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Shouldered or Nut Barrel

Just purchased a Bighorn TL3 for my next .308 FTR build.
I'm up in the air which way I should go.
Shouldered or Barrel Nut setup.
The barrel either way will be a Bartlein.
 
In my opinion, the only reasons to use a pre fit barrel are cost and not having to wait on a smith to chamber your barrel.
A pre-fit barrel can be very accurate.....but being able to unscrew a shouldered barrel and screw on another without taking the action out of the stock or removing the scope is very convenient!
Most of the TR shooters that I shoot with have more than one barrel....usually saving the best one for big matches.
 
On my Savage's, Bighorn Origin, Arc Nucleus I have nutted barrels. Both my FTR rifles are Savage's and are nutted. I have had shouldered barrels but I wasn't using the actions for switch barrels. If you want a good quality Bartlein with no nut than go for it. I personally cannot shoot the difference from a shouldered barrel to a nutted barrel in any of the disciplines I shoot.

Don Dunlap
 
Another nut option is the Shilen Alternut;

Products::Rifle Barrels::Alternut Replacement Barrels

Alternut Drop-ins.
After numerous customer requests to design a drop-in barrel for the Remington Model 700 Shilen has done that and more by designing their NEW patent pending dual threaded Alternut System that will bring the ease and flexibility of drop-in barrels to even MORE platforms.The dual thread system was designed to increase the barrel diameter and wall thickness at the chamber end while still using a lock nut. To make things even easier for our customers these many configurations may use a Large Shank Savage lock nut. Alternut barrels come threaded and fully chambered to be installed into the action with no additional machining or modification needed.
http://www.shilen.com/alternutbarrels.html
 
Another nut option is the Shilen Alternut;

Products::Rifle Barrels::Alternut Replacement Barrels

Alternut Drop-ins.
After numerous customer requests to design a drop-in barrel for the Remington Model 700 Shilen has done that and more by designing their NEW patent pending dual threaded Alternut System that will bring the ease and flexibility of drop-in barrels to even MORE platforms.The dual thread system was designed to increase the barrel diameter and wall thickness at the chamber end while still using a lock nut. To make things even easier for our customers these many configurations may use a Large Shank Savage lock nut. Alternut barrels come threaded and fully chambered to be installed into the action with no additional machining or modification needed.
http://www.shilen.com/alternutbarrels.html
This is interesting. I’d like to see a picture of this.
 
I have a bunch of Savage rifles most were bought as actions only so I could do my own barrel swaps and I think it is great. How ever with that being said I have 2 that I tried to turn into BR guns and spent lots of $$$ trying to do it. Had them timed and trued, new triggers, stocks I tried it all, then I bought a Panda with the shouldered barrel, what a difference, so I sent my Savages out for new shouldered barrels and it does make a difference. Consistency and accuracy are now closer if not equal to the custom. Maybe it is just the quality of the ABC barrels but you can see the difference on paper with me shooting them.
Very expensive lesson, but hey I'm old and can't take it with me.
 
I am moving toward more barrel nut setups for a couple of reasons:
- significant savings in shipping costs
- lower costs for work by my smith
- I set the headspace "exactly" where I want it

I find no difference in accuracy. But I don't switch barrels with the action in the stock.
This.
 
Consistency and accuracy are now closer if not equal to the custom. Maybe it is just the quality of the ABC barrels but you can see the difference on paper with me shooting them.
Before I got my first "nut barrel", I didn't know how accurate it would be. And no Savage hate here, but I didn't really care for the looks of their system. And I knew I wanted a single point cut barrel, so I set out to do a comparison.

My shouldered barrel was a new Kelbly Atlas Tactical action, Krieger 8T .243 barrel Remington Contour barrel profile. Chamber work done by my smith I always use and have great confidence in.

My nut barrel was a trued Remington action, Krieger 8t .243 barrel Remington Contour barrel profile. The barrel and barrel nut (bugnut) came from Greg at SPR. I set the headspace exactly the same as my shouldered barrel.

I have fired approximately 400 rounds through each barrel. Both are 6 CM. I can tell absolutely no difference in accuracy between the two rifles.

I'm now getting ready to do my 3'rd nut barrel. Here is the shouldered barrel, the first and second prefit.
 

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havent seen that---i am wondering about "all" of the "moving" pieces--(sure it is pretty solid---just a thought...)
When you tighten the screw it spreads a taper and cinches everything up. Loosen the screw and the barloc isnt even in contact so the barrel can come off just like there was no nut there. You can even change barrels without removing from the stock if you like. Its the only nut i would use. I have one in case i ever need it for my mausingfields using a savage prefit
 
Having a barrel nut is a little like owning a Dodge Pickup. It doesn't matter how good it is, it's still a Dodge.
Boo. You could also say having a barrel nut is like owning a Ford F150 Heavy Duty - it's still a Ford.
 
When you tighten the screw it spreads a taper and cinches everything up. Loosen the screw and the barloc isnt even in contact so the barrel can come off just like there was no nut there. You can even change barrels without removing from the stock if you like. Its the only nut i would use. I have one in case i ever need it for my mausingfields using a savage prefit
sounds real slick
 

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