anyone ever used a Pac Nor rimfire barrel ?

[Westex]

wondering ?

 

[skeetlee]

Ive chambered a few in my shop over the years. I won't tell you that they were barn burners because they were not. I can say that they shot well. I'll also say there are better choices if playing the odds of getting a real performer. Rimfire blanks either need to be 100% perfect dimensional from one end to the other or they need to be lapped properly. Lapping rimfire blanks is a special skill set that few folks have mastered.
Cut-rifled barrels can be very good if they are perfect all the way through and button-rifled barrels need to be lapped Pac nor barrels are button-rifled. I think it just depends on what your after.
Lee

 

[Westex]

Thank you !

 

[TRSR8]

If you’re considering anything RFBR related they’re never really seen.
The very best match RF barrels are taper lapped a couple tenths which I do not believe they are.
you want a top bbl, BM, Lilja, Muller/ Lakeside, Shilens have been tough to source for a while.

 

[Tad_Earhart]

If the polygonal 6 groove was taper lapped like we get from Paul or Shilen it would be a contender. Pac-Nor used to lap prior to profiling and called it good there. This may no longer be the case but I would assume so.

 

[Intell]

A PAC-Nor barreled Time gun won the ARA outdoor Nationals 3 years in a row, with a pretty good agg.
I had a good one also back when we shot factory action guns on unlimited targets.
Like said above there are probably better options now days, but I watched that PAC-Nor shoot a 2500 card through a spotting scope at the nationals over 20 years ago with some yellow box Lapua, I’m sure they could still produce a good barrel.
I actually checked with them a few months ago, 13 weeks was the quote and I didn’t want to wait that long or I would have one on now.

 

[Intell]

20 years ago…..really?
P.S. one barrel does not make a trend.

Reread the OPs question. He didn’t ask if they were “the best” he ask if anyone has ever used them.
Always so quick to try and take a dump on someone.

 

[Frankr]

Unfortunately I’ve never used one of their RF barrels. I have over a 30 year period used around 7 of their CF super match stainless barrel and one std SM. I have a SSM #3 sporter in 6XC now with 1,800 rounds, I just cleaned it the other day and bore scoped it and I was shocked how good it looks. Like normal fire cracking that you would see with 500 rounds. It’s a .350 200 yard gun. Had a 6BR 14 twist that was a solid .150 gun. I really never had one that did not shoot well. I actually have considered trying one of their RF SSM barrels. My bet would be that it would be a roll of the dice that you would get a great one, just like any other manufacturer. I would agree that if the goal was RFBR shooting I would try and stick with a Muller or a Shilen. I certainly would not be afraid to try one. You never know.

 

[Frankr]

I have been going to take that 6XC to a 500 meter Ground Hog match. They said they were going to have to put a moving backer behind my 200 yard target, cause they know how I am. lol. They were calling me to the scoring booth, come on is there really 5 shots there in that hole. I convinced them there was. Im really just too lazy anymore to put the work in to get my brass and a load ready. But I might do it. I think about doing it all the time. Maybe I will.
I sold that pac nor 14 T 6BR to a guy with a new Pac Nor SSM blank for it. IDK if he ever did anything with it or not. I should ask Bruce B.

 

[Frankr]

A PAC-Nor barreled Time gun won the ARA outdoor Nationals 3 years in a row, with a pretty good agg.
I had a good one also back when we shot factory action guns on unlimited targets.
Like said above there are probably better options now days, but I watched that PAC-Nor shoot a 2500 card through a spotting scope at the nationals over 20 years ago with some yellow box Lapua, I’m sure they could still produce a good barrel.
I actually checked with them a few months ago, 13 weeks was the quote and I didn’t want to wait that long or I would have one on now.

This topic came up the other day and someone provided detailed information on a 15T pac nor RFBR barrel that shot a lot of record targets. Not that long ago. I didn’t know that. I’m going to order two to try.
A 3 groove 16T. And a 6 groove 15T. To play with. They tell me the 3 groove should be great. I had a few 3 groove CF barrels. One was incredible.

 

[Frankr]

discover the Wizard

I wasn’t going to say anything but you brought up the wizard. I felt like I was going to see the Wizard Saturday. I dropped my Rifle and some Barrels off with the Wizard Saturday. That’s all I can say. I am super excited to get out of mid pac myself.
This was meant to be funny. As you know I’m always joking around. But I did drop off to have some barrel work done.

 

[doclu60]

Okay, I haven't had a PacNor, but asked about them back in 2016 when I went sanctioned. I asked a smith that has had some success in not only building some winning rifles but has had his share of success shooting as well. His words then 'PacNor used to be a good player in sanctioned RFBR but has fallen of the charts as far as being competitive'. Not that long after he told me that, PacNor burned down. Since then, they have come back, but I still do not see PacNor barrels at matches or on equipment lists. Nor do I hear of any of the many RFBR smiths I know speaking of fitting PacNor barrels currently.

As far as the dispute between Intell and TRSR8 over this topic, the latter is quoting information as to their (PacNor) current position in big time RFBR (which is zero). I do feel the OP was looking for current opinions and not their past pedigree. Also, TRSR8 has a fairly extensive history in IR50/50 being 23rd on the all-time HOF points list and a past IR Sporter Outdoor National Tournament winner. I would look up the credentials of Intell but I don't know his real name to look it up or know who he is. His profile shows NW Missouri, and I know a lot of RFBR shooters in that area but do not know who he/she is.

With the current availability of quality RFBR custom blanks being extremely difficult to source, I would expect to see other brands make an appearance at the range. It is possible that PacNor may make a serious impact in the future, but as of now, not in the past, there is no current data I have found.

JMO/JME........Scott

 

[Frankr]

I personally feel that any of the custom barrel manufacturers of button Rifled barrels should be able to produce a very accurate RF barrel. Including pac nor. I absolutely wouldn’t have a problem trying one. I know the thought on cut barrels in RF BR but I have a buddy with a RF PRS Rifle with one incredible looking Kreiger on it. Bore scope looking. He has been able to shoot 248’s quite easily on a IR target with out knowing too much about what he’s doing. Just shooting. He is going to attend some matches with us this year. I’m curious to see how well he can do once he gets a little experience. But the Idea is it sure seems to shoot quite well. So I guess you never really know until you actually shoot one.

 

[shutinlead]

I built my first Striker Ballard and put a Pac-Nor on it, more for testing my striker design than testing the barrel. Fired nearly 30K rounds through it playing the Schuetzen game. It shot very respectable and at the time I was fairly new to that discipine. A lot of bulk ammo went down that pipe, evolved into using my version of the Paco/Waltz sizing die. At the time the combination became an upper end competitor, not a constant winner but it held its own. (maybe me because of more practice/experience?) Higher end ammo became the norm and that barrel eventually came off for an upgrade. That Ballard now wears a lh, gt, RKS barrel with a version of a Calfee I chamber, but that's another story. My 2¢ worth and that's not much.
GT

 

[TRSR8]

I built my first Striker Ballard and put a Pac-Nor on it, more for testing my striker design than testing the barrel. Fired nearly 30K rounds through it playing the Schuetzen game. It shot very respectable and at the time I was fairly new to that discipine. A lot of bulk ammo went down that pipe, evolved into using my version of the Paco/Waltz sizing die. At the time the combination became an upper end competitor, not a constant winner but it held its own. (maybe me because of more practice/experience?) Higher end ammo became the norm and that barrel eventually came off for an upgrade. That Ballard now wears a lh, gt, RKS barrel with a version of a Calfee I chamber, but that's another story. My 2¢ worth and that's not much.
GT

That is nice to hear. One of the issues on this forum, it represents a whole mish mash of RF enthusiast's and the barrels are good for the majority I suspect, which is why I qualified my initial answer specific to the match RFBR world were demands are the absolute highest.
I have been fortunate over the years as well working with about every RF match barrel and configuration imaginable both production and “development” projects, so have developed a fair idea what’s out there
That said, while familiar with all manner of SS rifles, what is a “Striker” Ballard?

 

[shutinlead]

TRSR8,
You are familiar with a Ballard, correct? It's a single shot rifle originally designed and patented by Charles H. Ballard in 1861 or there abouts. For those in the single shot vintage rifle game it's very common. I'm guessing you're quite familiar.
The Ballard is originally a external hammer configuration, until a guy by the name of George Worn came along, I believe he also had an alliance with another fella by the name of Arthur Hubalek. Anyway, these guys came up with a version of a Ballard that used a striker style of breech block rather than a hammer for the 22rf game. I have a few Ballards, both originals and a few that I've built and am still building, from scratch and from Rodney Storie castings, it's a sickness I have... I tried to find out a little more on the striker assembly a few years ago, but in a moment of weakness, or maybe stupidity, I quit looking and decided to design one of my own. I don't make them for sale or trade, but this sickness has sent me tumbling down this slippery slope and the outcome has resulted in a several different versions of a striker-fire mechanism that I've applied to Ballards ranging from a 22rf, all the way up to a 50-90 Sharps.
I compete in several disciplines with these rifles - ranging from bottle caps to Schuetzen, silhouette to gong matches with these. Understand some of the disciplines such as BPCR silhouette don't recognize a striker as a valid rifle, but if they are one of my sponsored matches, I have the final say.
The lock time on an original Ballard is fairly quick, the lock time on my striker, compares with a bolt gun which is even faster. The travel of the striker I've built is very similar to that of say a 40X, .250" or less, backed by a considerable coil spring. Internal works do resemble that of a bolt gun as that's kind of where I came from with my design.
I've share pics of several of my builds, mostly on the ASSRA forum, a couple here, and few other forums. I'm not retired yet, so regular work gets in the way of my builds but for the last 25 years or more the single shot game has been my passion. Attached are pics of a couple striker breech block assemblies I did a few years ago, they've been in use for some time now.
Hopefully, this brief note either gives some clarity or maybe clouds it more?
GT