Originally Posted by z1r
Originally Posted by Dirtfarmer
Walther makes a great barrel. They're made out of really tough steel and I've heard gunsmiths complain about how hard Walther steel is on their reamers. When confronted with this issue, a Walther tech told me those gunsmiths just didn't know how to ream a chamber, which sounded a bit cold and condescending to me. I think Walther steel is tough to machine.DF


Utter and total bullshit. Their SS barrels require a much more agressive feed rate than many are accustomed to and consequently, many have problems chambering those barrels. Their Non-SS barrels ream like butter. And the only ones complaining about them are those who have never actually chambered a LW non-SS barrel and read about how difficult they can be on the internet.

I have installed dozens of LW barrels and never once had an issue with them. All have been exceptional shooters and a tremendous value.

The most common caliber/chambering I install is the 9,3x62, followed not too distantly by the 6.5x55 and then by the 9,3x64.


Mike - Your experiences with L-W barrels seems to fall in line with what other 'smiths have reported. My understanding is that the alloys L-W use are proprietary and the content differs quite a bit from the standard 416R or 43xx series of steels.

Funny, on a recent thread here, two other gunsmiths expressed their reluctance to deal with L-W barrels. One said he would install/chamber only if a carbide reamer was supplied. The other preferred not to and charged an additional $50.

I'm becoming more tolerant of intolerant people.