Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Custom Barrels Need your thoughts

Many of you have posted about how good - great your custom barreled rifle is. Most of you use big names like Pac Nor, Shilen, Hart etc. What thoughts or opinions do you have of the smaller custom barrels (Broughton-Richards, Black Star, Van Horn, Border etc.) Thanks Deadeye

I had a barrle made for my Thompson encore it is a D A Van Horn in 280 ackley. the barrle is 24 inches long and is a 1/2 inch shooter at 100 yards all day. I shot a black bear a 270 plus yards two weeks ago in the head...the gun will shoot like none I have ever seen.
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<br>This barrel pretty much sold me on custom barrels

The big trick on a custom barrel is not just the quality barrel. It's the quality of instalation.
<br> Many have learned that a good factory barrel, like Remington, can be set back, rechambered, and trued, etc. for significantly better results.
<br> Then, too, glass bedding, and good handloads often work with factory barrels.
<br> The custom barrels, properly installed, in the lighter weights, often shoot as well as most heavy contours. E

Name brand barrels are usually finishing consitently in the top 10 of major competitions and have great customer service. The smaller companies suffer from not having good equipment. Actually a lot of the equipment they buy is second hand (doesn't hold tight tollerances any more) and is why the first hand user sold it. Take Lilja for instance, they send a camera and an air guage down each barrel to check the lapping and the uniformity. There are only a couple of companies that do that. A couple of the barrel makers you mentioned don't even lap their barrels, so they foul, just like factory barrels. Lapping a match barrel uniformly from the factory is VERY key to good accuracy. You get what you pay for in most regards. They didn't get to be name brand barrel makers for no reason. Spend the extra $60 or so and get a good barrel. Flinch

To get specific how would you rate Douglas barrels for quality. I know there are other makers that are hotter names now, but Douglas has been around forever, has nice contours, and quicker delivery times than most.
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<br>Also, please, give your opinion of Montana Rifleman's barrels since it would be easy to order an action and barrel plus installation and receive a barreled action for one stop shopping.
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<br>Fireplug

fireplug.Ultra Light Arms uses Douglas barrels.I had one that was probley one of the best sporter weight barrels I've ever had. On a 280AI.I would buy another.
<br>dave

I very much like Douglas tubes,have had many and nary a single issue,with a single one. I can't say they are the Holy Grail,but you could easily do much worse.
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<br>Douglas has my supreme confidence,in their barrels..............
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I have seen many people who would tell you Douglas barrels foul a little more because they aren't near as smooth, but they will shoot with the best of them!(service rifle)
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<br>Blackstar has an excellent reputation in the service rifle sport also, however they have had some quality control issues or something because sometimes they shoot and sometimes they don't....Most recommend Krieger as being smooth(less fouling),hard(lasts longer) and accurate!
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<br>For bolt guns and regular rifle cartridges I defer to the others on the board. Although my personal opinion is it's hard to beat a $400-$500 deal from Pac-Nor. That is who I'll probably use in the future(if I ever get any money).
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<br>Mike

I have two Douglas barrels. They do shoot well, are cheaper to buy and have short turnaround time. They DO NOT lap their barrels and they do foul more than other brands I have tried. If you are loading "hot rod" rounds that shoot bullets over 3,000 fps, you will be further ahead to get a Pac-Nor, Lilja, or Hart, because they lap their barrels and they don't foul. If you are shooting bullets under 3,000 fps and are looking to save a little time and money, go with Douglas. I find that Douglas barrels really start to settle down and shoot well after digesting 450+ rounds. Other barrels that are lapped are shooting and settling down at 150 or so. For the $50 difference, I lean towards the lapped barrels of the higher price and of name brand. Pac-Nor will give you a match barrel chambered to your choice of rounds, instal it on your action, true and lap your action and send it back to you ready to shoot for $420. They do a good job and their barrels shoot well, if you are looking for one stop shopping, they are tough to beat. Flinch

Thanks All,
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<br>I appreciate the information. All the premium barrel makers are close enough in price that this can be considered a non issue. What I am having trouble coping with is the lead times they quote for what we know, by the price and reason is only a hour or so's task. and then some of the hot names are known to actually take twice as long as quoted. Twelve weeks is a long time to wait for a part, even an important part like a barrel. My complete airplane kit took less than half that long.
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<br>Fireplug

I very much like the Douglas tube on my 338 Ultra. It took exactly 8 rounds to break-in the barrel. I use moly coated bullets,so fouling is a non-issue to me anyway. It will go at least 100-150 rounds before I notice any metal fouling at all and the groups still don't open up. I would buy another Douglas barrel in a heartbeat...James