[Huntfishnwork]

I am about ready to send off a M70 to have it re-barrelled with a custom, 25 or 26 inch sporter contour in 30-06. I am curious from those of you that have big game custom guns, which brand of barrels have you used, what caliber, and what kind of accuracy were you getting? Also, what type of bullet were you using? I would like to use a premium bullet for bear, elk, and deer (something on the lines of a TSX, Partition, etc). Basically I'm trying to justify the $600 to get this done. I really like JJ's Montana Rifle that he picked up, looks like a good one, but am afraid to purchase it until I see one in person. Thanks a bunch! Rob

 

[gear addict]

Ask your gunsmith what is actually availiable. He will be able to answer your questions, and help you decide what you are looking for.Make sure to tell him what bullit weight you most want to shoot. Lilja's, and Douglas priemium's will work, and don't be afraid to try a Cascade Armory barrel. They are built in Arlington, Wa. I have one on a 6BR Norma. Any of those 3 should work, and not break the bank.
This is a good time to get rolling. You could possibly be in for a wait with some brands.

 

[Skorzeny]

Lotsa good barrel mfgrs out there. I personally like Hart. Mainly cause I'm lazy. The jacket material deposited by many shots is very small and comes out easily. Implies very smooth lapped bore.

 

[JJHACK]

Where you at? wanna see the montana it's hear and you can shoot to your hearts content. I'll warn ya.......once you shoot it you will buy one. Montana's hand lapped barrels are the ones to beat today. All Barrel makers go through phases where they are all the best during certain periods. I know a half dozen builders acrosss the USA that have said it's Montana's time........for now.

I'm near Walla Walla, and we can shoot right here. If you wanna see and shoot let me know. Regardless of the barrel maker, the load developement to justify a custom barrel will take some time. If a guy was only gonna shoot factory ammo, I would probably not spend the money. But if you know about reloading and can tinker with seating depth, you can have a one hole shooter with a Montana pretty easy in my opinion. I have two that are right here. 25/06 and 30/06

 

[Huntfishnwork]

Thanks for the offer JJ. I'm over here on the wetside. I'm actually going to be in the Bitteroot valley this late spring so I'll make it a point to visit the manufacture. Or I might have to take you up on your offer and come on over for a long weekend of coyotes and rifle testing. Those tight groups you posted when you got you 3006 back really got me thinking of a sub MOA '06.

 

[KingFisher85]

We have a Remington 700 action on a Douglas barrel (244)...talk about a shooter!
Same thing, Remington 700 action with 7mm ultra mag Douglas barrel...watch out! 700 yards away, no problem!

One thing gotta remember, you can have a great gun with poor scope and only do so much or you can have a great gun with a great scope and really do good.

 

[JJHACK]

I think before this post drops down to far, I would like to add a couple comments. They are not directed at anyone, just off the cuff thoughts on folks wanting to do this.

Just swapping a barrel out regardless of the quality of the workmanship to build you a custom barrel will mean nothing without the rest of the package being complete. It would be a lot like putting the best off road tires made on a totally stock truck and hoping you would have a Baja Race ready ride.

Once a new custom barrel is mounted properly to the rifle, you must have a perfect bedding job done, the screws into the stock through the reciever must be torqued properly, the scope rings and bases must be measured for out of round, and tightened to spec, the choice of scope makes a significant difference. The base line by which all others are judged in this country is Leupold. Better is great, but less then a simple Leupold removes the advantage of the custom barrel.

After all this, you need to know the distance of the ogive of the bullet to the lands in the barrel. Then you need to seat your bullets to the correct depth for best accuracy. Not every bullet is created equal, you will need the tools to measure this and then check the group size, adjust the depth as needed or scrap that bullet and move to another weight or manufacturer. As an example most TSX bullets will be best between 20 and 50 off the lands.

Too close may give you great accuracy but too high a pressure. They may also be too long for the magazine. So you need to find that perfect bullet. Unfortunately we don't often get to choose the absolute best bullet, the barrel does.

So just deciding to get that custom barrel ans shoot one hole groups is not a realistic view. It will take lots more then just paying 500-800 bucks for the custom barrel and having perfection. The new barrel is the easy part, it's being able to pull together the whole package and the loads that will make the project come together.

If for example your never gonna reload, then you will not likely ever see the kind of results possible with that barrel, and may not even shoot as well as a simply factory barrel. Accuracy will unfortunately always seek the weakest link in the package to create frustration for you!