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Where did all the barrels go?

pokadex_

What is up with the lead times on barrels lately, if you can find them at all? Why do they seem impossible to readily source these days? Every 'smith and barrel manufacturer I find has a lead time of 6 weeks minimum, and others aren't offering the services at all anymore. Are the days of instant purchasing for major firearm components behind us for good?

Seems like steel bar should be one of the most abundant options out there as far as raw materials go. What am I missing (and please don't say "but the covid supply chain issues...")?
 
There are few outfits that carry barrels, Krieger, Brux, Mueller and more. If you can find what you want in stock it saves months of time but then stock waits a long too. It’s worth a search though depending what caliber and contour you’re trying to get. Going directly to Krieger or Brux, many others too is gonna be long lead item as you stated. Bruno’s, Bugholes, OTM tactical are some I check out when I’m looking for a barrel. Another route I take is ask my gunsmith to order it, they usually have a relationship with many of these barrel manufacturers, some times that can benefit in build times.
 
I haven't received a barrel that I ordered from Krieger in Feb 2022.

I just looked at the order confirmation. The date of the order is 02-22-2022. Maybe thats an unlucky number.
 
Order a custom build sheet auto or truck and you'll be in competition with the rental or fleet company that placed an order for 35,000 of one model. Same goes for the large order buyers in the barrel business.
 
There is no longer an issue with material availability. The fact is that metals surcharges have dropped significantly. Barrel prices should have dropped as well. Heowever, there is no reason for manufacturers to increase production and train new staff. Let alone that there are few people today who will even take the jobs and learn the trade. If a manufacturer has a years backlog on delivery, why would they ever consider reducing the price? If they produce a quality item, They can reduce the price if and when they need to book orders and loose nothing in the process.
Be very, very happy that a new barrel is not $1000.00 and a 2 year wait.
When demand dies, as I believe it will due to the cost of entry to the sport, and the continuing "guns bad" indocrination, we will have less choice, still high prices due to the lack of competition, and far fewer options of the makers we have know for so long. We will however have new barrel manufacturers trying to prove themselves that we can try with varying degrees of success.
 
Rset said:
There is no longer an issue with material availability. The fact is that metals surcharges have dropped significantly. Barrel prices should have dropped as well. Heowever, there is no reason for manufacturers to increase production and train new staff. Let alone that there are few people today who will even take the jobs and learn the trade. If a manufacturer has a years backlog on delivery, why would they ever consider reducing the price? If they produce a quality item, They can reduce the price if and when they need to book orders and loose nothing in the process.
Be very, very happy that a new barrel is not $1000.00 and a 2 year wait.
When demand dies, as I believe it will due to the cost of entry to the sport, and the continuing "guns bad" indocrination, we will have less choice, still high prices due to the lack of competition, and far fewer options of the makers we have know for so long. We will however have new barrel manufacturers trying to prove themselves that we can try with varying degrees of success.
Click to expand...
Well spoken. Except I don't believe there will be any significant new barrel makers start up. Plenty of quality bbls out there now if a person plans ahead. Heck, turnkey businesses are closing down due to no interest of buyers.
 
I dont know much, if anything about machiniing, but I do know with the influx of cheap capital over the last while, many start up small companies may have been able to buy some pretty damm hi-tech automated 'in the box' machines that can do barrels as good as the big guys. They dont have a name but end product could be acceptable to the many of us. Who are they? Where are they?

www.kays-dehoff.com

DeHoff Gun Barrel Machines | Kays Engineering

Kays Engineering offers the only complete DeHoff gun barrel machine manufacturing package. Go from empty factory to making finished barrels.
www.kays-dehoff.com www.kays-dehoff.com
 
No one has actual explained things well though. The number of new hunters or new shooters starting with a custom action with no barrel or trigger or stock has not increased. If it had than stocks, triggers and everything else would be just as back logged and that is not the case. OEM's are not short on stocks, trigger's, actions or barrels.

Who are the people purchasing so many barrels at one time that the small cottage custom barrel makers can not keep up with demand? If it is a problem why don't custom barrel makers put a purchase limit on the number of barrels one person can purchase not only at one time but per quarter or year. Clearly the barrel makers do not give a crap about customer base being made to suffer due to the greed of a few!

The barrel makers always whine and complain like the same liars I deal with in Detroit. They can not find qualified help because of where they are located. If there was a premium barrel maker inside 100 miles of my mid-Michigan home I would commute each day and even work just for gas money to learnt he trade. That said if they where near me they would never hire me because they could have anyone of 10,000 machinist and tool and die guys retired from GM, Ford, Chrysler and all the tier 1, 2 and 3 suppliers in the area to choose from. So when I hear them cry about lack of quality help they can go pound sand for all I care. They want Purple Squirrels just like all of the companies in and around Detroit! They want people with decades of experience and industry certification that will drive 2 hours each way and work for close to nothing!

You can not set up a semiconductor plant in Appalachian Coal country and expect to find pre-qualified staff that you can hire and start churning out world class competitive semiconductors with. I am 50 years old and if I had not learned to work a lathe, mill, metal shaper in middle school I would have been screwed. They told my generation do not become engineer's, tool and die, machinist, carpenters, mechanics or plumbers we have too many of those. Now look where that has gotten us.

All of the manufacturing and technology jobs that we got rid of have not been refilled with quality high paying jobs they are service jobs with no future once all the retired boomers die off. The places you can find qualified help are not located in the places that are still manufacturing. Who the XXXX wants to move to Wisconsin to make rifle barrels? If that job falls through you are not going to collect your tools and drive 3 buildings down and get on with the next machine shop!

I still want to know who is buying up all of these barrels just like where the heck is all of the ammo and primers still going 3 years latter? To date no one has actual dropped anything like a fact that has been backed up with actual data on this site or any other site!

None of these barrel makers will give you honest answer just like the primer and bullet makes wont either!

No one is going to come on this sight and say something like the reason your Brux Barrel is taking 11 months is because Eric Dusseldorf put in an order for 1500 barrels and paid in full in advance 30% above full retail!

All of the barrel makers on this site should be treated as suspect when it comes to the reasons they give for delays and shortages and long lead times. It is like asking a teenager to tell the truth when the truth would only hut them and get them punished. The best you can hope for is most of the truth with just a few lies of omission in the tale! Just like they will never give any factual data that makes their product look like anything other than the best. It is "mostly honest people" which is to say they only lie when they have to!

How many barrels do you think honest working men are purchasing at one time? You actual think it is middle aged men building a project rifle that is sucking up the supply? Must be nice to be a fool!
 
A couple of places you are ignoring use a lot of barrels. And, they use custom barrels because of the accuracy requirements. Ammo plants use a bunch of barrels for product testing, and they are making more ammo than they ever have, so they are using more barrels than ever. The military is in the middle of developing several new weapon systems. There goes a bunch of barrels for both weapon and ammo testing. There are barrels out there to buy if you look. Something custom has always taken several months to get.
 
jmoeller22 said:
What is up with the lead times on barrels lately, if you can find them at all? Why do they seem impossible to readily source these days? Every 'smith and barrel manufacturer I find has a lead time of 6 weeks minimum, and others aren't offering the services at all anymore. Are the days of instant purchasing for major firearm components behind us for good?

Seems like steel bar should be one of the most abundant options out there as far as raw materials go. What am I missing (and please don't say "but the covid supply chain issues...")?
Click to expand...
Most barrel steel comes from overseas.
Most Barrel makers are small shops, maybe 8 workers.
There are Gunsmith and Shooters that order 20 barrels at a time ( they get served first.)
Obermeyer is gone.
Kreiger is getting up there?
I have not heard of a New Barrel Maker in Years?

Then if your in the know you can find Barrels for Target Rifles.

Good Luck order early
 
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