BARRELS — PacNor Experience?

[Steve Donlon]

I'm on my 3rd Pac-Nor barrel The last one is from their new shop and is just as good as the other two. All 3 groove. 2 30-06 and 1 6.5. Very glad they rebuilt their shop.

 

[whatwind?]

Bugholes and Mackey have a lot in stock and muller has a website now also, prices are higher than bugholes, but can place custom order, ignore the website name, it’s muller

Order — Lights Out Carbon Barrels

www.lightsoutcarbonbarrels.com

 

[Steve Donlon]

I guess I got a soft one or maybe I let the barrel get to hot sometimes but with only 800 rounds through the barrel, she went south. It used to shot one hole groups now it takes 7-8 shots to calm down. It was only throwing one flyer about an inch down to the right. Now they are all over the place for 7-8 shots. I looked down the bore with a borescope and I have fire cracking 1/4 of way up the barrel. My other Pac-Nor barrels have been great. It's a Heavy Varmint profile and I have shot 15 round strings of fire so maybe that's where I went wrong. I just ordered a Bartlein barrel instead.

 

[L.Sherm]

I guess I got a soft one or maybe I let the barrel get to hot sometimes but with only 800 rounds through the barrel, she went south. It shot one hole groups then it took 7-8 shots to calm down. It was only throwing one flyer about an inch down to the right. Now they are all over the place for 7-8 shots. I looked down the bore with a borescope and I have fire cracking 1/4 of way up the barrel. My other Pac-Nor barrels have been great. It's a Heavy Varmint profile and I have shot 15 round strings of fire so maybe that's where I went wrong. I just ordered a Bartlein barrel instead.

What caliber- cartridge?

 

[Steve Donlon]

What caliber- cartridge?

6.5 Creedmoor loads were 40.5 grs. of IMR 4350 Lapua brass to 42.3 grs of RL16 for long range in Hornady brass both using 147 gr. ELD bullets

 

[FNSafari]

I guess I got a soft one or maybe I let the barrel get to hot sometimes but with only 800 rounds through the barrel, she went south. It shot one hole groups then it took 7-8 shots to calm down. It was only throwing one flyer about an inch down to the right. Now they are all over the place for 7-8 shots. I looked down the bore with a borescope and I have fire cracking 1/4 of way up the barrel. My other Pac-Nor barrels have been great. It's a Heavy Varmint profile and I have shot 15 round strings of fire so maybe that's where I went wrong. I just ordered a Bartlein barrel instead.

I know a fellow that shot out a 6.5 Creedmoor barrel in less than 1000 rounds...lots of rapid fire and long strings. No barrel will stand up to that and keep gilt edge match accuracy imo.

 

[Steve Donlon]

I know a fellow that shot out a 6.5 Creedmoor barrel in less than 1000 rounds...lots of rapid fire and long strings. No barrel will stand up to that and keep gilt edge match accuracy imo.

I learned my lesson

 

[SBS]

6.5 Creedmoor loads were 40.5 grs. of IMR 4350 Lapua brass to 42.3 grs of RL16 for long range in Hornady brass both using 147 gr. ELD bullets

Try this barrel with another bullet, maybe the Berger 140 Hybrid. A number of shooters have had accuracy problems with the 147 ELD-M bullets, including myself. Any and all the things that cause jacket/core separation such as high speed; throat wear, such as 800 rds. you mentioned; barrel temperature; and fouling buildup -- all can cause your problem with this bullet. Before the jackets would actually separate, accuracy would start to deteriorate and continued firing without cooling down or cleaning would result in the bullet coming apart. My 6.5-06 AI shot wonderful 5 shot groups working up a load, where I didn't have time limits and didn't shoot a lot before cleaning. 1st match (600) near the end of the 1st 20 shot string, accuracy got worse and then a bullet disappeared in flight. A relay later, it had cooled down and took about half the string before the same symptoms appeared. Read up and found other Mid and LR shooters were having similar problems with this bullet. Took the same rifle (1-8 Brux on it) to a 1000 yd. match when the weather was HOT, was loaded with some 140 Hybrids I had on hand running them @over 3100 (RL26), no accuracy problems and no bullet separations. Moved since to the 144 Hybrid (running about 3100) and no problems to date, about 600 plus rounds now and last 20 shot string @ a 1000 yd. match was 199-9X in some hot windy weather. I'm an old sling shooter, so don't get the X count of F Classers. Reading about it, I found Berger had this problem early on, but thickened their jackets up. Hornady claims they don't have a problem with it and I think as long as you shoot them in the velocities generated in the smaller 6.5's in good clean barrels with not too many rounds through them, you're okay. Plus anything to hold down the barrel temp helps (cooler weather, slower shooting, heavy barrels, slower velocities, cooler burning powder). I shot the rest of my 147's in a 6.5 CM with fairly new barrel at 600 with no problems. Might try Hybrids in your problem barrel before you pitch it.

 

[varget204]

ordered a 204 Ruger barrel got it ,had 20 + spots/pits /barrel worms in it ,some fairly large,called Pac Nor, barrel was nevr Borescoped, I Sent it back Got a Refund, barrel should Never have left the factory, 7 months wasted, Ordered a Krieger Barrel, they Inspect the barrel after drilling, after rifling ,after Lapping, it looked like a mirror Zero imperfections,Never Looked Back

 

[Steve Donlon]

Try this barrel with another bullet, maybe the Berger 140 Hybrid. A number of shooters have had accuracy problems with the 147 ELD-M bullets, including myself. Any and all the things that cause jacket/core separation such as high speed; throat wear, such as 800 rds. you mentioned; barrel temperature; and fouling buildup -- all can cause your problem with this bullet. Before the jackets would actually separate, accuracy would start to deteriorate and continued firing without cooling down or cleaning would result in the bullet coming apart. My 6.5-06 AI shot wonderful 5 shot groups working up a load, where I didn't have time limits and didn't shoot a lot before cleaning. 1st match (600) near the end of the 1st 20 shot string, accuracy got worse and then a bullet disappeared in flight. A relay later, it had cooled down and took about half the string before the same symptoms appeared. Read up and found other Mid and LR shooters were having similar problems with this bullet. Took the same rifle (1-8 Brux on it) to a 1000 yd. match when the weather was HOT, was loaded with some 140 Hybrids I had on hand running them @over 3100 (RL26), no accuracy problems and no bullet separations. Moved since to the 144 Hybrid (running about 3100) and no problems to date, about 600 plus rounds now and last 20 shot string @ a 1000 yd. match was 199-9X in some hot windy weather. I'm an old sling shooter, so don't get the X count of F Classers. Reading about it, I found Berger had this problem early on, but thickened their jackets up. Hornady claims they don't have a problem with it and I think as long as you shoot them in the velocities generated in the smaller 6.5's in good clean barrels with not too many rounds through them, you're okay. Plus anything to hold down the barrel temp helps (cooler weather, slower shooting, heavy barrels, slower velocities, cooler burning powder). I shot the rest of my 147's in a 6.5 CM with fairly new barrel at 600 with no problems. Might try Hybrids in your problem barrel before you pitch it.

I tired the Berger 144's no change. Today I took out my old RPR that I put a Bartlein gain twist barrel only after 2600 rounds on the factory barrel. That factory barrel only started throwing flyers at 1000 yards. At 800 yards it was still good. The Bartlein is 2 moa at 300 yards and no flyers ever with the 147 ELD. and the Pac-Nor is 3 moa at 300 yards. I forgot how accurate my RPR rifle is. In fact the Pac-Nor 30-06 barrels have never had flyers either. I think you are right about the twist rates and button rifled barrels.

 

[jpjulian]

I've had 3 Pac-Nor barrels, all chambered in .223 Wylde by John Holliger. They all hammered.

 

[Jud96]

ordered a 204 Ruger barrel got it ,had 20 + spots/pits /barrel worms in it ,some fairly large,called Pac Nor, barrel was nevr Borescoped, I Sent it back Got a Refund, barrel should Never have left the factory, 7 months wasted, Ordered a Krieger Barrel, they Inspect the barrel after drilling, after rifling ,after Lapping, it looked like a mirror Zero imperfections,Never Looked Back

How long ago did you have that experience with PacNor?

 

[L.Sherm]

ordered a 204 Ruger barrel got it ,had 20 + spots/pits /barrel worms in it ,some fairly large,called Pac Nor, barrel was nevr Borescoped, I Sent it back Got a Refund, barrel should Never have left the factory, 7 months wasted, Ordered a Krieger Barrel, they Inspect the barrel after drilling, after rifling ,after Lapping, it looked like a mirror Zero imperfections,Never Looked Back

I've seen some bad barrels from the top notch cut ones, they slip through the cracks by all of them just some more than others and how its handled makes a difference

 

[varget204]

How long ago did you have that experience with PacNor?

it was 2017