"Bargain" Barrels

[ASbobcat]

Bought a barrel at a deep discount that some manufacturers have from time to time. When I mentioned the sale on this forum, I was surprised at the almost universal negative feedback about this particular manufacturer. I ignored those warnings, and paid the price.

What I got for my "bargain" was a grossly out of spec chamber. The .200 datum EXCEEDED SAAMI MAXIMUM by MORE THAN .004in. See attached images. Had to cut .700in off and re-chamber to bring it within spec.

I was reminded of one of life's great lessons, that one usually"gets what one pays for".

There is a reason why most barrel manufacturers never have sales. They don't have to because their reputation speaks for itself.

"Buy once, cry once".

 

[jr600yd]

Yup, your learning!

 

[ASbobcat]

Yup, your learning!

Sent the cut-off section to them for their measurement. Never heard back.

 

[boltfluter]

At the price of components today, the bargain barrel will be more expensive that a first rate barrel when the dust has finally settled. I have several cheap friends that cannot grasp this concept. I just laugh and have much less frustration when working up a good load. Idiots!! Lmao!

Paul

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

No such thing as a "Bargan" barrel.

 

[AckleymanII]

I have found an exception to the crappy bargin basement barrels, and that is the barrels sold by fellow member

urbanrifleman

I got one of his 6 BRA in 8T, 26" lengths, all I can say is WOW! I chamber my own barrels, gauge the bore dia from end to end, have hawkeye and teslong bore scopes. This $245 barrel is absolutely shocking in how good it is, both in ID uniformity from end to end, and how SMOOTH the Bore is. This chamber has very short freebore, perhaps zero with a little throat.

I have around 150 rounds on the barrel and have yet to get any copper fouling...just a tinge of green from Montana Extreme Copper killer.

I am shooting very very small groups with 70g Nosler ballistic tips in the 1's on a calm evening, and in the 2's with 60g HP, IMR xbr 8208.

I will be writing more on this barrel in the coming days.




These groups were shot back to back, with me playing with different brands of primers with the same load, 7 1/2, CCI-BR4, Win, then hit a home run with the Fed 205

urbanrifleman has really done a fine job on this barrel, and I use a Harrell's #3 F.L. bushing die.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

I have found an exception to the crappy bargin basement barrels, and that is the barrels sold by fellow member

urbanrifleman

I got one of his 6 BRA in 8T, 26" lengths, all I can say is WOW! I chamber my own barrels, gauge the bore dia from end to end, have hawkeye and teslong bore scopes. This $245 barrel is absolutely shocking in how good it is, both in ID uniformity from end to end, and how SMOOTH the Bore is. This chamber has very short freebore, perhaps zero with a little throat.

I have around 150 rounds on the barrel and have yet to get any copper fouling...just a tinge of green from Montana Extreme Copper killer.

I am shooting very very small groups with 70g Nosler ballistic tips in the 1's on a calm evening, and in the 2's with 60g HP, IMR xbr 8208.

I will be writing more on this barrel in the coming days.




These groups were shot back to back, with me playing with different brands of primers with the same load, 7 1/2, CCI-BR4, Win, then hit a home run with the Fed 205

urbanrifleman has really done a fine job on this barrel, and I use a Harrell's #3 F.L. bushing die.

I believe the OP stated that his barrel was already chambered and he complained that it was way out of SAMMI specs when he got it.

Your bargain barrel, came from a guy who prides himself in suppling first rate products to us. I bet that if for any reason you were not satisfied, you could return it, no questions asked. On the other hand I suspect the OP had no choice but to eat his "Bargain" barrel.

 

[AckleymanII]

Bradly, I am sure would back up his barrels, and the chamber and throat in my 6bra Barrel from Bradley is top notch quality.

 

[DShortt]

I bought a pre-chambered barrel from a very well known manufacturer and when I got it I discovered that the throat was non-concentric. I was able to return it and get a replacement but I'm still surprised they would ship something like that.

 

[NorCalMikie]

Bought a barrel at a deep discount that some manufacturers have from time to time. When I mentioned the sale on this forum, I was surprised at the almost universal negative feedback about this particular manufacturer. I ignored those warnings, and paid the price.

But then again, you luck out and find that the "deep discount barrel" is a shooter.
Picked up as Douglas barrel, known as a "gunsmiths blank barrel" off an auction site. Two for sale but I was only able to snag one.
Wanted to build a "wildcat" in 6.8 BR but didn't want to spend BIG $$$ on a barrel and not be happy with the chambering or the barrel.
Was told that the Douglas barrel was crap because they wern't lapped?
Got it chambered with MY custom made reamer, mounted that sucker up and went shooting. Five shot group that can be covered with a dime. Not to shabby if you ask me.
I've also heard about the top brand barrels coming out with crap at times. You pays your $$$ and your takes your chances.
And you don't hear much about the lesser brand barrels NOT being on the "equipment list"? Maybe that's because folks are scared off by the remarks of others that were also scared off by what others had to say?

 

[msalm]

I’ve used a lot of barrels from high end cut and buttoned to budget unturned blanks from Green Mountain along with some in between. After contouring the cheap barrels I cast a lap (or 3) and lap the bore. I’m not going to claim the cheap barrel is as good, but they shoot damnded well for their use, which is a varmint or hunting rifle and would reliably shoot 1/2 MOA or better in the varmint calibers. Many of these were for AR15 barrels and if they didn’t shoot to satisfaction I would replace it for free. I think I replaced 2 barrels out of over 200 I made...not bad IMO. One friend was up to 6000 rounds on a 12 twist 223 and was still shooting 5/8” groups on an 18” AR barrel.

I have no hesitation using a cheaper blank if that is the price point or I’m trying something odd or a new idea I’m playing with. In the last year I bought a bunch of Heym hammer forged blanks from Numrich and re-purposed them on Howa mini’s in 223, 22 Grendel, 6 Grendel, and a Model 7 in 7 RSAUM. These blanks were less than $70, and shot exceptionally well. The bores were perfect without machine marks, just a fine crosshatch from the honing process before the forging process.

Those ‘bargain’ barrels have allowed me to try a lot of different calibers and ideas i want to explore, and are useful to me. If I’m building something more ‘special’, I drive down to Brux and they fix me up with what I need for that too. It’s all in what your expectations or use requires IMO.

 

[jelenko]

I've used 2 AR Stoner barrels [from Midway], 4 Bear Creek Arsenal and 5 Green Mountain barrels [the Green Mountain ones have all been chambered by a competent gunsmith].
The AR Stoner and BCA ones all had 50% real shooters and 50% real duds. For me, shooter => at least some groups 1/2 MOA or better; dud => all groups 1.5 MOA or worse. [Just fyi - for my purposes, the barrel has to shoot at least some .6 MOA groups]
The Green Mountain ones all shot well; 3 shot some .5 MOA groups with one the best it could do was .7 MOA. The Green Mountain ones did seem to wear sooner than others; i.e., in a 223 AR, groups would open up ~ 2200 to 2500 rounds vs 2700 to 3000 for higher end ones.

 

[Ackman]

What I got for my "bargain" was a grossly out of spec chamber. The .200 datum EXCEEDED SAAMI MAXIMUM by MORE THAN .004in. See attached images. Had to cut .700in off and re-chamber to bring it within spec.

What you're measuring is not the datum line, that's at the other end of the case.

 

[std7mag]

Are the calipers actually measuring at the 0.200" mark? (+0.005")
It seems odd that a barrel maker would have a reamer that is larger than SAAMI spec!

Where did they get the reamer from?

And they are gonna do nothing since you cut a portion of the barrel off. Had you contacted them & sent the whole barrel back it may have been different.
There is the proper way to handle disputes, then there is the hot tempered, wrong way to handle disputes.

I have 4 barrels from a known "bargain" barrel maker in different calibers that i'm extremely happy with.
By all means, please switch over to a custom barrel maker.
It makes my wait time on my bargain barrels that much shorter.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Buying pre chambered barrels never made sense to me at any price point. The barrel is the most important component of the rifle for accuracy so I never understood why people would want to gamble with the chance of a chamber not being perfectly matched the the bolt face, tenon threads, and bore. Not saying that some pre-fit barrels can’t be very accurate, but I’ll guarantee there’s a lot more duds out there than custom chambered barrels. Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think there’s any long range BR shooters out there competing and winning with pre-fit barrels.

Even back many years ago when I shot Salvage rifles I would never buy a pre-fit. Always had them chambered up and threaded the barrel on the receiver with a shoulder like a 700 (did not use the barrel nut). Shot a lot better that way.

Of course everyones standards for accuracy may vary. I like to leave very little to chance in all areas of a build that I have control over.

 

[NorCalMikie]

The object of buying a blank barrel and having it threaded and chambered is so you get it the way YOU WANT IT, not what someone else decides is best.
Or, send in YOUR reamer and have their blank chambered. Works for me.

 

[urbanrifleman]

Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think there’s any long range BR shooters out there competing and winning with pre-fit barrels.

Feel free to check the Criterion website for their list of prefit customer winners.

Well... after re reading that again I realized that you made your comment to a very specific group of people, of which there might be 300 people from coast to coast (out of maybe 50 million gun owners)... and shrinking btw... and really has nothing to do with anything. What that tiny group of people choose to use IMHO has little to do with much. They also use stock rudders, stocks that flex on purpose, rail guns with 1.5" barrels, and all kinds of other crazy stuff that have nothing to do with anyone but themselves... but for some reason, they are always mentioned as the standard for all things shooting for accuracy.... They certainly are on the cutting edge of a few things, but not all things.

I have my prefit barrels and I have my chambered barrels. My prefits.... well dang it.... They shoot insane good. I have no idea why. My club members here just end up shaking their heads when I show them my targets... (including my own gunsmith that I have used for years until I started making my own).

I really do not like the thought that my barrels are considered "bargain basement". That is kind of not true, if someone thinks that. That is like saying the only good things in this world must cost too much. I have premium barrels in my stable (lots of them), and my Urbanrifleman prefit barrels shoot every single bit as good (and now I have chambered my own shouldered barrels with the same blanks and I think they are great but not better than the nut). The only thing that matters is how they perform. Headspacing and using a nut is not rocket surgery, and my shouldered barrels do not shoot smaller because they are shouldered. Sorry.

I have been very consistent in my dislike of the talking down of a nut barrel. I think it is just silly. This is nothing new for me, and I think I have been TRULY BLESSED by God to have been allowed to prove my point.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

Feel free to check the Criterion website for their list of prefit customer winners.

Well... after re reading that again I realized that you made your comment to a very specific group of people, of which there might be 300 people from coast to coast (out of maybe 50 million gun owners)... and shrinking btw... and really has nothing to do with anything. What that tiny group of people choose to use IMHO has little to do with much. They also use stock rudders, stocks that flex on purpose, rail guns with 1.5" barrels, and all kinds of other crazy stuff that have nothing to do with anyone but themselves... but for some reason, they are always mentioned as the standard for all things shooting for accuracy.... They certainly are on the cutting edge of a few things, but not all things.

I have my prefit barrels and I have my chambered barrels. My prefits.... well dang it.... They shoot insane good. I have no idea why. My club members here just end up shaking their heads when I show them my targets... (including my own gunsmith that I have used for years until I started making my own).

I really do not like the thought that my barrels are considered "bargain basement". That is kind of not true, if someone thinks that. That is like saying the only good things in this world must cost too much. I have premium barrels in my stable (lots of them), and my Urbanrifleman prefit barrels shoot every single bit as good (and now I have chambered my own shouldered barrels with the same blanks and I think they are great but not better than the nut). The only thing that matters is how they perform. Headspacing and using a nut is not rocket surgery, and my shouldered barrels do not shoot smaller because they are shouldered. Sorry.

I have been very consistent in my dislike of the talking down of a nut barrel. I think it is just silly. This is nothing new for me, and I think I have been TRULY BLESSED by God to have been allowed to prove my point.

While I have not purchased one of your barrels, I really doubt the term "bargain barrel" refers to your products.

IMO, this refers to the so called seconds or take offs, others sell. I have bought several other products from you and found them to be first rate and exactly as advertised. I think your reputation speaks for itself.

 

[urbanrifleman]

While I have not purchased one of your barrels, I really doubt the term "bargain barrel" refers to your products.

IMO, this refers to the so called seconds or take offs, others sell. I have bought several other products from you and found them to be first rate and exactly as advertised. I think your reputation speaks for itself.

How very kind of you to say that.

Man, that made my day!! Thank you!!

 

[NorCalMikie]

Ordered up a "lesser known" (previously mentioned) barrel from a barrel maker that's been around for YEARS.
Got it in two days. Turned around and ordered another and got it in a couple more days. Try that with Pac Nor or any of the well known barrel makers.
The only problem about getting an "off the shelf" pre fit/chambered barrel is it may not be chambered "exactly" like you want it so you end up a second choice.
Nothing like having you own custom cut reamer to get what YOU WANT!!