Anyone have a lot of experience with X-Caliber Barrels??

[mauser284]

So I recently purchased 2 6mm X-Caliber barrels. one is 1:7.5 5R twist and the other is 1:7.7 3 grove twist. Both are SS and MTU profiles.

I am not planning on campaigning them rather I will build varmint rifles off of them more than likely. That said has anyone campaigned a X-Caliber?

How do they compare to Shilen, Douglass XX, Lija, Lothar Walther,

Sadly I am a price shopper when it comes to hunting and varmint rifle barrels and have used a lot of brands alternative brands not used in competition like Bergera, L&W, Wilson, Prefered and X-Caliber but do not have enough trigger time on any of them to make an honest comparison to Brux, Shilen, Lija, Douglas etc......

Using 1 or 2 barrels here and there is not the same as having used them for decades or on many builds. I know some of you guys have gone through a lot of barrels both as competitors and gunsmiths. My experience has been positive but my sample size is 1 which is not a large sample size! LOL

Just like I plan to try a PVA but again a sample size of 1 is not very telling right!

If anyone is able to give any sort of evaluation based on repeat use that would be great.

 

[JohnD]

I bought one early on because I liked the price and thought, what the heck. Chambered up into a .20 Practical and it’s more than accurate enough for prairie dogs. It seems they went through some changes but not sure exactly what.
Maybe Lsherm will chime in. He’ll know.

John

 

[CjC73]

I've had a couple and just sold a rifle with one (carbon wrapped version) chambered in 25SST and the guy is hitting steel easily out to 880 yards. Just get a good smith to chamber it and you'll be good to go.

 

[jpx2rk]

I have a couple of X/C barrels, used for varmints, both are very accurate, easy to find a load for. The 20P I have has shot a variety of test loads with pills from 26g up to 40g, all under an inch at 100yds.

 

[swd]

I’ve chambered 12-15 of them but haven’t ordered any in quite a while, probably a couple years. Slug them. I don’t know if it was their lapping or heat treat but they were consistently a bit inconsistent towards the muzzle. If I cut and crowned them at the tightest place which was usually only about a half inch back, not an inch, they shot quite well. Maybe they have gotten better or worse, I don’t know. Slug them and find out. It tells you a lot.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

The barrel is at the top of the list of things that matter. The price difference between the top end barrels and the others is pretty small if you consider your total expenses on the sport. This is the last place Id bargain shop. But if your going to then they are all about the same in the lower price point. Any barrel maker can make a good or bad barrel. What you get from the top makers is consistency. Barrel after barrel will measure and scope almost exactly the same. As you go down you start to see more variation in those things.

 

[jelenko]

My understanding is Alex's statement on this is definitive.

I do use finished barrels in the $300 - $400 range because my accuracy needs are 1/2 - 3/4 MOA - thinking/hoping that some/most of a 'bad' barrel in that range would still meet my needs.

I'm currently having a couple 'gunsmith specials' from Green Mountain chamber/finished. The ones I've used in the past that shot well within my needs.

 

[SKWERLZ]

The barrel is at the top of the list of things that matter. The price difference between the top end barrels and the others is pretty small if you consider your total expenses on the sport. This is the last place Id bargain shop. But if your going to then they are all about the same in the lower price point. Any barrel maker can make a good or bad barrel. What you get from the top makers is consistency. Barrel after barrel will measure and scope almost exactly the same. As you go down you start to see more variation in those things.

I call it buying better odds at the barrel lottery

 

[chuckshooter]

I have owned 5 of them, the first three were as good as any barrel I've had. The last two, not so much. They both had flaws and were send back for what I thought would be replacements. But what I got back were the same barrels that were polished soo much. It increased the bore size beyond any bushing that I own. I will not buy another.

 

[Bill K]

Back when Xcaliber came on the scene, I bought and built three rifles up with their barrel, 20 cal, 3grove, 1/11 twist and they are still working very well, not being shot out nor over heated. (20VT, 20 Tac and 20SCC)
However, when the new owners took over, I have no personal knowledge, but have heard that the quality has gone down. You might check around and see if that is holding true.

 

[Txhillbilly]

I've got nothing but good words for the X-Caliber barrel's that I have bought. They shoot pretty good! I recommend getting them to use someone besides Fed-Ex for shipping. They lost my last barrel, or should I say they delivered it to the "Mail Room" that I don't have since I live out in the sticks!

 

[ricco1949]

I've chambered over 40 X-Caliber barrels of various calibers, grooves and twists .....not a bummer in the lot.

 

[urbanrifleman]

The barrel is at the top of the list of things that matter. The price difference between the top end barrels and the others is pretty small if you consider your total expenses on the sport. This is the last place Id bargain shop. But if your going to then they are all about the same in the lower price point. Any barrel maker can make a good or bad barrel. What you get from the top makers is consistency. Barrel after barrel will measure and scope almost exactly the same. As you go down you start to see more variation in those things.

The only thing is that how did the "top end" end up being top makers? Everybody had to start somewhere. And there have been a lot of new companies pop up in the last 10 years that are making barrels ever bit as good as the old "top end", if not better.

Thank goodness not everybody thinks the way you do or I wouldn't be making barrels.

I can honestly say I've never had a bad barrel blank from my supplier. Not a single one. My guess is that they have as many or more quality checks as the "top end".

 

[AlNyhus]

The barrel is at the top of the list of things that matter. The price difference between the top end barrels and the others is pretty small if you consider your total expenses on the sport. This is the last place Id bargain shop. But if your going to then they are all about the same in the lower price point. Any barrel maker can make a good or bad barrel. What you get from the top makers is consistency. Barrel after barrel will measure and scope almost exactly the same. As you go down you start to see more variation in those things.

Amen, Alex.

Another thing people need to consider is service after the sale. A local shooter recently told me his story about a lower cost (but not bottom rung) popular brand nutted barrel in 308W he bought for a 700 to replace the factory 308W barrel that shot 1" three shot groups. The new barrel won't shoot less than 2.5" three shot groups at 100 with either his hand loads or any factory ammo he tried. There's no mechanical issues with the rifle, scope or mounting system.

The vendor was no help and told him he got what he paid for. He finally called the mfg. directly and they told him to work through the vendor he purchased it from. At this point, he's burned through 4-5 times the $ difference between it and a top end barrel just in components wasted.

But other friends have had decent luck with that same barrel brand with 1/2"-5/8" accuracy from hunting rigs.

To the OP's question, a good friend has an older X-Caliber on a Panda in 20 Practical that is excellent. Shouldered fit up, naturally.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[urbanrifleman]

Amen, Alex.

Another thing people need to consider is service after the sale. A local shooter recently told me his story about a lower cost (but not bottom rung) popular brand nutted barrel in 308W he bought for a 700 to replace the factory 308W barrel that shot 1" three shot groups. The new barrel won't shoot less than 2.5" three shot groups at 100 with either his hand loads or any factory ammo he tried. There's no mechanical issues with the rifle, scope or mounting system.

The vendor was no help and told him he got what he paid for. He finally called the mfg. directly and they told him to work through the vendor he purchased it from. At this point, he's burned through 4-5 times the $ difference between it and a top end barrel just in components wasted.

But other friends have had decent luck with that same barrel brand with 1/2"-5/8" accuracy from hunting rigs.

To the OP's question, a good friend has an older X-Caliber on a Panda in 20 Practical that is excellent. Shouldered fit up, naturally.

Good shootin' -Al

For everyone of these horror stories I bet there are 100s of success stories.

But such is the nature of things, I suppose..

 

[AlNyhus]

For everyone of these horror stories I bet there are 100s of success stories.

I don't disagree.

For stacking the odds in a shooters favor, it's always good to have choices. -Al

 

[MGYSGT]

I purchased one for my AR. I asked for it to be unchambered. I was building a Cal 30 on a small frame (A4). It is the best and most accurate AR I have ever seen. I would not hesitate to get another. As always I am sure that on occasion there is a faulty barrel made, but that goes with the big boys too.

 

[Eagle1899]

I have one. It's a prefit for a barrel nut chambered in 223 Wylde. It shoots really good!!! Cleans up easy and brass is interchangeable with my PVA prefit. I would not hesitate to get another.

 

[urbanrifleman]

I don't disagree.

For stacking the odds in a shooters favor, it's always good to have choices. -Al

I agree with that. The more the merrier. Especially when it comes to people making good barrels.

 

[wedgy]

The early ones seem to be of better quality the the more recent ones... two prefits have off center chambers that are very easy to see with the borescope. The latest carbon barrel I had a LPR chamber, when I asked him how the barrel looked when indexed he said something like "a bit more than others". Probably fine for a hunting rifle but might not be my choice for a comp gun.