What is the best aftermarket rifle barrel? Im seriously considering Lilja, they have a nice reputation and are made in Plains which is about 100 miles from here. Lilja is also relatively cheap and I might be able to afford it. Hart and Krieger and Shilen are other popular ones that I have heard a lot of good about. Which is the best? I have also heard of Douglas and one that is Adams & Brunett or something like that. How do they differ?

David,

That is like asking, "what is the best caliber". The answer to your question would depend on what you wish to do with the weapon when you are finished. If it is to compete with then there are choices, if it is mainly for hunting then there are choices, if it is for plinking, then ... you get the drift.

All, or most all the barrels you mentioned are excellent choices. They all, with the exception of Adams & Bennett and ERS which you didn't mention, offer barrel choices from plinkers to competition grade. You won't go wrong using any of these, well almost any of them. Provided the barrel you get is of good quality, and you wouldn't want anything less, then the most important aspect of the job is the installation. Installation can make or break the job. Whichever barrel you choose, make certain that whoever installs it, does it correctly.

Regards,

Malm

I have used pac-nor,hart,schneider,mclennan and kreiger and have found all to be very good.The chambering and mounting of the barrel have the biggest effect on accuracy so choose your gunbuilder accordingly.

[ 11-11-2002, 06:43: Message edited by: stubblejumper ]

OK, here we go on "barrel wars" again for at least the umpteenth time. Just would like to say that I have had excellent results with barrels from both ER Shaw and Adams and Bennett. I know that there will be disagreement here, but so far that has been my experience, FWIW.

STOP! No war. Penis-envy arguements are fun but a lot of people start getting personal and people take offense and leave forums. Believe me I know. I started an Heckler & Koch versus Glock war on the G&A forums and Jim Rice got super pissed and made it personal with my brother and I. Come to find out, he had got personal with others and they had left the G&A forums. I want the best accuracy I can get with a brand name barrel that has a reputation behind it. What are some things to mention when getting the barrel chambered and installed? Lilja recrommends Dennis Olson to install their barrels so Im guessing he knows what hes doin. Is there any thing I should say about chambering it? I have heard about short chambering and this and that, what do I get?

As I said, that has been MY experience. FWIW!!! I will not get into a pissin' contest about who makes the best barrel. End of story. Period!!!

You didn't mention Lothar Walther, who have an almost fanatical base of loyal users. I am about to try one, but have not yet experienced them.

Todd

David,
There are two categories of barrel makers. One has the philosophy to only sell the very best grade of barrel. Lilja, Hart, Krieger, etc. Fall into this category. (They tend to be more expensive because they throw away a lot of barrels.) The other group will sell barrels of different grades depending on what you want and how much you want to spend. Shilen, Douglas, Wilson etc. all provide barrels of differing grades.

Think about how you will be using the rifle and how much money you are willing to part with. Then decide on what barrel you should get.

(Hart, Lilja, Krieger and Shilen are the most popular brands with the bench rest crowd.)

Remember, a barrel that air gauges better than another barrel does not necessarily guarantee that it will shoot better. (If it did, the barrel makers could hand pick the Bench Rest champion every year by giving him the best barrel.) However, It does increase your chances of getting a barrel that shoots well.

I've used Douglas (on my hunting rifles), Shilen (on tactical & long range hunting/groundhog rifles) and Hart (on a 40-X). I'm getting ready to buy a Kreiger for my AR-15. For most practical purposes, you'd never know which one you were shooting. They all shoot superbly.

I think that more important than the barrel is the installation. Heck, *I* could "install" a Hart on a Nesika Bay action for you, and you'd be sorely disappointed (and probably pretty peeved at me for wasting your money). However, let my gunsmith put almost any barrel on any reasonable action, and you'd probably be happy.

Lilja makes great barrels, as does Hart, Schneider, Pac-Nor, Kreiger, Shilen, and Douglas. I don't think you'll go wrong with any of them. I used a couple of Lothar Walther barrels years ago and didn't care for them as much, but that was just two barrels.

David,

It would probably safe to say that those barrel manufacturers, and gun manufacturers, who have gone on to survive to the year 2002, have probably done something right. They are probably all good to one extent or another. Some are clearly better suited for a particular purpose than others, and some are clearly more popular than others.

Usually when a manufacturer recommends one particular gunshop to install their barrels there is a wink and a nod that accompanies such a recommendation. The recommendation usually goes to the one who sells the most barrels for the company. That is not intended to infer that their recommended gunsmith is not good, hell, he may be a world class installer of their barrels, or, he may be family...

There are gunsmiths all over this country, including our friends up North, who are every bit as competent as those who are written about in magazines, or, who are recommended by barrel manufacturers. What you need to do is to educate yourself a little, but not too much, or you will spend all your time arguing with people and not get anything done. Ask questions of the various shops you are considering to do the work and then compare notes and pick the shop you are most comfortable with.

Good luck,

Malm

Don't forget too, that after you've gotten your gun built, be sure and follow proper break-in procedure with your new barrel.

Before you choose a barrel mfg, design your barrel. What caliber? Twist? Length? Chrome moly or SS? No. of grooves? Contour? Fluting? Octagonal? Muzzle Brake? Barrel finish? Do you know a gunsmith who can do the work? (some barrel mfg like Pac-nor and Shilen will do chambering and installations). How quickly do you need it? Depending on your answers, you may greatly reduce the number of choices.

PAC NOR would be a good choice if you are going to design your own barrel contour. I have had two custom barrel profiles that I designed in CAD and sent them the drawings and they machined these two barrels exactly according to my drawings. Of course, custom profile would cost an aditional $35. Good luck.