I am rebarreling my 30-06 to a 25-06 and I was wondering how the Shilen barrels are? I guess the smith I am using can get them easy. It can be harder to get barrels up here in Canada.

Check the availability on Broughton barrels.

My first one, a SS SM .30 cal., is great. I like it well enough that I have another at the gunsmith right now for a 6MM build.

Listen to your smith.

I have only one Shilen, a CM one on my Dakota 76-.338WM and when I first got this rifle, May, 1994, I was quite disappointed in it's accuracy. I decided to send the piece back to Don Allen, spoke with Norma over the phone and I just wanted some minor issues done, bolt jeweled, etc.

When, I received it back, I did nothing special and just used a load given me by a UBC "prof" I used to shoot with, a warmish, but, issue-free load. The barrel had not been changed,although they had offered to do so and I was curious as to WTF was happening.

So, changing from my longtime standby of IMR-4350 to the then quite "new" RE-22, I worked up to WW or Fed. brass, CCI250, 250NP and 77-RE-22 and WHAMMO, .6-.7" three shot groups at 100M, consistently. That was IT for me and I seldom use any other load, although I used some Fed. Premium 225 TBs my second year with this to dispatch two Van. Island Blacktails and they would shoot close to .5" anytime I was holding well.

Then, I had Ralf Martini install an Hill Country Micky, with some other neat custom mods and the bedding by Jan Kolenbrander is simply outstanding. This was in 2010-2011 and the old rifle now shoots the above load AND the same data with the 250 Horn. IL-SPs to the same p.o.i. and as small groups as before.

Sooooo,would I buy another Shilen,...in a heartbeat and I want one in Fwt-.284 or .257 bore for my last Brno 21 action. Who is your smith as I could perhaps buy a barrel from him?

Lilja, is another that I have found to be excellent and I also like their contours. Still another and highly recommended by Peter Dobson of "Hirsh Precision" when he called me to explain the dearth of Kreigers at present is these "Benchmark" tubes from just south of me in Washington state and there is an importer here in BC.

My smith is very keen on Gaillard, yet another option, but, while I have a custom U/L "sheep rifle"coming with one in 7/08, I have never actually shot one or the Benchmark, either. Just some suggestions as the Shilen is great.

I bought a 1-8" Shilen 6mm tube, it's being twisted on right now and will be Cerakoted. I've got high hopes....

+1 Unless you've got a reason against it or your mind set on something else, use what they prefer.

I will do that...

I had a shilen on a sako 308 shot and cleaned up well !

Here is the zero check target from my .280AI It has a #3 Shilen SS matchgrade barrel on it.


Three shots at 100 yards

What twist you going to run, 1-9?

when building a rifle Shilen is my first choice.

My 338 Federal shoots great no problems just a great shooter

Have a Supermatch SS Shilen inbound to rebarrel my UL Goat-gun in .260. fingers crossed

Just built a 6.5-06 with .294neck #3 contour barrel with Shilen select match 24.5in barrel. Remington XCR action Shoots 127gr "new" Barnes and 140gr Sierra's damn near in the same hole at 100yds. Shoots 160gr Hornady's RN in 1/2 groups. Easy to clean...my opinion top three makers on the market.

Oh, it's that guy.

Well then... X2

Yup, 24" and it will have to be the same contour as my super grade to fit the stock.



Yup that guy

Be sending off soon to him

Super Grade in 25-o6. That's going to be a dandy!

Might wanna hold on to that one, for a change...

Yup this one isn't going anywhere!

I have a half a dozen and everyone I own shoots better than I do. They clean nice, they are easy to get, and are reasonably priced. Great combination in my book. I am quite sure there are many decent barrels, fewer decent gunsmiths, and even fewer really honest good shots instead of Internet magical groups etc. They ave been making barrels a long time.........if they were not good at it I think the market would make them go away.

I have five.

They all shoot very well.

338RUM
338-06
300 Win. Mag.
7MM Rem. Mag.
309 JDJ

I have purchased several Shilen barrels in just the last couple of years, all have been very good.
Some people have a problem with Shilen having different grades of barrels, just always get the select match and you will be pleased.

I guess I have to go with the match grade barrel because I want to have it blued like the factory one was vs the select match grade

The chrome moly ones aren't lapped unless you specify and pay extra.

I had a 260 Shilen Select Match barrel and the best 5 shot 100 yard group measured .188!

It matters more who's threading and chambering your barrel. Headspace, etc.... well and the shooter.

I say their good!!

I think the shooter is most important and not the gunsmith.

I think they are under rated for their hunting rifle barrels. I have had a few, all shot and cleaned well.

Thanks butchlambert1... I'll take that as a compliment! LOL

I love the 30" barrel on my 264 WM shoots better than I do. Shilen is a winner.

I have over a dozen Shilen barrels in calibers ranging from 223 to 9.3 and every single one is a tack driver and shhot well under 1". Almost all of mine are the chromoly and unlapped and they all clean up easy and shoot even better. The 22 cal barrels i have are downright scary accurate. I have shot multiple groups with them that could be covered with a nickel at 200 yards. I have Lilja, Krieger, Schnieder, Hart, Obermeyer, halfmoon, Rock, and a few others and the Shilens hold their own against them.

I've had several Shilens over the past 20-some years and they've all shot very well. In fact one was the most accurate 7mm barrel I've ever owned, and I've had a number of accurate custom rifles in various 7mm caliber.

I suspect one reason some (not all) shooters suggest another brand is Shilens are seen as old-school, plus the constant chasing of the brand-of-the-moment.

Ordered me a #5 .284 ratchet twist at 1/8 the other day. First attempt at the rachet twist but all the shilen barrels I'v had shot the lights out. Been very pleased with them

Heres my lst 260 build at 100 and 200yds. SM, Rem Varmint countour at 26"
http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww151/summitsitter/DSC03761.jpg
http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww151/summitsitter/DSC03763.jpg

Heres' the target where I was fine tuning after the ladder test.

http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww151/summitsitter/IMG_9873.jpg

5 shots out of 6.5-06AI

The "brand of the moment" thing is certainly a major factor in choices. I have installed hundreds of Shilen barrels and have seldom been disappointed. I have also used at least a dozen other brands with good results.
My requirements for a good barrel are:
It must be reasonably straight. Crooked barrels are harder to work with.
The internal finish should be reasonably smooth.
The size must be uniform from end to end with no tight or loose spots.
The barrel has to be properly stress relieved. If I turn a blank and it warps, I will not buy from that maker again.
I don't much care about the exterior finish. As the gunsmith, it's my job to finish the barrel. I depend on the barrel maker to drill, ream, rifle, and stress relieve.
If the barrel meets these criteria, it will usually shoot well. If it does not meet these criteria, the odds are against it shooting well although I've seen a lot of very accurate, very ugly, barrels.
The Shilen barrels I have used over the last 35 years have almost always met my expectations. When they did not, Shilen stood behind their product.
The lapping of the SS barrels is as much to remove all traces of the copper lubricant used for the button as for any thing else. A different lube is used with CM barrels so lapping is omitted.
Barrelmakers usually do not lap to correct dimensional shortcomings but do lap to achieve the desired internal finish. Often the so-called lapping operation is more a polishing step than actually lapping.
Lapping can be used to correct dimensions in a barrel but it is difficult and time consuming. I once lapped about .0017" out of a 7mm barrel to bring it up closer to the size of the loose spots and I had to break for lunch! GD

Bill,
You are correct on the lapping to rid the SS barrels of copper lube. That is why I have always said, lapping does not make a more accurate barrel.

If it improves the lay of the internal finish it's likely going to reduce fouling, or no?

You told me Shilen laps after reaming but before rifling, not just after rifling, despite them answering my question about that with an unqualified no. What are they removing with the first lapping (if there are two sessions) since there hasn't been any copper ironed on by a rifling button yet?

Reamer marks is what I understand to prepare the surface for rifling.

Exactly, if they are doing that lapping. But I asked Shilen a direct question about that, and in no uncertain terms they said no they do not.

I know a lot of the cut rifling manufacturers do a pre-rifling lap, but the button makers generally don't.

That's interesting about Shilen. I was under the impression that all barrel makers lapped after deep hole drilling, regardless of the rifling method to be used. Kinda like laying the ground work for the end result. Would be interesting to find out how Shilen can get such a super smooth finish that doesn't require prep lapping for rifling.

I have Shilen barrels in 22-250 1-8, 260rem 1-8 and a 30br 1-17.
All are stainless and shoot very well, they clean up nicely too.

I never worried much about how somebody does their job,
I judge a product by results.

Like I said love mine

What I've gathered is a finish reaming is done after deep hole drilling.

Maybe that's what they do to get the surface ready for rifling.

Mathman, they do ream after drilling and unless they stopped last week, they were lapping before rifling. If you are at the NRA show this weekend, stop by the Shilen booth. I should be there.

I won't be there, but if I was I'd love to talk to you and the guys at Shilen.

I dug through all my old emails from my old service to find the question I asked Shilen:

Quote: "In a discussion of barrel making, a question arose about lapping. Specifically, are your barrels lapped after boring/reaming but before rifling?"

Answer: "No."

There's my confusion. Unfortunately there was no identifying information included about who provided the negative answer. The Q&A occurred in March 2012.

Based on my experience they are great...

jim

Me too.

Mathman,
I will agree in the past they didn't lap after reaming. I will ask Wade this weekend when they started. I would like to know who you visited with.

I did once get a Shilen barrel which featured suchprominent reamer marks on top of the lands that I called to see if they were broaching some calibers since this looked for all the world like a broached barrel. I lapped this particular barrel before I sent it out. This was the only one of hundreds I ever saw this on.
Many buttoned barrels will show vestiges of the reamer marks which have been ironed out by the button but which are still visible if viewed straight on or with a borescope. Lapping, prior to rifling produces a much better finish.
Depending on the shop, the pre-rifling lapping is done with a rotary lap and produces a finish closer to honing than a straight lap would do.
Occasionally, barrelmakers have a tendency to blow a little smoke. One European maker produces flawless barrels in the brochure but the toolmarks in the actual product make it difficult to believe the manufacturing process is exactly as described. GD

You reckon GD?