who makes the best custom barrel

mudd_bogger

can anybody out there tell me who makes the best custom barrels for a weatherby mark 5 in a 30-378 caliber. would like to go to a 30" barrel fluted with a 1" muzzle diameter an a 1-12 twist.

as you all know there is alot of companys out there that say theres is better than the other guys. right now im thinking about a kreigger(dont know if i spelled it right)but i dont know. the next quistion is will i have to gett a different stock because of the bigger barrel. if i do what would be a good choice there. im thinking mcmillan but thats just my idea. i figure you guys on here know alot more about this stuff than i do so thats why im asking. i dont want to buy a bunch of junk. well thanks in advance for all of your help.

dcs shooters

You are asking a question that will start an arguement very quick[}:)]
Everybody has a favorite. We have been very happy with the Douglas barrels we have used. There are some very good barrel makers out there. Do some searching on the 'net on them[;)]

Mk 19

Look through these, you'll find the one you like:
http://www.6mmbr.com/barrels.html

Krieger is grest but they can take a very long time to get your barrel to you. You might also want to check out Pac-Nor as they have built a great reputation in the world of benchrest.

Tailgunner1954

How much money do you want to spend on a barrel blank?
How long are you willing to wait for your order to be filled?
How many lands/grooves do you want?
What form do you want the lands/grooves to be made in?
You said Kreiger, but have you considered Hart, Mike Rock, Obermeyer, McMillan, Shilen and a whole host of others.

BTW, while the barrel maker MIGHT cut the flutes for you (some won't even warranty a barrel that has been fluted), the chambering and fitting (and possibly the fluting) are going to be done by your gunsmith.
For the type of rifle it sounds like your building, you had better figure on providing your gunsmith with a custom made reamer (standard grade reamers aren't "tight" enough), and at that point there is no sense in using standard dies, so a set of custom dies is also in order.

Pinhead

You didn't say what your intentions were for this barrel and especially that caliber. If it is a long range rifle, then you really need to decide what weight bullet you are interested in shooting as this will dictate the twist rate. A 1 in 12" wtist is fine for lighter .30 bullets but it is not the best twist for 190 grain and up bullet weights. A l in 10" or 1 in 11" would serve better for heavier bullets. As already stated, we have a wealth of really good barrel makers in this country. You can get a real good argument started with a question like this, even the "experts" will have different opinions. Make yourself a list of the usages, expectations, ranges, etc. and then start talking to the folks here--you will get more solid answers then and from people who have been there and done that--right now we are in the "guessing" mode.

nononsense

From mudd_bogger's previous post:

"can anyone give me some loads for the 30-378 weatherby magnum. im shooting 165 grain nosler b/t. want loads to run in the 3500-3550 fps range an be accurate.thanks to all of you that respond. have agood one an safe shooting"

And:

"thanks for the info. have got some numbers today off the chronograph that realy blow my mind. the rifle that im using has a 28 inch barrel. loaded up 3 bullets with different powder charges an never seen any signs of preasure problems. the first load was with a 113 grains of retumbo got 3468-3490-3485 fps with 1.5 inch group. tha second was with 114grains of retumbo 3518-3525-3528fps with1.5 group. now this is where the numbers started to come together. load#3 115grains of retumbo with 1.25 inch group 3590-3600-3608. the next load worked the best from my rifle beleave it or not. the max load of retumbo 116grains with 1 inch group 3678-3672-3665 fps. all of these loads where within the specs that hogdon powder recomends an there was no pushed back primmers an the bolt opened freely each time. so to everyone that says the factiry stuff can not be copied well look at my first load the factory stuff came across at 3452-3446-3471with the same group size of 1.5. an the temps today where in the middle 40s about the average for hunting season here in maine, but the next warm day in going to try the load again to see if we start pushing primmers."

Some added inofrmation:

McMillan no longer makes barrels, they use Schneider's or one that the customer requests.

Boots Obermeyer has a military contract again so your wait for a barrel could go into a year or more unless it's similar to the current contract.

Button barrels are softer than cut rifled barrels and will wear faster than the cut rifled barrels especially considering the potential heat and energy created by the .30-378 cartridge.

The shape of the lands and grooves can help or hinder the bullet based on the higher velocities. I suggest that you look at the polygonal barrels made by some of the manufacturers.

I think you should talk to Lothar Walther in Georgia about using one of their custom barrels in stainless (LW50 steel) with polygonal rifling. This is much tougher steel which should stand up to the .30-378 and provide you with a longer barrel life. They also offer a couple of competition designed barrel manufacturing programs which will net you a top-of-the-line long range barrel.

http://www.lothar-walther.de/html/335.php

Other than that, there are at least 2 dozen top end manufacturers of high quality barrels and you will get a great product from any of them.

Good Luck!

Best.

mudd_bogger

sorry guys for not telling yahs what im doing with this rifle.
well i use it for long range deer,elk hunting. an me an some of the guys i work with do some long range shooting(500-900 yards). the grain of bullet that im using is 165 grain nosler balistic tips. so i guees that im tring to gett the best of both worlds with this rifle the weight an lenght of if dont realy bother me because i have a shooting build that i sett in an have bench made in it with sand bags an all that stuff.

an i hope that i dont gett a argument started with anyone. im just tring to gett the best product for my money.

an im wondering will my factory weatherby stock take a bigger barrel,if not what would be a good choice. please bear with me here im new at this doing the long range hunting an shooting. have always just used the ol 30-06 7400 an my 300 mag winchester so this thing here has been a learning exp. well thanks to all that have replied an to all that will

konamtbiker

I like shilen Select match grade Stainless steel shoots good in m 25-06AI and 300 Win Mag

hillblade

call Northern Magnetic LLC Gunsmithing. Have them fit up a Krieger barrel. NM gunsmithing is an experienced, licensed gunsmithing shop doing excellent work. They listen to you. They may advise with some choices to consider to accomplish what you want. They will properly fit and chamber Krieger barrels to Weatherby, Ruger No.1, Military (M1,M14,M1A,FAL,SPRINGFIELD,ENFIELD,MAUSER...) as well as REM,WIN...all