Pros / Cons: CBI vs Shilen Select Match vs McGowen

[capreppy]

I know (from reading) about the quality of CBI. How do each of the three vendors stack up from a quality perspective. I know that each of the three are top notch.

How well do they shoot out of the box?
Any concerns from a quality perspective?

Anything I should consider in choosing one of these vendors over the other?

[JackinSD]

Take your pick. All very good quality barrel makers. Myself, I have gone with CBI on my last build. Mainly because of availability. No regrets though. The dang gun will do as well as I hope to.

[capreppy]

Availability is key for me as well. I will pull the trigger on a 260 Rem barrel on the 28th of this month. In order of preference it would be CBI, McGowen, & Shilen. The preference is mostly on price and what I know of each manufacturer.

I'll see who has my barrel on that day (huge gamble, but it is what it is) and then make a purchase. With that being said, I want to make sure my three choices are good to go.

[dwt]

I've had all three in 260rem ,in bbl lengths of 15'' , 20'' ,24'' , 26'' , whichever one is available first , is the one !

[BoilerUP]

I've had all three in 260rem ,in bbl lengths of 15'' , 20'' ,24'' , 26'' , whichever one is available first , is the one !

What kind of speeds did you get out of that 20" 260 barrel?

[dwt]

I did 20'' than 18.5'' in rifle setups and now its 16.5'' in a striker set up . 2600 at the present length , I lost the most from 18.5'' to 16.5'' at 20''2800+ at 18.5 I was getting 2750, almost no change. Shot well at all lengths, I've shot all lengths to 1000yds , just takes a few more moa's as the velocity changes.

[BoilerUP]

That with 130 or 140gr bullets?

Thanks!

[jpdown]

I've got a Savage LWH in 260 with 20" featherweight barrel (1 lb, 15 oz) that chrony's at 2900 fps with 43.5 gr H4350 and 130 gr Bergers and shoots 0.75" at 100 yd. Also tried RL 17, but accuracy was not as good so I never ran it over the chrony. I am in the process of switching out the barrel to a .260 Savage factory 22" sporter barrel (2 lbs, 8oz). The Savage LWH is so light it is difficult to get consitent groups without perfect technique due to the muzzle jump and barrel whip as it heats up quikly. I'm hope adding 8 oz out front will help.

Back to the original post. I've owned all 3 barrel brands and ordered them through Jim at NSS. All were excellent shooters in the .3's to .5's depending on caliber. That's not to say a Savage factory barrel won't shoot just as well. But custom barrels don't copper as bad and clean up quicker then a Savage factory barrel in my experience. It all comes down to how long you want to wait and the price. I really like the CBI light varmint contour barrels I own (24";.204 and 26" 6.5X284). Good comprimise for a dual purpose long range varmint/hunting rifle.

[dwt]

With 140's , the CBI did like 130's real well , [seated to the lands 2.90 ] in my bbl ,but I got the same velocity from the 140's .This was with 43.5 of H4350 and fed 210M and Win 7-08 brass necked down

[BoilerUP]

2800fps from a 20" barrel with 140s seems smoking...I'm getting 2810fps from my 26" Criterion with 43.1gr H4350 in Lapua brass...

[dwt]

Yep , I've got a 26'' Shilen Select Match, Ratchet riflred bbl that only does 2720 with about the sale load 43.2 of H 4350. The 2 McGowen 15'' pistol bbls were fast also , was able to get 2600 with the same loads using 139 Lapua's . Don't use the crono much any more , I just match the data at our 200yds to 1000 yd monthly match's and practice sessons .

[redman]

For what its worth: I chose on availability also. After reading hundreds of reviews and pulling my hair out over it, it came down to what was in stock. I didn't want to wait 3 months to get a barrel. Personally I would ever so slightly favor shilen because they publish more info about their barrels on their website. It's good to know what the tolerances are without having to research it or call them.