WiFowler I can't comment on the aluminum sleeve thing. But do know that Atkinson had a good reputation for those barrels. Sleeving actions supposedly stiffed them and made them potentially more accurate(?
I think that Marquart was more the action part of the build equation. I recall a couple of articles by him for Wolfe Publishing about getting bolt actions to feed properly.
Anyway, far as I know Bill Atkinson was a top rifle guy and well regarded. I think the barrels were cut rifled. They were located in Prescott AZ i think.
i went to grade school right across the street from where atkinson and marquart had their shop. Wells was a little further down the street. Use to hang around their after school. I don't know anyone that would think a atkinson barrel was anything but top quality. Ruger came to prescott for a variety of reasons, but dave wolfe, j&g sales, (the desaye family) and some of these guys were instrumental.
I know that for a fact having been acquainted with all of them.
interesting enough a friend bought some test rifles from the cmp that had 7.62x51 barrels on them, mann accuracy rifles used at crane for testing purposes. We are pretty sure the barrels were made by atkinson. And yes, that was prescott.
there is a place in prescott, called batterman's, it is basically an auction house selling at auction various things, owned by ruger's nephew. From time to time at auction some of rugers collection has been sold off. And i found out something. He had quite an extensive collection of firearms, reverse engineering off of them to come up with his own ideas. As to atkinson, one of my regrets as a grade schooler watching him with that equipment work, was not realizing what i was seeing until much much later.
