Great Workmanship by McGowen Precision Barrels

M

Mystic Precision

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Location
Summerland, BC
Just got in a barrel from McGowen Precision Barrels for a customer and was thrilled with the quality and workmanship.

This is a prefit - chambered and threaded - for a Rem 700. Customer wanted fluting and a muzzle brake installed.

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I was thrilled to see how well the machining was in the flutes and even more impressed with the brake.

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All the ports are nicely chamfered and there is no visible seam on the barrel.

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Threading and stenciling are also very nicely done.

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The barrel nut was made by another manf.

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The turnaround to get this all made was also very good (about 2 months).

Unfortunately, I will not be able to shoot the barrel but I hope the customer will let us know how it worked out.

Some of the nicest machining on a barrel I have seen....:D

Enjoy...

Jerry
 
Wow that's some beautiful work. How much does something like that with the barrel nut go for on a remington. I've been thinking about rechambering my 223. With this barrel nut method do you just need a set of headspacing gauges and a wrench for the barrel nut in order to install it yourself?
 
cbass said:
Wow that's some beautiful work. How much does something like that with the barrel nut go for on a remington. I've been thinking about rechambering my 223. With this barrel nut method do you just need a set of headspacing gauges and a wrench for the barrel nut in order to install it yourself?
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"Just" need? Yes! Non-shouldered barrels require that you completely dismantle the firearm. You will also need a darned good vice and action wrench to remove a factory barrel, and you will need to properly headspace the barrel to the action.
 
Obtunded said:
"Just" need? Yes! Non-shouldered barrels require that you completely dismantle the firearm. You will also need a darned good vice and action wrench to remove a factory barrel, and you will need to properly headspace the barrel to the action.
Click to expand...

I'm well aware that I'll need to dismantle the rifle. Fairly sure the vise I have covered as I have a heavy duty vise mounted to a 800+ pound bench. I also have a mill and a good drill press here to so I'm fairly confident that when the time comes I'll easily be able to build myelf a barrel vise/action wrench and all that based off pictures and designs I've looked through. Don't worry I hadn't planned to just throw the barrel in a vise and take a pipe wrench to the action. If there is details I'm missing I'd be more than glad to here what they are.

Everything sounds easy on paper but that's why I'm here asking some questions and getting some ideas. Try to prepare myself mentally for what I'm going to have ahead of me when the time comes I decide to bit the bullet on a barrel swap. This method seems it would work well for me I think as I like doing things myself and this seems like the best way to try re barreling a rifle with the means I have available at the moment. But I'm not just going to start blindly tearing apart a perfectly good rifle.
 
cbass said:
Wow that's some beautiful work. How much does something like that with the barrel nut go for on a remington. I've been thinking about rechambering my 223. With this barrel nut method do you just need a set of headspacing gauges and a wrench for the barrel nut in order to install it yourself?
Click to expand...

Yes, that is all you need - given that you already have a vise.

It is a very straightforward process and really as basic as shown in a variety of internet posts. Battenfield engineering has a nice pictorial.

The last few Rems weren't all that bad to get off.

So maybe they have scaled back to a 400lbs gorilla and a normal breaker bar:D

PM me if you would like a quote.

Jerry
 
srt4u2nv said:
very nice the fluting they did on my .264 barrel is also top notch unfortunately it took like 6mths for it to get to me.
Click to expand...

I think your barrel got caught in the time they were moving facilities - now in a larger place with more equipment.

Recent orders have been very prompt.

Given what is involved in making this barrel, the turnaround blew me away (can't guarantee that will always be the case though ;))

Jerry
 
No worries Jerry it gave me time to round up all the needed bits and reloading gear.

Starting a new project off a M700 SA a 1-7rot .22-250. I'll be sending you a PM shortly for a quote on some goodies for it and my LE700P .338Lapua.
 
mysticplayer said:
Yes, that is all you need - given that you already have a vise.

It is a very straightforward process and really as basic as shown in a variety of internet posts. Battenfield engineering has a nice pictorial.

The last few Rems weren't all that bad to get off.

So maybe they have scaled back to a 400lbs gorilla and a normal breaker bar:D

PM me if you would like a quote.

Jerry
Click to expand...

I'm not in that mindframe just yet Jerry, don't plan to be swapping barrels until probably middle of next year. If you'd like to shoot me a rough price by all means do so, but I'm not gonna bug you about it just yet, I'm sure you've got enough on your plate as is.

Also is this a possibility on all actions that use a shouldered barrel? Reason I as is I've got a nice Voere built on a mauser action here but its got a very light sporter barrel that I may want to convert to a heavier barrel eventually. I've got to put a different trigger(do you have anything available for mauser?) then fit a stock and see how it shoots first though. Might make a nice gun for carrying through the bush.
 
the barrel nut swap is limited to Rem 700, Marlin XR's and Savage/Stevens. There is little demand from other action users to justify making the barrel nuts.

However, if an action uses the same thread pattern, then it will work for them too.

For pricing, you can visit my website. The Rem barrels cost the same as the Savage barrels and only McGowen is producing these Rem barrel nut swap prefits.

I can also offer Bergara barrels for both Rem and Savage. Never shot one but their factory video looks promising.

Jerry
 
I spent some time in The Mcgowan Barrel Shop this spring when i went down and bought my barrel making tooling( still!!! not in use ), Fred Zeglin
(Z-Hat) was kind enough to show me how they do things . They have really expanded and are produceing lots of barrels now. they still use older equipment to do their drilling /reaming and buttoning but old equipment makes good barrels when opperated properly . Like all manual machining it takes a certain feel for the machine . As far as the finish on the outside the fluteing the chamfering the taper/the threading it should be good, it is done on new CNC equipment (drool) . In all yes nice work
Gary
 
Ok just got my McGowen SS 1-7rot .22-250 barrel and the OAL is 2.477 way to short for 80gr vld's is there a way to fix this?......You would figure they would lengthen the throat of such a fast twist barrel no?.
 
Reamers are set by the most common spec for any chambering or SAAMI. The simple solution is to get a gunsmith to run a throater in and move the throat forward a schnick

Very simple to do.

But I just used a 22.250 and had no issue putting 90gr VLD's in it with the factory chamber.

YMMV.

Jerry
 
mysticplayer said:
Reamers are set by the most common spec for any chambering or SAAMI. The simple solution is to get a gunsmith to run a throater in and move the throat forward a schnick

Very simple to do.

But I just used a 22.250 and had no issue putting 90gr VLD's in it with the factory chamber.

YMMV.

Jerry
Click to expand...

what was the OAL?....my savage was 2.499 and this one is 2.477 even with a 52gr SMK its eating up case capacity when I eye ball the cartridge while holding a 75gr BT beside it the base sticks way down past the shoulder if I seated it at 2.477.........Don't I want that case capacity to reach a respectable velocity?......

How are the 90's working? what are the typical MV's your seeing? and what powders are working? I have 8lbs of H380 to burn....
 
You will have so much extra space in the 22-250 case, it just will not matter where you put that bullet. Just shake a loaded rd. If you hear the powder slosh around, you got tons of space.

H380 is a ball powder and a high density loading one too. At max pressures, I doubt you will go beyond 85% load density so you have a huge amount of open space.

Just seat the bullet off the lands or to fit in your mag and send them downrange. tune using powder charges and you will be just fine.

The 90's in my McGowen went over 3100fps and didn't blow up. I am very surprised. Accuracy was decent too.

I used alot of H4831SC and that filled the case up. But the bullet still seated just fine without any compression issues but I was definitely at 100+% load density - no powder moving around.

Enjoy...

Jerry
 
Ok that's good to know thanks Jerry.....I have a whack load of Hornady 75gr Match to burn threw to break her in and do some load development so after they are gone I'll get some 80's and 90's.

Do you think out to 500yds the 90 will carry any advantage over the 80's?
 
Over 3100fps. Didn't get alot of time to tweak the load but it was around 1/3 min at 200yds. Put it away to prep for F class matches and someone decided they wanted it more then me :)

Load was to the base of the neck and there was precious little room to add anything else.

I think 3200fps is possible as I didn't have much pressure signs.
Jerry
 
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