Lothar Walther barrels, any recommendations?

[Texas10]

An internet search for Savage Pre-fits turned up this German barrel maker. I have always been impressed with German steel and he makes pre-fit barrels for Savage. Anyone here have any experience with his products?

As always, thanks guys, for any thoughts/opinions and especially experiences!

[rjtfroggy]

Do a little more research, If I am not mistaken these barrels are made in GA. .
With todays technology all of the better grade (match- select match) barrels are on a pretty much equal basis. I personally have Shilen, Criterion, Douglas, Mcgowan and X caliber and at shorter ranges 250yds. and in they all are of equal quality with the proper load work up, even my stock barrels after load work up shoot respectfully most at .5 or a lot better.

[Bolthead]

I bought one used on this forum and have been very happy with it. Shoots better than I can, and the mirror bore is the easiest to clean I have ever seen. From what I have read about them, the German stainless steel is very difficult to work with as far as machining goes, such as threading. Some gunsmiths refuse to work with them for this reason. Only have about 6-7 hundred rounds through the tube so far, so I can't tell you anything about the barrel life. Seem to be very popular in Europe for match shooting. They do have a plant in Georgia as Froggy stated, but they are a German company. Froggy is also correct about the general quality of Shilen, Criterion, etc. Any one of them would be a great barrel. I spent a lot of time researching these on the internet before I bought it, and have no regrets.

[Texas10]

Thanks, guys.

The research I've done indicates the steel they use is a proprietary stainless steel they developed decades ago especially for gun barrels. Their in-house name is LW15. The official name is X20Cr13, and is bought directly from the steel manufacturer in Austria and Germany. It is a bit temperamental to machine unless familiar with it, and some gunsmiths loath working with it. Others embrace it wholeheartedly and swear by it's unique qualities. My experience with German steel is that is far superior to US steels.

Walther, of course, is famous for gun manufacturing in Germany. And yes, they do have a barrel house in Georgia, USA.

For those interested, here's a link to a discussion on Accurate Shooter from 2009: http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/lothar-walther-barrels.3642132/

This steel is reputed to be more resistant to fire cracking, throat erosion and wear, and that is where I was hoping to hear from those who are actually using these barrels in Savage rifles. Do they last longer before losing accuracy? What's your round count, etc?

On the other hand, Shilen is not far away, and well known for producing quality barrels.

[Texas10]

Thanks, Bolthead, that's the kind of information I'm looking for :rockon:

[Bolthead]

http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b432/crestviewfl/IMG_0567_zpsaahkeze3.jpg?1454355855286&1454355857288&1454355858031

[Rob01]

This steel is reputed to be more resistant to fire cracking, throat erosion and wear, and that is where I was hoping to hear from those who are actually using these barrels in Savage rifles. Do they last longer before losing accuracy? What's your round count, etc?



Didn't use them on a Savage but they didn't last any longer than any other barrel I have used.

[Texas10]

Well, I decided to go local and ordered a Criterion 26", 8 twist with match chamber in 223 from NSS. Should ship today and I'll see it about Wednesday. The cost of tools to do the assembly myself will be about the cost to have a GS do it for me, so I think I'll just go the DIY route and save the several weeks wait.

Oh God....did I just slip further down the rabbit hole!

[LongRange]

yes...your ALL IN now!!

[justinp61]

I haven't started down the hole yet, but will admit I've been very curious about what's down there. LOL

[Bolthead]

Here comes another one :) I had planned on buying a Criterion for mine before I bought the LW. You will be happy with it. It is a magic feeling when you shoot a barrel that you installed yourself. Makes you want to do something really crazy like reloading, so be careful.

[Texas10]

Fine looking rifle you got there, BH!

Remember........what the door mouse said...