Questions about an unmarked .260 barrel

I just bought an unmarked .260 barrel. The previous owner bought the rifle for the action. He was told by the guy he bought it from that it was a .260 narrel. The bore does measure .260 at the muzzle end. It looks like a factory 24" parkerized varmint barrel. It did have a thick coat of paint on it which I stripped off.

The issue is that it is not marked Savage or with a caliber anywhere.

Did Savage make unmarked barrels?

Could the markings have been sandblasted off before coating it?

How could I confirm the caliber before spending any more time $ on it? Can I just check it with a .260 round or brass?

Thanks.

The easiest is to drop a 260 shell in it

A factory barrel would be marked unless it was sanded or turned off. The best way to make sure of the caliber is to do a chamber cast.

Bob

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Originally Posted by darkker

The easiest is to drop a 260 shell in it

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I checked today at my favorite shop. It does fit a .260 shell. The barrel was beadblasted prior to coating.

I see a nice build coming...

beadblasting wouldn't take the markings off unless it was painted or very lightly eched.

May have been an A&B barrel, they have no marks. or you may have something even better :)

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Originally Posted by sinman

beadblasting wouldn't take the markings off unless it was painted or very lightly eched.

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It was definitely painted. I had to strip a lot of it off. It also needs the crown touched up. The crown and profile look a lot like a Savage factory varmint barrel. It is 24". The only markings are a "00" and a "T" just above the threads.

Any ideas?

Savage replacement barrels are not marked. They roll mark them after they are fitted to the receiver. Savage replacement barrels can sometimes be found at gun parts dealers. I had a .338WM barrel like that.

Aftermarket barrels like Brux, E.R. Shaw, Shilen, etc, will also be plain.

The best why to determine what you have is to get some Cerrosafe from Brownells and make a chamber casting. Just because a .260 cartridge fits doesn't necessarily make it a .260, might be a custom chamber.

Savage uses a roll mark, and it would take more than bead blasting or sanding to remove it. I would say you have a A&B barrel.

I just got a brand new Shilen in 260 and there are no markings.

check on the breach end may be cal & twist markings
drybean

With the markings above the threads, it sounds like a Savage barrel. The barrels are marked with a caliber code of a letter , or sometimes 2 letters to designate caliber in production. The model and caliber is later roll stamped after the barrel has been proof tested.
This barrel most probably came from Steve Simons, a Savage parts dealer from Florida who is now out of business. He acquired a number of .260 barrels from the factory when they discontinued that caliber back in 2003. None of these barrels were installed at the factory, they were meant for replacement.

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Originally Posted by sharpshooter

With the markings above the threads, it sounds like a Savage barrel. The barrels are marked with a caliber code of a letter , or sometimes 2 letters to designate caliber in production. The model and caliber is later roll stamped after the barrel has been proof tested.
This barrel most probably came from Steve Simons, a Savage parts dealer from Florida who is now out of business. He acquired a number of .260 barrels from the factory when they discontinued that caliber back in 2003. None of these barrels were installed at the factory, they were meant for replacement.

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Thanks sharpshooter! Any idea what the twist would be?

Steve still sells a few parts on ebay. emailed him a couple days age to see if he had a LH stock.

The standard twist for the .260 was 1-8.

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Originally Posted by sharpshooter

The standard twist for the .260 was 1-8.

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Thanks SS

Steve was who I bought my .338 WM barrel from.

Didn't Numrich's get a lot of his inventory when he retired?

Most of it.