Could you give me your opinions on the top three quality barrels made.

Thanks

WOW - no offense 4200M, but this post may lead to a schittstorm!!

What I think are the best, may not be what someone else thinks are the best. In todays barrel world, if you go with any one of the following, you won't go wrong:

Here are some good ones:

Bartlein
Broughton
Krieger
Hart
Rock Creek
Lilja
Shilen
PacNor
Brux
Douglas

I am sure I forgot some too!! Other guys will help out with those.

Jeff, can you explain the advantages & disadvantages of every barrel you listed? Thanks

Oh boy!

Lothar Walther

Stoney,

Wait till I have about 7 or 8 more rum and cokes then I'll relay that info.

I'm more concerned about the dude screwing them together. Some clean up better than others but it's just a piece of the puzzle.

I would like to add Lawrence Rifle Barrels. He is located in Montana and the last 4 barrels that I received are from him. They shoot every bit as good or better than the Hart,Shilen,Douglas,or Pac Nor barrels that I have had and clean up easy also.

Kreiger, Bartlien, & Broughton

Have owned all three....and I see more of these in the top ten of both short and long range BR than any other.

There are a lot of really great barrels out there, and probably we have never had it so good as the competition is fierce and the bar has been raised. But I think these three for now are at the top.

LC


Lefty C

I agree with some of these but disagree on other's...
I have had the best luck with Krieger...#1 have had good luck with Bartlein, broughton, Hart, Lilja and Mike Rock barrels, the Shilen match select has also been very good.... but the most over rated barrel and specifically on this site is the POS Pac-Nor.
I know some of the Honk's on this site just drool every time they see a Pac-Nor barrel....but in reality they are second rate like a bennett , ERShaw or McGowen.
RC828

Obermeyer
Bartlein
Border(UK)
Kostyshyn
Spencer
Schneider
Chanlynn


--Bob

Bubbas barrels
Gomers custom barrels
Zippy's

If you say so. You couldn't pay me to run a Shilen or Hart.

unless they paid enough to cover the cost of something else and you just rebarreled anyway.

Scott....thinking about a build..Ive had good luck with Hart...but am considering maybe Lilje...thoughts..?

Ingwe

I haven't owned a Lilja though a pard isn't overly hip on them.

OK...what do you favor....?

Ingwe

Caliber?

.22....either another .223AI, or a tight twist .22-250...

Ingwe

Difficult for me not to say a 3 groove Pac-Nor, I've seen far too many of them do some crazy good stuff. Same with a Rock but at a far smaller sampling.

OK...thanks for input, I trust your opinion...AIing even that 1 in 12 that I did was the best thing Ive done in awhile ...no schitt....

Gonna start picking up pieces and parts as they come along and budget allows...

Ingwe

Terribly saddened you ain't garnered the stones to do a Mag Deuce or that 220 Rocket......I have cases should you need them.

My gunsmith set a couple of NBRSA records with Shilens and shot a few Harts. He's all Shilen for 22's and 6's.

Lilja was made famous in BR circles.

I also know a NRA Highpower shooter who swears by Boots Obermayer's tubes....and another who runs Krieger.


I have used Shilen, Douglas XX and Pac-Nor myself. Out of the three I could give a rip...

They all seem to clean up easy (the Pac-Nor fouls the most FWIW), but I rarely clean and all hold paper accuracy very well to 200 yds.

I dunno; most don't seem on a quest to build crap.

75's are a hoot and besides it's easier loading the bigger bullet.

No mag deuce or Rockets here...I'm getting too pragmatic, I want something Ive already got the stuff for, but looking at a tighter twist in either just to shoot heavier boolits...
Bottom line, for someone who is getting "more pragmatic"..I just need something else to phool with...
Ive only got 4 .22 centerfires now...that just ain't right...

Ingwe

Bullshooter,

Kostyshyn is a great barrel, but his company went tits up.

LC

I'm dumping the 243 for a 22/250 methinks (though a Swift could happen). I just can't find a reason for a 6mm anything.

I understand.

I've got at least 3,000 Mag cases or more....I could afford to part with some (even a set of dies) for a pragmatic phool...

Yep, 4 22 CF's is about 1/2 too little There's eight or nine in this safe

I dunno, I like mine..but it doesnt make the deer any more deader, and is tougher on the meat...Ive shot four deer in I think the last eight years with something other than a .22 centerfire..the little guns with the good boolits get to go have the most fun..

Ingwe

For some reason, I can't either. Sold my 243.

22's of all flavors seem to do the same work on bigger critters and be better on the varmints.

A 25 is a step up, IMO....

True Dat!

All I need is this support group for my irrational actions..thanks guys!

Ingwe

I've been gearing down. Sticking with the 22, 25, 30 and 35 calibers. I'll still have a few 6.5's and an 8mm but the aforementioned four will do it for me.

Now what the hell to do with the Remington Titanium in 270.

Scott, what happened to the 8mm/06 project?

Sell it to a sheep hunter...

Did you ever wring out the Marlin 25-06?


Ingwe

Round filed it.

Shot is some but not enough to give an opinion. Good thing I can't find my HS-6.....

Gotcha.

Need to do something with the Husqvarna 7x57 also, the only dang 7mm I own.

Did you use HS-6 in the Savage vid...?

Ingwe

Hairy balls would made it a 400 Whelen

I sold my 25/06 and kept a 257 Bob.

Can't find any flies in what you've scaled down to.

I run a lot of cast and 22, 25, 30 and 35 are all that's needed, 'cept a 45 for solids.

I'm getting a 257 Roberts tube (1-9") screwed onto what was a 243 as we speak. One more 243 to go.


A 400 Whelen Ti would be pretty special.

YEP!

I like Lilja. They'll probably get all my business from here on out.

How about a Swede? Good Lapua brass, decent selection of bullets, low recoil.

I have a thing for Schneider as they've treated me really well over the life cycle of quite a few tubes.

Channlyn has been good to me as has Krieger, Shilen and Hart.

Been around quite a few Lilja's my last two were far from my favs so not sure I'd go that way again. The 2 weight I had (.270) was accurate but incredibly dirty, and the 1 weight (.270) I recently had was the all time biggest pia tube I've ever been around. It was also the skinniest tube I've ever had and will go back to my no less than .6" at the mzl rule.

Several friends are liking their Bartleins, I've never worked with one but I do trust their word as these guys are shooters.

Lots of good barrels out there these days, can get a rough one from anyone I spose so I look for how they live and die their life and I look for trends.

Dober

Kreiger was another one I was thinkin of...

Ingwe

The Krieger I had Arnold did in 300 Wby for it, it was cut to 23" and about .65" at the mzl and an absolute dream of a barrel. Broke in quickly, shot very well (mainly used 165 Sierra HPBT, 200 Sierra and 200 Noz). The barrel was tough, cleaned up well and lived a very good life.

Shot a lot of chucks with that rifle, mainly @ long range with the 200 Sierra's. It was a wicked good chuck stomper!

It also taught me that the big 7's are just as capable and yet more user friendly.

Dober

Mark: Any experience with Kreiger in .22 cal?

ingwe

Personally no, but have a couple of friends who've run them pretty hard mainly in 22/6mm's and such and Swifto Ai's.

Never heard complaint one. I think you should consider calling Gary Schneider and having him build you a tube.

Dober

We will look into it when the time comes...gotta get a few other pieces and parts first...so far this is the germ of an idea..but it seems to be festering into a full blown infection!

Ingwe

Send it to me.

That's right, you've held that rifle.

Bartlein(point cut)5R
Krieger(point cut)now availible in 5R also
Rock(point cut)5R
Lilja(button cut)

My next project is going to have a Barlein gain twist barrel....just for grins!!

yeah, that is definitely a sweet rig. Everything about it just works.

That one would make a sweet 6-06AI.

I would rank the top three barrel makers.....

Krieger
Bartlein
Lilja

I have used others that were good, but I have had more exceptional barrels from those three makers than the others.

I have two Krigers right now chambered in 223. One on an AR that is 1 in 7.7 twist that is superb. The other is a 1 in 7.7 twist on a 700 Rem. action that is shoots very well. The barrel on the 700 has 3000+ rounds down the tube and it is not showing any cracking in the throat.

You can't go wrong with a Krieger.

PaPa260

Last month got 30-338mag used a Lilja barrel gunsmith has a Bartlein 5r for a 284 be ready soon and Kreiger 5r on order for a 300WSM.

Buttoned
Hart
Schneider
Douglas

Cut rifled.
Rock
Chanlynn
Brux


dave

Had a 30-338 for a long time. Great cartridge.

I dont beleive this question can be answered there are so many good barrel makers out there to say three are better than the rest cant be done in my opinion.
You will receive all kinds of answers which are usually peoples favorites for one reason or the other for example steelhead doesnt like hart but i have five rifles with hart barrels and have had great luck with them as well as top bench rest shooters and most dont like douglas but my nula rifle shoots .5 moa or better with a chromemoly douglas.
pick the one that your smith likes or offers the taper that you like and i dont think youll go wrong.

gene

Rock,

Can you expand on this statement? Is this from first hand experience? Not a slam, just looking for clarification. Pac-nor is one I'm considering.

Thanks
GK

I see things a bit differently. With all the good 6mm bullets,55 gs. to 105 gr. A-max's and more, the only .224 worth having is 223/223AI and the Hornet.
Gotta agree with the guy putting things together being the most important part if you have an upper tier barrel.
In no particular order I like Rock, Krieger, Broughton, and Bartein.

There are FAR too many great barrel makers today that I could not select the three best.
Most barrels mentioned above will deliver the accuracy that you expect.
However, I think that Kostyshyn quit making barrels some time ago.
Equal in importance to buying a good barrel, is having a good gunsmith do the instal.
Since 1960, I've settled on Hart barrels for Stainless Steel builds, and Douglas for CM builds.
That's just a personal loyalty thing with me. It does not mean that others can't deliver excellent accuracy.

I agree.........lots of good barrels & not many, including me, have tried them all so it all boils down to what has worked for a given individual.

If in doubt, look at the barrel usage in the big matches; still for hunting, most of the better recognized name mentioned here are more than good.

Also agree the guy doing the chambering & installation is critical; he can put a good barrel on a gun & if might not shoot if it's not done right.

Another good one not mentioned so far, IMO, after using a couple of them is H-S Precision.........accurate & easy to clean in a cut-rifled design, a bit over priced though.

MM

I agree with gene270. Every time it comes up on different forums some just hate a Kreilein and others love them.
Butch

I have 5 shilens and have had very good luck with them. They all shoot, and they all clean quickly. I believe if you search long enoung you will find customers complaining about every barrel maker out there. I am from the school that thinks the guy / gal installing the barrel is critical too.Somthing else to think about is the more barrels out there from a given manf. the greater number of unhappy customers because they have more barrel's out there being used. Douglas, Hart, Shilen,Kreiger etc have been around for a while......it seems like there is a new barrel manufactuer every year.Just rambling here....let the debate continue.

Steelhead probably had the best advise so far. With all the barrels mentioned, I'd select one and be equally concerned about the guy screwing it on.

I like Husqvarnas and I like 7x57s, maybe we could make a deal.

Jeff

Bottom rig in the 2 rifle pics.

I know I didn't read past the first page, but I'll say this about PN... The ones that shoot good, shoot as well as any Krieger I've ever had and better than the worst Kriegers, but I do know that now and then I'll have one that just doesn't do it. I accept that as they are the one maker that makes what I needed twist and groove wise to do what I was doing with a 223 in competition, though others made the twist none that I was aware of made the odd groove number.. and that was the only way to run the 90 jlk properly.

Well, rats!

--Bob

Couple more comments.
Shilen shot well for me, short lived basically though.
Lilja, in a one time sample, died with less than 1000 rounds through a 223...
Schneider in 2 samples, one would not shoot well, the other was stamped caliber and twist correctly, would not shoot heavy bullets for flip, find out it was stamped wrong twist, and Gary blamed the guy that did the barreling for trusting Gary's stamp..... I doubt that would be his reply for when he sells David Tubb barrels....

Dunno, but that took Lilja and Scheider off my list.

I like Pacnor...There are so many options in twist, contour etc, that you can really get what you want.

Heard nothing but good things about Rock barrels...

Dogcatcher223

How many PN barrels have you run? I'm simply curious if you've run a bunch and seen any questionable ones.. I know it took me quite a few to find an iffy one.

Thanks, Jeff

I currently have two (22-250AI and 280AI) and just bought a third, so I am not the Pacnor guru by any means.

My problem with some of the other makers is the lack of options. I owned a Krieger that shot great, but they won't sell you a lightweight barrel in stainless, nor will Brux. Pacnor will, and offers the most land and twist options. Wish they made a 7mm in 4 groove though.

Odd grooves can be your friend...

I went through probably 10 PN barrels before I saw a so so one. It worked fine for lots of bullets and out to 300 but beyond and heavy ones it wasn't quite right, didn't like the 90s. So I used it for other things... seems it shot the 77s in 223 in 10 shot groups under 2 inches at 300 so it wasn't totally a bad barrel deal....

I was just curious. I keep PN on my list too. Right now though I'm so pleased with the Rock, that I'm about to order another one soon I think.

I have had 5 Pac Nor barrels and have had one bad one that Pac Nor replaced after looking at it. The new one shot no better. I have had 3 Krieger barrels and all have been excellent. Shilen, a sample of one was ok. Frankly, I have had as good a luck with Douglas as the others, and my current build is getting a Douglas tube put on it.

What U building? And are you going cm of stls?

Dober

I have had a few douglas and I still have yet to be anywhere near satisfied with any of them. Probably had my last one ever on a 7mm. Its an ok tube but its FAR from a tackdriver.

rost-I'm with you, I've had 3 CM/Dougy barrels and non of them were worth a hoot. I hear that the Stls tubes are better but I can a top of a line tube for a few bucks more so why chance it...?

Were the Dougy's that you had Cm or Stls?

Thx
Dober

A less controversial question would be who are the three most beautiful actresses, but I like Rock, Broughton, Brux, LW and
Kreiger. The other pertinent issues are delivery time and how well they stand behind their products, these makers walk the walk, and will make right any problems. I have a Rock reject he gave me that will shoot 5 or 10 into less than .40... from a Stevens 200.

Dober,
Hope all is well! We need to talk soon! I am building a 7X57, and it is a SS tube.

Honestly, I have had some awesome shooting factory tubes, and have only purchased aftermarket tubes when I wanted something specific. I have even suspected a bad barrel, only to learn it was bad dies. Lots of things go into the equation.

call me tomorrow if you can, pm'd you my cell

Dober

So many good barrels,hard to know where to start......most of the High Power guys I know run Krieger.

I've had other barrels from a few makers but Kriegers are all I use any more.Been a few years since I ordered anything else.Always a safe haven.

Have seen some good results from Brux lately, though.

Why don't we make this a sticky? You can go to it and see there are 25 good barrels. That way we don't have to take all this forum space up again.
Butch

Two of the best shooting rifles I've ever had, a 308 and 300 WM, both have Rock barrels. Both shoot unbelievably good, and neither foul, I mean there is absolutely no copper build up. I never clean either on of them, and I mean never. If .308 is your bore, go Rock.

I know the guys at Krieger and Bartlein and would buy a barrel from either in a heartbeat. That said, I have some Kriegers, an Obermeyer, a Brux, and a couple of Douglas'. The Douglas barrels are o.k., but seem to be just a hair behind the others in accuracy and clean-up. My next barrel will be either from Krieger, Bartlein or Brux. I have a .30-06 project and a .260 project in the works. Not knowing which one will be first, but one of these guys will get the business.

Fast Ed