X-caliber, Shilen, Criterion

[bw34]

What one you choose for a long range hunting build? Are they all similar quality? What contour would you go with?

[Hotolds442]

Criterion, Bartlien, Krieger, Shilen, McGowan. Not necessarily in that order, and I really don't prefer one over the other. A quality barrel manufacturer makes quality barrels. You can pick any of the above, and others too, and be happy for years. There are so many good ones that it's hard to narrow it down to just one. You'll get a lot of differing opinions on that question. As far as contour goes, my own personal choice is a Sendero contour. Heavy magnum or light varmint would run a close second choice.

[Dennis]

What Action/Rifle do you have, and what caliber are you looking for?

[bw34]

What Action/Rifle do you have, and what caliber are you looking for?

I have an action off a 111. I want a 6.5 Sherman. It's based off a 6.5-06. It's a little different but I like that. I've talked with Rich Sherman and he has a reamer I can rent. The potions I'm looking at are

1. Have the reamer sent to someone like Apache and have them chamber it.
2. Order a prefit in 6.5-06 And have my local smith rechamber it. He would charge about $60.
3. Order a contoured blank and have the smith finish it. Around $250.

[jonesturf]

Hawk Hill Custom then Bartlein or Kreiger for custom barrels. I've built rifles with all of them but the Hawk Hills always stand out. They are very hard to get nowadays but worth every penny.If you're serious about your build and want the best have a good smith make up a custom.

I wouldn't cut back a prefit. You could be adding to the tolerances of the previous chambering job. Your gunsmith needs to dial in the bore, not the existing chamber, make any corrections needed and then cut the new chamber.

[geezerhood]

My experience with the following barrels over the last 30 years, listed in order from best accuracy to worst with some comments. I added in non aftermarket barrels and non Savage platforms for comparison.

Krieger - 22-250 AI - 5 shot groups in the LOW teens with Blitz Kings going well over 4000 FPS - several thousand rounds through it now and it still shoots around 1/2 MOA. Best barrel ever shot. (Belongs to a close friend)

Pac-Nor Super Match- 6-284 (Best was 0.133/5 shots)

Pac-Nor Match 3 groove 17 Rem (Best was 0.161/5 shots),

Hart - 17 Rem - sub 1/4 MOA

Pac-Nor Super Match - 6.5-284 (Best was 0.35/5 shots)

Pac-Nor Match - 300 WSM - around 1/2 MOA

Criterion - 308 Win on LR-308 AR platforms - Test fired 5 of these barrels, they were all .4 to .75 MOA for 5 shots with 165 SMKs - I am rating this higher than the ER Shaw since they were on a semi auto rather than a bolt gun.

ER Shaw Varmint Stainless- 204 Ruger x 2 barrels, 22-250 AI x 3 barrels, 243 (Best was .6 MOA) - All but the 243 giving .4 to .6 MOA / 5 shots, sometimes a bit less

X-Caliber - 338 Lapua - Not getting better than 1/2 MOA with 300 SMK's, most 4 shot groups are .7+, going to try the 285 Hornady. Not really impressed for what it cost. My factory Savage 338 LM shoots about the same as the X-Caliber, my Armalite AR-30 338 Lapua factory barrel outshoots it. I am hoping the Hornady 285s will give me sub 1/2 MOA results.

Various factory Savage barrels - .75 to 1.25 MOA with the exception of a carbon steel 24" varmint contour that was cut to 21 3/4" that shoots 1/2 MOA most of the time. Copper fouling in all of them is pretty bad. My factory stainless bull contour 223 craps out after about 30 rounds, giving SIX MOA groups sometimes, whereas all the 6.5 and smaller calibers above will go 100 plus before accuracy falls off much. All I shoot are tungsten coated bullets. The Krieger is fed naked bullets. The 22-250 AI's can go 200 rounds without cleaning before I start missing P-Dogs, the 17 Rem at least 100 shots.

Non Savage factory barrels - Nothing I have owned impressed me enough to mention other than a really old Remington 700 BDL that would do 3 shots into 1/2 MOA from a cold barrel, Colt factory AR-15 barrels - every one was .4 to .7 MOA, and a 60s vintage German made Weatherby 7mm Rem that would put 3 shots from a cold barrel into 1/3 MOA.