What kind of gunsmith would rule out Hart? BTW, Hart only makes stainless steel barrels. Bobby Hart put a 24" 338-06AI barrel with integral muzzle brake on my Rem 700 action, trued the action, skim bedded it into a H-S Precision stock. Just came back from a plains game hunt to Namibia where it took 6 different animals from kuku to warthog using 225 grain Barnes X. And Namibia is a wide-open country where 300, 400, and 500 yard shots are the rule not the exception. An accurate rifle is paramount in those conditions.
Seeing as you're from Pennsy, you should give him a call up in Nescopek. The Connecticut State Police Swat Team gets their .308 caliber Rem 700's to shoot bug holes at R. W. Hart & Sons. Maybe you should, too. Don't rule out any options.
Posts: 4799 | Location: Lehigh county, PA | Registered: 17 October 2002
My experience is that between all of the above you will get a pretty good barrel. For a hunting rifle, the Douglas will be all you could ever want and probably cheaper. If money is no object, as you state, the flip a coin between Lilja and Kreiger, they are both absolutely top shelf barrels. Lilja barrels are button rifled and Kreiger barrels are cut rifled. You could start a pretty good argument about what method produces the best barrel. In my own personal opinion, which is mostly superstition, luck and throwing a dart, I would go with Kreiger, as I think cut rifling is the best. Can I back that statement up? NO WAY! , and neither can anyone else. Read up on both methods and go with what makes you feel the best. My money says you won't be able to tell the difference.
Douglas will tell you they only make rifle barrels. They do not make "bench rest" barrels. I have had excellent experiences with their barrels however. I had a 788 rebarreled with a .222 Douglas barrel and just for kicks I took it to a bench rest match. I had had it made up as a ground hog rifle and it had a 6x24 Weaver scope on it. Needless to say, I did not win but I did finish kinda in the middle of the pack. I do not have any experience with any other after market barrels but for a hunting rifle, I think you'd have to be a helluva shot to discern a difference between a Douglas and one of the other barrels.
Posts: 2037 | Location: frametown west virginia usa | Registered: 14 October 2001
Based on my expierences, putting Douglas in the same sentence as Krieger and Lilja is sort laughable. I've, in general, had better luck with Shaw barrels than Douglas barrels - all CM, being the caveat. Nor would I include CM Shilens in with Pac-nor, Krieger, Lilja, or Hart.
I've yet to own a pac-nor that wasn't eye-poppingly accurate. Same with Lilja, Krieger, and Hart. I've owned quite a number of finicky and otherwise difficult Shilen and Douglas CM barrels.
Quote: ...but for a hunting rifle, I think you'd have to be a helluva shot to discern a difference between a Douglas and one of the other barrels.
Exactly.
I have Douglas barrels that shoot "very" sub-MOA, and on good days will knot them up in one hole. The differences in them & my Shilens & Hart are too small to measure in any hunting field.
As has been said here before, your gunsmith's abilities will make a far greater difference in the end product than the tube will.
A good barrel is a good barrel, no matter who makes it.
The gunsmiths who build my hunting rifles these days are very big on "regular" steel Kreiger barrels, and the fantastic results I've had with them would make me lean very heavily in favor of Kreiger.
But if I were building a rifle with a stainless barrel, I'd seriously consider Hart, and this is based on the wonderful performance they've given me over the last dozen years in at least a half-dozen big game rifles, all of which would keep five shots (with hunting bullets) into right at a half-inch at 100 yds. In fact, I have a Hart blank on hand right now for a custom .223 Remington that I'm going to have built, and if I didn't have 100% faith in that make of barrel, I wouldn't use it, pure and simple.
Quote: I think you'd have to be a helluva shot to discern a difference between a Douglas and one of the other barrels.
I totally agree with that thought, you said it much better than I could have. I simply meant that "confidence" real, or imagined, is an asset in choosing a barrel, rifle, cartridge etc. when shooting. If you have confidence in what you choose, you'll eliminate a lot doubt in your mind and shoot better.
