Proof Barrels And Shermans.....WOW !

[bigngreen]

You'll see gunsmiths really get opinions on barrels fast since it's standard if you can get the barrel company to replace a bum barrel they never cover chambering and most smiths I know end up eating the chamber job to keep the customer happy. There are a couple very good manufactured if you have an issue but only a couple.
If you slug a barrel before installing it will give you some idea to the QC but it could shoot like a house a fire or a total turd in or out of spec but once tooling touches steel your done stacking the card in your favor and just have to shoot!

 

[muzzletalk]

It doesn't make any sense that the proofs barrels would only show issues with Sherman cartridges. If that were the situation, they would show issues with SAUM cartridges, Rum cartridges, 28 & 30 nosler cartridges.

I have a Proof on a 6.5 CM and a 300 PRC. Both pressure up really quick.

 

[Pdvdh]

In response to post #43;

Yup, some won't replace a turd. Even some with the very best reputations for precision.

I've quickly come to believe the process of carbon wrapping barrels can decrease consistency of precision. A lot of CFW barrels shoot great. But if a guy tested 1000 SS barrels, versus 1000 CFW stainless steel barrels from the same manufacturer, I think the plain SS barrels would produce somewhat better precision.

 

[grouse]

I have heard that it's not always easy to get good raw material and possibly this could be responsible for the great tolerances within the finished bores. Maybe a metallurgist will chime in on this.

This and labor shortages

 

[Mike D Texas]

Could there be any truth to you get what you pay for? I believe proof comes in at a lower price point. I know there are bargains to be had and some companies may overprice for thier name. Though, I think the above statement is true. A barrel company that always buys the best steel, trashes reamers when they are out of spec, and has good QC will not be able to compete at the lowest price point and remain solvent.

Proof is not at a low price point. You can buy them on the secondary market at a good price but not new.

 

[orkan]

Proof is not at a low price point. You can buy them on the secondary market at a good price but not new.

Stocky's LLC

Stocky's Stocks Afternmarket Rifle Stock Supplier

www.stockysstocks.com

Less than $900 for a carbon fiber pre-fit, and its chambered, threaded, ready to torque up and shoot? Seems pretty cheap to me. NO WAY are you getting a Benchmark carbon installed for that price.


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[Idaho Lefty]

Hey guys I am considering buying a Savage 110 Lite in 6.5 PRC with Proof carbon wraped barrel any problems with this barrel?

My 21 y/o grandsons, Savage 110 Lite, in 6.5 PRC, "shoots", very well and runs right with, our, 4 Tikka's, in the accuracy dept !
Factory, ELD-X ammo was sub 3/4 MOA ! He went, 3 for 3 on Black Tails / Mule Deer, this year ( 225 to 468 yd's, All One Shot,.. DRT w/ ELD-X's ).
Not crazy about, the accu-trigger's ( Personally ) as they take some getting used to. ! He's fine with it, tho !
Overall, a NICE, Light wt. accurate and well Balanced, Hunting Rifle !
Perfect for the kind of Hunting that, WE do ! NOTHING over, 7 3/4 Pounds ( Scoped ) for, our long hikes !
We will be working up, the proven, 140 grain, Berger, Elite Hunters for, Elk.
Hope this, "Help's"

 

[muzzletalk]

Could there be any truth to you get what you pay for? I believe proof comes in at a lower price point. I know there are bargains to be had and some companies may overprice for thier name. Though, I think the above statement is true. A barrel company that always buys the best steel, trashes reamers when they are out of spec, and has good QC will not be able to compete at the lowest price point and remain solvent.

Proof is not at a lower price point. They are lower than some manufacturers (because of how they are manufactured) but certainly not at a low price point. I don't think that anyone that has had a problem with a proof barrel is asking them to come in at a low price point. What is being asked by the people having issues and Rich himself is some acknowledgment that there IS some dissatisfaction and to work with Rich to identify the root cause. The easy way out is to say "it's you. Not me". That's weak. Take pride in your product, take pride in your name. Fault and blame do not have to be part of the equation when everyone is working towards the same goal.

Circling around to your original question, yes you should absolutely get what you pay for when you buy a premium barrel. You're paying for the craftsmanship, expertise, innovation, and higher standards that come with the price tag. When building a custom rifle, the words "good enough" should never be part of the conversation that you have with your gunsmith. If you want good enough, buy a rifle off the shelf.

 

[VLD Pilot]

I'm in the same camp as another above post. Quality control has suffered tremendously since Covid.

 

[Allen Lone wolf]

I thought this was widely known? People struggling with proof barrels has been talked about quite a lot over the years in the circles I run in. I thought everyone was just happy that we had a company that could produce such a wide range of barrels for so many different configurations and come in at a pretty cheap price point. I've got a proof on one of my .20-223AI's right now, and it's literally the best shooting proof I've ever owned. It was not easy to find a load for it... (which has been common on the proofs I've worked with) but wowzer it sure does like 55gr bergers and H4350. Cranks them out at 3170fps too, which is not slow from a 20" barrel. All the proofs I've worked with could be made to shoot well enough for a lot of people's standards... just not mine. Until this .20 cal that is. This thing flat out shoots. It's sub-1/4moa. If they did this every time, they'd be the only barrel maker left in the USA. lol Sub-1/2 MOA has been easy enough to achieve from every proof I've worked with. They just don't seem to be as easy to get that 1/3 to sub-1/4 MOA as a few other manufacturers barrels are. Still, for how their pre-fits perform for the dollar spent to get them... lots of happy folks running around with proof barrels on their rifles. That's not an anomaly, that's a real thing. Were it not so, they wouldn't be as popular as they are. So I think cooler heads will prevail here. Proof has a place in the industry, and obviously they are going nowhere. They'll be around for quite a long time I imagine. I'm happy that Benchmark started making carbon barrels a few years ago, and they are my #1 manufacturer of choice for both carbon and steel barrels. So forgiving and very consistently forgiving. I've only ever had one bad barrel from them, among hundreds. That barrel had bad rifling which could be seen with a bore scope, but it still shoots amazing! No barrel maker can be all things to all shooters. Be calm. Be respectful. Be understanding. Don't condemn people, businesses, or their products unless your own first hand experience leads you to do so. Even then, it's usually not worth it. Just talk about what you like, and not what you don't like. It's hard, but its easier than the alternative. ----------- Follow on Instagram Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Affiliate

I thought this was widely known? People struggling with proof barrels has been talked about quite a lot over the years in the circles I run in. I thought everyone was just happy that we had a company that could produce such a wide range of barrels for so many different configurations and come in at a pretty cheap price point. I've got a proof on one of my .20-223AI's right now, and it's literally the best shooting proof I've ever owned. It was not easy to find a load for it... (which has been common on the proofs I've worked with) but wowzer it sure does like 55gr bergers and H4350. Cranks them out at 3170fps too, which is not slow from a 20" barrel. All the proofs I've worked with could be made to shoot well enough for a lot of people's standards... just not mine. Until this .20 cal that is. This thing flat out shoots. It's sub-1/4moa. If they did this every time, they'd be the only barrel maker left in the USA. lol

Sub-1/2 MOA has been easy enough to achieve from every proof I've worked with. They just don't seem to be as easy to get that 1/3 to sub-1/4 MOA as a few other manufacturers barrels are. Still, for how their pre-fits perform for the dollar spent to get them... lots of happy folks running around with proof barrels on their rifles. That's not an anomaly, that's a real thing. Were it not so, they wouldn't be as popular as they are.

So I think cooler heads will prevail here. Proof has a place in the industry, and obviously they are going nowhere. They'll be around for quite a long time I imagine. I'm happy that Benchmark started making carbon barrels a few years ago, and they are my #1 manufacturer of choice for both carbon and steel barrels. So forgiving and very consistently forgiving. I've only ever had one bad barrel from them, among hundreds. That barrel had bad rifling which could be seen with a bore scope, but it still shoots amazing!

No barrel maker can be all things to all shooters. Be calm. Be respectful. Be understanding. Don't condemn people, businesses, or their products unless your own first hand experience leads you to do so. Even then, it's usually not worth it. Just talk about what you like, and not what you don't like. It's hard, but its easier than the alternative.


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[elkaholic]

I'm no barrel maker but if a run of barrels is being made on the same machine, with the same material, how can some be "tight"?

My best guess is the carbon wrapping and lapping are two likely suspects

 

[Chas1]

If barrels tight pressure will build and cartridge type shouldn't matter.

 

[Weatherby Fan]

My best guess is the carbon wrapping and lapping are two likely suspects

It would be interesting to know if when the turning of the barrel for the CF wrapping is done, before or after stress relieving, my gunsmith will not flute and existing barrel, says the possibility of creating pressure fields is to great, he says it's best to be done before stress relieving,
Just like fluting a bolt, says it's best to be done before trueing and squaring.

 

[ARlife4me]

So is the problem more with the cf barrel and no issues with the steel or hasn't been tried? 5r or other rifling an issue? For it being in certain spots the bullet is getting slowed down causing the spikes? SAD on PR's part!