Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Which custom barrel maker to use for a 257 Wby Mag?

Hello All,

I recently aquired an older, used 257 Wby Vanguard(my second one) at a price which was to good to pass up. I've always wanted to build a semi custom rifle and figured this would be a good way to jump in. I would like to install a custom barrel(26in max) and drop it into a McMillan or B&C stock.

My question is, which barrel type and maker should I use? I know there are several options available, but I would like to use a maker who either specializes in Wby calibers or knows them well. For what it's worth, I plan to use Wby factory freebore specs so I can use factory ammo if needed.

Thanks everyone in advance.

You may be confusing barrel makers with gunsmiths. Though some barrel makers will install a barrel on your action, not all do. My current personal favorite for barrel makers is Brux. I had a .257 with one of their barrels, and it shot great.

There's a bunch of great 'smiths out there, but I can't help you with one that specializes in Wby calibers.

John

Contact Pete Pieper in Hempstead, Texas. http://www.precisionbarrelwork.com/ I've known Pete for 20yrs. He has one of the cleanest, organized shops that I have been in. All new top quality machines. Check his website out.
Butch

+1

Regardless tho, I'd still go Brux tube.

If you get a good 'smith who takes the time & energy to line everything up properly, the brand of barrel doesn't matter that much.

Brux, Rock, Pacnor, Hart, whatever. They'll all do you up nicely if the guy doing the work is thorough.

PS- afterthought here, but if you're looking to shoot heavier bullets you might consider a faster than normal 1-in-9" twist

Oops, his website says he doesn't work on Vanguards.
http://www.precisionbarrelwork.com/actions_tooling_precision.html

Quite honestly you can get outstanding barrels from just about any of them. What you want is an established name who became established because they treat their customer right. Personally, I've never regretted in the least doing business with Douglas or Shilen. I've received world class barrels from both, and both have done me right.

The reason many will shy away from the Howa is it's metric threaded reciever. Most english lathes will cut metric threads with the correct gears, but it requires that you don't disengage the thread dogs once you start.This adds to the time necesary to do the job. A CNC will do a great job, but alas, most smiths don't have one. Pac-Nor, Lothar Walther and some other barrel makers will install on your action for a slight extra fee.

Some good advice here. To answer your original question, you should be happy with most barrel makers tubes. I have or am currently used Kreiger, Lilja, Broughton, Bartlein and Pacnor. All are great and VERY accurate.

I know Krieger and I believe Pacnor also chamber their barrels.

Good luck.

Alan

My take on this, pick your smith and go with the barrel maker he has the most confidence in. Some of the big names are easier to work with than others, stand behind their products better than others. A reputation is what they've done in the past. Some ride that wave, others are currently in the process of making their reputations. Your smith will know who's who in that regard. The smith's reputation is also riding on this decision. Give him a say and you won't be sorry.

My smith is currently strong on Brux and that's the direction we're going with a couple of projects. A few years back, it was Broughton and I have one of those. I think the top makers are all good. It depends on order time, product support and a lot of other factors. When everyone jumps to a certain maker, that maker gets overloaded and order times get stretched out. Then it's time to look around for another maker. It's a fluid, not a static market and business is business. Supply and demand in a competitive market is what drives quality and performance.

IMHO,

DF

I had Pac Nor install a minimal freebore three groove super match and within 12 shots I was grouping three shot groups in 3/8". 100's at 3850 out of a 26" are nothing to sneeze at.

Pac Nor is the best deal out there, send them three rounds seated at the depth you want, and they will cut the freebore at that length at no extra charge.

I chose a 1-10" Shilen Match for mine. But as mentioned, any of the big names produce good barrels, however in the end it's the guy that screws it together that delivers the "final" results as to how they perform...

MK

I would put more thought into choosing my smith, than the barrel maker. Pick a good smith and see what he recommends. He will want to work with quality products, it makes his job easier. My smith likes to use Brux barrels and would prefer I not order the barrel. He likes it all in his hands, so to speak, so the end result is entirely on him.

Hey All,

Just wanted to follow up with everyone on my proposed project.

I went with a Brux barrel after originally ordering a Lilja.
I felt given the excellent reviews/feedback and immediate availability of the Brux, I'd take my chances and cancel the Lilja and go with the Brux. It's a fluted, #4 Contour. I'm really excited about the Brux as it seems to be a very quality barrel, not to mention the guy's at Brux are fantastic to work with. I'm going to have it cut to 26 in.

As for the gunsmith, I decided on Pete Pieper at Precision Barrel Work in Hempstead, TX. He's been great to deal with thus far. I've found everyones input concerning Pete to be spot on.
I supplied him with a Howa Action, Timney trigger and a B&C Medalist stock.

I'm still on the fence about the freebore length.
I was all set to use saami spec(.378), but Pete convinced me to shorten it to .200. He swears I can still use factory ammo without worrying about high pressure. I don't plan to use Factory ammo, but a future owner might. That's my only concern.
What do you guy's think?

Anyway, I'm really excited about this project. Just hope it turns out as I have envisioned it. I'll keep everyone posted on the progesss and will post pictures when it's finished. Projected completion is the second week of January.