To prefit or not to prefit…🧐

[FireFlyFishing]

Hello all,

I love the .308 Win cartridge. I own two M1A's that are a gas to shoot. I own several other .30 cals in various calibers. But alas…I don't own a .308 bolt gun!!! Everything in my soul is telling me not to buy a factory rifle to fill this hole. I've toiled over the modern offerings (which is limited with the 6.5 man bun covering every wall of every gun store I visit), and I just can't quite find what I want. What shall I do???

"BUILD A CUSTOM," a voice keeps telling me.

So here I am. I've decided this is the way to get serious and build something special. And to me, chambered in .308, is the perfect way to do my first build.

With all that being said, I have been doing my homework and have seen (from my perspective) two different routes to the end goal.
1. Buy desired parts and give to a smith for assembly. This could be shouldered or prefit.
2. Buy desired parts and tools and go the prefit barrel route built by my hands.

The whole reason I started this thread, I've read enough posts on this forum saying prefits don't cut the mustard compared to traditional shoulder fits. Is this true? What say you?

 

[comfisherman]

Guess it depends on the quality of the prefit work, I've not seen a prs rifle in a few years not using prefits. On barrels under maybe a #3, I've seen some prefits on occasion not fit a channel as well as a Smith fit. Don't think it had a heavy effect on accuracy, but took a little barrel channel massage. However I've seen that from barreled actions not fit by a Smith.

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Guess it depends on the quality of the prefit work, I've not seen a prs rifle in a few years not using prefits. On barrels under maybe a #3, I've seen some prefits on occasion not fit a channel as well as a Smith fit. Don't think it had a heavy effect on accuracy, but took a little barrel channel massage. However I've seen that from barreled actions not fit by a Smith.

Define quality of the prefit work please.

 

[J-L]

I have a remage prefit from carbon 6 on my r700 .300 rum and it is a 1/2 minute gun from the get go with norma bond strike factory ammo.

When i shoot this batch up ill start reloading for it. But i was pleasantly suprised from the get go.

Since then ive bought a few more barrels from gene.

The latest is a terminus zeus 300 wsm barrel

 

[FireFlyFishing]

I have a remage prefit from carbon 6 on my r700 .300 rum and it is a 1/2 minute gun from the get go with norma bond strike factory ammo.

When i shoot this batch up ill start reloading for it. But i was pleasantly suprised from the get go.

Since then ive bought a few more barrels from gene.

The latest is a terminus zeus 300 wsm barrel

Spin it up yourself?

 

[comfisherman]

Well everyone and their brother is jumping on the prefit bandwagon, not all prefit manufactures get it spot on. Conversely I've seen guys install prefits the have mechanical skills that could destroy an anvil with a screwdriver... usually a Smith has reached some level of competence enough to avoid both pitfalls.

The prefit really came to prominence for the high volume shooter crowd, the tapers usually offered reflect as such. If it was a big detractor the prs world would probably be trending another direction.

I pick prefit vs Smith spun on for reasons outside accuracy, from reputable firms either should absolutely do just fine.

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Well everyone and their brother is jumping on the prefit bandwagon, not all prefit manufactures get it spot on. Conversely I've seen guys install prefits the have mechanical skills that could destroy an anvil with a screwdriver... usually a Smith has reached some level of competence enough to avoid both pitfalls.

The prefit really came to prominence for the high volume shooter crowd, the tapers usually offered reflect as such. If it was a big detractor the prs world would probably be trending another direction.

I pick prefit vs Smith spun on for reasons outside accuracy, from reputable firms either should absolutely do just fine.

Fair enough. I'm not a rookie around a wrench nor a building an AR from scratch. You can budget build those though. I don't want to mess up a nice bolt gun…then pay more for a smith to fix.

I've watched the vids. Seems like good parts and following the directions with correct tools = really nice rifle without having to deal with long smith wait times and extra cost.

 

[comfisherman]

With the lead time on prefits these days it might be a wash on speed. But it allows you to control all the variables, some usually do that with components as well.

 

[Joel Russo]

The 2023 PRS Pros Series, and the 2023 PRS Golden Bullet was won by AMU shooter Kahl Harmon shooting a Terminus Zeus QC for pre fit shouldered barrels.
Do your due diligence on the receiver manufacturer and where you source your pre fit shouldered barrels, and you'll never go back.

 

[bfarms]

I have 1 rifle that is a prefit. Other than the nut showing you wouldn't know it was a prefit. It shoots just as good as my traditionals. If you go with a good action and the barrel nut doesn't bother you, I don't think you can go wrong ether way. I just prefer a traditional. Mines a defiance action and criterian prefit. Seems to be a good combo so far

 

[Kmccord]

I have two rifles I just built using Kelbly Atlas Tactical, the shouldered pre-fit barrels are made by Preferred Barrel Blanks, the headspace was checked for both and they were perfect with Clymer Go and No-Go gauges. That would be your biggest concern is headspace. If you do not have the tools, barrel vise and action wrench, I would suggest purchasing a Terminus Zeus QC action, no tools needed other than an Allen wrench. That is going to be my next action to buy, and I will use it for my personal rifle. Good luck, enjoy the process, I will give you some other advice, when you order the stock, if you use AG Composite, they will ask for the barrel shank length and the taper. I would hold off on ordering the stock until you receive the finished barrel, this will allow you to provide the precise measurements they will need to set the barrel channel in the stock. Have fun and take your time.

 

[FEENIX]

Hello all,

I love the .308 Win cartridge. I own two M1A's that are a gas to shoot. I own several other .30 cals in various calibers. But alas…I don't own a .308 bolt gun!!! Everything in my soul is telling me not to buy a factory rifle to fill this hole. I've toiled over the modern offerings (which is limited with the 6.5 man bun covering every wall of every gun store I visit), and I just can't quite find what I want. What shall I do???

"BUILD A CUSTOM," a voice keeps telling me.

So here I am. I've decided this is the way to get serious and build something special. And to me, chambered in .308, is the perfect way to do my first build.

With all that being said, I have been doing my homework and have seen (from my perspective) two different routes to the end goal.
1. Buy desired parts and give to a smith for assembly. This could be shouldered or prefit.
2. Buy desired parts and tools and go the prefit barrel route built by my hands.

The whole reason I started this thread, I've read enough posts on this forum saying prefits don't cut the mustard compared to traditional shoulder fits. Is this true? What say you?

This boils down to personal preference/intended purpose and, of course, your budget. Custom building might mean different to others. I have completed custom rifles by GS, with whom I have worked since 2003. All are custom actions (not factory blueprinted, not that there is anything wrong with it). It is my choice not to pre-fit on the initial build, but when it is time to re-barrel, I might go that route. All of my custom rifles are >$5K.

I have done a few DIY semi-custom rifle builds with Savage actions using pre-fit barrels. There is something satisfying about DIY builds; I have all the tools to assemble them. The pre-fit barrel technology/industry has come a long way. If I do my part, they all shoot .5-.75 MOA to 1KY. All of my semi-custom rifles are $1K +/-. Good luck!

 

[pavementends]

Once again we have to define our terms. Some refer to "prefits" as those barrels that use a Savage style nut. Others mean shouldered barrels that are finish chambered and fit the newer very precise actions. Mainly personal preference. The wait time for barrels can be long but if one's chosen smith doesn't have the barrel in stock the delay is barrel wait plus the work load delay of the smith. I think the time factor is one of the main driving forces behind the popularity of the pre-fits

 

[lancetkenyon]

Guess it depends on the quality of the prefit work, I've not seen a prs rifle in a few years not using prefits. On barrels under maybe a #3, I've seen some prefits on occasion not fit a channel as well as a Smith fit. Don't think it had a heavy effect on accuracy, but took a little barrel channel massage. However I've seen that from barreled actions not fit by a Smith.

I know a bunch of PRS and NRL guys.
I would not say they shoot "prefits". But they do get 3 or 4 barrels spun up at the same time by their gunsmiths. Then have their spares ready to spin on. Most of them have them shot for verification too.