A few years ago, I had a couple of custom rifles built on actions I owned, both fitted with PacNor Super Match grade barrels. One was a .280, the other a .270 WSM.
The .280 was and is a super shooter, from day one, with various bullets and powders, a consistent .5-.75 MOA shooter and an all around favorite.
The .270 WSM, not so much- if kept very clean, would hover around an inch, but quickly open up to 1.5-2 in. When cleaning this barrel, there are two or three 'sticky' spots, and this was supposed to be a super hand-lapped job. Those spots have gotten worse, and now accuracy is further suffering.
By contrast, I own two Weatherby MkV's, one a .257, the other a .300, both factory barrels, both with great accuracy- in fact, the .257 is probably the most accurate big game caliber I own. A Browning X-Bolt and several Rugers, same story- very accurate with factory barrels.
My options with the .270 are to either rebarrel with another custom make, or simply put on another factory barrel (Weatherby Vanguard). Either way, I'm taking my chances, but the difference in cost is around $300 more for another PacNor. The third option is to simply put it in the gun safe and forget it, but I have too much money invested in the McMillan Edge stock, Timney trigger, etc. for me to just give up on it. My inclination at present is to get a factory barrel screwed on it, and take my chances.
My gunsmith says that he has seen hit-or-miss results with PacNor barrels, and is not a big fan of using them. (He didn't put together either of these rifles).
Any thoughts or experiences to share?
