Is an aftermarket barrel necessary, and at what point?

T

TXS

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Start with my story, as to not leave out any details.

Started into the long range game this past summer, just really getting my feet wet. I took a savage model 12 that I already owned in 22-250, had it professionally bedded in a laminate stock, topped with a ATRS rail and vortex PST. Spent a good deal of time working up a load and shot it in a couple shoots this summer and was quite happy with my results out to 5-600 meters, which is all I was really expecting to do with the gopher rig. I did manage to ring some steel out to 1000 meters with a little luck (and no wind).

Ringing the steel that far away pretty well set the tone, I'm addicted now.

So I started looking for the next rig, something in a suitable platform and something that has better bullets, higher BC's, that can reach out to 1000-1200 meters on a regular basis. I know there are lots of options, but I settled on a savage LRP in 6.5 creedmor, and it showed up this afternoon. I do plan on having it bedded to the HS stock, maybe having the action accurized, bed a rail and top with a vortex razor.


So, now for the topic question. While I know after doing a fair bit of research, factory mass produced barrels leave a lot of be desired, and that custom barrels are usually a must for those who expect perfection, where is it that the line is drawn? Where one must make the step up? If a factory barrel with a load that has been dialled in keeps you happy (my 22-250 was under .4 moa in 5 shot groups), when does stepping up to a custom get you that much better? I could see if you can't get a load to get along that it might leave you no other choice.

I bring this up, because as I was reviewing the rifle I chose to buy, multiple people were getting great results with not only the factory barrel, but factory loaded ammunition out to 800 meters, and sometimes further. But now that I own it and prepare to build it up, I'm wondering if I should go ahead with an upgrade now (eyeing a jury barrel), or if I should just run it for a while as is...

Thoughts?

Opinions?
 
RL-300mag said:
Run it as is , shoot it until your accuracy starts to fade. Get your moneys worth then get yourself a aftermarket barrel.

Just my opinion..
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^good advice. Besides, even custom barrels can be duds. Shoot what you got until it's shot out. Barrels are like brake pads....they do wear out. Until then, have fun and hone your skills. Then move on.
 
Practice your technique, load development etc with that barrel. Then later when you get a really good barrel like a kreiger or bartlein you will see a difference for sure. Problem is you will become addicted to custom barrels.
 
I, personally, have had great luck with factory barrels. If it were me, I would spend the money on that nice Razor scope and save the rest of your money for load development. Heavy pills around 140 grains with 41 to 43 grains of H4350 should put you in the zone. 139gr Lapua Scenars and 140 gr Hornady Amax would be my preference since they don't seem to mind the jump to the lands on factory barrels.

Even if the gun will hold MOA or just under, you can still learn a lot about LR shooting by going out, sending rounds downrange and learning to read the wind. I would even spend the cash on a good weather meter before rebarrelling. Many people do not realize the environmental factors that come into play when you get out to that distance, even a quarter minute firearm will miss if you don't know how to compensate for these things!
 
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When the rifle you have stops giving you the performance you want, upgrade.

As with most things in life, only the end user can decide where that line is vs the money spent to reach the next level.

Shoot what you have... maybe the barrel does all that you want.. Excellent.

Maybe it doesn't... then plan for a solution. I am a huge Savage fan and many of their factory barrels shoot very well BUT you can always get a dud. And you are going to shoot a bunch, that barrel will not be around for too long anyways

Rebarreling a Savage is easy and fairly inexpensive so that really isn't a huge hurdle if you get the itch for "better".

WRT optics, put the Sightron SIII, STACs and SVSS on your menu. You may find a wider range of features and great performance for less money.

Jerry
 
The point, measurable is totally up to you. You got .4 moa out of the 22-250, but it is just not up to true long range? Barrels are a expendable, like brass, powder, or projectile. Lots of threads about super magnums and "shot out" barrels. Is a barrel shot out that previously was sub .5moa and is now getting .7 ? Is a factory barrel after the relatively inexpensive "fixes" such as bedding a "dud" if you cannot dial it lower than .5moa.

I guess from my perspective, as a hunter, accuracy is rated as pie plate at the distances i would usually encounter a game animal. Bench accuracy is at least twice as good as in the field. Where can i hit a 4.5" circle off the bench, that would be a pie plate in the field.

So if you haven't already figured it out. I am not the guy for the answers, that is the guy in the mirror. I just hope my questions helped you come up with the answer.
 
TXS said:
So, now for the topic question. While I know after doing a fair bit of research, factory mass produced barrels leave a lot of be desired, and that custom barrels are usually a must for those who expect perfection, where is it that the line is drawn? Where one must make the step up?

I bring this up, because as I was reviewing the rifle I chose to buy, multiple people were getting great results with not only the factory barrel, but factory loaded ammunition out to 800 meters, and sometimes further. But now that I own it and prepare to build it up, I'm wondering if I should go ahead with an upgrade now (eyeing a jury barrel), or if I should just run it for a while as is...

Thoughts?

Opinions?
Click to expand...

The fact is "SOME" factory mass produced barrels ARE crap however "SOME" shoot incredibly well. The problem is that luck is paramount as there is no way to discern which particular factory rifle will deliver stellar accuracy and which will not.

The likelihood of getting a great shooting barrel goes up exponentially with the custom barrels.

Like others have pointed out, shoot what you get and see how it shoots. You may be thrilled, or you may get a dud but there is only 1 way to know for sure.

IF you opt to purchase 1 of our rails there is absolutely no advantage to bedding it.
 
This information may not be of much use to you now, but if you had your heart set on a custom barrel it would've made more sense to start with a donor action. It doesn't make any sense to accurize an action until you're changing the barrel anyway, then you can start with a true ground up build exactly how you want it.

But in the meantime definitely shoot what you've got, and maybe by the time you rebarrel you'll end up with a completely different cartridge altogether.
 
I was in the same boat as you not so long ago, I wrote a ton of emails to mystic precision asking tons of questions and getting prices. Jerry was a huge resource for me and im sad that I didnt spend nearly as much at his shop as I intended to, BUT every dollar i spend on upgrading my rifle from here on in will be spent at Mystic Precision. Ok after all of that tush kissing, ill get to the meat of the story. Use your rifle just the way it is, spend the money on good optics, rails, rings and a good bipod. Make sure you actually like the action you have before investing $$$ into it, practice practice practice. I wanted to rebarrel my 300RUM to 338 EDGE but the costs involved go up astronomically very quicky because it is not just a simple barrel swap, once you cut the threads for a new barrel, you might as well accurize the action and all of the other good stuff. Maybe you want a new stock because this one doesnt fit you like a glove when in your prone position....the list goes on. I guess what im trying to say is make sure you really like the rifle and caliber before you sink your money into things that cant be easily changed back, everything i listed can be pulled off and installed on another rifle. I hope this helps.
 
Every savage I have purchased has shot 0.3MOA or under with handloads in the stock configuration. None of them were bedded, trued or rebarreled. Save your money for components, optics, ballistic software and as Dusticles suggested, a good weather meter. Wind/Atmospherics play a significant role in successful long range shooting as does trigger time.
 
Savage rifles are good out of box mostly, as pointed out it is possible to get a dud. Shoot out the barrel then replace it, as for accurizing the action I disagree with spending money on something that is not needed.
 
Most guys are rebarreling for group size, here is an interesting article on how much group size really matters in long range shooting. I bet your Savage would should just fine and wouldn't need a new barrel. Possibly if your a Seal Team 6 sniper a custom barrel is warranted or a high level competitive shooter in PRS or something of that nature but for average guy....nah

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/04/15/how-much-does-group-size-matter/
 
scott_r said:
Most guys are rebarreling for group size, here is an interesting article on how much group size really matters in long range shooting. I bet your Savage would should just fine and wouldn't need a new barrel. Possibly if your a Seal Team 6 sniper a custom barrel is warranted or a high level competitive shooter in PRS or something of that nature but for average guy....nah

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/04/15/how-much-does-group-size-matter/
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I hope that you and all my competitors read this article and follow this concept.

It will make getting on the podium so much easier.... :)

however, I would caution all those LR hunters to strive for the best mechanical accuracy they can afford.... it matters.

Short range accuracy does not necessarily indicate LR accuracy. And very good LR accuracy may not look all that special at SR... but you would need to do more shooting to gain that real world experience.

Jerry

PS read down to the comment section.. I think it will prove more enlightening especially the comment on target shape AND target size... Interesting stuff indeed. You can make numbers say pretty much anything you want if you are willing to adjust the input data to give you the desired output.
 
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Grouping at .5 MOA is a lot easier at 100 than consistent .5 MOA @ 1000, with the latter requiring a top barrel and loads. Some barrels claimed to be tops, can group .5 at the shorts fail to provide consistent performance to 1000 yards. No one is successful at long range FClass or BR with a factory barrel.
 
Mystic Precision said:
I hope that you and all my competitors read this article and follow this concept.

It will make getting on the podium so much easier.... :)

however, I would caution all those LR hunters to strive for the best mechanical accuracy they can afford.... it matters.

Short range accuracy does not necessarily indicate LR accuracy. And very good LR accuracy may not look all that special at SR... but you would need to do more shooting to gain that real world experience.

Jerry

PS read down to the comment section.. I think it will prove more enlightening especially the comment on target shape AND target size... Interesting stuff indeed. You can make numbers say pretty much anything you want if you are willing to adjust the input data to give you the desired output.
Click to expand...

Very interesting article!
 
peterdobson said:
Grouping at .5 MOA is a lot easier at 100 than consistent .5 MOA @ 1000, with the latter requiring a top barrel and loads. Some barrels claimed to be tops, can group .5 at the shorts fail to provide consistent performance to 1000 yards. No one is successful at long range FClass or BR with a factory barrel.
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Peter you are so right and I know many new f-class shooters will buy savage f-tr rifles as a starter rifle and they will shoot 1/2 moa but not at long range at least I have never seen one yet.

If some one wants to compete in competitions that means you want to be competitive and upgrading to a custom barrel is certainly the first step, problem is though to tune a rifle to stay together at 1000 yds requires very good reloading skills .I will say this again you can have the most accurate rifle in the world if you can't load it right it won't score.

Btw small groups at 100 don't mean $hit at 1000 long range loads don't necessarily group at 100.
 
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