How do you justify rebarreling a gun

I saved a barrel with plenty of life by having it recrowned and an inch taken off the base and rechambered. If there's not too much throat erosion and/or crown or muzzle wear, they're sometimes very salvageable. I look at rebarreling for rifles that are rare, special, sentimental in value, or because I just want something a little different. God knows shooting is not a sport for the budget-minded! :)
 
bassman said:
I'm a lefty and a fact of life for left-handed gun nuts like me is that there is very little variety in left-handed rifles. After the big 4, the cartridge selection dies off pretty quickly :(. Custom builds are sometimes the only way to get what you want...
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I'm left handed also. Never shot a left handed gun in my life. Tried a few in the store and put them back in about 20 seconds. We live in a right handed world adapt or be left behind.
 
I rebarrel because I like to play around with different chamberings you cant buy in a factory rifle. I do the barrel blank work myself
which I also enjoy doing.
 
Last summer I had my Japanese Mark V in .300 Wby re-barrelled with a Pac-Nor 26" chromoly barrel... and then got the smith to put a muzzle brake on it for me.... Some of the fellas I work with were laughing behind their hands, and saying silly things about my choices in rifles and calibres.... however, my tenth (or so) 3-round group that I fired outta my new barrel had all 3 round touching at 100 yards.... that quieted the noise down a bit.... then, last day of hunting season, my buddy and I both used that rifle to dump 2 deer at 650 yards..... 180 Gr Nosler Ballistic tips. I don't hear any laughter now. That rifle is a killer, and I love it. I will own it till I die. If I can figure out how to take it with me when I go, then I will. I've stopped shooting that gun for awhile, I put about 250 rounds through it this year already, which may be about 1/4 of it's life-span....But, I've already warned the gunsmith to grab a new barrel, please, I will keep it in storage, because I will need it in the next 4-5 years..... but my Van 2 in .240, which I also love to death, only cost me $570, so when the barrel on that goes, I will just get a new one..... Hope some of that makes sense and gives you a certain perspective, I guess.....
 
When I see those big pick-ups all jacked up with great big tires on them and that, I think, "Wow, that truck looks good, but what a ridiculous waste of money..... I woulda bought a decent truck, and then spent the rest to buy a really beautiful rifle...." Everyone has their things, I guess..... when I look at a new Mark V, or any other beautiful, high quality rifle, I think, "Wow, that rifle would be an awesome investment, I would love to take it home....."

HaHa! At least you would have something to show for the money that you spent, which is a lot more than some people can say about their money. I periodically have to remind my wife that the money was not spent on booze or drugs, no one went to jail, I'm not chasing other women, and the cops aren't banging the door down to take me away, so, it's important to remember that it could be soooooo much worse....A new quad would cost me at least $10 000.... that's a couple of really nice rifles......
 
The price of rebarrelling is chump change compared to the cost of shooting it out in the first place. When you have that kind of investment in shooting a single rifle it's hard to walk away from it.

At the price of components it doesn't pay to throw many hundreds of dollars at a finicky barrel trying to make it shoot. When you're surrounded by part boxes of bullets and opened cans of powder it's easy to spend more than the price of a good barrel on wasted components. Good barrels tend to shoot everything well.
 
the spank said:
It isn't always about the cost. With many it's about customizing because it is something they have always wanted to do. With some it's an attachment to that firearm, maybe it was inherited? Maybe it was one they saved for over a long period of time and finally acquired. If all it is about is the $$ then it makes sense to get something else but if it is in need of a new barrel well it's worthless anyways except as a parts gun or a gun to restore.
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That is pretty much how I view this subject as well.We have a few rifles on hand here that I would gladly rebarrel if it came down to it purely because of their sentimental value alone. If everything was done or not done purely because of monetary considerations things would become somewhat boring in my opinion.
 
Silver Silhouette said:
When I see those big pick-ups all jacked up with great big tires on them and that, I think, "Wow, that truck looks good, but what a ridiculous waste of money..... I woulda bought a decent truck, and then spent the rest to buy a really beautiful rifle...." Everyone has their things, I guess..... when I look at a new Mark V, or any other beautiful, high quality rifle, I think, "Wow, that rifle would be an awesome investment, I would love to take it home....."

HaHa! At least you would have something to show for the money that you spent, which is a lot more than some people can say about their money. I periodically have to remind my wife that the money was not spent on booze or drugs, no one went to jail, I'm not chasing other women, and the cops aren't banging the door down to take me away, so, it's important to remember that it could be soooooo much worse....A new quad would cost me at least $10 000.... that's a couple of really nice rifles......
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I agree with this sentiment. Lots of guys at work can't fathom spending $2500 on a rifle, yet they drive fancy loaded trucks and trade them in every few years. So in three years they have lost tens of thousands of dollars to depreciation and my rifles are still worth what the were when I bought them.

On the subject of .300 WBY Mag have you shot game at close range with 180 grain BTs? I think you will be very dissapointed. I've had several that pretty much disintegrated at lower than .300 Bee velocities. Accubonds or TSX for me now. Your barrel should also last a bit longer than 1000 rounds I'd think closer to 1500 before any drop. Sounds like a nice rifle, good on you for shooting it so much and not letting it sit like so many others.
 
I never though you would see me spend a grand on a gun barrel .. Up till now I have owned off the shelf Remington and Winchester..

This is the first custom gun I have owned in my life ..
The guy that sold it too me likely knew the barrel was shot and that is why he sold it.... I like it alot and have convinced myself this a forever gun and will last me the rest of my hunting days .. I do very little target shooting .. So a new barrel should last me .

I have even thought the unthinkable ... Selling one of my other guns too finance the gun barrel .. Because once I spend that much money I ""BETTER "" use this gun alot
 
Current production 180 btips are very stout bullets.

cam1936 said:
I agree with this sentiment. Lots of guys at work can't fathom spending $2500 on a rifle, yet they drive fancy loaded trucks and trade them in every few years. So in three years they have lost tens of thousands of dollars to depreciation and my rifles are still worth what the were when I bought them.

On the subject of .300 WBY Mag have you shot game at close range with 180 grain BTs? I think you will be very dissapointed. I've had several that pretty much disintegrated at lower than .300 Bee velocities. Accubonds or TSX for me now. Your barrel should also last a bit longer than 1000 rounds I'd think closer to 1500 before any drop. Sounds like a nice rifle, good on you for shooting it so much and not letting it sit like so many others.
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+1 MacLennan

Bought one of his years ago, sent him the old barrel so he could match the contour. I'm still satisfied.
Had Sam Adams outside Truro chamber and cut to length.
 
kman300 said:
Current production 180 btips are very stout bullets.
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I've had current production BTs essentially explode at 2800 fps (that one hit a rib before going through the lungs). In a couple weights and calibers. My experience, but I think the internet consensus agrees with me.
 
I have absolutely no problem justifying a rebarrel, lol.

If I want to mate a popular action with an obscure chambering, there is one good reason.

If I have a rifle that I really like, but it shoots 2-3 moa, there is another reason.

If I have shot a barrel out, but the rest is in great shape, there is yet another reason.

[I have a Ross M1910 on the waiting list as we speak...barrel is here, just waiting for my smith to call for it]

Regards, Dave.
 
I fall under all three reasons ,, The action is a 33/40 Mauser; a very popular action to build guns off and it is chambered in 257 roberts .. I really like the gun but it does shoot 3 moa.... and the rest of the gun is in great shape ..
But I could still use the gun as is for deer hunting at closer ranges .. and buy another gun with the money I will spend on a rebarrel .

I already have a barrel lined up I think .. It is a number 4 contour though and the one I have on the gun now is a number 1 .. Should be accurate anyway .. Maybe even get away with a bit shorter barrel
 
hometownhero said:
I'm left handed also. Never shot a left handed gun in my life. Tried a few in the store and put them back in about 20 seconds. We live in a right handed world adapt or be left behind.
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I've been shooting left handed rifles for over 30 years. I have no problem getting along in your so called 'right handed world'. When I want something, I do what it takes to get it. Adapting (in this case) is quitting, giving up. I don't quit...but thanks for the advice Dad lol ;)
 
"I want it" is the only justification needed...

But you do have to reconcile the reality that you won't get back the money you dump into the gun should you sell it down the road... guys convince themselves they will, but they never do.
 
I tested both the 168gr and 180gr new production btips and both did very well through several inches of muscle and a cow femur and point blank range out performing bonded bullets and other bullets touted as tough. They both have the same jacket as the accubond version and they are certainly not fragile based on my testing. To each his own of course but I have used the 7mm 120gr btip (stout) at 3400fps and the 168 and 180 btips at magum velocities on deer and black bears (over a barrel at very short range on the black bears) with zero indication of fragility.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...of-newspaper-Part-1-Part-2-Part-3-Part4-added
 
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