Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Adams & Bennett Barrels

What is the word on Adams & Bennett barrels - are they good deals or not?

I have not shot one, but they do not claim (as far as I know) to be superior barrels. Just a cheap, quick & dirty way to make a decent sporter out of an old military rifle. For just a little more, compared to the overall cost of a re-barrel job, you can have a really good barrel installed. In my opinion this is not a good place to cut costs. But then on rifles there really are not any good places to cut costs. Hopefully a few people who have them and have shot them will weigh in here. I am curious as well.

I have one on my 350 Rigby, which started out as a 35 whelen ackley. It wasn't that accurate a whelen ackley, which I'll blame on the first smith, but since a good smith re-chambered it and re-crowned it, I can't complain with the accuracy. The bores are rough and take much effort to get clean, but the accuracy seems to stay with quite a few rounds down range between cleaning. I'd say it's on par with most factory barrels.

That said, for the effort and expense of building a custom gun, why be content with factory level quality? For not alot more, you can get a match grade barrel, and properly chamberered, it will outshoot a factory gun, and won't take hours to clean.

Quality is comenserate with price, up to you what you want.

"That said, for the effort and expense of building a custom gun, why be content with factory level quality? For not alot more, you can get a match grade barrel, and properly chamberered, it will outshoot a factory gun, and won't take hours to clean."

I'm mostly concerned with straightness and dimensional accuracy. Roughness isn't a major concern since lapping will take care of most problems. I work on odd things like SMLEs, 1903 Mannlicher-Schoenauers, Marlin 336s, surplus Mausers, etc. - rifles that can't justify a premium barrel. So really what I'm looking for is the most bang for my buck (pun intentional).
Bandukwallah

Great barrels for the price. These are made for hunting rifles....sight it in shoot it 5 times a year and put it away. In this application, they are superb. Just don't think you are going to shoot competition with one, cause that's not what they are made for. I have 2 of them on Mauser actions that are sub1/2 moa commonly referred to as a tack driver. Also, the MV's you are used to will increase on these fine barrels. Well worth the price for a hunting rifle. Regards, Rick.

I recently had a F14 A&B light weight contour .257 roberts installed on a vz 24 action and I'm very happy with it. BTW Midway has them on sale right now for $79 and they throw in a free Synthetic stock. The stock is just a field grade corelite sporter, but you could always get $40 for it on ebay and now your barrel cost $39 net. One other note. I blued my own A&B barrel with Opho blue gel and it came out fantastic.

Weagle

I take it when you say 1903 M-S you mean the military version and not commercial?

Affirmative.

They are rumored to be ER Shaw manufacture

Adams & Bennetts are ER Shaw seconds, mostly because of their roughness. They shoot very well if you lap them.

MD

I don't mind a little "sweat equity". A buddy and I once lapped out a tight 30-06 barrel - went from a .298/306 to .300/.308. Took about 1000 passes with a tight lap. The rifle shot great afterwards.

I don't know about you guys, but if you shoot your rifles a lot, it becomes a real chore to clean the bores properly if they are rough. I have a 338-06, it is so rough, that after 5 shots, you can push cooper chunks out of the bore with tight patches. This is just unsatisfactory. Not only is it a pain in the ass, but I can't get the velocities the cartridge is capable of generating.

Like a couple of the guys have said, it isn't much more for a premium barrel, and they really out perform the cheaper A&B'S, and Shaws.

Jerry

Bandukwallah--

I had a similar experience with a .257 Bob A&B barrel. Originally it slugged about .254, but after several hundred passes with a bore brush wrapped with a patch swabbed with 120-grit, it measured .257 and shot very, very well.

It all depends on your budget. I like Liljas and Kriegers but if you can't afford 'em, lapping a cheaper barrel yourself can result in a real shooter.

MD

'Hope that barrel resides on a Mexican Mauser that I've heard about.

Jeff

MD, I'm glad you said that because I had always wondered but hadn't heard it from a reputable source.

Do you know how they define "seconds"? My understanding of "seconds" is they failed to meet some quality standard. If that's the case, E.R. Shaw must have very high percentage of "seconds" given the number of A&B barrels that Midway sells.

Weagle

Having an ER Shaw second is like buying a Vega that flunked the quality control test!!! A Shilen is not the lateset and greatest of barrels but they are very good and not that much money! You will have a much nicer finished product. Even older guns in mild calibers can benefit from good tubes.

I have had both good and not so good A&B barrels. However, the A&Bs that I bought for my Savage switch-barrel project all shoot good groups and the 1 in 8" twist 22-250 barrel is so good with 60 grain Partitions that I'm thinking about stealing it from the Savage clan and installing it on a Remington 788 action.

Jeff

I too have had some success with A&B?Shaw barrels. I have also had some "unsuccess" with them. I have a 35 Whelen that has a Shaw barrel and shoots like a house on fire, all groups are under an inch with any bullet I put thru it. I was so impressed, I ordered another one in 6.5-06, along with the 338-06, I mentioned earlier. They both were dogs, and it cost me more money to "clean" them up and make um shoot, than if I had bought a good barrel in the first place.

I guess what this boils down to is: EXPERIENCE! I would NOW rather pay a little more, and know I will have a shooter than fiddle with something which MAY OR MAY NOT SHOOT, OR CLEAN EASILY! Another advantage of the Pac-Nor's, Shilen's, etc. Is customer service, which is much better than the Shaws/A&B'S.

Jerry

Absolutely, which is why I won't be buying another A&B barrel, my time is getting more and more precious to me, so having a barrel I'll likely have to fiddle with just isn't worth it.

That sale was over 4 years ago.