Savage Barrels - Where are you getting pre fits?

[XTR]

I've picked up a Savage that I want to rebarrel. Where is the best place to get long, heavy pre-fit Savage tubes?

 

[Delaware_Ken]

Jim Briggs, Northland Shooters Supply. You can find info on him on the Savage Shooters forum. Great Guy. I've purchased a Savage, and 3 Criterion Barrels from him. He even talked me through my first barrel change. Make sure you call him instead of emailing. Much faster that way.

Ken

 

[bigwoodsman]

i bought a CBI barrel of J Briggs,he is a fantastic fella to deal with.



Jeff

 

[Hoier]

I bought mine straight through Benchmark ad they were awesome to deal with. I have heard great things about the CBI barrels.

 

[BigDMT]

Heard good things about Benchmark barrels and their longevity, but have never owned one personally so it is only hearsay.

I have 2 McGowen barrels on Savage actions. One in 6.5 Rem Mag and one in 20 VarTarg. Both my McGowen barrels are extremely forgiving with load development. Both barrels provide me with many various sub 1/2 MOA load recipe options using all kinds of different bullets and powders. Both currently are 1/4 MOA rifles shooting just under 1/2" groups at 200 yards. Though both were built from blanks by an excellent gunsmith in Kalispell, MT back before McGowen offered Savage pre-fits. I'm sure the pre-fits are excellent as well

I also have Lilja and Krieger. Have not tested the Krieger on my Savage BR action yet so no personal input there, but do know that the McGowen barrels are 10 times more forgiving than Lilja barrels I have dealt with. Of course neither Lilja nor Krieger make Savage pre-fits, but McGowen does and they are very affordable, especially for the accuracy they will give you. All less than $300, CM or stainless
Plus turn around time is not that long compared to some manufacturers. About 8 weeks. Was only 2 weeks when I started using them, but the firearms industry is booming and demand is getting greater by the day. However, they do have some in inventory that are ready to head out the door immediately upon purchasing them.

They also offer a wide variety of pre-fit barrels for Remington 700, Marlin XL7, AR-15, Mauser 98, Ruger M77, Ruger 10/22 and Winchester Model 70 actions for those of you who might be interested in those avenues. Though I believe some of the other pre-fit barrels for certain actions are "short chambered" in order to get proper head spacing and need to be finished by a gunsmith. It tells you on their web site which pre-fits need to be finished by a smithy. All less than $300 as well. Check 'em out at the links I provided below...

Savage Pre-fit barrels:
http://www.mcgowenbarrel.com/catalog7.htm

All Other actions for which they provide pre-fit barrels:
http://www.mcgowenbarrel.com/catalog4.htm

 

[KenO]

I have got them direct from PacNor. Also got a Brux from SSS.

 

[drybean]

a big plus for Jim at Northland
give him a call,lot of info about savages

 

[Nomad47]

I have bought 3 Criterion barrels from Jim at Northland. And I'm happy with all three.

 

[chuckw2]

PacNor or Jim Brigs.........Both great products

 

[dwt]

Mr Briggs is the '' Man '' when it comes to Savage pre-fits !

 

[Hombre0321]

Also don't overlook the guys here on this site as a source for Pre-Fit Savage barrels. The classified section has some "New" barrels for sale from individuals, these folks can be a good source as well.

Roland

 

[robbor]

I bought my first prefit from lothar walther because at the time i think they were the only prefit that was lapped and they were only like 250 back then. I wasnt a true match chamber though. I think my choice now would be rock creek since they are supposed to be sellin cut rifled prefits in heavy contours for 450. I did want a brux but i dont know if you can really trust the quality of the smithing,. Id also make sure you get a true tight neck match chamber. my uncle aslo has a few shilens through the barrel man.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I think Shilen offers some pre-fits as well.

 

[RHux]

Jim even got Criterion to make a 30" Palma contour, 308 Palma chambered barrel for me .

 

[Heavies]

Surprised no one has mentioned Mcgowen barrels. I had them make me a 6BR barrel for a savage target action. The barrel shot very well and cleaned very easy.

 

[BoydAllen]

On the Shilen pre-fits:
Some time ago, a friend wanted a replacement barrel for his Savage .223, with a chamber that had a smaller neck diameter than normal, but did not require turning (what I call a close neck). He also wanted a custom die that he and bought for the previous barrel to continue to be a good fit for fired brass. To accomplish these goals, he measured brass that had been sized by the die, and ordered a reamer that would give the desired clearances, which he shipped to Shilen, to be used to chamber his drop in barrel, a select match. This is their highest grade of barrel, with a hand lapped finish. The project worked out exactly as designed. It is an excellent barrel, and a very accurate rifle. My advice is to buy the highest quality barrel that you can afford. When you spread the additional cost over the total number of years that it will be used, the additional cost per year is very small, well worth the satisfaction in knowing that you have the best.

 

[medic727]

I'll give another +1 to Jim Briggs at Northland Shooters Supply. Not mentioned so far is that Jim stocks a wide assortment of barrels: mfgs., lengths, contours, chamberings, material, grade and shank sizes. For example, I shoot F-Open with a 7SAUM. Not necessarily a common chambering, in combination with my barrels other specs. Saw my barrel was "cooked" this past Sunday. Called Jim on Monday, "I need a Criterion , 7SAUM, 30", large shank, stainless steel, bull contour barrel". It will be here tomorrow, 1 week from when I called! I had thought my barrel might have to be made to order, a 10-12 week wait. Nope, in stock. That right there saved my season. Priceless!! BTW, he had a variety of other 7SAUM's in stock, too.

 

[XTR]

Sounds like I will be calling Mr. Briggs. I'm getting an F class rifle that is in a caliber in which I have no interest. I'm going to make it into a TR rifle. I'm still deciding whether I go .223 for a 600 yard gun or put a 308 barrel on it. I have to see how I feel about the trigger before I decide. I'm a fan of my Jewell.

 

[Nomad47]

I'll give another +1 to Jim Briggs at Northland Shooters Supply. Not mentioned so far is that Jim stocks a wide assortment of barrels: mfgs., lengths, contours, chamberings, material, grade and shank sizes. For example, I shoot F-Open with a 7SAUM. Not necessarily a common chambering, in combination with my barrels other specs. Saw my barrel was "cooked" this past Sunday. Called Jim on Monday, "I need a Criterion , 7SAUM, 30", large shank, stainless steel, bull contour barrel". It will be here tomorrow, 1 week from when I called! I had thought my barrel might have to be made to order, a 10-12 week wait. Nope, in stock. That right there saved my season. Priceless!! BTW, he had a variety of other 7SAUM's in stock, too.

Same here, although I don't shoot competition. I called Jim and told him I wanted a Criterion 6mmXC stainless bull barrel, large shank, 28", 8 twist. He had it in stock and I had the barrel in a week.

 

[BigDMT]

Surprised no one has mentioned Mcgowen barrels. I had them make me a 6BR barrel for a savage target action. The barrel shot very well and cleaned very easy.

Read my post on the first page I agree on the cleaning for McGowen barrels as well. broke in faster than any other barrel I've owned and clean out much quicker too. expertly lapped extremely smooth bores. Probably a huge reason why they are so accurate and forgiving when searching for loads.