EABCO: the ugly, hidden truth

[Bobby Tomek]

As many of you know, I've had a 24" 6.5 BRM Contender barrel for several years now. It's been quite the pleasure, has accounted for many hogs, several coyotes and a buck while showing exceptional accuracy with its favorite loads.

I ordered the barrel new and directly from EABCO. I asked that it should be set up for a 6-screw base. Their EER base was added to the order, and I specified that I wanted to install the base myself (I am picky and have a certain way I want things done). But when the barrel arrived, the base was already mounted. I detected a bit of excess thread locker on the edges, and the screws all seemed even and snug, so I decided to leave it as-is. Holding zero was never an issue, so it seemed to have been well-installed.

Fast forward to 2024: I recently decided I may want to put my thermal on this barrel, but I already knew the slots on these bases are a bit too tight to accommodate the thermal setup. So I ordered an EGW picatinny base. Tonight, I removed the EABCO base and was floored by what I saw.

There were marks under most of the length of the base. At first I hoped that I was simply seeing excessive thread locker. Some of it was. But after thoroughly cleaning everything, I realized that what I was seeing was bare metal.

Now I know why the barrel arrived with the base already installed. Granted, the damage is covered and out of sight, but now I know it's there, and it's going to bug me.

I don't know what's worse: this situation or the sloppy, crooked brass with inconsistent (and short!) shoulder placement that they called "custom/fully-formed and ready to load."

Make no mistake: I love the barrel and how it performs. But this has soured me for good on ever getting another new barrel from EABCO.






After I returned the first batch of brass, this was a sample of the hand-picked replacement they sent. It was better...but not by all that much.




And below is what newly-formed BRM brass is actually supposed to look like LOL.

[Twopatch]

That is sad. Thanks for the heads up.

[Slowpoke Slim]

Bobby,

That is disappointing to be sure. In the picture, the pattern of the damage sure looks like excess thread locker that filled in the spaces from an uneven base. But bare metal? I can't even see how damage like that could occur. I mean what "step" were they on in the process of building that barrel? It was after bluing, obviously. What does the underside of the original base look like?

I remember your posts on that batch of brass you got from them. I would have been too embarrassed to send that brass out to anyone, let alone call it "finished" and ready to load.

[J A XSP]

The scratches under the mount don't seem like a serious matter, though they shouldn't be there on a new barrel. Probably there from something going wrong during the installation, though I can't quite see what would cause it. If it was there before the installation and without the base covering it up, they wouldn't have been able to ship it as a new barrel.
The brass is another level of problematic...it's not by any means ready to load or shoot. If they simply noted that it needed to be trimmed and fireformed (as is the case with most any brass we buy) , it would be perfectly reasonable but it shouldn't be sold as finished brass.

[Bobby Tomek]

The bottom of the base looks perfectly fine. Some of the scratches on the barrel can be felt with a fingernail. Most cannot be; you simply see the white of the metal. This first made me wonder if something corrosive in the thread locker or some other solvent -- or combination of chemicals -- contributed.

But then I began to wonder if it was d&t prior to bluing, and I may have the answer .

The interiors of the screw holes have bluing in them. Could the jig used to d&t have transferred residue that wasn't cleaned off thoroughly and thus didn't allow proper bluing in those areas? I am not all that familiar with the bluing process, so maybe someone will chime in here and offer their expertise.

[J A XSP]

I'll bet there's a jig that goes on to drill and tap and I suspect that they might use a 4-hole jig and move it forward or back to get the other two holes. That would explain things if there was a burr or two under the jig when it slid backward or forward. But not if it was blued after DT process.

The pattern definitely looks like what would happen at the edges of a puddle of excess locktite. There's no reason any of that should be corrosive in any way. There could be another solvent or compound involved.