Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats How are Shilen barrels?

I have five.

They all shoot very well.

338RUM
338-06
300 Win. Mag.
7MM Rem. Mag.
309 JDJ

I have purchased several Shilen barrels in just the last couple of years, all have been very good.
Some people have a problem with Shilen having different grades of barrels, just always get the select match and you will be pleased.

I guess I have to go with the match grade barrel because I want to have it blued like the factory one was vs the select match grade

The chrome moly ones aren't lapped unless you specify and pay extra.

I had a 260 Shilen Select Match barrel and the best 5 shot 100 yard group measured .188!

It matters more who's threading and chambering your barrel. Headspace, etc.... well and the shooter.

I say their good!!

I think the shooter is most important and not the gunsmith.

I think they are under rated for their hunting rifle barrels. I have had a few, all shot and cleaned well.

Thanks butchlambert1... I'll take that as a compliment! LOL

I love the 30" barrel on my 264 WM shoots better than I do. Shilen is a winner.

I have over a dozen Shilen barrels in calibers ranging from 223 to 9.3 and every single one is a tack driver and shhot well under 1". Almost all of mine are the chromoly and unlapped and they all clean up easy and shoot even better. The 22 cal barrels i have are downright scary accurate. I have shot multiple groups with them that could be covered with a nickel at 200 yards. I have Lilja, Krieger, Schnieder, Hart, Obermeyer, halfmoon, Rock, and a few others and the Shilens hold their own against them.

I've had several Shilens over the past 20-some years and they've all shot very well. In fact one was the most accurate 7mm barrel I've ever owned, and I've had a number of accurate custom rifles in various 7mm caliber.

I suspect one reason some (not all) shooters suggest another brand is Shilens are seen as old-school, plus the constant chasing of the brand-of-the-moment.

Ordered me a #5 .284 ratchet twist at 1/8 the other day. First attempt at the rachet twist but all the shilen barrels I'v had shot the lights out. Been very pleased with them

Heres my lst 260 build at 100 and 200yds. SM, Rem Varmint countour at 26"
http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww151/summitsitter/DSC03761.jpg
http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww151/summitsitter/DSC03763.jpg

Heres' the target where I was fine tuning after the ladder test.

http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww151/summitsitter/IMG_9873.jpg

5 shots out of 6.5-06AI

The "brand of the moment" thing is certainly a major factor in choices. I have installed hundreds of Shilen barrels and have seldom been disappointed. I have also used at least a dozen other brands with good results.
My requirements for a good barrel are:
It must be reasonably straight. Crooked barrels are harder to work with.
The internal finish should be reasonably smooth.
The size must be uniform from end to end with no tight or loose spots.
The barrel has to be properly stress relieved. If I turn a blank and it warps, I will not buy from that maker again.
I don't much care about the exterior finish. As the gunsmith, it's my job to finish the barrel. I depend on the barrel maker to drill, ream, rifle, and stress relieve.
If the barrel meets these criteria, it will usually shoot well. If it does not meet these criteria, the odds are against it shooting well although I've seen a lot of very accurate, very ugly, barrels.
The Shilen barrels I have used over the last 35 years have almost always met my expectations. When they did not, Shilen stood behind their product.
The lapping of the SS barrels is as much to remove all traces of the copper lubricant used for the button as for any thing else. A different lube is used with CM barrels so lapping is omitted.
Barrelmakers usually do not lap to correct dimensional shortcomings but do lap to achieve the desired internal finish. Often the so-called lapping operation is more a polishing step than actually lapping.
Lapping can be used to correct dimensions in a barrel but it is difficult and time consuming. I once lapped about .0017" out of a 7mm barrel to bring it up closer to the size of the loose spots and I had to break for lunch! GD

Bill,
You are correct on the lapping to rid the SS barrels of copper lube. That is why I have always said, lapping does not make a more accurate barrel.

If it improves the lay of the internal finish it's likely going to reduce fouling, or no?

You told me Shilen laps after reaming but before rifling, not just after rifling, despite them answering my question about that with an unqualified no. What are they removing with the first lapping (if there are two sessions) since there hasn't been any copper ironed on by a rifling button yet?

Reamer marks is what I understand to prepare the surface for rifling.

Exactly, if they are doing that lapping. But I asked Shilen a direct question about that, and in no uncertain terms they said no they do not.

I know a lot of the cut rifling manufacturers do a pre-rifling lap, but the button makers generally don't.

That's interesting about Shilen. I was under the impression that all barrel makers lapped after deep hole drilling, regardless of the rifling method to be used. Kinda like laying the ground work for the end result. Would be interesting to find out how Shilen can get such a super smooth finish that doesn't require prep lapping for rifling.

I have Shilen barrels in 22-250 1-8, 260rem 1-8 and a 30br 1-17.
All are stainless and shoot very well, they clean up nicely too.

I never worried much about how somebody does their job,
I judge a product by results.

Like I said love mine