Shilen or McGowen barrel?

[Buster95]

Which one is a better choice for a 458 win mag barrel, Shilen or McGowen?

[sortafast]

I am partial to Shillen. But have no experience with mcGowen so your mileage might vary.

[yorketransport]

I've had both and I think that they're pretty comparable. I currently have 3 McGowens which all shoot under .5 MOA. The Shilens shot just as well.

Andrew

[taylorce1]

I don't think you'll go wrong with either barrel.

However, I've been enjoying shooting my McGowen!

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/taylorce1/Stevens%206X47/115BergerVLD-1-1.jpg

[tomme boy]

I'd be sending that McGowen back if my 243 shot like that.

[Dennis]

I'd be sending that McGowen back if my 243 shot like that.

I don't won't to hurt anyone's feelings, but I have to agree with the above. My 243 and many others are very accurate. Shooting <.200 groups @ 100 yards and <.400 moa at 300 to 400 yards should be the norm with the right combo of bullets and powder.

IMO it's one of the best all around rifles made.

Dennis

[FW Conch]

Maybe it's not the barrel ????

[Buster95]

So, Shilen are better?

[taylorce1]

Maybe it's not the barrel ????

Probably isn't, but that is 18 out of 24 rounds of testing with a new powder and bullet combination. I'm not a competition shooter or benchrester so I'm happy with the groups. I imagine a little tweaking of the powder charge and seating depth on the .130 off the lands group will make the groups a little smaller. The .4 MOA load held around .6 MOA at 300 yards which is pretty darn good for me.

In the end I'm a hunter so any rifle that shoots MOA or less I'm good with I really don't need to tweak a load better than that. Any rifle that shows promise of better than .5 MOA is icing on the cake. I really don't get hung up on group size because as long as the animal is dead with one well placed bullet I'm ecstatic and I don't need .2 MOA to do that.

[FW Conch]

Your absolutely right! That's plenty good enough for a hunting rifle! :-)

[JCalhoun]

Buster,

I'd go with whoever gave me the better price. I don't think there will be a quality issue with either.

[Hammer]

.

Have used both McGowen and Shilen barrels.

All my 458 Lotts used Shilen match grade barrels.

Used a McGowen for a 340 Weatherby match rifle.

Both worked.

.

[USMarine1108]

Buster,

I'd go with whoever gave me the better price. I don't think there will be a quality issue with either.

I agree. I have a Shilen in .243 but wouldn't hesitate to get a McGowen. Availability is what pointed me that way. That said, I am partial to Criterion. Do they shoot better? Maybe. Are they better quality? Maybe. Who knows. Unless you've had and shot thousands of rounds through all of them from a vice, who knows? Shilen, Criterion and Obermeyer........... all of mine can shoot WAY better than I can. Get what is available at the best price and develop a load. You'll be happy.

[Bradley Walker]

I'd be sending that McGowen back if my 243 shot like that.

What a tool thing to say....

[Dewey7271]

What a tool thing to say....

+1

Dewey

[tomme boy]

Really? I had a Rem VLS that had nothing done to it that shot in the low 0.2"s If I spent $ for a custom barrel and it only shot like above. I'd be sending it back. Every 243win I have had had shot better than that. Even my SS Ruger liteweight hunter with the factory skeleton plastic stock. It would hold 0.5" groups for 5 shots. After that it would open to 0.8" The barrel was just too light and had some stress in it so it moved around when hot. None of my aftermarket barrels suffered from that.

[Dennis]

Really? I had a Rem VLS that had nothing done to it that shot in the low 0.2"s

tome boy, we could probably all state the same. I have kept several Savage Factory rifles because they are so accurate. I have stated many times one of my highest 600 yard F-Class scores was shot with a Savage FCP 308 straight out of the box. I bedded it, tweaked the trigger, and that's it. I refuse to sell it as I can put 3 shots within a dime most any time I want to.

Yesterday, without mentioning any names, a customer bought a new 270 rifle to us (I will only state it was not a Remmy or Savage). Not a cheap one either, all I will state it cost over $1,000 dollars without any glass. He brought it to us he stated he couldn't hit a target 12"x12". After we inspected it and tried it out, and we couldn't hit the target, we advise him to sell it or figure out something. It's the first rifle I have ever seen that I (we) didn't think we could do anything with it. He wanted us to re-barrel it, but after we talked we decided to stay away from it. It was that bad.

No 2 barrels are the same. All loads were pretty close, but I had to tweak the powder and COAL.


Unless you've had and shot thousands of rounds through all of them from a vice, who knows? Shilen, Criterion and Obermeyer........... all of mine can shoot WAY better than I can. Get what is available at the best price and develop a load. You'll be happy

Probably the best advice on this thread. For the record, I have shot many different barrels over the years. I have had some good ones and hated it when they started opening up. But if my new ones don't shoot <.250 moa @ 100, well lets just state I have never had to take one back off.

Most of the time I have checked a rifle because of accuracy, I have always found something with the optics as the problem.

Dennis

[sparky123321]

Had both. Shilen, Shilen, Shilen!!! Maybe I just got a bad one, but McGowen was the only barrel I ever had to return and I've had numerous Shilen, McGowen, Douglas, Hart, Bartlein and other barrels over the years.

[n4ue]

Never had a Shilen, but received my McGowan bbl today. As I told Dennis, if it shoots 1/2 as good as it looks, I'll be thrilled. It was an in-stock SS 24" 6.5 TCU. Beautiful piece of steel........... Can't wait to finish the rifle....

ron