Prefit shouldered barrels

[okie]

Heck Urban, 4 thousandths is close enough (for me anyway) ...just adjust your dies.

 

[SKWERLZ]

Aim for +1 or 2. On my personal rifles I cut +1-2. Gives me a thou for crush, and a thou so I know I'll have enough resize die length to get the brass where I need it.

I don't think a thou or two is going to be a differentiator to someone blindly ordering a barrel. If it's an action you have known good measurements for.. hit your numbers and keep the barrels consistent from one to the next for that action.

Smart approach.
Playing nice with dies is really important.

I agree a few thousandths on a prefit is a non issue.

 

[urbanrifleman]

Heck Urban, 4 thousandths is close enough (for me anyway) ...just adjust your dies.

My point was is that I've had over the years so many people tell me about my prefit barrels were somehow not custom fit. But it seems to me actually you could hold headspace tolerance to zero tolerance for the nut barrel, and a shouldered pre-fit you're giving up some tolerance.

I can make a nut barrel headspace dead nuts exactly the same every single time. No tolerance. Because it's custom fit every single time.

I've never thought of match chamber as being ok "with a few extra thousandths" of headspace.

 

[AlNyhus]

For decades in the Short Range Benchrest Crowd. one of Kebly‘s big features with their Stolle Panda Action was you could order a barrel from them, (or follow a print), and be 100% confident that it would screw on and be within the correct dimensions for headspace and bolt nose clearance.

Through six Pandas, two Kodiaks and an Atlas...Stan only had 2 in his hand for the initial fit up. On the Atlas with the .692 tenon, .173 Panda Spacer and the .250 lug, 'Humble' Henry Rivers did the barrel and it's exactly at the 1.115 'Panda' number.

The .173 'Panda' spacer and .250 lug on my Atlas, courtesy of 'Humble'.

 

[SKWERLZ]

My point was is that I've had over the years so many people tell me about my prefit barrels were somehow not custom fit. But it seems to me actually you could hold headspace tolerance to zero tolerance for the nut barrel, and a shouldered pre-fit you're giving up some tolerance.

I can make a nut barrel headspace dead nuts exactly the same every single time. No tolerance. Because it's custom fit every single time.

That’s really a main reason I used to buy prefits, I can see headspace exactly how I wanted because really the price difference really isn’t that much.

 

[AlNyhus]

I've never thought of match chamber as being ok "with a few extra thousandths" of headspace.

You might be surprised how many SR Benchrest shooters (with a capital 'B') intentionally give themselves some additional headspace.

 

[okie]

My point was is that I've had over the years so many people tell me about my prefit barrels were somehow not custom fit. But it seems to me actually you could hold headspace tolerance to zero tolerance for the nut barrel, and a shouldered pre-fit you're giving up some tolerance.

I can make a nut barrel headspace dead nuts exactly the same every single time. No tolerance. Because it's custom fit every single time.

I've never thought of match chamber as being ok "with a few extra thousandths" of headspace.

I get it

 

[Dusty Stevens]

You might be surprised how many SR Benchrest shooters (with a capital 'B') intentionally give themselves some additional headspace.

It helps to get that extra powder but thats advanced stuff we never discuss on a forum, kinda like blending powder

 

[LVLAaron]

I think you'd have more of a problem making the threads fit right for a shouldered pre-fit.

Also... you can't time/clock a prefit. Most people don't know or care though.

 

[AlNyhus]

It helps to get that extra powder but thats advanced stuff we never discuss on a forum, kinda like blending powder

Blowing a case forward for a perfect fit in the chamber does a lot of things right. Some heathen gonzo types have even been known to shorten shell holders in increments of .005....all the way down to .020. Certainly, no HBR shooter would ever do such a thing!

I still have some H4212.5 (50/50 4198 and 4227).

 

[LVLAaron]

blending powder

 

[AlNyhus]

Next thing you know, people will be saying they intentionally oil their cases before the first firing.

 

[AlNyhus]

Here's a question. On a 700 barrel, why even bother with the bolt nose recess?

I savvy the whole 'Three Rings Of Steel' thing. But lots of actions use a flat bolt nose with no counter bore with zero issue.

 

[LVLAaron]

A question I have asked myself many times. You'd lose some thread engagement I suppose.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I know there are many out there that claim they hold tolerance enough to do a shouldered prefit. And I would say they probably do. But I will give the ones I have first hand experiance measuring.
Bat
Borden
Kelbly
Defiance
Terminus
Bighorn
Maybe some others I cant think of off the top of my head.
I have handled enough of these to be confident in them. I time my barrels so another spec thats important to me is thread timing in the action. Bat, Kelbly, Defiance, and Terminus hold that spec. There may be others. If they hold that spec, I never need the action. If not, I need it once, or an old barrel stub with a top dead center mark.
I hold my HS to +/- .0005" on the barrels. Its very common for customers to not need to adjust the dies for multiple barrels and actions. I have a lot of guys in BR that use the same brass in all their barrels and actions. The first 3 in my list I have seen tons of their actions and would say you would have no problem doing that with them. If one was more than .0005 out, they would fix it. I have only seen that a couple times and it was fixed.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Here's a question. On a 700 barrel, why even bother with the bolt nose recess?

I savvy the whole 'Three Rings Of Steel' thing. But lots of actions use a flat bolt nose with no counter bore with zero issue.

The only reason is like Dave says. Dont do anything to make the phone ring. Seriously, theres no reason not to cut a flat breach. Especially if theres a mini 16 installed.

 

[STS]

Next thing you know, people will be saying they intentionally oil their cases before the first firing.

Only since 1975 or so.

 

[Judd]

I know a SR guy that told me, he goes HS +5 or 6 on his personal rifles, his comment to me was…in a pinch, anyone’s brass will fit

Also, remember the day when Defiance wouldn’t send a print…there was a reason. Things have changed with their current offerings.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I know a SR guy that told me, he goes HS +5 or 6 on his personal rifles, his comment to me was…in a pinch, anyone’s brass will fit

Also, remember the day when Defiance wouldn’t send a print…there was a reason. Things have changed with their current offerings.

Theyll be doing anything they can to sell an action with that price increase they came up with

 

[Walt Krafft]

I just finished working with 40 Remington 700s that came right from the factory. Headspace was easily held close enough to allow prefits. Primary extraction was much better on these too. I don't think you could move the handle on any of them and make an improvement.