had a forensic firearm examiner make sure the barrel was not swapped or tampered with other than the installation of the Straight Jacket. It can be accessed Here.

In addition I found this quote on a few press releases:

Comparative analysis of the Teludyne URG1 placed side by side to a match grade M4 resulted in cold bore accuracy improving by 75% right out of the box, and after firing 120 rounds in 2 minutes, accuracy improved by 671%. Subsequently, at 600 meters, the URG1 grouped at 7.07 inches versus the match grade M4s 54 inches tested 15 minutes after 220 rounds of rapid fire. A thorough validation of TTI’s accuracy claims has been conducted, documented and published by both TTI and by H.P. White Laboratory, Inc.

I applaud Teludyne for going the extra mile and pushing their product with published testing data. It shows a great deal of confidence in their product. I am no H.P. white Lab, but I am going to do my best.

The Holy Grail?

Taken alone, any of these reported advantages would be a huge advancement in barrel tech. Having 5x (or more) the barrel life is an amazing advancement. Having a barrel shoot 10 round groups into less than half a minute without pursuing accuracy “nodes” would be an amazing advancement. Having a barrel that has minimal POI shift when heated would be an amazing advancement. Having a barrel maintain accuracy under full auto fire would be an amazing advancement. Take all of those advantages and put them under the Straight Jacket umbrella and we have the potential of a paradigm shift in what we know about rifle accuracy and barrel life. 

Teludyne Straight Jacket (6)

Adjustable gas block comes standard with the Straight Jacket system on the AR15 platform.

This is the start of a series of reviews and experiments on the Straight Jacket system.

My sample of the Straight Jacket system was installed on to a Criterion chrome lined hybrid barrel chambered in .223 wylde. Prior to the jacket installation, the barrel a few thousand rounds down the bore prior to this point. It was typically used in slow fire environments and long-range shooting at New Holland Rifle Pistol Club and was never pushed to the “cooking bacon” point by a harsh firing schedule. With the Straight Jacket now in place, I will start testing and evaluating the barrel on a running basis. I am no H.P. White Laboratory. I will do what I can to catalog and evaluate this barrel with the readers over time, and share results on a running basis.  I initially did a before and after comparison between the Criterion Pre and Post Jacket, but several factors have made me realize that the data is skewed. (note: one factory Hornady load I tried is so terrible, and would make a laser gun look like a mini 14) I will publish the data, but first I am going to isolate a few more variables.

I have hit the range twice now with the system and it is too early for conclusions other than, at this point, I feel that I am limiting the barrel. I shot one ten round group that made my eyes pop. I had “flyers”, but with 6 shots landing in at .31 minutes… something is up. Six shots don’t just land on top of each other like that unless something is very consistent. I didn’t hand load them either, I shot semi-auto. The photo / group in question will be published with my first article on the SJ system’s accuracy.

teludyne Tech Straight Jacket Outside

I have decided to conduct this review in several phases, the first phase being accuracy evaluation and I will be re-working some of my loadings to remove ES, SD, and jacket construction factors from the equation. After the first range session, I realized that some of my loads aren’t up to snuff. Are they limiting the barrel? That’s what I don’t want. The barrel must be allowed to speak for itself.

So what’s it cost? Some may scoff at the price, retail cost on the Teludyne Tech website for the AR conversion runs a bit south of $900 dollars. In 5.56 it may seem like a steep entry for such a diminutive caliber, but understand that TT can Jacket any caliber you send to them. I have 5.56 guns, so I got a 5.56 gun back for T&E. Simple as that. If you are shooting a barrel burner, it may be well worth the cost to defer the time and energy it takes to re-barrel, break in, and sight in.

I have been quite disappointed by several media and YouTube celebrities who have obtained a Straight Jacket system, but then failed to follow through with thorough testing. If half of the claims from Teludyne are true, then we have a breakthrough sitting right out in the open. Expect accuracy testing, heat testing, and rapid fire evaluations. A picture must be painted that is both FAIR and THOROUGH. I will do my best guys! I have been compiling video as well.

Look for this barrel in the coming weeks Right Here.

Written by lothaen

16 Comments

  1. Doc J-Bone · June 13, 2017

    I met some of the gentleman from Teludyne when I was living in SC. The barrels seem pretty nice, but the guns end up very muzzle heavy. If I recall, one of the ladies’ Olympic shooting teams was banned from using the straight jacket due to the unfair advantage it presented. It’ll be interesting to see how the results turn out.

    • TTI R&D · June 13, 2017

      Hey Doc, I agree… Some of the longer 1st generation stainless steel barrels sleeves tended to be balanced a bit nose heavy… the old system used a threaded steel insert for the end cap and muzzle break thread… weight issues have been addressed with Gen 2 series by threading the barrel ends and adding our signature green aluminum end cap.. In addition we have started making the jackets from aluminum in most applications.. and thin wall titanium for some of the shorter close quarters combat guns .. We found these have the advantage of better heat dispersion as well as lighter weight and balance…

      • Doc J-Bone · June 15, 2017

        Those sound like some nice improvements. Maybe I’ll get a chance to handle a gen 2 before too long.

  2. rdsii64 · June 13, 2017

    $900 is more money than a lot of folks can spend. Hopefully in the future more advancements in tech will bring the price down.

    • Lynn Hinkle · May 15, 2018

      The first article I read on the internet made reference to a less than $350 price tag on having a bolt gun barrel retrofitted , guess that was an old article. Sadly this is typical of every service provided in America today in our greed driven economy…….

      • brunop · August 17, 2018

        “Greed”? Said by someone who doesn’t know the first thing about cost of R&D, tooling, good employees, and the concept of a “market” making the price due to supply and demand.

  3. Don Sebesta · July 11, 2017

    How does a heat sink stay cool? A heat sink stays hot. If the barrel is cool then it’s keeping all the heat inside.

    • lothaen · July 11, 2017

      I dont have much to offer in regards to Cal Zant’s testing and findings, but at the last range session I felt the heat radiating off the barrel from behind the gun after an extensive shot string. It was quite odd. Never felt a barrel radiate heat like that.

      The chamber was still cool and I was able to stick my pinky finger inside and leave it. I have done this over and over at each range session and it isn’t even hot enough to feel uncomfortable.

    • Mike Miller · March 3, 2018

      No a heat sink moves heat from one place to another and then dissipates from there. This system does that by drawing the heat from inside the barrel quickly and the dissipating it quickly through the more conductive metal (Alluminum or Titanium) faster the than the steel barrel would. I think. But I’m no expert.

    • Lynn Hinkle · May 15, 2018

      The heat sink is the outside cover which is absorbing and dissipating heat , the barrel inside is being rapidly cooled and remains at a stable low temperature. It’s a great idea that costs three times more than it should !

  4. Bogeyman · July 31, 2017

    This is a great barrel, if you want to have an ar-15 that costs more than your truck 😛

  5. Will Combs · October 22, 2017

    Any ideas on how it stacks up against a PROOF barrel? Same price range. Interested to hear any comparisons

  6. rdsii64 · March 3, 2018

    I know this is a really old thread but I have another question. How much does your barrel weigh with this system applied?

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