As to benchresters not using Douglas barrels you must keep in mind that benchresters are a peculiar bunch. I know, because I'm one. You'll see a shooter that's never won a match but insists on using what Tony Boyer uses. Speaking of Tony, he told me about 4 years ago that he bought four Douglas barrels the previous year and two of them were great barrels. He and Faye won several matches with them. He was impressed because the 'success' rate of the barrels he bought was 50%. A few years before that he would get Dwight Scott to chamber 20-22 barrels of another brand and only find 2-3 that were Super Shoot barrels.
I then asked him if he was still using Douglas barrels and he looked at me a little funny and said, "No." If my success rate went from 10% to 50% I'd stick with the higher rate but, as I said, benchresters are a peculiar bunch. Smiley Hensley set a world record for an aggregate (5 record targets) using Douglas barrels but I don't know what Smiley is shooting now.
Tony has told me more than once that a good barrel is where you find it. If I were at a casino and a slot machine paid off every other time I pulled the handle you couldn't get me away from it with a John Deere backhoe.
I'm convinced that Douglas barrels are as good as you can find but I may not be able to convince another person. Makes no difference to me but when a customer asks my opinion I'll tell him what I believe down to the bottom of my feet but I work for him and I'll use whatever he wants me to use. It ain't my rifle I'm building, you know.
Finally, something Mickey and I can agree on. LOL
I know quite a number of people shooting Douglas tubes in benchrest. Mostly smaller local events, but benchrest nonetheless. I also know quite a number of shooters using Douglas tubes for High Power and F-class events with excellent results including numerous medals from Camp Perry over the years.
The grade of steel being used (with Lothar Walther being the exception) is the same, and chances are often comes from the same foundry. Most all of the better names (including Douglas) air-gauge their barrels to the same tolerance as well to ensure quality.
So what's the difference between a $200 blank and a $300 or $400 blank? It basically boils down to the time involved in making the barrel, or more directly, whether or not the blank has been hand lapped.
As for someone else's stating that Pac-Nor barrels are a far better grade than Douglas, you obviously haven't done a direct and controlled comparison. We did just that a few years ago, and while the Pac-Nor initially displayed a very slight advantage in accuracy, it's accuracy started to fall off much sooner than that of the Douglas and by 800 rounds the Douglas was outshooting the Pac-Nor.
The purpose of our test though was more to determine the quality and longevity of the barrels; how the wear would affect accuracy and the usable life of each when subjected to similar use conditions.
Both barrels were chambered for the 6.5-284 Norma and subjected to 1100 rounds with Ramshot Magnum powder, CCI BR2 primers, Lapua 139gr Scenar bullets, and Lapua brass from the same lots. The muzzle velocity on both were kept between 2970 and 3000 feet per second to ensure the throat erosion comparison was fair and balanced.
Tim North at Broughton Barrels performed the post-test evaluation of the barrels for us to ensure an unbiased review. The barrels were simply marked "Barrel A" and "Barrel B" so Tim would not know which manufacturer each came from. Here are his comments:
Barrel A:
Make: Pac-Nor SuperMatch
Length: 27 inches
Material: stainless steel
Twist rate: 1 in 8
Chamber: 6.5-284 Norma
Contour: factory Savage varmint
Grooves: 5
Bore finish: lead lapped by hand
RC hardness: 26 to 28
Tim's notes:
End of chamber and beginning of throat had moderate erosion. Throat had moderate plus checkering & erosion continuing 7" into barrel and then less checkering down barrel. Layered carbon & copper checking in first few inches of barrel. Fouling continued to lessening degree19" from breech then only slight discoloration to muzzle. Crown looked in good shape with minor erosion on knife edge of crown. Should be recrowned and barrel cleaned.
First rotated camera in chamber then went up one land from breech to 17" in middle of barrel then returned to breech. This was repeated for land 3&4. After going to middle of barrel on land 5 camera was returned rotating 360 every approximately 2". This was repeated from muzzle. Muzzle .2633" X .2560"
Throat could not be measured.
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Barrel B:
Make: Douglass via/Sharp Shooter Supply
Length: 27 inches
Material: stainless steel
Twist rate: 1 in 8
Chamber: 6.5-284 Norma
Contour: factory Savage varmint
Grooves: 6
Bore finish: no lapping performed
RC hardness: 28 to 30
Tim's notes:
.2648"X.2572" slightly larger than SAAMI specs. Throat had light wear with very light erosion at end of chamber and beginning of throat. Regular marks in bore believed to be reamer marks are wavy and were pronounced in breech and lesser to muzzle. Middle of barrel 7" in from both muzzle & breech had heavy deposit of copper streaks. Circular marks -reamer marks?- Similar camera process used except up & down all six lands then pulled through rotating stopping every approx. 2". Crown could be recrowned.
SAAMI bore & groove 2640 X 2560 Barrel "A" had a slightly tight groove 2633 and SAAMI 2560 bore. Barrel "B" had a very large oversize muzzle groove & bore 2648 X slightly over 2572. Barrel "B" was interesting, vertical smaller lines going with the direction of the bullet did not appear to pick up copper to any degree, lines perpendicular to the bullet path such as reamer marks or checkering in barrel did have an effect on fouling.
Tim's notes coincide with what many shooters have reported when comparing these two brands and what we had predicted, that being that the Pac-Nor barrels are noticeably softer which leads to earlier throat erosion and the accuracy fading much faster, but generally foul less due to their being hand lapped.
