Douglas Barrels

[David Conder]

Tim Gardner I us to shoot with him an his wife she is the daughter of GR Dougles

 

[jelenko]

Google says Rodney Chiodo is the current owner.

Here's a write up on Gun Digest. https://gundigest.com/rifles/douglas-barrels

 

[ggshoots]

I bought a UltraRifled #2 .224 blank for a little wildcat I I designed and put in a 722 action. It is more of a gunsmith barrel, had pretty rough finish which was fine for the cost and easy to clean up. I did lap the barrel but it shoots pretty well. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. Many old customs I use to have had Douglass barrels.

 

[ELR LVR]

I remember waaay back when Douglas was one of the top of the list barrel makers. Used to use a lot of their XX blanks. Then a whole swath of barrel makers charged right on past.

I machined and installed a customer supplied 30 cal blank last weekend for his M40. First Douglas I had done in quite a while - I wasn’t overly impressed. Machined easily enough but the groove depths varied almost 1/2 thou and the bore accepted a .301 bushing easily. Not saying it won’t shoot but that’s the worst blank I’ve encountered in like the last 5 years. We will see how it does for him.

Similar -
I've only had 1 Douglas barrel, it machined "Gummy" soft like
Much more prominent burrs formed at the edge of a faced surface for example
As if the Stainless steel was softer
Not crisp and tough like how a Krieger machines
---
but - I will say, the Douglas did shoot well

 

[David Conder]

I looked at the BBB says Tim owns the co. Could be it has a new owner I chamber a 17 barrel it cut just fine with a JGS reamer

 

[ELR LVR]

I looked at the BBB says Tim owns the co. Could be it has a new owner I chamber a 17 barrel it cut just fine with a JGS reamer

They could be different or even improved their barrel steel from the one I had I'm Sure
---
Lets us know how the crown cuts
if it leaves a major inside burr in the bore
then you'll know what I mean
---
As opposed to cutting nice and sharp, smallest burr possible
The better the steel, the less of a burr that's left

 

[David Conder]

To me crown cut fine also an it shoot good I don’t have enough rounds on it
Moved on with another project lol

 

[jelenko]

I looked at the BBB says Tim owns the co. Could be it has a new owner I chamber a 17 barrel it cut just fine with a JGS reamer

How did you find Douglas Barrels in BBB? I'm not getting any results.

 

[Herzo]

Similar -
I've only had 1 Douglas barrel, it machined "Gummy" soft like
Much more prominent bIurrs formed at the edge of a faced surface for example
As if the Stainless steel was softer
Not crisp and tough like how a Krieger machines
---
but - I will say, the Douglas did shoot

I would be interested in knowing what alloy they use in their "stainless" barrels in that there are many options in the genre -- 300 series [non-magnetic and cannot be heat treated], 400 series [often used in knives], 17-X series [precipitation heat treatable]. There are many alloys within each series and to say "stainless" does not tell me anything about the end product.
Chrome Moly on the other hand is a specific alloy [41XX] with a narrow range of carbon thus producing a predictable product. It can be difficult to machine based on the heat treat of the raw blank. Generally it is machined in the pre-heat treated condition [30 to 40 Rc].
While there may be some advantages in "stainless" barrels [longevity?] I have never found a reason to purchase one.

 

[David Conder]

I googled it an it came up an it said Tim owned the company don’t know if that is correct give them a call thanks

 

[jelenko]

I googled it an it came up an it said Tim owned the company don’t know if that is correct give them a call thanks

What was Tim's last name?
Thanks

 

[David Conder]

Gardner

 

[jelenko]

From Google:
Tim Gardner was a long-time leader of the company through his marriage into the founding family.

• Family Connection: Tim Gardner was the husband of the daughter of the company's founder, G.R. Douglas.
• Leadership Role: For many years, Gardner served as the president of the company. He is often cited for his high standards, famously stating, "If you miss the target, it will not be the fault of a Douglas barrel".
• Transition of Ownership: The company remained in the Gardner family for decades until Rodney Chiodo, owner of Red Industrial Products, purchased it in 2023.

The recent acquisition by Chiodo marked the first time in 75 years that the company moved outside of the original founding family's control

 

[ELR LVR]

I would be interested in knowing what alloy they use in their "stainless" barrels in that there are many options in the genre -- 300 series [non-magnetic and cannot be heat treated], 400 series [often used in knives], 17-X series [precipitation heat treatable]. There are many alloys within each series and to say "stainless" does not tell me anything about the end product.
Chrome Moly on the other hand is a specific alloy [41XX] with a narrow range of carbon thus producing a predictable product. It can be difficult to machine based on the heat treat of the raw blank. Generally it is machined in the pre-heat treated condition [30 to 40 Rc].
While there may be some advantages in "stainless" barrels [longevity?] I have never found a reason to purchase one.

Well, the 416 we normally use,
machines extremely well (important)
Does not pit inside the bore
doesnt need an outside finish to protect it as the passivation of the Chromium oxide layer does that
---
From what I read each barrel maker can call out small differences in their alloy for their own proprietary
"barrel Steel"
---
when these ratio's are off or incorrect, we get what we hear as
"Bad batches of steel" which result in a bad barrel once in awhile

 

[David Conder]

that happens to all! Barrel makers

 

[Terry]

Just curious if they found a decent replacement for Stan.

Stan was a great friend and mentor. That level of knowledge and experience is hard to find.