New ladder test results.I have conceeded, New barrel is needed.Last post update.
- Thread starter Kelly Timoffee
- Start date
Yes the price differance between the two is very comparable but the Shilen will be chambered and threaded and just needs to be installed ( the smith in Regina charges $30 to install one) The Krieger will need to be chambered and threaded and head spaced so the cost will increase about $300 or so. Ted makes some good barrels, I don't accually own one but a couple of guys at my range have them and they do shoot very well.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Kelly,
Sorry to hear of the misadventures. From what I know, Ted does fantastic work and everyone I speak to has nothing but praises for the barrels. The conundrum is this, he can be a very grumpy, stubborn old man with more than enough work to fill his boots. For this reason, if he does not like you or what you are attempting to do, he will outright tell you and then tell you to find a rope to piss on.
The people I have met that have been personally serviced by Ted are more than grateful, astonished at his smarts and usually get a chuckle when recollecting their conversation. I would gladly give him my business when I do a custom build... Another barrel maker once said, "Why the hell are you coming to me when you have a world class barrel maker at home?"
Sorry to hear of the misadventures. From what I know, Ted does fantastic work and everyone I speak to has nothing but praises for the barrels. The conundrum is this, he can be a very grumpy, stubborn old man with more than enough work to fill his boots. For this reason, if he does not like you or what you are attempting to do, he will outright tell you and then tell you to find a rope to piss on.
The people I have met that have been personally serviced by Ted are more than grateful, astonished at his smarts and usually get a chuckle when recollecting their conversation. I would gladly give him my business when I do a custom build... Another barrel maker once said, "Why the hell are you coming to me when you have a world class barrel maker at home?"
- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
Or would I be putting lipstick on a pig with using the factory Savage action???
Ask Jerry at Mystic Precision. He seems to do pretty well with the humble savage action.
Have you had the rifle examined by a gunsmith who specializes in building accuracy rifles?
I have no experience with that caliber, so don't know what is good, acceptable or outstanding. But none of the groups you have posted would turn my crank and i would still be trying to tweak the rifle.
That said, I do have a lot of experience in trying to make rifles shoot. Sometimes I have concluded it is a bad barrel. More often I find something else. Here are some things I would look at if your rifle was in my hands:
Count turns on the action screws. With the action out of the stock, how many turns on the screw before the threaded section bottoms out? With the action in the stock, how many turns? If turns are the same, you are not clamping the action into the stock.
Bedding material in the stock screw holes. can you see any thread marks in the action screw holes in the stock? If so, the screws are acting as recoil lugs. Run a 5/16 or 11/32 drill through holes to open them up.
Bullet jump. Have you tried the bullets 30 thou off the rifling and also hard into the rifling, to see if the rifle has a strong preference? In my experience, this can be a big group variable.
Is the rifle supported under the forend and at the heel on sandbags? If so, does your cheek touch the stock? This can induce a big variable in the group. I don't shave on shooting day, and just place my whiskers on the stock.
I have no experience with that caliber, so don't know what is good, acceptable or outstanding. But none of the groups you have posted would turn my crank and i would still be trying to tweak the rifle.
That said, I do have a lot of experience in trying to make rifles shoot. Sometimes I have concluded it is a bad barrel. More often I find something else. Here are some things I would look at if your rifle was in my hands:
Count turns on the action screws. With the action out of the stock, how many turns on the screw before the threaded section bottoms out? With the action in the stock, how many turns? If turns are the same, you are not clamping the action into the stock.
Bedding material in the stock screw holes. can you see any thread marks in the action screw holes in the stock? If so, the screws are acting as recoil lugs. Run a 5/16 or 11/32 drill through holes to open them up.
Bullet jump. Have you tried the bullets 30 thou off the rifling and also hard into the rifling, to see if the rifle has a strong preference? In my experience, this can be a big group variable.
Is the rifle supported under the forend and at the heel on sandbags? If so, does your cheek touch the stock? This can induce a big variable in the group. I don't shave on shooting day, and just place my whiskers on the stock.
My answer would be an emphatic "Yes, lipstick on a pig."
Kelly, if you recall I zeroed in early on your post, then I saw a picture of your rifle and lost all interest in the thread. After seeing the picture I stated this, in post 24----
"Good marksmanship is a combination of rifle and shooter. An important part of this equation is the melding of rifle and shooter, like a solid cheek meld to the stock when the eye is aligned with the sights.
I would have no idea how a shooter could meld with that rifle, so anything I said would be meaningless."
However, as you will likely guess, it is not the action I was talking about. A great number of very accurate rifles out there on a Savage action.
Savage actions may be fugly but they are definitely NOT pigs. Over the last decade, Savage really cleaned up its act. It went through the previous 10 years trying to get by with old and worn tooling. They completely replaced most of their equipment with modern state of the art CNC machinery. I have owned and used several of them, from the pre 1990 rifles to the last one in 2010 chambered in 223.
I really liked the finish on the earlier rifles but not overly impressed with their accuracy. The later rifles from 2005 to 2010 were were a whole different story. 1/2 to sub moa groups seem to be the norm. From what I understand, they make their own barrels as well.
Whatever, their replacement barrels just screw into their older actions as well. They shoot really well on those old actions to.
If you have access to a barrel nut wrench, Mystic, a banner advertiser either has or can get any cartridge configuration your bolt face will handle. As far as length of barrel, you mentioned it wasn't for match shooting.
If you're a long range shooter of big game, don't mind extra weight etc go for as much length as possible. Hey, you can always get it trimmed back later if it's more than you're comfortable with.
If you're shooting big bullets loaded into big cases you will need all the length you can get to keep up velocities and of course minimize felt recoil.
Every Saskatchewan shooter owes it to himself to get one of Ted's barrels, for posterity if nothing else. He's not going to be around forever.
I'll buy more of his barrels just for an excuse to talk to the guy. What you can learn from him is considerable.
He shoots a .338 Edge, which might have him sympathetic to your cause.
I'll buy more of his barrels just for an excuse to talk to the guy. What you can learn from him is considerable.
He shoots a .338 Edge, which might have him sympathetic to your cause.
That's a matter of opinion. I hate putting a lot of money into something that is a bit on the crude side just to save a very few bucks. Will they shoot? Probably, but lots of things shoot with a good barrel. Its a little different when you already have one, and an investment made in a stock. You're already on the path, you may as well see it through to the end.
- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
Think I will give him a call, even if it just for education reasons, going to wait until after the long weekend.
I don't expect to have a barrel this year but what is a typical wait time for one of Ted's barrels?
I don't expect to have a barrel this year but what is a typical wait time for one of Ted's barrels?
