custom barrels
I've finally got my pre-64 magnum action[300h&h] now to start on my new rifle. I have a barrel maker in mind that I have worked with in the past who will barrel the action after truing and lapping but was looking for alternates as I do get tunnel vision on these things
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I found a nice old model 70 with a really nice custom stock, I would like to rebarrel it to a different caliber. Can a barrel maker exactly duplicate an original barrel contour or is it not feasible? 0 -
Who is the barrel maker your looking at?
W.D.0 -
douglas. always a good job even on custom chamberings. just looking about for a new idea 0 -
I have a M70 that was built by Al Biesen and he used a Douglas barrel and I find no fault in it. Personally, I prefer barrels made by CP Donnelly, but unfortunately, he passed away a few years back. 0 -
I have a couple of rifles with Douglas barrels, have no complaints at all.
W.D.0 -
I just listed a M-70 WINCHESTER 24" OEM. nice shinny Bore in 300-Win. MAG. and Boss ready.Excellent . was taken off for a Custom Build. 0 -
I have used Hart(they are close to me), Douglas, Shilen, and Krieger. They are all good. However, two rifles I acquired,, not long ago, one in 308 Winchester, and one in 300 RUM, have Bartlein barrels. They seem to be near the top of the heap, currently.
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kumatelives,
As with any large group of shooters, you'll find a broad range of opinions on just about anything involving firearms and shooting. Experiences, the interpretation of experiences or just the desire to express an opinion, will drive the range of choices. I have written on this several times and I'm committed to continuing the explanation until I discover any difference.
After looking at, making and working with thousands of barrels, I have found that the upper echelon of barrel makers has expanded to include about a dozen or so of the very best for the most part. That means that I would use a barrel from any of these for any practical purpose without hesitation. This includes both button and cut rifled barrels, although I have a preference for the cut rifled barrels to the largest extent.
When I started barreling rifles, Douglas was one of the companies that I used with frequency due in large part to cost and availability. I have never has a 'bad' barrel from Douglas but the number of barrels used was far smaller than from others I choose now. As my area of concentration shifted towards small groups at long range, my selection of barrel makers shifted also. In many cases though this was due to the desire of the folks paying the bills.
There is nothing wrong with a Douglas barrel as long as it meets the basic requirements. There is also nothing wrong with:
Bartlein Barrels
Precision single-point, cut-rifled barrels, from .20 to .338 caliber, plus .50 Cal, starting at $245. Wide variety of contours, very exact twist rates.
Benchmark Barrels
Benchmark built its reputation with record-setting rimfire barrels, and now they are producing excellent centerfire barrels as well. Contact Ron Sinema or Barry Graber at (360) 652-2594 or email benchmarkbarrels[at]yahoo.com. Location: Benchmark Barrels, 1105 Pioneer Highway East, Arlington, WA 98223.
Border Barrels
Traditional Obermeyer-style "5R" cut-rifled barrels made in Scotland. Long barrel life, high quality. Distributed by O.K. Weber in the USA.
Brux Barrels.
Brux produces very high-quality cut-rifled barrels. Recent records have been set with Brux 6mm and 6.5mm barrels, and the 7mms have performed well in F-Class applications. Brux is located in Lodi, Wisconsin. Call (608) 592-3324.
Broughton Barrels
Conventional and canted land (5C) pull-buttoned barrels. Stress-relieved and meticulously hand-lapped, Broughton barrels clean easily and the 5C offers enhanced velocities. Broughton Canted Land Barrels.
Hart Barrels
High grade push-button, hand-lapped barrels. Long, effective barrel life. Along with Shilen, Hart barrels have dominated 100/200yd BR for decades. Great choice for 6mm BR varmint guns too.
Krieger Barrels
Cut-rifled barrels with very long barrel life. Top smiths say Krieger barrels are almost always straight and true. Fewer duds than some other brands. Hard to go wrong with a Krieger.
Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels
Hand-lapped button rifled barrels. Lilja's 3-groove 6BR barrels are very accurate and clean fast. Lilja's rim fire barrels are among the very best.
Schneider Rifle Barrels
1403 Red Baron
Payson, AZ 85541
Phone: (928) 474-2852
Hand-lapped, pull-buttoned barrels with superb accuracy. Conventional and 5-land Polygon (P5) rifling options. Good prices ($254/blank). David Tubb uses Gary Schneider's barrels exclusively. Enough said.
Shilen Barrels
Big-name Texas barrel-maker still produces the lion's share of winning short-range BR barrels. They now offer ratchet (canted land) as well as conventional push-button rifling in 3, 4, 5 and 6 grooves.
Spencer Rifle Barrels
Accurate, button-rifled barrels available completely chambered in a wide variety of calibers. Tight control of tolerances. Considerable success in big-bore 1000yd guns and accuracy-guaranteed Varmint guns. Good value and excellent customer service.
Lothar Walther Precision Tools, (770) 889-9998
Buttoned barrels from proprietary super high-grade German steel. Polygonal rifling available in .223 and .30 calibers. Good value on pre-chambered and threaded barrels. Finished barrels for the M 98, Savage and CZ rifles. 54 standard contours and 1500 other contours are available.
For the great majority of the professional/competition rifles I prefer:
Bartlein
Schneider
Krieger
I consider these folks to be O.K. for an entry level rifle:
McGowen
Douglas
Shilen
Montana Rifleman
Pac-Nor
If you want more information, post again or send me an e-mail.
Best.
quote:Nononsense, why did Shilen get bumped down to "entry level" on your list? Shilen makes barrels capable of winning in any circle. To call them "entry level" is a severe discredit, when, as you state, Shilen still wins the "lions share" of short range benchrest.
First and foremost, I cannot take credit for writing that blurb about Shilen or I would not have put that part into the statement since it lacks merit. I 'borrowed' a partial list and some of the blurbs in a need for expediency this morning when I responded to the Member asking the question. I did supplement the list with some makers whom the original writer had neglected though.
I'm sorry you feel that Shilen suffers from a 'severe discredit' but that's the way of the world. Shilen is being pushed from winner's circles on a daily basis by better barrel makers who don't 'seed' their potentials with massive donations of barrels to top shooters. Many barrel makers and component manufacturers donate and support a fair number of the upper echelon shooters, Shilen's just been at it longer.
Then add into this that shooters, like other competitors, are an extremely superstitious lot and trying to get them to change from one manufacturer to another is truly like pulling teeth. However, as more of the point blank shooters post wins with barrels by Bartlein, Krieger, and Schneider, these same superstitious shooters will pause to reflect on the probability and the necessity of change.
My personal preference is for cut rifled barrels but I will state that Gary Schneider is making some of the very best barrels I've seen from a button puller in long time. Another oversight from the blurbs is Gary's price which has risen to $330.00/barrel. But as he has stated in the past, he has to pay for his airplane hanger somehow...[:D]
Best.0 -
You have Missed or omitted some very good Barrel makers.
On top of My head comes.
Greem Mountain Barrels
Keystone (Clark} Barrels.
I have and have used both.0 -
I had forgotten about Schneider, their just a few hours down the road. Thanks nononsense 0 -
Nononsense, why did Shilen get bumped down to "entry level" on your list? Shilen makes barrels capable of winning in any circle. To call them "entry level" is a severe discredit, when, as you state, Shilen still wins the "lions share" of short range benchrest. 0
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