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Don't beleive everything your told or what you read about rifle barrels.

Rustystud

I have been re-barreling center fire barrels for almost 40 years. There are some great barrel manufactures here in America. But there are some barrel makers who have higher standards than others. As it has been said often you get what you pay for.

I have seen my share of out of spec barrels over the years. Not just barrels not drilled straight or contoured with the chamber end and the muzzle end centered. I have seen barrels with cracks in them. I have seen over or under sized bore diameters, and tight and loose spots in the bore. I have had orders of ten barrels at a time come un rifled. The latest issue that I have encountered is incorrect land groove ratios. about ten years ago I bought barrels from a company. The first barrels I got were exceptional shooters. Then all of a sudden they went in the crapper not just for me but several gunsmiths had issues with this barrel makers barrels. I did some testing and the bore diameters were not as specified in the makers own writing. I later talked to a former employee of that barrel maker and he said the barrel maker did not even have the measuring tools to measure the bore diameters. That same barrel makers barrels after extensive examination were not properly lapped. They had tight and loose spots between the breech and muzzle. With another barrel maker I got barrels with hard and soft spots in them due to poor quality steel.

When you are spending your hard earned money on a custom barrel, you should do some research and check out what your buying. This may mean you spend a few exrta bucks having the barrel measured bore diameter, groove depth, land groove ratio, visually inspected and photographed for tool marks, proper lapping, other land/groove dsamage problems, and slugged for consistency. Get a written report including specs found, photographs, air gauge findings, and any problems noted.
CNC ball screws are susceptible to wip lash. Tight spots in barrel stock can cause ratcheting in both sine bar cut rifling machines. Pull buttons can hesitate when binding in tight or hard spots. Air bubbles in hydraulics also can cause ratcheting during the rifling process. Improper tool geometry and wear can alter land groove ratios.

Buying barrels does not have to be a "Crap shoot".

Nat Lambeth
 
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Good read and I agree. Also make sure you read reviews of customer service and make sure the company stands behind their product 100%. Just in case something happens to be wrong with your barrel, you have nothing to worry about. Even the best manufacturers put out a lemon or two every once in a great while.
 
Nat,
I'll have to disagree with you a little. I agree that some barrels are consistently better, but they ain't all hummers regardless of brand.
 
There's a new barrel maker on the horizon that has invested in top of the line, cnc, state of the art equipment...not re-furbished WWII Pratt and Whitney machines. Keep an eye out for American Barrel Company! I think that's the name he settled on..I have a 30 cal 17.5 twist that appears to be as nice or nicer than any barrel I've inspected. The barrel blank that I have is straight to within .001" from end to end from center. That's a lot better than some that I've seen that were out as much as .020"!! I'll be chambering it up soon and find out how it shoots, but it looks to be a step forward in barrel making!

I know the owner will be very meticulous and do all he can to make the very best product available on superior equipment to most makers. He's a fellow benchrest shooter too, so he knows how high the current standards that have been set. He has learned his trade by one of the most recognizable names in the industry, too!

That's all I can say for now..but the equipment he has invested in and the expertise behind him make me feel very encouraged that we will all soon know his name.--Mike Ezell
 
I hope he does well. He has a big hill to climb. More folks making barrels now than probably ever, but the old names are still dominating.
 
Wish him the best...and hope that quality over quantity will be his trademark.
 
gunsandgunsmithing said:
There's a new barrel maker on the horizon that has invested in top of the line, cnc, state of the art equipment...not re-furbished WWII Pratt and Whitney machines. Keep an eye out for American Barrel Company! I think that's the name he settled on..I have a 30 cal 17.5 twist that appears to be as nice or nicer than any barrel I've inspected. The barrel blank that I have is straight to within .001" from end to end from center. That's a lot better than some that I've seen that were out as much as .020"!! I'll be chambering it up soon and find out how it shoots, but it looks to be a step forward in barrel making!

I know the owner will be very meticulous and do all he can to make the very best product available on superior equipment to most makers. He's a fellow benchrest shooter too, so he knows how high the current standards that have been set. He has learned his trade by one of the most recognizable names in the industry, too!

That's all I can say for now..but the equipment he has invested in and the expertise behind him make me feel very encouraged that we will all soon know his name.--Mike Ezell
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Mike I have one that had. .007 run out in 31" . Best looking bore Never coppered . Took total of 10 shots to set the tuner . I asume it was made straight with a Sunnen home. Larry
 
Rustystud said:
When you are spending your hard earned money on a custom barrel, you should do some research and check out what your buying. This may mean you spend a few exrta bucks having the barrel measured bore diameter, groove depth, land groove ratio, visually inspected and photographed for tool marks, proper lapping, other land/groove dsamage problems, and slugged for consistency. Get a written report including specs found, photographs, air gauge findings, and any problems noted.

Buying barrels does not have to be a "Crap shoot".

Nat Lambeth
Click to expand...
Who we gonna pay to do this?
Who even has the capability?

Barrels ARE a crap shoot, because we pay anyone for anything they make. That's the way it works
 
If that's the case, then use the one with the best customer service. There are a few makers that won't even question the reasons, they'll make a new one and send it your way when you return the 'crap' one. There's a few (or one in particular) well known ones that 'don't make a bad barrel' and it must be something else...good luck if one of theirs doesn't shoot to yor expectation.
 
Nat, you care to offer up your favorites? Some of us stick to big names in hopes of receiving quality, but there are some smaller names that put out some nice stuff as well.
 
I personally am using Dan Mullers Barrels. But I have had good success with Krieger Barrels, Brux Barrels, Hart Barrels, and Rock Creek Barrels. There are other good barrel makers.
I can't emphasise checking out your after market barrels, before chambering and fitting them. Simply slugging them will tell you a lot. That in combination with bore scoping them doesn't take but an hour of your time. Setting them up on centers and indicating them is not difficult.

Nat Lambeth
 
Rustystud said:
I can't emphasise checking out your after market barrels, before chambering and fitting them. Simply slugging them will tell you a lot. That in combination with bore scoping them doesn't take but an hour of your time. Setting them up on centers and indicating them is not difficult.

Nat Lambeth
Click to expand...
Not difficult but what does it really tell you? A bent barrel? maybe. Maybe not. Could just be out of round on the turning. Especially the sporter barrels. Most I've worked with have been straight, but button rifled barrels shouldn't be turned after rifling too much or the bores can open if it wasn't properly stress relieved.
 
I agree that they all can't be hummers and on the other side of the coin I had a barrel that took 45 moa of left windage to hit my target @ 600 yds. not to the one to my right. So I guess us common folk have to rely on the reputation of the barrel maker, which I might add is largely made by the percentage of good barrels they make, in particular winning barrels followed by a no questioned asked "make it right policy" in the event of a bad one.
Just my thoughts,
Lloyd
 
I must have got lucky over the last 15 or 20 years. All the barrels I've had fitted to any single action shoot with a MOA or two of the one that came out.
 
Doing your home work about Barrels does not mean just knowing bore and groove depth. The number of lands in conjunction with land groove ratios. % land and % groove ie: land groove width. Knowing what is optimal. Means difference in a barrel reaching velocity before maxing out with pressure. With cut rifle Barrels it comes down to the geometry of the cutter hook. A few years ago a major barrel maker had to replace hundreds of Barrels because an independent employee changed the cutter geometry. This cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. The barrel maker made good on all out of spec Barrels. There are lots of things in barrel making as important if not more important than land numbers and groove diameters.
I can't emphasise how documenting your barrel can save you head aches and make ordering exceptional Barrels repeatable.
 
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