Is it best or most cost effective to have the barrel maker put the barrel on the action after squaring and everything or for a qualified gunsmith to do the job?

I`d have the man that squared the action do the barrel.
What I`m getting at is if you trust one to do good work on part of the job why give half of the job to another. You don`t hire a plumber to run your pipes and another to hook up the hotwater heater.

quote:

Originally posted by Croberts:
Is it best or most cost effective to have the barrel maker put the barrel on the action after squaring and everything or for a qualified gunsmith to do the job?

Many years ago I sent Mauser actions to E R Shaw and they installed their barrel, altered the bolt handles and blued them. That was a long time ago and I suspect they still do all that work. The price was right and reasonabl delivery. Further the work was very good IMO.

I suspect any barrel maker will do this as well but I do it all myself now except for welding the bolt handle....Jim Kobe does it.

It would also make sense to go to your (trusted) smith and just tell him that you want a "XXXXX" barrel chambered to YYYY in #Z contour cut to AA long and crowned. Include other work as needed and that you want it blued...if needed.


I think this is far preferable to having one guy attach the barrel, another do the action work and someone else do the finishing. In the end if it don't shoot well.....who do you return it to for help?

My preference has been to allow the barrel maker to do his best. This allows me to know where any potential fault might lie if the change over is not satisfactory.

In this world of "Finger Pointing" I believe that you are better to have the barrel maker do the complete job. In the rare case of having a bbl not preform as it should only one person can be at fault.
I had a TOP qualilty bbl fitted by the smith that in the Benchrest HOF and the gun would not shoot. I sent the bbl action back to the manufacture and it was not there problem BUT they did replace the bbl.
I had to pay my smith to chamber and fit the bbl. It is still shooting Bug Holes.