Why no talk about Shilen Barrels?

[SWHandldr]

Shilen has been making barrels for a long time. Fads come and go but things of legitamicy hangs around.

Founder Ed Shilen passed in December 2015 at 84. A Benchrest Hall of Fame member and long time Aviator, he founded Shilen Rifles in 1967. His sons had been running the operation for some time before his passing and eventually sold to the present owners as best I understand. I knew and flew with him in the late '90s / early 2000s before life took us in different directions.

Ed was small physically but a Man in every sense of the word. Fair skies and big thermals, my friend.

 

[nealm66]

A friend of mine has one in 7mm that shoots very good

 

[Junkysavage]

Love my 7RM prefit!

 

[shortgrass]

I have a Shilen with their proprietary ratchet rifling and love it. Shoots great and cleans easily. I'm getting another one. My understanding is Shilens are very popular with the short range benchrest crowd. Tony Boyer uses them.

I have often considered their Ratchet rifled barrels, good to get a report...

 

[bamban]

I have often considered their Ratchet rifled barrels, good to get a report...

Justin Utley, a member of the TX State High Power Team, established 2 civilian national records and a police national record at the 2021 National Matches at Camp Perry with 7.5 Twist 224 Ratchet

 

[del2les]

While I have not tried their newest, through the decades, I've used several Shilen barrels: Match barrels for Nat'l Match, BR, LR, 22lr and hunting barrels have all performed very well.

 

[Jud96]

We have been using some Shilens lately at Pierce Engineering and they've been doing really well. Several distinguished FTR shooters that we have rebarreled and built rifles for really are liking the Shilen Select Match ratchet rifled barrels. I trust those guys and from the ones we have used and borescoped, they look really good inside and out.

 

[Old Rooster]

Got one on a 30-06 and it outshoots the shooter every time

 

[highdrum]

All the new nosler m21 rifles are barreled with shilens. A Mac bros action, shilen, timney, mcmillan rifle for 2100$ street price is pretty tough to build against!

 

[Jud96]

All the new nosler m21 rifles are barreled with shilens. A Mac bros action, shilen, timney, mcmillan rifle for 2100$ street price is pretty tough to build against!

Very solid build for that price.

 

[ndking1126]

I've got 3, shoot factory ammo through them, and am very happy. All are Savage prefits. 2 shoot fantastic. The third I had built for hunting this season and initial shots produced good groups. I'm sure it'll shoot just as good as the others, but I haven't put enough rounds through it to say definitively.

I suppose they don't get much conversation because they just work and at this point are no longer an unknown. They aren't the sexy new carbon wrapped barrels, but my wait time was 3 months because I wanted a blued barrel, so clearly they have plenty of business.

 

[GrayCreed]

Didn't Ed Shillen teach Bergara how to make barrels?

I have a savage prefit 6.5cm that shoots lights out from it's WalMart special savage axis host!

 

[bamban]

Didn't Ed Shillen teach Bergara how to make barrels?

I read that somewhere when they interviewed the Bergara people.

 

[308plinkerVT]

Have had 4, 22rf, 22cf, 6.5, .308. Not a single complaint about any.