I have a SHAW barrel ordered - what can I expect out of it?

[Max Heat]

It is a stainless 26 incher in 7RUM, with a varmint (.850" at muzzle, I think) contour. I thought it was a great deal, for what it cost me (I'm in on a group buy). But I have NO previous experience with them, so I'm not really sure what to expect out of it, especially in terms of accuracy.

Kin I git some opinions on em?

Oh, I forgot to mention (if it means anything), twist is "standard" 9.5.

 

[geargrinder]

I've found that they are on par with a good factory barrel.

Good performers for the price.

 

[elkaholic]

Not great, but as grinder said, probably on par with a decent factory barrel. They tend to be a little rough. You might want to consider firing a few bore polishers down it.....Rich

 

[Hookturnr]

I've had 'em go both ways. Put one on a 30/06 for a budget build on an older rifle to use for a loaner at camp and it shoots pretty well. Had one put on another in .284 mag and can't get it to shoot under 1.5" no matter what. On the other hand, never had a Hart, Rock, or Obermeyer shoot over .75. I'd go Douglas in that price range just because those boys will do whatever it takes to make it right and both of them are close to me.. Regardless, I second the additional polishing via your method of choice.

 

[huffmanite]

I got a Shaw heavy magnum chrome-molly barrel in 6.5x55 for a Stevens action late last year. Copper fouling was minor in it. Accuracy with it is decent. 3/4" 4 shot 100 yard groups common with it. Sometimes, 1/2" or 1 1/4", just depends on my reloads and me.

 

[Max Heat]

If it's at least as good, or better, than the factory savage barrels, I'm OK with that, considering it only cost me a buck 60. It sounds like they do let some not-so-perfect ones get out the door though. I guess all I can do is hope, that I won't end up with one of those. Hart is only about 10 miles up-river from me. But being that he is considered the best out there, he commands top dollar, which my budget is not able to accommodate.

I do like the idea of polishing the bore, but I've never done it before. What ARE my options? I like the idea of bore polishing projectiles, but I don't think I've ever even seen one before. I take it that the polishing should be carried out BEFORE any actual bullets are fired out of it?

 

[elkaholic]

If it's at least as good, or better, than the factory savage barrels, I'm OK with that, considering it only cost me a buck 60. It sounds like they do let some not-so-perfect ones get out the door though. I guess all I can do is hope, that I won't end up with one of those. Hart is only about 10 miles up-river from me. But being that he is considered the best out there, he commands top dollar, which my budget is not able to accommodate.

I do like the idea of polishing the bore, but I've never done it before. What ARE my options? I like the idea of bore polishing projectiles, but I don't think I've ever even seen one before. I take it that the polishing should be carried out BEFORE any actual bullets are fired out of it?

You can purchase "Tubbs final finish bullets" from midway for around $40. You actually fire these down the bore according to there recommendation. They have a progressive grit size that polishes the bore. I have not personally used them but have heard of good results.........Rich

 

[Max Heat]

I'm curious how many shots it takes to complete the process.

 

[KRP]

I'm curious how many shots it takes to complete the process.

Depends on your definition of complete and how rough the bore is to start. The more you shoot the smoother it should get...for better or worse.

 

[elkaholic]

I'm curious how many shots it takes to complete the process.

They come with different grits and you of course shoot from coarse to fine. I'm not sure how many bullets are in the package? Maybe someone else can chime in on this that has used them......rich

 

[Max Heat]

I just got the low-down on tubb's final finish "bore lapping" bullets, which are basically bullets that have been rolled between 2 steel plates, forcing various sizes of valve-grinding grit to become embedded in them. They come in boxes of 50, with 10 each of 5 progressive grits. But the word on them isn't very encouraging, as they wear down the barrel, ESPECIALLY the throat area, at a highly accelerated rate. They "may" improve accuracy in the short term, but it is at the cost of greatly reduced barrel life. Being that the 7RUM is already known to burn up barrel throats rather quickly, it goes against my better judgement to send highly abrasive bullets down the barrel, even at low velocities.

 

[elkaholic]

I'm with you on the throat. If I had a crap barrel that wouldn't shoot, I might try them but certainly wouldn't on anything else........rich

 

[vegas steve]

i'm going to come up with a hard sponge the will screw into a cleaning rod that you can soak with lapping compound, and just swab the bore until you get some color on the sponge and then inspect the bore for improvements in the finish. i believe it is safer to use a very fine grit like flitz polishing compound and just keep working the bore until you get results. the key is to shine the bore up for less copper fouling. the accuracy will come as the result of a smoother less fouling bore, and will be more pressure consistent for a longer amount of shots before accuracy falls off a bit . then just do your normal copper clean and your back.

 

[Max Heat]

What about coating the bore with automotive rubbing compound, and shooting cold (75% charge, or lower) rounds through it, for the first 10 or 15, cleaning after every shot, followed by cold rounds through the un-coated bore, until the patches start coming out cleaner. But I'm not sure if automotive rubbing compound would be abrasive enough though, as it is designed for automotive finishes - not steel. But at least you wouldn't have to worry about it removing too much metal from the bore.