The barrel is one of the cheaper components

[Idaho-Lefty]

Because I don’t shoot BR! To me it’s boring as hell. lol So do you win BR matches?

And, personally, I DON'T Want or, Need, the STRESS to "Compete" at, anything,.. anymore.
In my 20's and 30's I competed as, a Semi-Pro, Trap and Live Pidgeon Shooter with, $15,000. in Competitive Shotguns ( That's in, Early 1980's,.. Dollars ). I Shot / travelled, all over, the USA doing, This.
I was Gone from Family, 3 out of, 4 Week-ends a Month, to compete ( The Money, WAS, Nice,.. BUT ! ).
I like, "Accurate" Rifles,.. But,...NO thanks on, Competitive BR !
And the "Precise" Hand loading and component / Tooling, EXPENSES, involved to get, groups down to,.. the 1's !
Group's in, the 2's and 3's,.. are just Fine for, Me

 

[urbanrifleman]

Bradly had one guy out of 36 competitiors that placed third. Ok great..

I did... and it's awesome.

 

[swd]

For this argument there needs to be differentiation between pre fits with top shelf barrel like Krieger, Bartlein, Brux etc and pre fit with economy barrel blanks Completely different animals for high accuracy disciplines. Economy pre fits are fine for many things and you might get lucky and have one that once in while can do ok at a higher level. But economy barrels lack the consistency to compete at those levels all the time. No one wants who wants the absolutely highest accuracy possible wants to spend the money on an economy barrel and all the time and money involved with load development just to find out it didn't hold up and now they have to do it all over again..

 

[swd]

I did... and it's awesome.

And I use premium barrels and my shooters multiple state championships wins and a seconds at a state championship along with multiple daily wins in Master and High Master at state championships. And I only chamber 6-8 barrels a year. But that's what my clients expect from me so I won't bother gloating about it.

 

[FrankG]

Here is our take on prefits and why we don't offer them.

One... it's going to make you carry inventory and as it stands we don't have any extra time to offer a prefit as we are trying just to keep up with barrel blank orders etc... We tried it several years ago with Savage guns....and we said... only one contour, this caliber and this twist only (chamber spec didn't matter) but no matter what.... some guy still wanted a different twist or a different finish length etc...You just can't cover every possible option.

With that being said... even the custom actions can vary a little in tolerance on the receivers and or bolts. This is where it really turns into a quick sand pit for us. We can hit the number smack dab in the middle of what it's suppose to be but something is off somewhere with the receiver or bolt and or you start stacking the tolerances and then you run into the issue with headspace or a bolt closing/hitting the barrel etc...

I won't name the gun maker where we've done prefits for and I will tell you this... one out of every ten we did... it wasn't that the barrel was out of spec... but the receiver or the bolt or a combination of both was out of spec and there where issues with the barrel fitting. When this happened we needed the customer to send us his action/bolt and barrel back and we had to sort it all out and fix the issues. We always ended up eating the cost.

Also we run into... a previous owner of a rifle... had the action trued etc... guy orders a barrel that's a prefit and there are issues because the action has been modified unknown to the new owner or the gunsmith or the barrel maker.

So who eats the cost when the barrel doesn't fit/work properly? The guy who did the prefit work? Or?????

If you order a prefit barrel... regardless of who did the work... if the gun doesn't shoot or has other issues... your first call should not be to the barrel maker if all they did was make the blank... it should go to the shop that did the prefit work first.

If the prefit work was done properly and there are no issues with receiver/bolt/headspace etc... With a high quality barrel I don't see a difference in performance/accuracy vs having a gunsmith fit one up individually. Just be aware with prefits... you can have issues.

 

[urbanrifleman]

Here is our take on prefits and why we don't offer them.

One... it's going to make you carry inventory and as it stands we don't have any extra time to offer a prefit as we are trying just to keep up with barrel blank orders etc... We tried it several years ago with Savage guns....and we said... only one contour, this caliber and this twist only (chamber spec didn't matter) but no matter what.... some guy still wanted a different twist or a different finish length etc...You just can't cover every possible option.

With that being said... even the custom actions can vary a little in tolerance on the receivers and or bolts. This is where it really turns into a quick sand pit for us. We can hit the number smack dab in the middle of what it's suppose to be but something is off somewhere with the receiver or bolt and or you start stacking the tolerances and then you run into the issue with headspace or a bolt closing/hitting the barrel etc...

I won't name the gun maker where we've done prefits for and I will tell you this... one out of every ten we did... it wasn't that the barrel was out of spec... but the receiver or the bolt or a combination of both was out of spec and there where issues with the barrel fitting. When this happened we needed the customer to send us his action/bolt and barrel back and we had to sort it all out and fix the issues. We always ended up eating the cost.

Also we run into... a previous owner of a rifle... had the action trued etc... guy orders a barrel that's a prefit and there are issues because the action has been modified unknown to the new owner or the gunsmith or the barrel maker.

So who eats the cost when the barrel doesn't fit/work properly? The guy who did the prefit work? Or?????

If you order a prefit barrel... regardless of who did the work... if the gun doesn't shoot or has other issues... your first call should not be to the barrel maker if all they did was make the blank... it should go to the shop that did the prefit work first.

If the prefit work was done properly and there are no issues with receiver/bolt/headspace etc... With a high quality barrel I don't see a difference in performance/accuracy vs having a gunsmith fit one up individually. Just be aware with prefits... you can have issues.

You can.

I suggest that all my customers buy a digital depth mic so they can check all their actions. Worth the $150 for the tool.

Measuring headspace is easier than most reloading practices.

Or just buy an action that you know hasn't been jacked with. Which is also my advice to a guy that wants no issues.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

For this argument there needs to be differentiation between pre fits with top shelf barrel like Krieger, Bartlein, Brux etc and pre fit with economy barrel blanks Completely different animals for high accuracy disciplines. Economy pre fits are fine for many things and you might get lucky and have one that once in while can do ok at a higher level. But economy barrels lack the consistency to compete at those levels all the time. No one wants who wants the absolutely highest accuracy possible wants to spend the money on an economy barrel and all the time and money involved with load development just to find out it didn't hold up and now they have to do it all over again..

AGREE with, This ^^^ If, I were to, "Build" a seriously Competitive and EXPENSIVE, B R, Rifle of, Any sort,..
It would be WITH, a "Top Notch" Known, winning,.. Barrel Maker and Gun Smith.
For "other" Shooting Sport, Varmint Hunting, Steel Play / PRS, "uses",.. a Good, Pre-Fit,.. IS,.. Okay !

 

[urbanrifleman]

For this argument there needs to be differentiation between pre fits with top shelf barrel like Krieger, Bartlein, Brux etc and pre fit with economy barrel blanks Completely different animals for high accuracy disciplines. Economy pre fits are fine for many things and you might get lucky and have one that once in while can do ok at a higher level. But economy barrels lack the consistency to compete at those levels all the time. No one wants who wants the absolutely highest accuracy possible wants to spend the money on an economy barrel and all the time and money involved with load development just to find out it didn't hold up and now they have to do it all over again..

So just that we are clear, a "prefit" being a prefit (a shouldered prefit) has nothing to do with the blank that you use.

Many, if not all of the top gunsmiths make shouldered barrels without the action present. This is for custom actions that don't require fitting.

That's would be exactly the same as a "prefit". Meaning that there's no fitting required because the action is built to such a tight tolerance that it doesn't require fitting. That's where the name came from. I remember a time on this very forum where people would brag that their actions didn't require fitting they could just call their gunsmith and make them a barrel or they could call Kelbly and order barrels that just screwed on and fitted and that was a point of superiority. Now somewhere along the line pre-fit has become something that people now say is not a good thing? I get confused.

 

[Rob01]

Here is our take on prefits and why we don't offer them.

One... it's going to make you carry inventory and as it stands we don't have any extra time to offer a prefit as we are trying just to keep up with barrel blank orders etc... We tried it several years ago with Savage guns....and we said... only one contour, this caliber and this twist only (chamber spec didn't matter) but no matter what.... some guy still wanted a different twist or a different finish length etc...You just can't cover every possible option.

With that being said... even the custom actions can vary a little in tolerance on the receivers and or bolts. This is where it really turns into a quick sand pit for us. We can hit the number smack dab in the middle of what it's suppose to be but something is off somewhere with the receiver or bolt and or you start stacking the tolerances and then you run into the issue with headspace or a bolt closing/hitting the barrel etc...

I won't name the gun maker where we've done prefits for and I will tell you this... one out of every ten we did... it wasn't that the barrel was out of spec... but the receiver or the bolt or a combination of both was out of spec and there where issues with the barrel fitting. When this happened we needed the customer to send us his action/bolt and barrel back and we had to sort it all out and fix the issues. We always ended up eating the cost.

Also we run into... a previous owner of a rifle... had the action trued etc... guy orders a barrel that's a prefit and there are issues because the action has been modified unknown to the new owner or the gunsmith or the barrel maker.

So who eats the cost when the barrel doesn't fit/work properly? The guy who did the prefit work? Or?????

If you order a prefit barrel... regardless of who did the work... if the gun doesn't shoot or has other issues... your first call should not be to the barrel maker if all they did was make the blank... it should go to the shop that did the prefit work first.

If the prefit work was done properly and there are no issues with receiver/bolt/headspace etc... With a high quality barrel I don't see a difference in performance/accuracy vs having a gunsmith fit one up individually. Just be aware with prefits... you can have issues.

Frank it’s good to get a Bartlein barrel blank and have a smith make it into a prefit. I have about 4 in the safe now. They work great.

 

[swd]

So just that we are clear, a "prefit" being a prefit (a shouldered prefit) has nothing to do with the blank that you use.

Many, if not all of the top gunsmiths make shouldered barrels without the action present. This is for custom actions that don't require fitting.

That's would be exactly the same as a "prefit".

I'm not sure your point.

Generally when guys talk about a "pre fit barrel" there is an implication that it's a discounted product at a lower cost than a one off.

Pre fit barrels as a product can be of the exact same quality as a one off or of lesser quality depending on where cost cutting comes from, if any.
A pre fit with $150 blank and one with a $400 blank are not comparing apples to apples. Hence my post about clarifying that.

 

[Rob01]

I'm not sure your point.

Generally when guys talk about a "pre fit barrel" there is an implication that it's a discounted product at a lower cost than a one off.

Pre fit barrels as a product can be of the exact same quality as a one off or of lesser quality depending on where cost cutting comes from, if any. Hence my post about clarifying that.

That is definitely not what I am talking about. I am talking about quality barrel blank being turned into a prefit. And all the prefits I have used which has been over a dozen in multiple calibers have been one offs. I order it and they make it. Not a budget barrel off the shelf. I never thought of them as that.

 

[swd]

That is definitely not what I am talking about. I am talking about quality barrel blank being turned into a prefit. And all the prefits I have used which has been over a dozen in multiple calibers have been one offs. I order it and they make it. Not a budget barrel off the shelf. I never thought of them as that.

I was replying to Brad's response to mine, not yours, sorry

 

[Bottom Fodder]

So this tread went from

The barrel is one of the cheaper components​

To arguing over prefits
All I can say is I’m not surprised, nutted prefits is all I shoot now and let’s just say I’m happy with the result in what competition I do

 

[FrankG]

That is definitely not what I am talking about. I am talking about quality barrel blank being turned into a prefit. And all the prefits I have used which has been over a dozen in multiple calibers have been one offs. I order it and they make it. Not a budget barrel off the shelf. I never thought of them as that.

to add to Rob's post.... we have gunsmith customers that will order a barrel blank for they're customer. That gunsmith can or does keep notes on work he has done for that customer before.... and he doesn't need the customers action in hand after the initial fitting. He can thread, chamber, set headspace etc... and all works like it should.

 

[pdog06]

I just finished prepping for a prarie dog trip I’m leaving for in 3 weeks. Loaded up over 1000rounds of 6br (all Lapua brass!), another 500rounds of 22/250, and bought another 500 rounds of 17hmr.. I used alot of Varget, 87’s and 105’s, and cci450’s(all of which are 1shot and done).
Believe me when I say, my 3 prefit barrels are not anywhere near the top of my expense list over a few years of this before I have to replace barrels. Although I try to set it up where I am not replacing them all at once.

 

[cyranis]

I’ve seen this pop up on multiple forums and Reddit—either someone’s polling opinions or a smith is fishing for work.
My stance: no matter how good the craft, I won’t wait months. I can snag a pre‑fit barrel from dozens of retailers, get 90–100 % of custom performance, burn it out, and swap it before most smiths even start. At half the cost, that pre‑fit effectively doubles its barrel life for me.

 

[searcher]

Now days what’s the average price of having custom competition rifle built?

Figure 3K +/-, less scope and rings, depending on components used...

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Realistically, most would be adding $1500 to the post above.

 

[Clancy]

If you buy it local any of the popular powders are 75 bucks a pound with tax. You buy it online you are going to pay that with shipping and hazmat. Even from my distributors by the time you pay shipping and hazmat you are at 75 bucks a pound. No way around it.

I haven’t paid more than 55 and average $40 for powder. Are you shooting Alliant or what? I’m just trying to help.

I guess you did say “popular” and not “good.”

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

$5,000. to, $6,000. should get you into, a local, "Club Shoot", Winning Rifle ( Scope & Mounts included ).
National's,.. ???
$9 / $10K and,.. Up ! Un-Less Your, the Gun Smith doing, Most of, the "Work",.. Pro-Bono !
Have any of you Priced Out, a March or Night Force, etc.,.. Bench Rest Quality,.. Scope ??