McGowen barrels?
Are they a quality aftermarket barrel? Looking at getting another barrel for a Savage that I own. Not a match rifle, but would like a good barrel.
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skyfish,
This is a brief explanation.
Brands such as McGowan and Pac-Nor are considered to be 2nd tier rifle barrels. They are both button barrels and of decent quality but are not up to the level of say Bartlein or Krieger which are both cut rifled by the way.
The McGowan will certainly be suitable for a Savage. If this is a pre-fit barrel, just remember that the concentricity and chamber quality will play a major role in the accuracy and repeatability.
Best.0 -
I live in WI and am very familiar with both Badger and Krieger barrels. From my experience with them, I would rank McGowen right up there with them especially if you want a custom contour. 0 -
..I had some work done by Harry McGowen when he was in Aroma Park IL. Don't know if Harry is still alive or if his son took over. He was a cantankerous guy that was not very friendly. He shortened the barrel on a friends' Single Six and returned it with the front sight off center.
..I had him thread a Rem.1100 barrel for Rem. chokes. It came back with the wrong thread. On the other hand, I owned a 60's mauser sporter that Harry built and it was perfect in every way. I can only hope that the McGowen name is being carried on with good work.
Edit: When the Single Six was returned to them to get the sight straight, my friend asked how it would be done. Ol' Harry scowled "I didn't tell you how it got messed up, so why should I tell you how I'm going to fix it?"....[:0]0 -
I don't have personal experience with the McGowen barrels (at least not yet) but have heard many positive things from other forums. Here's a shooter with a Savage 10 in .308 with McGowen barrel at 1000 yards ... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SETTN_NXV9I0 -
I had a Stevens M44 rebarreled by Harry on the advice of a friend of mine. I have been pleased. He on the other hand has a half a dozen or more of Harry's barrels on various actions and has nothing but good things to say about them. The only bad I have heard is the length of time requied for the shop to put up a high end quality wood stocked rifle. The metal work goes quick, but the wood work slow..... 0 -
[xx(]I had McGowen build me a custom Sako 375 H&H when they were in St Anns Ill. It has been a number of years since I had it built. I had it built as a carry gun in Alaska. Well the headspace was so bad that it was dangerous and split the new brass cases. Needless to say I returned it to the shop and when I got it back many months later it was still not right. I took it to a local gunsmith who had to cut the barrel and re-chamber it to make it right. As for the barrel, I had McGowen put their best barrel on and it is very accurate now that the chamber is correct. I have no problem with McGowen barrels. I am sure there are better but for protection from G-bears in Alaska and moose hunting I could not be happier. It is very accurate. 0 -
I knew Harry McGowen for many years and he was one of the finest rifle barrel maker around. He really knew Mauser actions also. Harry resided in on Rural Route #3 in St. Anne Illinois I have two barrels that Harry made for me and they are still shooting great after thousands of rounds and 25 yearsof hunting and target use.
Harry also made the barrels for the famous Merrill pistols.
Id trust a McGowen barrel to do just about anything. Yes he was a little crusty but he really knew his stuff and shipped barrels all over the world for safari hunters.
He sold his buisness to his son in the late 1999 when Harry retired. Since then the barrel business was sold to another company.0 -
They are still in business, but in Kalispell, MT. Dave Norin who I consider one of the finest custom gunsmiths around has built a number of rifles for me and other folks using McGowan barrels. 0
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