If "hunting" accuracy is the level of performance expected, why not use a Remington take-off or an A&B? I have Remington take-off barrels that shoot really good "hunting" accuracy groups and A&B barrels in 22-250, 257 Roberts, and 260 that are very accurate.
The type of accuracy required to be competitive in the BR shooting game is, IMO, exponentially greater than the type of accuracy required to shoot anything bigger than a 'chuck within "typical" hunting ranges out to 400+/- yards. It does take a higher grade of accuracy to shoot pdogs at longer ranges, but still not the level required on a BR range. Besides, most people aren't building hunting rifles around Niska Bay or Stolle actions, or at least I don't recall seeing either action on a rifle in the field.
Jeff
Exactly. Truth be told, it's the rare factory rifle that won't deliver acceptable hunting accuracy. Truth be told, it's the rare shooter that's happy with factory rifle accuracy. It's just human nature to want to do 'just a little better'. There is absolutely no need for the level of accuracy needed to win benchrest in hunting situations but when the subject of barrels comes up invariable somebody is going to say, "If Douglas barrels are so great why ain't the benchrest shooters using 'em?"
The statement was made that you can buy a Hart for just under $100 more so why not spend it? That's about 30% more but if that were an argument that we carried over to all facets of our life Wal-Mart would not be in business today.
I'd be willing to bet (and I don't how any of us could prove this) out of 100 barrels from Hart, Krieger, Shilen, Douglas or Schneider we could not tell the difference in a blind test.
A statement made by Gale McMillan was used to put down Douglas barrels and was apparently accepted as 'written in stone'. How does anybody know but what G. R. Douglas and Gale McMillan got into a spat at one time and McMillan was just being hateful or was he trying to eliminate some competition for his brother who was making barrels at the time. Who knows if Gale McMillan actually said that? Who knows?
