Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Thoughts on octagon barrels.

I love the octagons, but a critical factor is the length of the cylindrical shank at the chamber end.

Most gunsmiths - in the US - make them too long. They do this so they can grab them with a common barrel vise.

To look "right" (to me anyway) the cylindrical portion needs to be short (look at the classic European octagons). This requires making shims for your barrel vise or casting bushings out of bedding compound, but it's worth the extra effort to me.

Here's one on a 7mm Mauser.



And I'm putting another in 30-06 on a 1909 next.

That is a beauty Chris.
Butch

Does any one do these barrels for under 2K, if you supply the blank?

I gots me a couple. One on a Ruger #1 another on an Encore.







ML

I think Lothar walther has a good price on this type of barrel. PM ButchLambert1 and ask him. He know's the details.

Terry

Thank you for the reply. I'm in need of one in .223 for a .22 Lr Springfield 1922. I've had quotes around 3K. Far to rich for my blood. I will PM Butch. I've got a fantastic Myrtle wood stock that looks like marble cake French. I'm only a barrel away from finishing this long winded project.

here is some info on Walthers http://www.lothar-walther.com/278.php

Got my quote from Woody, looks like 1.5 K for that same barrel.

Thank you Terry and Butch.

That's less than I would have thought... good news.

For what it is worth, I know one guy with one of these barrels on a Mauser and it shoots well under one MOA.

Looks neat too!

John

What to my eye is the nicest part octagonal to round with full length rib. The transition into a wedding band at the departure point of the octagonal to round. When you have the completed rifle in hand and send it off to the engraver for two gold rings on the wedding band (one on either end, with a space between the two).

For me nothing else competes, for looks.

I'll see if I can take photos of a friends sako vixen with octo to round, with full length rib, rear 2 leaf, front short ramp and ivory bead. A Flaigs gun from PA in the 60's, possibly the finest tiny stalking rifle I've seen. Its in .222 mag also. Just a gorgeous gun.

Octagon barrels add class to a rifle, and I like the looks of them. Same with color case hardening on "selected" parts of the rifle. Also, some Roger Kehr engraving adds MUCH to enhance a rifle's beauty.
As long as the complete rifle looks good, I'm all for it.
Mark Stratton, and I believe James Anderson too, do some awesome octagon barrel work. I can drool over the above stuff all day long..

Don

http://www.montanarifleman.com/barreltechinfo.htm

Montana Rifleman shows an octagonal barrel as part of their inventory options at a reasonable price. I have heard that they're pretty good barrels but have no personal experience with them.

[quote=3sixbits]What to my eye is the nicest part octagonal to round with full length rib. The transition into a wedding band at the departure point of the octagonal to round.


Thanks 3sixbits that is what I was trying to describe on my earlier post.I have seen just the one like that and it was a stunner. The 'wedding band'is quite mild convex and if the band is backed up against the fore end tip it is spectacular.

Von Gruff.

The added weight is to increase physical fitness while hunting since you are away from the treadmill.

I have and 8X57 like you describe, looks much like the barrel on Terry's rifled pictured here. Once you get a taste for rifles like that, you had better have real deep pockets. It means going from a tap water budget to something a little more costly than Mad Dog 20-20.

Another alternative would be to buy an old guild gun with a nice looking barrel on it then Have it re-bored like you want it. The one you see in the above picture I paid $250 for and sent it over to Jim Duball and had it re-bored from a 8X57J to a .338-06.

Here is another one I bought and did the same thing too. It's a .260 Remington now. I hope to get it stocked soon.

Terry

Here's another angle. This is a 30-06.

New_Guy's 1909 with the octagon barrel is great art! A rifeman's art.