I just ordered two barrels from Krieger yesterday for a customers projects. I needed two number 3s, one 270 and one 308 both in stainless. The gal taking my order said in stainless the smallest 270 they would make is a #4 and in 308 a #5. Anyone know whats going on with their stainless? Mill problems? I ended up ordering CM #3s as both guns will be guncoated anyways.

Most barrel makers use the same 416R stainless with a 26-28RC hardness. It is a liability issue. They used 410 stainless for a while so that they could do the smaller contours. I believe that they quit as 410 is a lot harder to machine. Just my opinion.
Butch

I have talked to Mr Krieger about this and was informed that it definitly is a liability issue. Some where along the line, he is afraid someone may take a stainles barreled rifle into a very cold climate and fears the integrity of the stainless barrel would be compromised with a lighter contour.

416 is the free machining grade of 410. Crucible's 416R is made with smaller sulfur range an is good to -40 F !.

I had been thinking of posting a question about Krieger's barrel contours. The SS minimum contours are extremely heavy(.30 cal minimum .700" at the muzzle. Yikes!)

But the CM minimum contours for certain calibers are also on the portly side. For example a CM .375 minimum contour is #4 which would finish out to nearly .700 at 24". I am sure that a lot of people would say this is about right for a 375H&H, but no one would call it light weight. And this is the minimum contour offered.


contours

caliber/minimum contour

Why do their minimum contours seem so heavy? Am I missing something?

Jason

JBrown,
Read the other posts.
Butch

quote:

Originally posted by SWD:
The gal taking my order said in stainless the smallest 270 they would make is a #4 and in 308 a #5. Anyone know whats going on with their stainless? Mill problems? I ended up ordering CM #3s as both guns will be guncoated anyways.

I don't know about the specific contours, but Krieger has always had limitations on what they would do in SS. Their CM barrels are very good, although they often show a tad more affinity for copper than their SS barrels.

- mike

I might be misjudging their customer base, but I think most of their barrels go to target shooters who don't mind a heavy barrel. It appears they aren't too concerned about the hunting rifle market. Krieger is sometimes flexible on their contour requirements though. I sent in a Remington 700 in .280 with a stainless factory contour to be rebarreled. I asked them to just copy the contour of the existing factory barrel and they did it no questions asked. I think the factory Remington contour is roughly a #3.

quote:

JBrown,
Read the other posts.
Butch

Butch

All the posts on this thread referred to SS, I am asking about their CM contours.

I understand the SS weakness issue. Why such fat CM minimum contours?

Jason

It will finish at .670 at 23" JBrown. On my Kreigers I cut 3" off the breech and 1" off the muzzle. I personally wouldn't want a smaller contour. A #3 would save you very little weight.
Butch

quote:

On my Kreigers I cut 3" off the breech and 1" off the muzzle.

I like that idea.

quote:

I personally wouldn't want a smaller contour.

Many people say that. I have an old Sako/FN in 375H&H. Its factory barrel is 24" with a muzzle diameter of .575". I really like the weight of this rifle but when I had my custom 375 built I went with a .625 muzzle diameter. I can't imagine going larger than .650 on a 375.

Jason

Besides the weakness of the stainless, leading to heavy countour. I guess that Krieger wants to keep a good reputation for accuracy, that could easily be a reason for alvays going a little heavy on countours, as it is always easier to get better accuracy from a heavier barrel. Perhaps not always , what i call teknical accuracy, but surely practical accuracy (what the customer is capable og acheving)

I once lived in Wisconsin...WI has some pretty darn cold weather. Boots Obermeyer lived close by, we go to to be good friends. He had in his shop several SS barrels in light weight contour that had failed (burst) in sub zero weather.

He also had a couple "brand X" receivers in SS that gave it up under those conditions.

Personally, I've used Kreiger barrels for years and recommend them to customers because of their consisent accuracy. They have no problem giving me about any contour I ask for.

I never felt they were "catering" to targe/bench rest shooters.

To be sure, Kreiger is not the only barrel I'll use...there's lots of great barrel makers out there. I'll be using my first Mc Gowen on a light weight 7x57 in a couple weeks...I hear these are really fine barrels..

what about all the factory guns that are stainless, I know ruger in particular have a pencil thin barrel and come in stainless

Factory SS barrels can have the same issue. Browning had several split several years ago and I had a Savage 300 WM brought into my shop that was about 24" wide at the muzzle and split down to the lock ring.

Didn't Sako have the same problems a couple years ago?
Butch

Indeed..some of those "splits" were Browning in Boots' shop. Mayhaps Ruger is using an alloy something like Doulas stainless?? Just about not stainless!, but a tough alloy nevertheless that is stain "resistant" as is the proper designation for "stainless" in the first place!

I was under the impression, after talking to Boots, that the split was caused by a bad lot of steel that had some defects in it. He told me he sent it all back. Poor memory maybe but I think he was referring to his own barrels that had split.