More times than we like to think, it's not the barrel;it's assembly.I've seen a Krieger behave like the OP's 270 WSM until the rifle was torn apart and put together right.
My friends last pac Nor took two tries but they got it right the second time.
Yes, custom barrels are worth the money...assembled correctly.
Do what!? So I take my rifle apart and reassemble it and it will turn into a shooter.
A friend of mine had a 280 built of good components. Pre 64 M70 action, Krieger barrel,Brown stock etc. It would not shoot,and by that I mean it grouped poorly with anything and he tried both factory and hand loads. He had a lot of patience and owned it several years.
He finally took it to a smith we both use,who tore it down,set the barrel back and rechambered, lapped lugs,new crown,re-did the bedding,etc etc. The rifle immediately started shooting after that.
In the case of the PacNor the rifle simply wouldn't shoot well. He returned it ;they fixed it. It shot well after that. I have no idea what they did to it.
IIRC you and Clark are both smiths; I'm sure you both know there are right and wrong ways to assemble a rifle. I don't know why you are both mystified by what I said.Rifles that don't shoot frequently need to be "fixed".
Point being that a barrel is only as good as the smith who assembles it.That's why guys like Al Warner in NH (who almost no none knows unless you are a match shooter)is in constant demand among match shooters...and Alex Sitman the same when it comes to bedding.
