Any experience with Douglas barrels?

[Basic user]

I know Douglas has been famous for their barrels for a long time but other than that I have no real experience with their barrels. So I guess my first question is anyone here use them with good success? And lastly and more importantly has anyone had them true up an action and barrel it? Looking to see if their gunsmiths do good work. Thinking about sending an action off to them for barreling.

Thanks guys.

 

[Bigfatcock]

Yes. Easy one stop shop.

 

[psharon78]

Had one shot great. Wouldn't hesitate to go back to them either

 

[Basic user]

Well that's good to hear.

 

[cro789]

Used them on a benchrest gun in .308. The barrel was phenomenal

 

[Basic user]

"Cro789: Used them on a benchrest gun in .308. The barrel was phenomenal."

Can I ask who barreled that benchrest gun for you?

 

[cro789]

This was back in the early 90s and sorry to say he has passed. He also made stocks. His name was Carl Stover. Great man and friend. Greatly missed

 

[Basic user]

I'm sorry to hear that man.

 

[Basic user]

Wait, are ALL Douglas barrels button rifled??

 

[DukeGSP]

had them just spin up a .20 cal barrel for a .204 build i had done and i was very pleased with it. turn around time wasn't bad at all and the price was very fair. would use them again.

 

[Rust]

Got one for a 6mm AI project. Shot great after break in.

 

[Poorboyr]

My Douglas barrels shoot great. No issues.

 

[Basic user]

And by 'great' you mean....?

 

[Poorboyr]

And by 'great' you mean....?

As in all of them are sub half moa 5 shot group rifles. Rainging from 300 WM to 6 creedmoor.

 

[Basic user]

Wow. I keep reading over and over that button barrels are just finickier than cut rifled version and was torn.

 

[Bigfatcock]

You will not be disappointed with a Douglas premium barrel, nor will you be disappointed by having them true your action.

 

[Basic user]

I'm assuming not as they have doing it for quite a while; though, why is everyone paying 4-5 times as much for sub half minute groups, when the guys post above these says he gets sub half moa groups? I'm confused.

 

[XLR308]

Wow. I keep reading over and over that button barrels are just finickier than cut rifled version and was torn.

Just for giggles look at the number of benchrest records are held by shooters running button rifled barrels.
I think it will surprise you.

 

[Bigfatcock]

I'm assuming not as they have doing it for quite a while; though, why is everyone paying 4-5 times as much for sub half minute groups, when the guys post above these says he gets sub half moa groups? I'm confused.

Because they choose to.

 

[Douglas-001]

Pppfffttt....with a name like "Douglas"....you just know it's a loser...





But seriously....I ran one on a service rifle that Compass Lake installed that day on Vendor's row. I think I got almost 7K rounds out of it before I noticed it opening up at 600. I have one on a Supermatch. Laser beam as long as I hold hard.

 

[Basic user]

Sounds good; is there any down side to going chromoly in terms of group consistency?

 

[Basic user]

I hear you can get hard spots in carbon steel and that can mess up the button when it's being pulled through.

 

[Haney]

I hear you can get hard spots in carbon steel and that can mess up the button when it's being pulled through.

I don't think a button rifled barrel is for you .

 

[Poorboyr]

I don't think a button rifled barrel is for you .

Something tells me no barrel is going to be right for him……

 

[Basic user]

Something tells me no barrel is going to be right for him……

No, wrong assumption 'poorboyr', I've already sent the action in for a barrel. I was just ASKING if anyone has ever run into that problem in the past...

 

[XP1K]

Wow. I keep reading over and over that button barrels are just finickier than cut rifled version and was torn.

Sample size of one, but I've found the opposite to be true in my case.

I've had two liljas, a shilen, a krieger, and now my first bartlein.

Both liljas (308 and 300winmag) came together in under ten shots. The shilen (300winmag) came in close to twenty. The krieger (280AI) took almost fifty before it calmed down. And my most recent, the Bart, (300winmag) took an astounding 135 shots before it lined out.

I was starting to think I'd got a dud. I'd be getting real close to a load, then I'd go back out to verify said load, and it would be a totally different gun. At 135 rounds it went to shooting one hole, became very predictable and super easy to load for. Just aout drove me nuts.

 

[padom]

Sample size of one, but I've found the opposite to be true in my case.

I've had two liljas, a shilen, a krieger, and now my first bartlein.

Both liljas (308 and 300winmag) came together in under ten shots. The shilen (300winmag) came in close to twenty. The krieger (280AI) took almost fifty before it calmed down. And my most recent, the Bart, (300winmag) took an astounding 135 shots before it lined out.

I was starting to think I'd got a dud. I'd be getting real close to a load, then I'd go back out to verify said load, and it would be a totally different gun. At 135 rounds it went to shooting one hole, became very predictable and super easy to load for. Just aout drove me nuts.

Your Bartlein took 135 shots till it lined out?? What does that mean?

Speaking in general here, over a sample size of hundreds, my Bartleins have been consistent tack drivers in the first 5-10 shots.... with known loads from previous barrel..

If your Bartlein took 135 shots to DO ANYTHING, you either were doing something wrong or you had a bad barrel and should have contacted @Frank Green immediately. I've never experienced this in 100s of blanks from Bartlein.

Button barrels, I've tested LOTS of them as well. Speaking in general, they've taken more rounds to tighten up, have been a bick pickier in what they like load/bullet wise, and have crapped out sooner.. these statements have NOTHING to do with accuracy. I have some VERY accurate button barrels

My $0.02...take it for what it's worth

 

[Frank Green]

Your Bartlein took 135 shots till it lined out?? What does that mean?

Speaking in general here, over a sample size of hundreds, my Bartleins have been consistent tack drivers in the first 5-10 shots.... with known loads from previous barrel..

If your Bartlein took 135 shots to DO ANYTHING, you either were doing something wrong or you had a bad barrel and should have contacted @Frank Green immediately. I've never experienced this in 100s of blanks from Bartlein.

Button barrels, I've tested LOTS of them as well. Speaking in general, they've taken more rounds to tighten up, have been a bick pickier in what they like load/bullet wise, and have crapped out sooner.. these statements have NOTHING to do with accuracy. I have some VERY accurate button barrels

My $0.02...take it for what it's worth

That's a new one and or I should say out of the ordinary/not the norm.

I know most ammunition makers doing ammo testing (pressure) when they put a new barrel into service...they will record data from the first round/groups fired and some will not use the barrel for actual production ammo testing until it has a 100 rounds on it. By a 100 rounds they know the barrel has settled down etc... most barrels will settle down in 60 rounds or less.

Now when I say settle down it is usually from a velocity stand point. Your laying down that carbon and that's what usually will drive up your velocity.

Also goes back to how your cleaning it and type of bullets you are shooting etc... type of powder, cartridge etc... there are a lot of variables.

I've had plenty of barrels from day one there hasn't been a velocity pick up and accuracy was outstanding from the first round fired.

Later, Frank

 

[XP1K]

Your Bartlein took 135 shots till it lined out?? What does that mean?

Speaking in general here, over a sample size of hundreds, my Bartleins have been consistent tack drivers in the first 5-10 shots.... with known loads from previous barrel..

If your Bartlein took 135 shots to DO ANYTHING, you either were doing something wrong or you had a bad barrel and should have contacted @Frank Green immediately. I've never experienced this in 100s of blanks from Bartlein.

Button barrels, I've tested LOTS of them as well. Speaking in general, they've taken more rounds to tighten up, have been a bick pickier in what they like load/bullet wise, and have crapped out sooner.. these statements have NOTHING to do with accuracy. I have some VERY accurate button barrels

My $0.02...take it for what it's worth

Like I said, sample size of one. I talked to the guy that chambered it and he said he wouldn't trust it until 100 rounds. Believe me, with all the time I've spent around here, seeing the targets and hearing all the great things about bartlein barrels, I was a little shocked. That said, I'll still buy another one and I don't have anything bad to say about it.

I was beating my head against the wall, double checking my reloading practices, double and triple checking action torque, scope base, rings. Scopes. Trying different factory ammo. I had a couple different flavors of cannon fodder on hand and some hornady match 178gr. I'd have to go look through the targets, but going from memory I don't think it shot that under an inch. Ironically, it's favorite factory ammo was 180gr core lokt. It would shoot that about ¾ inch.

It's throated long to shoot 215's as far out as it can so I wasn't sure what to expect with factory ammo honestly. But I figured it would be pretty good regardless. Right now it's shooting 212gr eld-x under a half minute. All of the sudden, it just straightened right out. Beat all I ever saw.

I will say the lilja showed a lot more wear early on than the Bart.

I've had this rifle for quite some time and have been through a couple barrels with it. And it is appropriately named, problem child.

 

[Frank Green]

Like I said, sample size of one. I talked to the guy that chambered it and he said he wouldn't trust it until 100 rounds. Believe me, with all the time I've spent around here, seeing the targets and hearing all the great things about bartlein barrels, I was a little shocked. That said, I'll still buy another one and I don't have anything bad to say about it.

I was beating my head against the wall, double checking my reloading practices, double and triple checking action torque, scope base, rings. Scopes. Trying different factory ammo. I had a couple different flavors of cannon fodder on hand and some hornady match 178gr. I'd have to go look through the targets, but going from memory I don't think it shot that under an inch. Ironically, it's favorite factory ammo was 180gr core lokt. It would shoot that about ¾ inch.

It's throated long to shoot 215's as far out as it can so I wasn't sure what to expect with factory ammo honestly. But I figured it would be pretty good regardless. Right now it's shooting 212gr eld-x under a half minute. All of the sudden, it just straightened right out. Beat all I ever saw.

I will say the lilja showed a lot more wear early on than the Bart.

I've had this rifle for quite some time and have been through a couple barrels with it. And it is appropriately named, problem child.

No worries!

Out of curiosity what reamer spec cut the chamber?

Then the next question would be what spec was the throating reamer?

If a standard Saami spec. 300WM reamer was used...the throat design in that reamer sucks the bag in my opinion. It is not conducive to accuracy.

Again just curious.

 

[XP1K]

I do believe the Smith in question said it was a saami spec reamer. As far as the spec on the throating reamer, couldn't tell you.

This was my first rifle with a custom chamber. I loaded a dummy with a 215 hybrid the way I wanted it and sent that to the Smith. He took care of the rest.

 

[Frank Green]

I do believe the Smith in question said it was a saami spec reamer. As far as the spec on the throating reamer, couldn't tell you.

This was my first rifle with a custom chamber. I loaded a dummy with a 215 hybrid the way I wanted it and sent that to the Smith. He took care of the rest.

Okie doke!

Well the standard saami chamber is basically cone shaped. At the case mouth it starts out at .315" diameter. That's .007" over bullet diameter of .308" and it just has a taper. There is no straight section in the throat to help bullet alignment.

I've seen plenty of barrels even back when I was at Krieger where there was nothing wrong with the barrel but it was chambered in saami spec. 300wm and the best the barrel would shoot was like 1moa. I even took one of the barrels that wouldn't shoot good...cut off the breech threads...threaded it for a different action and chambered it with the Obermeyer reamer. Barrel went to shooting nice bug hole groups.

When your smith used the throating reamer to lengthen the throat probably helped it.

Not saying this was the issue why it was being a pain in the beginning for you or anything like that. More of a fyi for you.

So if we put a barrel on a gun for a customer in 300WM I will not use the Saami reamer because I don't want the "it won't shoot good phone call thing". More often than not we use the navy spec reamer. Works with box ammo great and has a much better throat design. If we need even a longer throat....we have a different reamer for that as well. Also we have the Obermeyer reamer but that is set up for 190gr and lighter bullets.

We just did the barrel work for a Marine sniper using his rifle for hunting. We used the navy spec reamer. He sent me pic's of his target at 915 yards Monday this week. . To say he is happy is a understatement and the barrel went to shooting excellent pretty much out of the box. No long time for it to settle in etc...

 

[PearShooter]

have had several bolt done with Douglass, couldn't have asked for anything better.