I am working on a couple of hunting rifle projects and trying to decide on which barrel manufacturer to use and whether to got with SS or CM. For a hunting rifle, I really prefer the look of blued CM and wood stocks, but SS can look almost the same with Teflon or Cerakote. Even with a hunting rifle, I strive the the best possible accuracy. In checking out the various barrel makers web sites. I found that McGowan's CM barrels are significantly less expensive than most of the other top barrel makers. If you have experience with McGowan barrels, especially the CM ones, what are your thoughts??

Thanks, David

I've got 2 and would not hesitate to buy more.

I have installed them in calibers ranging from .30 to .404 and have not had any complaints. I am building a .308 for myself with a McGowan cm #2 contour in a Mannlicher stock that will put 5 into less than an inch. I think that they are as good as any until you get to premium target grade barrels like Lilja and Krieger.

Good barrels

Thanks everyone. That's what I hoped to hear about them. I will be placing my orders soon.

Though "McGowan" with an "A" is a family name I have seen around
Caldwell County, Kentucky,
you mean "McGowen" with an "E" as in Harry McGowen of Illinois who sold to the current Montana outfit.

McGowen with an "E" as in EXCELLENT.
There. Now we shall have less misspelling of the barrel brand.

If you would allow stainless too, I can vouch for them in many many barrels from .308 to .510 calibers.
Rusty has installed up to .510 stainless that I know of.

McGowen knows how to make a "best" .510-groove/.500-bore sporter barrel,
in ANY TWIST YOU NEED, more so than any other maker anyway.
I have 6 of those, and no reason to quit them.

The only supplier of .395-caliber barrels in the world that I know is McGowen Precision Barrels.
Rusty has done those in both CM and SS.
I have 6 of those .395-caliber McGowen-barreled rifles, 2 by Kevin Jenkins before he went off to medical school,
4 by Rusty McGee after he finished engineering school.

I have never had a bad barrel from McGowen.

Right now I have two .408 barrels on order:

1. A stainless McGowen #5 sporter (Douglas Profile).

2. A stainless Lilja #7 fluted-sporter.

Both will be finished at 26" length.
Both have .408 groove and .400 bore.
Both 1:13" twist.

No better barrels for my purposes.

Both Krieger and McGowen "404 Jeffery" barrels are bigger-grooved than the now standard .423" bullet for that caliber:
They are .424" and .425" respectively.
But my 2 stainless and 1 CM 404 barrels from McGowen have worked well with .423" bullets. Excellent in fact.

Shilen is my pick for 405 Winchester and 400 Whelen CM barrels, however (.411/.404, groove/bore).

McGowen did not get that one right either.

But if McGowen makes the twist and the groove-bore spec you want, they are as good as any barrel maker.
I own more of those McGowen barrels than any other make.

"50-Year Gunnut: THERE IS NO CURE"

I'm just finishing a double rifle in 9.3x74R with two McGowen barrels. The right barrel puts 3 shots into one ragged hole at 50 yds. The left is not far behind it.

Was McGowen barrels bought by the new owners of the Freedom Group(Remington) during the 2013 Shot show? I was told they bought 4 more gun related gompanies.
Nat Lambeth

quote:

Originally posted by Longshot:
Was McGowen barrels bought by the new owners of the Freedom Group(Remington) during the 2013 Shot show? I was told they bought 4 more gun related gompanies.
Nat Lambeth

There is nothing on McGowen's web site to indicate anything like that.