Just wondering, Out of all the companies that make rifle barrels, who do like the best and why? I ask this on the Gunsmith forum because you guy's are the one who deal with these people most of the time. Is it the service that makes you recommend a certain brand? the customer specs that particular barrel? Or you get better results with barrels from company X opposed to using barrels from company Y? Also some barrel makers offer a match grade barrel for one price and a "super" match grade barrel for about $50 more. In your opinion is the "super" worth the extra money or are the "non-super" barrels actually something closer to rejects? Inquiring minds would like to know

PAC-NOR would be my first choice because they would profile the barrel to my custom contour design. I usually send them a drawing and then add $35 for the CNC programming and then I will get a high quality barrel exactly according to my specifications. Good luck.

I like Douglas, and here's why.

I've ordered some non-standard length barrels with non-standard contours and gotten them in 10 days OR LESS!

I've never had a problem with the quality of their barrels. They're friendly on the phone. They're responsive to the needs of the customer. They're prices are affordable (to me) for what they deliver.

Yes, I'm sure there are other barrel makers out there who make better barrels, but look... I'm not "that" good that I can pick off the wings on a gnat at 275 yards. I'm just happy to be able to nail the gnat in the first place.

Now, the .338 RUM that I have in the works at the moment will have a Shilen on it... but that was because they're available in the length, contour, and twist that I want, and they're in stock at Brownells with whom I have an FFL on file. Plus, I'm just curious to have a Shilen barrel on something I own.

My buddy built a "tactical" rifle for another friend of ours, using a heavy-contour Shilen barrel. Well, using 180-grain Hornady A-Max bullets, that thing was a one-holer all the live-long day. However, the guy discovered very quickly that the gun wasn't very, um, "hunter friendly" with regard to weight. So... he had my buddy turn the barrel down. This, after a year or so of shooting it. Well, my buddy turned it down to something like a #4 contour, and... the thing didn't lose ANY accuracy. Now, maybe other barrels could do that, but I'd have expected "some" change in group size, since the barrel harmonics were totally different. However, that's not what happened. Yup, that Shilen tube was/is a good barrel. So, what the Hell, I'm going to try one.

However, like I said, my "favorite" is Douglas. They shoot as good as, or better than, I can.

Russ

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TC1:
I think some gunsmiths have a favorite brand of barrel. I've got Hart,Pac-Nor,Shilen,Lilja and K-P in select match SS on most of my varmit rifles and have had good luck. I haven't tried Krieger yet but may on my next project. To me the select match is a better barrel since the land and groove tolerance from breech to muzzle will be about .0001" and other barrels will run between .0005"/.0003" depending on maufactors and type of barrel. Now to some it may be minor between .0005" and .0001" but most small groups are shot with select barrels and if you can shoot groups in the 1's to 3's you can tell the difference. Both of my bench rifles have K-P select barrels and my hunter rifles have Pac-Nor and Shilen. For me the extra cost of the barrel is a small thing compare to who does the chambering. I'm going to rebarrel my Win 300wsm with a Lilja SS select match next. Well good luck! Tom

I`ve purchased 10 or so Hart and 2 Krieger`s BOTH will make you Happy!!!!

I like Hart's, I've always had good luck with them. The price difference between the best makes and the so-so makes is only about $75. It doesn't make sense to me to spend several hundred dollars on gunsmith work and then try to skimp on the barrel itself. It seems to me to be false economy. A couple of years ago I sent an action to Pac-Nor to be rebarreled at the same time I sent another to Hart for rebarreling. The price was $55 higher in the end from Hart than Pac-Nor. The difference in work was night and day. Hart had cut the chamber exactly as I had asked, everything was perfectly done as I had specified. Pac-Nor cut the throat .060" longer than the dummy round I had sent, the caliber stamping on the barrel was crooked and looked like crap, and the action was full of the lug lapping compound that they had applied and hadn't bothered to clean out before shipping it back to me. The Hart cleaned better than the Pac-nor and also shot much better. All in all I was less than pleased with the Pac-nor and completely satisfied with the Hart job. That $55 I saved all of a sudden didn't seem so important to me.

I've sent rifles to both Krieger and Pac-Nor to have barrels fitted. I sent my last two back to Krieger. dempsey

TC1,
I personally tend to go with the riflesmiths preferred barrel whatever that may be. I tell him I want a "no compromises" rifle built to the following specs. I tell him I want the "best" barrel(and work) that money can buy. I've found, fwiw, that you are better allowing the riflesmith make the material decisions. Now I would'nt use a Douglas or McGowen Barrel, however, I've yet to come across a first rate smith that recommended either. As long as it's a first rate company I think you're going to be happy.

Regards, Matt.

Mel Forbes of Ultra Light Arms seems to be to qualify as a first rate rifle builder and he uses Douglas. His rifles are very accurate.

Jordan

Lothar Walther...

I use most BORDER barrel ( cut rifled made in Scotland) and PAC NOR ( very good and a broad choice of caliber , lenght , diameter )and some G Schneider ( very good accuracy barrel but not avalaible in long barrel blank up to 28 inch ).

If you plan to use a Lothar Walther barrel , good luck with the chamberring operations and check if the barrel you use is not CIP dims because CIP inside dims are broad than SAAMI and doesn t make amazing accuracy ..

good shooting

DANTEC

Don't have a "best" yet, because the barrel I ordered today is my first. Lothar Walther in 9.3x62.

Pac-Nor, Schneider, Shilen are the ones I use the most. Lilja and Kreiger make awfully good barrels. I've used some Douglas and find them to be quite good also.

pacnor, shilen, doug, hart in no qualitative order. Lately it's been pacnor.

if i was going to have someone build me a rifle (chortle) it would be wiseman, in byran/college station.

jeffe

My gunsmith is going to put a douglas barrel on a M77 Ruger for me. I have no experience with them, but he states they make good barrels, and that is what he uses. Guess I will find out when I begin load development for it.

Well

The barrels I have used are Border barrels from U.K. I have used a few from Dan Lilja and two from Kreiger. All have been very good and performed oustanding.

Because of all the bull shit paperwork and regulations for shipping from USA , Border is easy to get and has a great quality.

Pick any one you like and make sure that it's installed properly.

/ JOHAN

I having great success with Shilen's so I'll stick with them for now.

TC1,

Cold Bore said it about right. The best made barrel isn't going to do you much good if the action you intend to put it on is out of whack or otherwise not up to the task.

A standard barrel from any of the big companies is not a reject barrel, and will out shoot the best made barrel if it is set up and installed correctly.

Malm

Walther
Morrison
Rock
Wells

The most forgiving and accurate barrels I've used are by Kreiger. I have five rifles in the rack with Kreiger cut-rifled barrels, and I've owned two other rifles that I've sold that had Kreiger barrels.

All of these are half-inch guns, and all of them are very forgiving and are not load-specific at all. They all shoot a variety of loads well, don't foul very much, and produce top velocities with reasonable loads. I can't say that about all the other custom barrels I've owned, but the ones that came cloest to Kreiger performance were by Hart.

AD

Douglas barrels are outstanding. However I would spend more effort on selecting the riflesmith and knowing what you really want.

If a smith really liked a certain barrel then that barrel might "go on better" and you would have a stronger warrantee.

For the ultimate barrel, if SS is ok, I would send an action to Hart (NY) and have them install it.

I'll throw a vote in for a local fellow, Ron Smith. Very nice barrels. - Dan

HI,

I talk to MR. Brockman about doing work on my cz 416 rigby. He told me he uses Lothar Walther barrels so I will go with his recommendation when the time comes. Thanks,Kev

I have used Shilen barrels in the hundreds and have been happy with them.
My favourite Canadian maker is Ron Smith. His cut riled barrels are as good as any I have seen and I've seen most of them.
The Border barrels are very nice but Ron's are every bit as good. He is a very capable maker. Regards, Bill.

KREIGER- one hell of a barrel maker.I have 12 of his barrels and not one has been bad.
lb404

We are blessed with a long list of extremely good barrel makers now. They have reached such a high plateau of skill in making high precision barrels it would be difficult to prove which one is better than the other.

My pick is Shilen. They are very consistant, all high quality, I haven't gotten one yet that was not extremely accurate and easy to work up a load for. They machine and chamber well. Easy to clean. First shot cold barrel in the middle of the group. They are good people to deal with. And besides if it's made in Texas its got to be good!

I agree with some of the others that if you are building a varmit or competition rifle and spending some money on first class equipment and blueprinting the action, buy the select match. But if you are building a hunting rifle and it's 30 caliber and up use a match grade barrel, you will not be able to detect the differance.

Howdy,

My experience for what its worth, Three Douglas barrels, all capable of 1/2" groups with good ammo.... 1 Shilen, capable of 1" groups with anything.... 1 E. R. Shaw, 1/2" groups until a flaw developed in the metal itself!!! it must be re-barreled, 1 Adams & Bennet... maybe capable of 2" groups on a good day... one Wilson, 2" groups and fouls horribly. My next project will be with..... Harold Broughton Barrel now made by Greg Richards in Hobbs, New Mexico. Super good barrels!!!

Coach

Howdy,

New information, Greg Richards sold the barrel making equipment and the Broughton name to somebody in Wisconsin last month. I'll bet they are still good barrels.

Coach

I have a Weisman-McMillan barrel on an XP100. I had a friend who was benchrest shooting back in the 80's, and won several National Championships with them. He swore by them, so I tried one and was very, very satisfied. I don't know if he is still making barrels, if he is, I can't find a web site. I do see that in some of the reloading manuals, they list Weisman barrels as being used to develop the loads with. Last I knew, he was down in Texas.

bowhuntr

Pac-Nor,Pac-Nor, Pac-nor- I've used them all, shilen, douglas, hart, broughton, I keep coming back to pac-Nor particularily in very large bores. I love the way their 4140 machines. I've never gotten such beautiful threads on any other steel. They are also very very fine people to deal with. I prefer to spend my money on people I can relate to.-Rob

[ 01-04-2003, 07:43: Message edited by: Robgunbuilder ]

FWIW, Hart barrels are push button rifled, and all are 416R stainless steel. No chromemoly.

I've got two, cause my gunsmith, R W Hart uses his cousin's barrels.

Nothin' like keepin' it in the family!

I've been out shooting my new 7x57 custom three times, just breaking the barrel in using Remington 140 Gr. loads. It's a Douglas barrel, 24", shoots very well and I've seen no signs of copper fouling after the first 100 rounds.

I'M STILL WONDERING IF ANYONE KNOWS WHO MAKES 1022 BARRELS FOR MIDWAY. ANY IDEAS? MY RUGER WITH THE MIDWAY BARREL AND STOCK IS A DREAM FOR ACCURACY.

THE 2ND AMENDMENT PROTECTS US ALL..............

I use Douglas, Shilen, Pac Nor, Hart, Lilja, and or which ever barrel the customer thinks He has to have for the rifle to shoot well. At the present time I have more Douglas barrels than any other on my personal rifles, but if the next time I order from someone else and a barrel or two increase my discount- my next rifles will wear that brand.

WOW!!-- A post like this and no one has used the words "it will do one hole groups if I do my part!" All these custom barrels can't be as good as the factory stuff or we would have seen these words right!!!!! _just my Monday humor--d kraky

Just curious to know,what are the most succesful bench-rest shooters using? Does anyone know of an article that has tested and compared the different brands,extensively? I remember an article in a popular shooting magazine testing various custom hunting rifles with many different loads.Of the few tested I think the rifles with Hart barrels shot the smallest groups.