What are your opinions on prefit barrels?

[Tokay444]

I do agree that there is a market and a place for pre-fits as well as custom barrels. Both are equally important to their intended market and purpose. With a custom barrel I get to have it tailored to my specifications. Free bore is a classic example. It is important to those who wish to shoot a specified bullet. I guess I have taken the wrong attitude about this thread. When someone intends to shoot from the shoulder, they are usually using it for hunting and therefore one inch accuracy is all that is needed and anything better than that is a plus. Miss with the first shot and you most likely won't get a second chance.

Can a prefit shoot tiny groups? It sure can but that is a hit or miss situation. Frankly I could not hit the broad side of a barn with my benchrest rifles fired from the shoulder. They are too damned heavy. I think we agree on some subjects and only disagree on semantics.

Happy New Year.

Nick

I don’t know where anyone said anything about shooting from their shoulder.
Do you know what a shouldered prefit barrel even is? Hint, it has nothing to do with shouldering your rifle.
I spec’d the freebore on all of my shouldered prefits.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

Gee, I tried to end this amicably but you simply won't let go. Solong, farewell and good-by. Arrivederci, adious, au revoir, adieu and hasta la vista.

​

 

[Retired Grunt]

It's going to be a long winter

 

[darkangel_r2]

I do agree that there is a market and a place for pre-fits as well as custom barrels. Both are equally important to their intended market and purpose. With a custom barrel I get to have it tailored to my specifications. Free bore is a classic example. It is important to those who wish to shoot a specified bullet.

Most popular prefit manufacturers will throat to dummy rounds.

I guess I have taken the wrong attitude about this thread. When someone intends to shoot from the shoulder, they are usually using it for hunting and therefore one inch accuracy is all that is needed and anything better than that is a plus. Miss with the first shot and you most likely won't get a second chance.

I think you have a misunderstanding of what he was saying. Hes not talking about firing a rifle from the shoulder. He was saying there are several brands of actions that can get prefit barrels made that do not use a barrel nut system. They screw direct to the action and and headspace normally by the barrel shoulder contacting the action face/lug. I believe the ruger rpr and tikka do this. There are several custom actions that have no nut prefit designs as well.

 

[Rob01]

It’s a mistake if you think you can’t get a shouldered prefit to your own spec. You can spec the chamber to be used as well as freebore. Gunsmithing has come a long ways as well as actions and now you can get a shouldered prefit without having to send your action in that is very accurate. I know I have had both. I have had my barrels put on actions by smiths for decades and know what accuracy is there and also have prefits and it’s the same. You can try and justify it however you like but facts are facts.

So it comes down to the person spending the money. Want to send your action in and have a barrel put on then have at it. Modern smiths actual take dimensions of the action the first time it’s in so you shouldn’t have to send the action in again but then depending on the action there are shouldered prefits as well.

 

[Topstrap]

“wHo ShOuLdErS tHe BaRrEl? YoU hAvE tO sHoUlDeR tHe StOcK!”

Where does it say you have to shoulder a gun? Yes, this is a Savage with a Criterion prefit. No, it's not a Benchrest gun but it'll hold its own at the longrange matches and has dinged a 1 MOA target at a mile.

Somehow the Benchrest crowd slipped in with their highly specialized rigs on this thread but at the longrange (1000 yards or so) ranges and matches in our area the shouldered and barrel nut barrels hold their own quite well against the custom builds.

The World don't revolve around Benchrest Matches only with groups measured in the thousandths or smaller but when a fella can screw their own prefit barrel on and can get cold bore first round hits at 1000 yards on 1 1/2 MOA or smaller with their gun/bipod/sandbag I think the barrels are pretty darn good.

It's amazing how far technology and machine tolerances have come to be able to get accuracy that was unheard of even a few years ago but can now be achieved by people with a vice/wrenchc/case/scotch tape.

Naysayers on either side will not be swayed and the best of the best in any type of competition will always be high in the standings pretty much no matter what they are shooting.

Topstrap

 

[DangerRanger]

A savage take off is a prefit

a nut barrel from NSS or whoever is a prefit

a shouldered barrel from Altus/pva is a pre fit

a shouldered barrel from your normal smith based off tenon specs is a pre fit

a shouldered barrel from your world class br smith off your tenon specs is a pre fit.

a budget button or a premium cut/button can all be prefits.

the words “pre fit” do not give enough information to have a useful discussion on barrel types in regards to accuracy, one of the main reasons these threads do a lot of straight up nothing, leaving aside the garbage analogies they bring out

 

[69mach]

i had a wolf precision ace setup on one of their bat tactical actions and had no issues with it. didn’t have it long enough to require a rebarrel though. but it did shoot as good as any other custom rifle i have.

 

[Nealm66]

Whether or not the action is in hand does not predict the quality of the chamber. I dont need any of the good customs in hand to chamber the barrel and its as good as if I do. The tight thread fit that used to be popular is not desirable to me for accuracy. Its about the time taken to indicate the bore and get a good

So is it just luck of the draw with a barrel nut system? Would there be a way of indicating the bore? And does it always make a difference? I’ve only done one criterion/savage 22 creedmoor and I’ve put 5 into a 30 caliber hole at 200 yards and am really blown away and curious if I just got lucky. About to help a friend put one together and wondering if there’s something more than just a no-go gauge approach that might make a difference

 

[CharlieNC]

So the companies who are knowledgeable and skilled enough to manufacture a barrel are not as competent to then chamber and thread it?

 

[jelenko]

I'm thinking we should refer back to Topstrap's post.

I think I'm paraphrasing their post by: Prefits can shoot great; at the same time they are not used by top benchrest competitors.

 

[Rob01]

And in this post we are not talking about top benchrest competitors. Not everything is about benchrest.

 

[Ironman308]

I too have a few prefit barrels. A couple are Remage, one on an Origin, and shouldered barrels on custom actions where the gunsmith did not need the action. I also just tried a Bartlein bug nut as a test. None are used for Benchrest but they all shoot great. Some shoot at 100 yards less than 3/8” when I do my job right. So I feel for the right application they are a great option.

 

[Forum Boss]

Pre-fits can work great. I started this website (originally 6mmBR.com) because my pre-fit PacNor 6BR Savage barrel shot in the high ones/low twos (for 3 shots) right from the get-go, with NO break-in. That budget-priced 6BR holds a 600-yard range record at my club.

My other barrels are not Pre-fit, they were custom chambered. But that PacNor proved to me what a good Pre-fit can do.

Here are 3-shot groups at 100 yards, shot off an inexpensive front rest.

 

[Iowa Fox]

The thing to keep in mind on pre fits is you can use any barrel manufacturer you want.
Brux
Krieger
Bartlein
any one you can think of that makes blanks

You can use any reamer you want. You pick the numbers.

Or just buy one off the shelf.

The prefits will out shoot me any day of the week

 

[G Liles]

This the 1st 20 shots out of a prefit, I decided to do load workup during breaking in. It’s a factory Savage mdl 12 chambered in a 6 dasher. Shooting of a bi-pod on a portable bench with a cheap Millet scope.
I was impressed!!!

 

[NC/Br Shooter]

All I know, is after reading all this back and forth, rigamoro, said this ,said that, Is Im buying another barrel from the urban rifleman. It might be considered a prefitt by some but after I get it, and run my own loads through it, it's CUSTOM!

 

[Tokay444]

I'm thinking we should refer back to Topstrap's post.

I think I'm paraphrasing their post by: Prefits can shoot great; at the same time they are not used by top benchrest competitors.

Do you think a benchrest shooter sends his action to his smith for every single barrel?

 

[urbanrifleman]

Wow.

Some of these posts.... like going back 6 years... silly.

I custom make barrels with a nut for head spacing. Does that count??? Hahaha

I made this shouldered Remington for my friend who is a gunsmith who will finish the shoulder to final headspace. Does that count? I even contour the barrels myself in my shop. Is that "automated"?

Funny thing is he wanted me to make him a barrel... and he's a smith... ha ha

 

[urbanrifleman]

Some of my prefits are made in the factory. But they are all hand chambered.

I am making more and more myself these days as I can cover more calibers.

I would chamber actions but I don't have an FFL. I have not noticed the bullets give a poop if there is a nut. I bore scope every chamber and I am very picky.