Quote Originally Posted by WinnieTheBoom View Post
Thanks for the insight, gents. It sounds like they're pretty good barrels, but they definitely don't get the same recognition that some of the other manufacturers do. I have an opportunity to pick up a Bartlein prefit for the .338 Lapua, but I very well may end up going with Douglas for the 6.5 Creedmoor.
If memory serves, they were THE barrel to have before Hart and Lija and after Pac-Nor, or something like that. Even though the barrel is the heart of the mechanical potential for accuracy, a great deal more goes into it. I suspect there isn't much of a difference in quality among top barrel makers but that there are trends in which maker is popular at any given time. Something to the effect of "Brand X is the top, but Brand Y shoots right alongside it (possibly for less money)" soon becomes "Brand Y is the top, but Brand Z shoots right along side it (possibly with less wait time)". Eventually, "Brand Z is the top, has anyone heard of Brand X?"