One last thought, with the stresses that will be relieved by all the milling, I would prefer a cut rifled barrel over a button rifled tube if it was an option. I know most target barrel makers don't do .458" bores, so it might not be an option.

With that all said, I'd be much more concerned about the chambering job and action work than who made the tube. My first 458 lott was rather poorly made, with an unknown barrel fit by an unknown smith who cut a generous chamber and throat, and it would still group about 1 1/2" at 100 yds with iron sights for three shots, and with either 350 or 500 gr bullets.

Fair 'nuff. Actually, I am glad my Mod70 is really accurate - not for long range shooting, but for being really sure where that bullet is going at 25-50 yards.

AAZW,
Sorry, I misread your post in that were were purely talking a custom barrel on a big rifle. I read it as putting money into customizing the rifle in general. I don't disagree that a match grade barrel is an absolute necessity on a .458. I would argue that that is also the case for pretty much all hunting rifles. Pure bench accuracy is way over rated IMO when looking at hunting guns. There is a difference between not necessary and not desirable. Nothing wrong with wanting as accurate a rifle as possible regardless of caliber but when it comes to use in the field judging a rifle purely be accuracy is only part of the equation.

Jeff

I haven't had enough customs built to comment on hummers vs bummers. Unforunately with your project, even if you had it threaded and chambered before the rest of the work, it would crap out on you after the stresses are relieved from the turning and milling work. On the other hand, I think the bigger bores are generally more tollerant than the smaller bores in regards to dimensional chagnes, and a 458 that shoots 1 1/2 moa is a might decent gun, whereas a 6PPC shooting those groups would be crap.

What problems has anyone had with supposed top quality custom barrels? I have heard about the occaisional hummer barrel and the occaisional bummer barrel. The barrel on my 1000yd gun is a bummer when the last one was a hummer.(very rough patch in the bore,fouls,strips jackets,not very accurate). What experience have other had with bummer barrels? I have ordered a 2" .458 barrel to get turned down to proper size with integral quarter rib ,sites etc. As the extra maching work will be very expensive ,I didnt want to spend heaps only to find I got a bummer.
Tell us your bummer barrel stories.