Build along with Badger: Part 3. The BARREL

[meles meles]

Okay oomans, now for perhaps the most important bit: the barrel.

We'd like your recommendations for a barrel, and why. We're looking for information on specific barrels, not a general discussion on cut versus button versus hammer forging - that's been done elsewhere. Barrels we have heard of include:

Border (and Archer)
TruFlite
Bartlein
Krieger
Lilja
Lothar Walther
Armalon

We're sure there are many others. We'd like your reasoned opinions on their relative merits please.

[GazMorris]

Okay oomans, now for perhaps the most important bit: the barrel.
Border (and Archer)
TruFlite
Bartlein
Krieger
Lilja
Lothar Walther
Armalon

Probably a very TR-shooter-centric view, but...

Bartlein or Krieger are the two I trust and have had on my rifles; although there have been recent rumours of Bartlein barrels turning out the odd duff one recently

Trufilte have a good reputation, but I've never had one so can't comment personally
Border are too expensive and allegedly have a shorter life than other barrel makes
No one I know of stocks Lilja over here, ditto Pac Nor, ditto Obermeyer
Lothar Walther and Armalon don't any kind of good reputation that I'm aware of

Cheers,

Gaz

[ovenpaa]

We have a couple of TruFlite barrelled rifles here and they both shoot well, equally I have two Border barrelled rifles here that have both stood the test of time and both have shot exceptionally well.

One one I like most is the Schultz & Larsen.

[IainWR]

When I bought my RPA (or actually, SportScotland bought it for me) it had a Lothar Walther barrel. That won the Bisley Easter meeting more or less out of the box, and lasted over 8000 rounds before I got cold feet and changed it.

I was told (and have no reason to disbelieve) that because Walther is such a big outfit in comparision with the other specialist manufacturers, they have access to test equipment that others simply cannot afford (eg X-ray testing for voids) and thus the risk of a duff product is reduced.

OTOH, I did my very best shooting with a 30 x 1/13" 5g Border on a Swing action. 150.28 to win Queen's 2, 297.36 for 2nd in the Queen's, won the SouthWest Africa Cup, missed a Palma team place by a whisker, Scottish Champion 3 years in 4 ...

That barrel was worn out by the rather hot handloads we used for the Palma, which I then continued using in Africa on two tours. I came back from the 2004 Namibia tour and it wouldn't shoot RG at all.

The replacement never worked and it took me 5 months and a rubbish Imperial Meeting to convince myself that it was the gun and not me.

[Christel]

TruFlite has my vote any day and when I am to change barrel or get another rifle it will have a TruFlite on it, if it is available that is.

I have only seen good results with the TruFlite I have, that could of course also be a combination of all the parts my rifle consists of.
However the barrel has not been the subject of anything negative.

[meles meles]

Are the TruFlites expensive?
Are they stainless?
What do people think of Shilen ?

[ovenpaa]

Yes TF are stainless and no they are not as expensive in the great scheme of things.

[Sim G]

I have an Archer on my RPA, Got about 5K through it and still shoots far, far better than I'm capable of......!!

I believe Archer are regarded as "bargain basement" in regards to custom barrels, if so, then the "good ones" but must be boody outstanding!

[meles meles]

We wouldn't be planning on popping hot loads through a barrel, in fact it would just be off the shelf canned bangs - often military surplus. What kind of barrel life might we expect, given that we'd clean it well after every outing so corrosion ought not be a problem.

[1066]

I'm very pleased with the Shilen on my Savage actioned 6BR. It's a select grade stainless - I ordered it direct as a personal import - For a savage action the barrels are ready chambered and as long as you have a go/no-go gauge they are ready to screw on.