Looking to re-barrel my Husky 96 Mauser to .257 Roberts in a trim profile barrel. I can save up and get which ever barrel I like but I am always a sucker for a deal especially if it works out to fit my situation and part of the drive behind this project is getting it together cheaply but still functional. Some people out there have opinions of their own about pencil thin barrels being in-accurate but I own enough of them that really shoot to know that I want another.
Adams & Bennet have a .257 barrel in a real thin profile that ends at .550" at the muzzle and finishes to 21.5" length and it is only $90 or so.
Anyone have any real world experience with this brand of barrel?
I have a Ruger MKII Ultra Light .257 and a Win M70 Lightweight Carbine in .243 both with very thin barrels and wood stocks, both of these guns are fantastic sub MOA shooters with no modifications, just good handloads. Are the Adams & Bennet barrels on par with my other 2 rifles factory barrels?
If so I'm sure I can get them to shoot with good handloads and maybe some bedding work, what do you all think?

Thanks for the opinions..........

Before installation they require a good inspection visually for inclusions and voids but for the most part when It comes to a hunting rifle they'll do as good as needed. For a benchrest barrel I'd look elsewhere.

There's nothing wrong with A & B for a hunting rifle.

Does anyone know exactly who makes Adams and Bennett Barrels?

I have read that it is Shaw that makes the A&B barrels.

Get the AB barrel.. you gun smith is cutting the final chamber, anyway, and then if it fouls alot, firelap it.. but 95 out of a 100 shoot jam up --- or better

vapo... i expect he's looking for a hunter... and every barrel one ever sees, one should inspect, so that's not an AB only concept

I've heard shaw, douglas, shilen's "junk" and savage... and have asked these people directly... it's probably green mountain.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:

I've heard shaw, douglas, shilen's "junk" and savage... and have asked these people directly... it's probably green mountain.

Please explain Shilen's "junk"...

Thanks

I put one on a 98 in 243 win cal. The thing shoots like a house on fire for 40 rounds. I mean sub .5 groups.

Then it fouls out and groups look like a shot gun. Run some more cleaner down it and a few patchs and it shoots great again.

Terry,
at one point in time, shilen (didnt offically) sell their less than grade barrels "out the back door" .. but they determiend these were actually junk and stopped selling them, in comparison to their "brand" grade barrels

I built a 35 whelen on a the midawy kit from an old military mauser. It shoots fine. As a mater of fact it shoots better than the 270 I had built on a model 70 with a PAC-NOR barrel.And the A&B chamber was fine from the factory, it needed no reaming.
I am thinking I will do the Featherweight model 70 that I did as a .270 over again in .257 Roberts AI.
The A&B barrel is fine however I will probably go with a Douglas on this rifle and have it taperd to .600 at the end of its 22 inch barrel. I might evan go with an air gaged version, I think a standard countoured Douglas blank is only about 140.00. and the air gage runs about 40 more, might as well up my ods of having a real tac driver...tj3006

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
Terry,
at one point in time, shilen (didnt offically) sell their less than grade barrels "out the back door" .. but they determiend these were actually junk and stopped selling them, in comparison to their "brand" grade barrels

OK, thanks

Jeffe, the real story is that Shilen use to sell a Lone Star grade that didn't meet match specs.They were sold out the front door. They found that they were having to supply them from their match barrel inventory as sales surpassed the Lone Star specs. The Lonestar line was dropped about 4-5 yrs. ago. I hated it because at the time we could buy them for less than $100.
Butch

So what do they do now with there "out of spec" barrels?

quote:

Originally posted by Terry Blauwkamp:
So what do they do now with there "out of spec" barrels?

They stamp E.R Shaw on them and send them over seas... Just kidding.

Sounds about right. I have had love-hate barrels from Shaw as well as A & B.

I buy them at a reduced price to make dies and other things.
Butch

Thanks to all I really appreciate the info. What I gathered from the responses is that I just may well do good to get the cheapo barrel and take a chance on it. I'm pretty sure they are under $90 at Midway for the barrel I have been looking at, think I'll order it in and have my smith put it on and start shooting it and see just what I get. I can always tinker with the bedding and free float with fore end pressure or free float completely as well as work up some loads for it and if it still doesn't come right in I'll end up lapping it.
Thanks guys your knowledge and experience is over the top.