Who do you guys like for a good barrel maker with a reasonable turn around time and decent prices? Lots of good barrels out there but that turn around can vary greatly.

Looking to chamber something a bit faster than 8" twist for a .243 AI and +100 grain slippery bullets. Might do a 6mm CM but I already have a used only once reamer for the .243 AI and the current P-N barrel done with it shoots in the .2's for three rounds but it's a 1:9 and does its best work with the circa 85 grain match bullets.

I've had good experience with Shilen, a number of times. They deliver pretty quick and the product is top notch.

I'll go back with them if I need another barrel. I don't think their prices are that much higher than PacNor.

I've also used PacNor in the past and hate to see them down for now.

DF

Never been disappointed with Douglas.

Ive got 5-6 Hart’s and love them all. I’ve had two douglas’ and one went back.... but was unfortunately stolen by the USPS on its return. The first Douglas is a 7/08 that shoots 140 TTSX into one ragged hole. I’ve got two Lilja that are ok and one shilen that is great. One pac nor that is also very good. I just send my actions off to hart and try to forget about them.... then 6-8 months later it’s like Christmas!


Oops.... 3 Douglas. I would buy another. Two are great and the one that went back I’m sure they were going to make right.

I think it’s more important to have the right person screwing it on than who makes the barrel.

Reasonable turnaround is subjective, but Bartlein is one of several barrel makers that trusted rifle makers recommend.

Hard to find someone that supplies and installs the barrels in such a short leas time. Last one I had done was 9 weeks door to door. Always great service, and I was never disappointed in performance.They will be missed!

Good point.

And, another point I’ve made in the past. Pick you smith and ask him which barrel maker to use. His reputation is also on the line and he knows which makers stand behind their products. Some famous name makers aren’t as good about that as others. Your smith will know. You may not.

DF

Has anyone used these guys?
https://raggedholebarrels.net/collections/services

HawkHill and Benchmark.

If time is critical for whatever reason Lilja and Schneider are two good calls.

I've had Douglas fit barrels to four different rifles. Quite satisfied with all of them. Just bought one back. It will be headed back to Douglas in near future for a new barrel with a different chambering.

Brux was super quick on my last one and they make a 1-7" and 1-7.5" 6mm for whatever that's worth.

Having said that, there are so many great bbl's out there these days, it's hard to think we are left hanging at all.

Shaen can re-contour as well.

And Brux.
I absolutely love the two benchmark I have had.

Pacnor was bottom of the (barrel). Sad it burned as they were still on the shooters team. But there barrels were OK if anything.

Bug Holes, Grizzley and several others keep a pretty good inventory of barrels. They favor the Sendero and heavier contours but will have a few sporter weight barrels too. Shilen is fast usually. Best not to get in a hurry and order what you want direct.

This....

I have never owned a Pac-Nor. but seems to just another button rifled barrel at cut & lapped barrel prices.... then again back in the day Stick loved em so there is that.... hahahaha

That dumbfuuck has touted about everything at 1 time of another...😂😂

I have used Douglas for about 35 years, no reason to change.

Holy [bleep] you guys are a broken record with the Larry schit and for what?

Let's all be cool, talk about rifles/fun stuff and give the drama a rest.

Ok dad!! Grin

Hart has fast turn around, broughton is slower than hell....

Oooops we are in trouble... again... sorry Hig, I vote STIHL for the win...

I have had a dozen Douglas barrels and got 2 bad ones. I have had 4 ER Shaw and all have been spectacular... I have had 5 Montana Rifle Co. barrels and they have been very good.
I had one Adams & Bennet and it was very good. I had one Brux and it was good. I have had 3 McGowen and they are ok.....
That's all.....

Krieger and Border have made the very best barrels I have owned. Had good experiences with Bartlein and Shilen too.

I had a couple of Broughtons that were good, but had one that shifted a 1/2 MOA after the cold bore shot and then tightened up for the next shots in sequence. The smith who did several barrels for me blamed the barrel. The barrel maker blamed the smith. The same smith replaced it with a Krieger and everything worked again. A couple other Broughton were ok, but I will not buy any more barrels from him after that hassle and waste of time.

And the best answer is something will eliminate certain barrel makers.

I wanted a Brux for my last barrel and they wouldn’t make it without a takeoff in hand (I wanted to give them measurements). Then they said they wouldn’t make the blank even until I sent them the barrel. Lilja made the blank and Redneck sent them the takeoff when the blank was ready.

I once waited way, way past delivery estimate for a Rock. Like, I ordered another barrel from a different maker a year later and then got them at the same time.

I once was going to order a Benchmark but they wanted a custom contour fee and it was going to be a near $450 barrel, there are other good barrels.

Krieger and Bartlein won’t make skinny SS barrels if that’s important to you. Some guys really think cut barrels are superior and they will use a CM Krieger.

The barrel makers I’ve had:
Bartlein
Krieger
Rock Creek
Brux
Obermeyer
Pac Nor
Lilja

Plenty of others left to try. My next will be a Schneider, evidently their turnaround is super fast and they must do something right because the Marines use them for their sniper rifle barrels. I’m not a Marine but I respect them all the same.

I just experienced the same with the first cold bore hitting zero’d POA, then the subsequent rounds walked left as much as 2.5.

Builder blamed the barrel. Barrel maker said “It sounds like we made a bad barrel”...”We’ll work with your builder for the warranty replacement”.

Barrel Maker - Proof Research CF 1:8 for a 6.5 PRC. Good people. No excuses. 😎

This has been my go to for a while. There are a bunch of internet sellers that stock barrels by the best makers now, it's usually just a matter of doing a little searching to find what you're looking for unless you're looking for something really exotic, a quick search shows plenty of 7.5 twist 6mm barrels out there from several good makers. I prefer not to have the barrel maker do the chambering anyway, I'd rather deal with a good gunsmith that'll do what I want. I know several that'll turn around a simple chambering job in a few days. One of the best guys I know will chamber it while I go get lunch if I call ahead to make sure he's free.

There's no reason to wait months for a barrel to be made and fitted, it's silly. If you order an in stock barrel from one of the stocking dealers you'll have it in a few days and installed a few days later. I've used Pac-nor before and while they were OK they weren't my favorite, they weren't really any cheaper than others out there that I could see.

Yep, but there is something to be said for getting a barrel made and fitted at the same place. No blame game when things are wonky. I ordered a Bartlein last November and they trued the face of the receiver and bolt, screwed it together and it was sent to me in about 4 months. I didn't care because I had other things to play with. I couldn't be happier since that gun can now shoot 1/2" MOA.

That said, I found a local guy that I will try next.

Yeah, I understand that thought process too. I've had several put together by the barrel makers and have for the most part been happy. The big name gunsmiths are backed up a lot but I've been lucky to locate a couple that aren't as well known who do fantastic work without the backlogs and prefer to use them nowadays. I feel I get better quality from them than the barrel makers, I know they're running the lathe and the quality they'll put into the job where with the barrel maker it might be little Jimmy the apprentice that gets to experiment with my rifle that day. There are a surprising number of gunsmiths that cater to the benchrest and palma shooter crowd who aren't well known on the forums but will do work to a higher standard than most of the famous names and don't have the backlog of the famous guys. Those guys are out there but you have to search them out, they don't pop up in the advertisements like the big names everybody fawns over. I'll wait for quality if I have to but I much prefer to order the barrel, take it or send it to the gunsmith and get it back in a week or so. I'm not as patient as I used to be.

This schit is funny! I enjoy Droolers trying to "talk" rifles,with their version of "knowledge","experience" and "results". Hint. Congratulations?!?

I've shot well over 100 PN barreled rifles,mainly because they are exceptional on the average and everywhere I've been...folks have followed suit,after shooting mine. Have never shot one greater than .510",but have gunned their 17's and 20's,with more than a few stops in between. Never had a contour greater than straight 1.350" or sub MR. Only a few have been CM,so I cain't really speak to that,as S/S obviously rules the roost. Have yet to see one shy of sensational. Hint.

Now as other flavorings go,I only shoot(own) A&B,Bart',BHW,Brux,Boots,Chanlynn,Criterion,Douglas,GM,Hart,HS,K&P,Krieger,Lilja,LW,McGowen,McMillan,Schneider,Shilen,Wilson,X-Caliber,though am certainly overlooking a few. Am spinning off a Criterion now,to make way for another Bart'. Prolly have a "few" different Rimfire barrels too. Hint.

I MUCH appreciate the Paper Hat Brigade doing their best,because that Stupidity never ain't not fhuqking hilarious! Hint. Laughing!

Tough break for Chris and Crew,but it sounds like they'll be building new and I'll be curious to try the new wares and extrapolate against the elder.

I rather like the "odds".

Hint.................

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Just for the record, I am still ignoring Stick and trying to follow campfire rules... i.e. Stick can say whatever he wants.... and I am not allowed to respond....

Have a good day & peace on earth....

Oh and this goes for you too Jud.....

Appreciate the responses. Not looking for next week delivery but wanted to eliminate a six month or longer wait. Also appreciate the names of those stocking barrels, might have to poke around their sites and see what they have. I agree that there are plenty of guys who make great barrels, getting a good smith is crucial.

As mentioned earlier, looking to replace the barrel on the current .243 AI. Nothing fancy about the rifle, it's an early 90's vintage LH Remington 700 SA that's been previously trued, but it's shot pretty straight with the other three barrels it's worn so I figure it deserves a fourth one. The current barrel is a Remington standard sporter contour and has a round count of between 3000 and 3500 rounds, I quit counting sometime after 2800, and it still shoots in the .2's and .3's with the Sierra 85 gr. BTHP. Just getting bored and want a fast twist 6mm to play with the longer bullets.

Jim, what 6mm you thinking?

Go Seex Kreedmire 1-7.5" and simply grab one offa Greg's shelf and have him mail it to The Kali Kid. Keep freebore at .120" or less and you are there,with a no-turn Alpha chamber. Tell him to dupe the bitch,because he LOVES contouring spouts! I'd go Aztec. Hint.

Them Sugar 85's are fhuqking hilarious! 243 SALAMI,Seex Kreedmire,243 Aye-Eye. Hint.



Don't be in a hurry,to make a bad decision. Hint.

Thank me later.

Just sayin'.

Hint.................

I have 3 or 4 Pac Nors barrels and like then all, Had a Lilja the was so bad only use was as a jack handle! I really like the Hawk Hill, but hard to find a smith that will have one done by next season! Don't know if barrel makers are that important. A few years ago had a gunsmith square up a 700 action, lap the lugs and recrown the barrel and screw on a new take off 7mm Mag barrel for one of my boys, bedded it in a wood BDL stock and the thing shot clover leaves all day long. We are talking 1/2 MOA. Younger son liked it so we did it again with same results. Barrels were $35.00 each.Having him do my 308 now to see if lighting strikes 3 times.

Boy everyone want's other's to tell them what the best of whatever is. Be better to ask other's what to avoid! In barrel's I'd doubt there are many bad barrel maker's, they wouldn't stay in business long! Only custom barrel I ever bought is a couple Shilen Match grade barrels. They probably shoot better than I do! I got them to say I have them and they do shoot pretty darn good! I think if I was to do it again though, I'd go with something like a Douglas. Less expensive and still probably shoot's better than I do! Now were I thinking competitive barrel, I sure as h*ll wouldn't get on most internet sight's and ask the common man what the best barrel is! No offense guy's but most of us are hunter's that shoot like hunter's!

I forgot proof. currently have two being put on actions and the two I’ve had are beyond amazing.

Even did ok with a green Mountain this year and the past five. 😂😂😂😉😎😎😎









Let’s play what barrels do you use to kill shït. These went with a green mountain.

Douglas. 308 11t. # seven. Sad when it died and replaced with a boots.



My apologies if the pics are reruns.

Dads bull Krieger. 9t

lLillja 9t.



Been doing this whole barrel dance for six months. LOL.

Wilson and a Douglas jammed in a car.

Barrel matter. LOL.

Most advice would be better Dispensed here



And ok at best is exactly what pacnor was hopefully they rebuild modernize and kill it with a new face. Would never wish a gun company such pain.

Brux 9.5t

Elk Brux, Douglas
Deer. Benchmark, wilson Brux, and a pacnor. 😂

Me to but it’s an old pic and I only have five left.

Too fhuqking funny! I heard the Fence Hopping Dueling Banjo's,before opening the Thread. Always a hoot,to have cross-eyed Droolers "unleash" their very WELL founded Insecurities and swoon Dinks,Rats and Retardation in no particular fhuqking order. Hint. Congratulations?!?

It always pays,to go the extry mile...especially with 1913 MoMo's. Google it. Hint. Laughing!



Key is CAREFULLY packaging the works. Hint. Laughing!




Happiness is predicated upon clear/concise communications,with particulars articulately stated PRECISELY,so as to avoid confusion. Hint. Laughing!



Always prudent to conceal wares in a Reupold Wrapper,to deter them without. Hint. Laughing!



Weather is tough,with a Monsoon/Hurricane,so I'll not expect it back in much more than a week. Hint.

Somebody better get crackin'! Hint.

LAUGHING!.....................

I have had good luck with Lilja for within $25 of Pac-Nor's price and equal or faster turn-around.

I will not deal with Hart again. What they shipped isn't what I ordered. Essentially I asked for a .75 muzzle on a 700 shank. They sent a #6 straight taper. Despite me sending back the email thread with our discussion about what I wanted, they would not stand behind their mistake and got very abusive. I tucked tail and had the gun built to their specs, not mine. That was my 2nd failure, double regrets, because it wasn't what I wanted and it did not shoot well.

Tom

Anybody else smell something like the lid just came off a septic tank? Geezzz, is Stinky around?

😂😂

I have Brux, Bartlein, PacNor, and Lilja and all have been screwed on right and shoot. I like to just buy from Bugholes since they have a pretty good selection in stock and I hate waiting. If I want a contour Bugholes doesn't carry I will order it from one of the manufacturers direct. I just ordered a barrel from Lilja less then 2 weeks ago, Melanie just called and told me it was done and she was shipping it today. Wasn't expecting that quick of a turnaround but I will definitely take it.

I have one Hart. It'll be the last.

Don’t blame you. Never impressed with the only one I have.

Inquiring minds and all that ... ?

Shilen.


Douglas.


Montana Rifle Co.


E.R. Shaw


Montana Rifle Co.


Adams & Bennet.

🤣

Turn around and customer service was exceptional just not impressed with how finicky it's been. Rest of the platform is perfect. Wish accuracy was as impressive as every other aspect of the rifle. I'll go Hawk Hill again next time.

Appreciate it.

Ya hart sucks!!! 😆😆😂😂

Hart makes a superb barrel. I own 9 of them, not one single complaint. I own quite a few shillen, Douglas, Krieger and 1 Criterion. The Hart barrels are by far the easiest to clean and get to shoot consistently.

God damn right...

I barely shoot though.... but when I do, I kill more, bigger, better critters than those that “shoot” all the time.... haha

Have a couple of those Harts, one a 7-08 built on a SA 700 by Bobby Hart. It’s now in a Hunters Edge. It’s a keeper.

DF

i have had great luck with hart barrels maybe 5 or 6 barrels
I know Jim Borden and McWhorter use them a lot

This.

I've had some bad experiences with "name" gunsmiths and barrel makers, and suspected that "Little Jimmy" was the culprit. In one case I was in the shop when I watched it happen, though not to my rifle. These folks are in business and time is money. If you think that Joe Sixpack is going to get the same level of attention on his once in a lifetime hunting rifle that a big name competitor or high roller gets, you are dreaming. Not a universal, some treat everybody the same, but this happens all too often, so buyer beware.

Best to find a gunsmith you can trust and let him handle the whole projerct.

Paul

I recall reading a quote from a well known barrel maker from back in the day, name escapes me but maybe in Arizona, 1950s era, to the effect that not everybody deserved one of his barrels.

I believe that attitude still exists in certain circles.

Paul

I've had quite a few Harts. Hart is my gunsmith's go to. Every one of them have been great. I've never had a "bad" custom barrel but have had a couple that were pretty picky. All barrel makers churn out some bad ones. Just like with competitive shooters, I would expect a complaint from a gunsmith that buys tons of barrels to carry more weight than a single purchase.

In reading the posting on this subject, it occurred to me how lucky I must be. I currently have "hunting" rifles using barrels from Lilja, Hart and Shilen. All are stainless steel and one is even a stainless select. None of the rifle barrels I have are wonky, bad or suck. Lucky, maybe, having the right individual/company screwing the said barrel to the right action in a properly bedded stock, definitely contributes to a more precision rifle capable of generating smaller groups. I would think that some individuals might need to look in the mirror to find the problem instead of the name on the barrel. Consider the pot stirred.

Just my experience, but, I really just want the barrel to be the contour and twist combo that I desire for a given project. Just lucky I guess that I've never had a "bad" barrel. Lilja, Krieger, Rock, Brux, Bartlein, and McGowan off the top of my head. The only "fussy" one of the bunch was the 1:8 Krieger in 223AI. No big deal but I had to hunt a little for powder to get the accuracy I wanted from 75gn A-max's. Everything else I was able to use my intended/pre-conceived powder/bullet combo to excellent results, which for me, is the whole reason behind a re-barrel in the 1st place.

On the rifles that get "hunted" the most I've got 2 Lija 3-groove. A #3 1:10 in 257Wby and a Kimber MT dupe in 1:8 270Win. 3rd is a button-rifled Rock in 1:8 22-250. They all work for their intended purpose.

I'm typically more time-bound by sourcing parts than anything else.

Fresh from a sleep in the truck and a proof lite 9T in 7-08ai.

My wife willing to sleep in the truck all night to shoot elk! I’m living well.

Congrats to your wife,FredIII.

👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊 Congrats!!!!

Thanks 🤜🏻🤛🏻 Guys. Crew hung two yesterday. That’s 5 so far and I’ve been in on everyone at some level.
should easily hit 7 this year out of 10 tags.
Last five have the week to grind it out.

The Big Squealer, I dig dig the fact, they make a couple "grades" of snouts..... Laughing

I’m sure elk is on the bucket list.

The FIST family get’s another couple pelts..Nice job wife and Jeremy! 🤜🏼😎

I've read a bunch of "which barrel" posts over the years, and I remember just about every one of the major names being praised and being ragged. Maybe Obermeyer hasn't been ragged.

Wish I would have bought a pile while boots was healthy.
Have three but wish it was 30

Very nice! Not to derail the thread, but what bullet are you running in that 7-08AI?

162eldx. Lapua brass 40.5grains of H4350 cci 200 @ 2750.

I am certainly no "fan boy," but if Stick chimes in with his considerable experience? I will certainly give it serious consideration. Regardless of how the wisdom is conveyed.

Spit.

Fred is the antler restrictions in WA stating you must shoot immature bulls? Is it a management area?

Westside of cascades is 3 point minimum, east side is spike, unless you draw a branched bull tag. Please quit making fun of Fred

You have a good women who is willing to hunt the west side of the cascades. I said it many times I hunted the trask unit in Oregon one year good lord it sucked!

I have had at least 10 hart barrels, not a cull in the bunch. Barrels get blamed on a lot that is not the barrel's problem. It is rare to find a bad barrel made by a top maker these days.

Lot of guys don't know how to work up loads, bed rifles, and know nothing about how wind effects bullets. Barrel or gunsmith gets blamed most of the time.

There is also "service after the sale" issue that no one ever speaks of, and Hart is one of the best in customer service.

I’m an advocate of picking your smith, going with the smith on choice of barrel maker.

Some barrel companies back their product better than others, big names notwithstanding. Your smith will know. His reputation is on the line as well.

DF

Only bad Barrel I have is from Lilja it should have been culled and it must not have been gauged at all after lapping or they would have caught it. What was discouraging is they would not even respond to my Emails when I asked if there was anything they could do. This can happen to any barrel maker but most of them would try to make it right somehow or at least respond. Last Lilja for me.

Big name doesn't always mean "big service". Who knows the fine points of warranty and standing behind a product better than your smith, who works with barrel companies on an ongoing basis. And, don't ya think a big user of a product gets more respect than an occasional customer.... Also turnaround times can vary greatly among makers. IMO, the smith is the go to source for all this type info.

DF

I gotta give some credit to Green Mountain - I've made at least seven (might be more I'm forgetting) barrels from their blanks in the past few years, and every one of them has shot really well. To be fair, that's machining a barrel from their raw blank, not buying their complete barrels, but for a cheaper blank, their bores are pretty decent. I haven't used one of their complete barrels though, and end results depend a lot on the quality of work put into it.

I have to say the same for Black Hole as well, although I've only made a few, but those are good blanks too, and they machine really well.

That Smith preferred Pac-Nor barrels. I will have to ask what he likes now. I bought the barrel from Mid Way and they would replace it but not do anything towards the loss for chambering. Live and learn, only buy from respected companies or the original mfg. especially the latter if any service is needed or expected.

Another DA thing on my part was my smith checked the barrel and the muzzle end was bigger than the chamber end. Should of sent it back then but didn't want to wait possibly months for a new one. I thought I could lap it in but haven't done that yet.

Rifle shoots ok around .5-1" but is prone to double groups. Changed stocks and scope and same thing. For a tomato stake it kills stuff pretty good.

A couple of smiths I've used lately seem to have a preference for Shilen. Great service, great barrels and fast turnaround.

DF

Only have one Shilen and it was excellent. I have heard that they don't last as long as cut rifled barrels but this is by target shooters standards. That barrel has held up fine and I keep waiting for it to go but it still shoots and shoots just about anything I throw together. The throat looks like elephant leather but so far so good.

I've heard the cut vs. button rifling thing. I'm not a target shooter, don't count my rounds in the thousands.

I have a Krieger (cut rifling) 6.5-284 with 5-600 rounds down the tube, showing some throat erosion, but still a half MOA shooter.

I have a 26 Nosler with Shilen (button rifling), around 4-500 rounds so far, looking about the same thru the Hawkeye, also a half MOA shooter.

So, I don't really care what the Hawkeye shows, the bottom line is what happens at the range. If one loses its accuracy edge, then the Hawkeye can help determine what's going on, if and when we may need a barrel swap.

DF

I have only had one custom barrel, PacNor, 6mm, 8 tw, 22" finished; put on a trued HOWA 1500 mini, chambered in 6mm AR (Grendel) custom fitted into a Cuda stock.. Shoots 1/4 MOA with 90 gn TGK. Went to get one for a 6mm Creed build, and heard the news - sad.

So now my smith is ordering one from Lilja, with Modified Kimber 84 profile (a bit thicker pipe) which will be screwed into a donor Kimber 84m action/trigger. Keeping my fingers crossed.