PROOF Science

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE BEAUTY
PROOF Research is a science-based company committed to redefining the firearms industry by creating innovative, next-generation products. Headquartered in Northwest Montana, just minutes from the entrance to Glacier National Park, they’ve brought together some of the finest minds, experience and innovations in the industry to produce carbon fiber barrels and complete rifle systems that are setting new industry standards for accuracy, durability and barrel longevity. Their manufacturing facility includes a million-frame-per-second high-speed ballistic camera, a ballistic lab, a thermal-imaging infrared camera and an indoor test range rated to .50 BMG. As a growing industry leader we are committed to reducing weight while improving accuracy and performance. Our patented manufacturing process utilizes aircraft-grade carbon fiber in conjunction with high-temperature aerospace resins creating a powerful platform capable of launching a new class of products for both the sportsman and the Warfighter. Want proof? Just ask around. PROOF Research barrels and complete rifle systems have quickly gained a reputation among backcountry hunters, precision rifle competitors and military operators for ruggedness, reduced weight and extreme accuracy. They’re not just lighter—they’re better.
THE SCIENCE
MAKING ACCURACY COMMONPLACE

At PROOF Research we're proving that carbon fiber-wrapped barrels aren't just a lightweight alternative to traditional steel barrels, but that they provide superior performance, including extreme accuracy, unprecedented durability and increased barrel life. Our lightweight barrels run as hard as any steel barrel while reducing harmonic barrel vibration and improving heat dissipation resulting in virtually no point-of-impact shift during high-volume strings of fire.

 

They’re not just lighter—they’re better.

THE PROOF
The entire PROOF Research team is committed to ensuring that every firearm we manufacture upholds the highest standard of product quality, safety and reliability. Before a rifle leaves our factory it is meticulously inspected and thoroughly tested to ensure the completed system meets our rigorous standards for quality and accuracy and is worthy of the name PROOF. Lots of companies make sub-MOA claims, but we prove it by testing every rifle we sell using the Oehler 85 Professional Ballistics Lab System, and include the results. The Oehler 85 System is the gold standard of industrial and military testing—it has a machine-gun chronograph function to support the development of future carbon fiber weapon technology as well as photoelectric screens combined with a 4-microphone acoustic array enabling precise measurement of pressures, action time, muzzle velocity, ballistic coefficient, and accuracy for statistical analysis.
THE SCIENCE
THERMAL MANAGEMENT
Our patented carbon fiber wrapping manufacturing process is based on technology proven in both aerospace and defense applications. By incorporating a proprietary resin matrix along with carbon fiber we've accomplished what no one else has been able to do in the past—combine highly efficient, heat-dissipating characteristics into an extremely rigid composite structure that is not affected by high-volume strings of fire.
THERMAL PERFORMANCE GOVERNED BY:
Composite Design
Material Properties (fiber/matrix)
Surface Characteristics
IMPORTANT FOR: 
Longevity
Minimizing POI Shift
Mirage Effects
Safety
CARBON FIBER BARRELS
FOR BOLT ACTION RIFLES AND ARS PROOF

Research is redefining the firearms industry by engineering carbon fiber barrels for ARs and bolt-action rifles that outperform everything else on the market. Carbon fiber is seven times stronger than steel and is nearly impervious to weather, nicks, scratches, or dings. Our carbon fiber barrels begin as full-profile 416R stainless steel barrel blanks that we manufacture in-house. The blanks are then turned down to a reduced profile everywhere but the shank, muzzle, and gas block journal (where applicable). This reduced profile is then wrapped with high-strength, aerospace-grade carbon fiber impregnated with a proprietary matrix resin. We then cure the newly applied carbon fiber. We then cure the newly applied carbon fiber and PBA. Once hardened, the barrel is finished to its final sleek profile, single point cut-rifled, hand lapped and borescope inspected. The end result is the finest rifle barrel on the planet.

 

Up to a 64% reduction in weight over traditional steel barrels (depending on length)
Match-grade accuracy
Reduced harmonic barrel vibration
Unprecedented durability
Better heat dissipation resulting in more accurate and longer lasting barrels

STEEL BARRELS
FOR BOLT-ACTION RIFLES AND ARS

When we acquired a boutique barrel manufacturer in 2012 we inherited 15 years of experience in manufacturing precision steel barrels. We make our steel barrels in-house with an absolute commitment to extreme accuracy and quality. We start with double stress-relieved 416R stainless steel, a pre-hardened chromium stainless steel ideally suited for use in precision, match-grade rifle barrels. 416R was specifically designed by engineers in collaboration with barrel makers and rifle manufacturers to provide the consistency, high quality and durability the firearms industry demands.

 

416R is our stainless steel of choice because it has the following characteristics:

•  Excellent machinability for gun drilling and reaming, plus exceptional polishability

    for uniform lapping—a must for bore accuracy.
•  A homogeneous microstructure which responds to heat treatment providing a       

   uniform hardness along the length of the bar, necessary for accurate rifling to

   precise groove dimensions.