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Wilkup Offline OP
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I've never owned a barrel from this company, only Bartlein, Kreiger, and Brux at this point.
I don't want to wait around for a barrel to show up for the next several weeks and I can pickup a brand new Shilen CM Match Grade blank for under $200 today. I'm not worried about it being CM because I intend to have the barreled action nitrided.
How accurate are these barrels? I expect how carefully the chamber is cut has just as much to do with accuracy, but I don't know a thing about this barrel maker.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Last edited by Wilkup; 05/24/17.
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Shilen is my first choice when i build a rifle for myself


A Doe walks out of the woods today and says, that is the last time I'm going to do that for Two Bucks.
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Not sure if it is still the case but a while back the CM Shilen tubes were not finish lapped. Not sure I would want to take the chance on seeing how it fouls if that's still the case.

In the current stable of custom rifles I have Mullerworks, Rock, Brux, Shilen, Douglas, Lilja, McGowen and Bartlein tubes represented. My Shilen (1-9" .264) is a fine shooter but in my experience, nothing coppers less and shoots better groups right out of the gate than the Mullers. I have both button and cut rifled tubes from Dan and all are simply spectacular.

You didn't say what caliber or specs you are after but take a look at Bugholes.com and if they have what you are after, buy once...cry once.


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Wilkup: That is a great price on a great barrel.
I have had very good luck with Shilen barrels.
Best of luck to you with whichever you choose.
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Originally Posted by Wilkup
I've never owned a barrel from this company, only Bartlein, Kreiger, and Brux at this point.
I don't want to wait around for a barrel to show up for the next several weeks and I can pickup a brand new Shilen CM Match Grade blank for under $200 today. I'm not worried about it being CM because I intend to have the barreled action nitrided.
How accurate are these barrels? I expect how carefully the chamber is cut has just as much to do with accuracy, but I don't know a thing about this barrel maker.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.


Yes, the quality of the fitting and chambering of a barrel is as important as the barrel itself- as is the ammunition it's fed.

Having said that I would ask the experienced gunsmiths whom you have had chamber your barrels if THEY would spend their $200 on Shilen barrel.

The cost of the barrel blank itself is the cheapest part of the equation. The fitting and chambering and the value of the ammo ypu will fire on it during its liferime are all more expensive than the blank itself. Sometimes a "bargain" is no bargain at all.

This might be a perfect example of patience being a virtue;)

Last edited by jk16; 05/24/17.
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Own four rifles with shilen barrels. Shoot with gents that own shilen barreled rifles. Attended a Shilen Open house a couple of years ago and purchased a couple of barrels off their bargain rack. These were barrels someone had placed an order for and cancelled or there was some cosmetic type problem with them. For example, one of the reject barrels I bought had been threaded for a large ring mauser, but their was a chip in the threads. No problem for me, for I wanted the barrel for a small ring mauser rifle built to make a 250 Savage. Barrel cost was $75. When entering their building a couple of guys that shoot at our range were leaving. Both were carrying five or so of these bargain barrels. It was not their first time to buy them and they were quite happy with them. In short, I'd be very surprised if you will be unhappy with a Shilen. I've yet to hear one of my fellow range members with a Shilen barrel on their rifle have any regret about it.

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Wilkup Offline OP
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This will be getting mated to a custom action and chambered for 300 WSM. I can always get another PRS-quality barrel down the road if this one isn't up to par. It's going on a hunting rifle and I handload everything I shoot. I don't really need to be shooting in the .2s and .3s with this rifle. It'd be wonderful if a $200 barrel was on that level, but know that's an unreasonable expectation.
JK16, you do raise a good point about the barrel being the cheapest part of the equation in regards to everything else I'm considering...
- $850 Custom Action
- $350 Stock Blank
- $100 Trigger
- $100 Bottom Metal
- $50 Mag Box
- $300 Gunsmithing Cost

Maybe I'll just spend the extra $100 and pick up a Bartlein since I know they're going to give good groups. My best shooting rifle of all time had a Bartlein and posted my best group of all time wink
Now you got me rethinking this purchase after writing all the numbers up there. DMN!T

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I can state flat out, you will not be disappointed in a Shilen. And now, the CM ones are hand lapped

Last edited by Jkob; 05/25/17.

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Another vote for Shilen. I picked up a pile of them last year and have chambered about 10...every one is a shooter.

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I have only had two but was very impressed with them. I never could shoot well enough to find out how accurate they are. I suspect if I had tried them in a machine rest I would have gotten many one hole groups. Even with my shooting ability clover leaf groups were the norm and they were not sensitive to bullet changes and clean up was easy. I like that Shilen will do stainless steel in the lighter contours that some others don't.


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I have used them since the early 70s and so far I have never received a bad one.

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I have one on an AR15 and it shoots great. Don't feel the barrel can be blamed if they don't all go into a small group - it's up to the shooter.


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I have an old Mauser 98 that was rebuilt from the ground up. 7x57 AI barrel is from Shilen, and it's always been a very accurate rifle.


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Back in the 90's there was a rumor floating around that they were "soft". It implied that they would wear out or the throat would burn out quick. I did not find this to be true. I have barreled several actions with them and also two of my own and I have not been disappointed. The barrel you are talking about for under $200 is the same ones I got and neither of mine were lapped. In fact, if you borescope it you will see quite a few tooling marks, but they don't foul any worse or less than anything else. The ones that are lapped are the "select match" grade and you will not see any tooling marks in those. Many people say that they spent the extra money and the select barrels didn't shoot any better than the regular grades. I will say one other thing...do not make the mistake of automatically concluding that just because it's a Bartlein barrel it will "give good groups"....I have barreled up several rifles with those too.

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They lap ALL of their barrels now!


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Originally Posted by Jkob
They lap ALL of their barrels now!



How many are still in the pipeline that are not lapped?

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As good as any, better than most

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Originally Posted by mathman
Originally Posted by Jkob
They lap ALL of their barrels now!



How many are still in the pipeline that are not lapped?


Good point....at least all of the ones Brownell's sells, the exception being the select match.

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I own a entire rifle built by Ed Shilen in June of 1979. It is a .308 I think #2 contour. This rifle shoots a ragged 3 shot 1 hole group a 100 yards! You won't be disappointed!

Last edited by Smac1; 05/28/17. Reason: misspelled word

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