Lija vs Shilen

29 September 2006, 05:54

butchlambert

I sold about a 1000 or so barrels a year when I owned The Barrelman. I think that both are very good quality barrels. Dan is very quality conscious and builds a great barrel. At the present time Shilen barrels are hot. Kreiger and Bartlein barrels are great. Pacnor is good and service oriented. I have had my best luck with Shilen if I had a problem. They would listen and work with me better than anybody.
Butch

29 September 2006, 06:31

Dwight

Butch,
Thanks for the info. I am planning to remove the 26" barrel from my Sendero and replace it with a 22" and they have the same contour listed on the Shilen site. I like the idea of being able to send them a dummy round and get the throat made for what I shoot. The TSX is long and skinny and the throat on mine is long so I get no where near the lands on it due to magazine box length restictions. The only negative is they don't like fluting.

29 September 2006, 07:30

larrys

I am probably the only person that has had a less than satisfactory experience with Shilen, so I would go Lilja. I have a couple of Dan's barrels and they are first rate.

Not going to badmouth Shilen, I will just take Lilja.

29 September 2006, 09:47

Alberta Canuck

Larry -

You are NOT the only person who has bad experiences with the Shilen organization. I too have had some very less-than-satisfactory dealings with them. So, for a number of years I have refused to let a Shilen barrel into my shop. I use Hart, Lilja, Krieger, Rock, even Black Star (of which I still have a few blanks) before I will go near a Shilen.

29 September 2006, 09:48

Allan DeGroot

I'm just curious why you'd want a TSX near the lands?

In my experience barnes bullet like quite a bit of jump...

As for barrels? years ago I had a shilen that was simply "good", but nothing to write about.
Frankly it wasn't quite as good a shooter with anything I wanted to shoot as the factory barrel it had replaced.

a friend bought the whole rifle because what it DID shoot well was what he wanted to shoot...

It was a 7mm barrel chambered for 280Rem and it
simply didn't like the 140gr partitions which is what I built that rifle for shooting, but it LOVED 160's and 175's with any (reasonable) propellent you felt like shoveling into the cases... I got a "Deal" on the barrel as a takeoff from
a friend of a friend who had built a 7x57 then decided
he wanted a 6.5x57... as a 7x57 the rifle "liked" 140's
as a 280Rem it didn't.

Perversely the Hart barreled 7mmMag I have now was sold by the guy who had it built because it wouldn't shoot 175's
and was only so-so with 160's.... but if there's a 140 it didn't like he couldn't find it, but he didn't want to shoot 140's................ Ain't life a bitch?

near the top of my current wish list is a barrel from Dan Lilja... probably for my next 338Mag.

AllanD

29 September 2006, 10:31

malm

I have had both good and bad experiences with Shilen barrels. A hell of a lot more good than bad, and the thing that keeps Shilen my number one choice is their willingness to take care of a problem should one exist.

29 September 2006, 10:38

Alberta Canuck

My problem wasn't with the barrels themselves, but the organization. I don't give my money to companies which I cannot count on to treat me decently.

29 September 2006, 17:57

Dwight

quote:
Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
I'm just curious why you'd want a TSX near the lands?

In my experience barnes bullet like quite a bit of jump...

As for barrels? years ago I had a shilen that was simply "good", but nothing to write about.
Frankly it wasn't quite as good a shooter with anything I wanted to shoot as the factory barrel it had replaced.

a friend bought the whole rifle because what it DID shoot well was what he wanted to shoot...

It was a 7mm barrel chambered for 280Rem and it
simply didn't like the 140gr partitions which is what I built that rifle for shooting, but it LOVED 160's and 175's with any (reasonable) propellent you felt like shoveling into the cases... I got a "Deal" on the barrel as a takeoff from
a friend of a friend who had built a 7x57 then decided
he wanted a 6.5x57... as a 7x57 the rifle "liked" 140's
as a 280Rem it didn't.

Perversely the Hart barreled 7mmMag I have now was sold by the guy who had it built because it wouldn't shoot 175's
and was only so-so with 160's.... but if there's a 140 it didn't like he couldn't find it, but he didn't want to shoot 140's................ Ain't life a bitch?

near the top of my current wish list is a barrel from Dan Lilja... probably for my next 338Mag.

AllanD

Allan,
The throat on my current barrel is so deep that the closest that I can get is double the Barnes reccomendation. I do not want to get close on the TSX, I just want to get near the Barnes reccomnedation.

29 September 2006, 18:32

b beyer

Lilja will certainly clean up a lot quicker, and is a great barrel to keep clean throughout its life.

29 September 2006, 20:15

Pegleg

Both barrels are top of the line. I really like both. Lilja make a good three grove barrel and I think that the Lilja 30 caliber barrels are top of the line. I don't have experience with Shilen 30 barrels but all the others in various calibers have been good to great. Which ever barrel you go with I'm sure you will be happy. I think that the Shilen's machine quite well. Ask your smith which one he likes to work with. Might make a difference.

29 September 2006, 22:22

zimbabwe

When I started I used Pfieffer barrels then Ackley then A&M then Douglas and then Kreiger and the current rifle in the works has a Lilja 3 groove .25 barrel. Have not finished it and have never used Shilen so can't give any advice.I don't think there is a barrel maker that doesn't have an occaisonal bad barrel and some of the cheaper barrels really shoot. The only comment I have on Lilja is the delivery time which was rather long. The barrel is however really beautiful in it's finish and if it shoots as good as it looks I will have no complaints.

30 September 2006, 09:03

Kingfisher

No experience with Dan's barrels but I've had great results with Shilen. For those of you that have had a problem with them in the past, give them another try. They're under new mgmt now and you might be surprised.

30 September 2006, 12:20

Blueprinted

I think use the one the smith prefers. I doubt if there is a lick of difference. I do not have a Shilen, several freidns do. I do have Liljas, Harts and Pac-Nors. My only problems with any of them were they multipy, one barrel job leads to more. You have been warned.
I called Lilja trying to get the weight calculator on his site to work for me. I was going to put a Hart on my 280AI needed to get the weight. Dan spent 45 mins on the phone with me answering alot of questions. When his barrel came it was exactly what I wanted. He will get my money again. Great service, great barrel

01 October 2006, 00:37

Pat B.

AC, as Kinfisher said, Shilen is under new management. In fact the new management folks are friends of mine and I'm quite sure they will treat you in a very positive manner. I also had an issue when Doug was in charge but he is gone now.. Give 'em a try, you'll be happy.

02 October 2006, 04:34

Idaho Sharpshooter

I have several Lilja barrels on rifles, started with them on LR live varmint rifles and a HC benchrest 308. Dan has been to Idaho to shoot rockchucks with me and is a dead nuts long range shooter and hunter. I like a man that is involved in the shooting sports. That said, I spent time with Ed Shilen at the Super Shoot one year. He was quite a storyteller and very knowledgeable. Ed jr., I just do not know very much about him. Perhaps not as dedicated to making every barrel the best he can. Dan only has ONE grade of barrel, I like that. It says, to me, that it meets his high standards, or it goes back into the rack to be bored to the next caliber and another shot taken at perfection.

Rich

02 October 2006, 05:30

butchlambert

Rich, there is no Ed Jr. Doug Shilen, the only son, has retired. Ed is still involved with the company even more at this time and so is his Daughter,Mikel. She has been there at least 30 yrs.
Butch

06 October 2006, 21:33

tnekkcc

My "A" barrels;
Shilen stainless steel [they are all lapped]
Lothar Walther
Hart
Lilja
Krieger

My "B+" barrels;
Douglas XX

My "B" barrels;
Remington
Winchester
Military that never saw corrosive ammo
Ruger
Green mountain
Shilen [Chrome moly without hand lapping option]
Parker Hale

The C's
Addams and Bennet [the good ones]
Military barrels that saw a little corrosive ammo

The D's:
Addams and Bennet [the bad ones]
Military barrels that saw lots of corrosive ammo

The F's:
Addams and Bennet [the really bad ones]
Military barrels that look like sewer pipes

06 October 2006, 21:53

jens poulsen

Dan Lilja

06 October 2006, 22:09

Jay Johnson

Dwight

I have both Lilja and Shilen barrels. They are both quality. The last gun I had rebarrel I chose a Shilen. Of all of my rifles the one that shoots the best of my sporters and cleans the easiest is that last rifle with the Shilen barrel. Having said that my next barrel Iâ€™m not sure thereâ€™s a lot of good metal to choose from out there. A lot of it has more to do with the gun smith if you pick any premium barrel.

06 October 2006, 22:31

Snowwolfe

I own two Lilja's and one Shilen. Lilja are in 06 and 338 WM. Shilen was 270 Weatherby. All are accurate and I have no complaints but the Lilja's clean up a lot easier.

06 October 2006, 23:53

Dwight

Thanks to all that posted. Sounds as though both my choices are high quality so don't have much to lose going either way.

07 October 2006, 02:44

Pegleg

That is a correct statement! But now days most of the benchrest matches (which is all about accuracy) are being won with Kreiger barrels!

07 October 2006, 03:00

tnekkcc

CM Shilen barrels are NOT of equal quality.
They are not lapped like a Pac Nor, Lothar Walther, Lilja, etc premium barrel.

Stainless Shilen barrels ARE of equal quality and are even used for benchrest.
They are hand lapped at the factory to get the Copper lap out.

Call Shilen, he will tell you the same thing.

quote:
If it is a stainless barrel it has already been lapped. I don't think much
of fire-lapping and hand lapping it now would damage both the crown and the
throat.

Best Regards,
Gary Huntsman
Shilen, Inc
Ennis, Texas

07 October 2006, 03:05

butchlambert

Gary Huntsman has not been at Shilens for at least 4 years. You can get chromoly either lapped or not lapped.
Butch

07 October 2006, 04:07

Paul H

You didn't mention which bore dia you are considering. I've heard some companies do better in some bore sizes than others. Just because a company puts all it's efforts in a paticular bore size, say 6mm, it doesn't mean the same holds for other bore sizes.

07 October 2006, 04:36

malm

quote:
Originally posted by tnekkcc:
CM Shilen barrels are NOT of equal quality.
They are not lapped like a Pac Nor, Lothar Walther, Lilja, etc premium barrel.

The CM barrels from Shilen that I use ARE hand lapped and are very much on equal footing with the others. You have to specify "hand lapped" when ordering but the results are nothing short of superb.

07 October 2006, 08:23

tnekkcc

You are right, as usual, and if I ever buy another Shilen Chrome Moly it will be a special order from the factory to get it lapped.

The ones that Brownell's carries are not hand lapped.
Those are the ones that have given me the quick fouling.

Brownell's sells a smaller selection of CM Lothar Walther, but they ARE lapped at the factory, and the Shilen CM that Brownells sells are not even in the same leage as the LW CM barrels.