Just an observation...

A couple of times this past year I've gotten to thinking back to the early days of this site and what was "hot" back then. Each and every time one particular barrel maker stood out as the one that's all but fallen off the face of the earth as far as pre-fit barrels go on this site, and that's Pac-Nor. Back in the early days (2002-2005) everyone was using either Pac-Nor or Douglas barrels as those were really the only two options for a pre-fit. Somewhere along the way the enthusiasm and following for Pac-Nor barrels just disappeared entirely.

I know there are still a few old timers hanging around here from the early days who were Pac-Nor die-hards, so speak up guys and tell us....are you still running Pac-Nors and just keeping quiet about them or have you changed to another brand, and if so why?

Im interested in seeing the responses on this topic Jim. When I first started shooting, I heard quite a bit about Douglas too. Not so much anymore it seems. Im thinking of trying them sometime soon.
Scooter

Shot both.
Honestly for a general target shooting, hunting rig; Shaw is every bit as good, for half the price.
For really precise target shooting, most follow one "Precision" blogger or another. They all do whatever the last wonder did, so at least they aren't at a disadvantage.

Had a stainless, match, Pac-Nor in 7mm-08 and it was a very good barrel but with so many Savage "drop-ins" being offered by Criterion, McGowen, Shilen, Shaw etc. etc. I just moved in that direction.

It seems to me that whatever is "HOT" from the big name shooters, is what everybody is thinking about and buying. Pac Nor and Shilen "were" at the top of the list for a long time. Lots of folks are of the "I want it now!!" group so if the wait time is shorter than some of the bigger name barrel makers, that's who gets the sale. Over the years I found out that Douglas as well as E.R. Shaw are very good barrel makers. Not as much heard about them but, they have been around for a LONG time.
I hesitate to mention Green Mountain Barrels because if the word gets out about the quality and speed of delivery, they'll be falling behind in trying to keep up with the demand. And they have also been around for a LONG time.
The only problem with the "drop in" barrels is they may not be the exact specs you're after. That's why I order to "MY" specs. That way I can't blame anybody else for mistakes in building and chambering my barrels.

My smith uses Pac Nor, but I can get a pre-fit cheaper from other sources. That being said I now have my own reamer so everything is the same. Last two barrels were Bartlien, I usually need a new barrel every 18 months or so.....

I have a Douglas chambered by Fred and I love shooting it. It is a very precise rifle and I have a hard time finding ammunition that won't group with at least .5'. I went with CBI on my last build to try something else and because it fit the price I was looking for. The best part was I didn't have to wait 4 - 6 months on the barrel lol.