Criterion Prefit Barrel Nut System

[Subwrx300]

Thought I'd post some pics of the new Criterion Howa Prefit barrel with the Big Horn barrel nut for those that are interested. Went with a 26" 8T Straight taper .900 muzzle diameter. Did the swap last night and, other than breaking the factory tube off the action, install was super easy.

Chamber and barrel look great and are hand lapped lapped from factory. Barrel was $360 muzzle threading was $100 and barrel nut was $40. I'll post review after shooting a bit today and tomorrow. Great upgrade for a factory Howa rig. Nut will require a fair amount of of inletting (carefully) to ensure free float around the nut and some aluminum chassis systems may not have clearance without removal of metal just forward of action. Nut is 31mm in diameter (1.221") so an inlet of 1.250" should provide plenty of clearance. My stock barrel channel was inletted for factory #6 barrel ~.800 IIRC, so had to remove a fair amount of material to keep barrel free floated.

 

[christopher.dow]

I also found the most difficult part of my installation of the same barrel to be removing the original. I think you’ll like how it shoots.

 

[Subwrx300]

I also found the most difficult part of my installation of the same barrel to be removing the original. I think you’ll like how it shoots.

Yep... Couldn't get barrel vice tight enough so I used the barrel vice flat bottom as an action wrench instead and mounted flat to flat in vice with bushing on top of action for support. ...then I used a pipe wrench on the factory barrel..?. Felt like I was putting down an old dog... Almost sad.

Putting new barrel on was easy though...

 

[ruebarb]

Thanks for sharing, this is great info for those us looking for a new barrel.

 

[MarinePMI]

FYI: An action wrench (the kind that goes completely around the action) in addition to the barrel nut wrench usually works as well. Just use a scissor like method (pulling/pushing each breaker bar towards each other), and generally speaking, the nut will pop loose.

 

[Subwrx300]

FYI: An action wrench (the kind that goes completely around the action) in addition to the barrel nut wrench usually works as well. Just use a scissor like method (pulling/pushing each breaker bar towards each other), and generally speaking, the nut will pop loose.

I ordered a wrench but the bolts were too short and it wouldn't fit around my action. Being the 4th of July and bolt threads being super fine, I opted for the quick solution, just to spin off the old barrel. Definitely getting extended bolts to use the action wrench in conjunction with the 31mm wrench to headspace and torque.

 

[MarinePMI]

Yeah, I hear you (can't count how many times I've needed a specific tool/part/thread pitch bolt...on a Sunday. ).

I just had to remove a Tikka CTR barrel, and like you, said "f*ck the heartache" and chucked it up in a lathe and cut the thing off (actually, I made a relief cut just ahead of the receiver). Felt bad cutting up a perfectly good .260 barrel...

As to the action wrench, I too, also have varying lengths of bolts specifically because of this (like using a V notched Mauser wrench with the one end flipped around to give me a two sided, parallel, action wrench for Tikkas, old Martini's and Lever guns). Fortune favors the prepared...

 

[Subwrx300]

Yeah, I hear you (can't count how many times I've needed a specific tool/part/thread pitch bolt...on a Sunday. ).

I just had to remove a Tikka CTR barrel, and like you, said "f*ck the heartache" and chucked it up in a lathe and cut the thing off (actually, I made a relief cut just ahead of the receiver). Felt bad cutting up a perfectly good .260 barrel...

As to the action wrench, I too, also have varying lengths of bolts specifically because of this (like using a V notched Mauser wrench with the one end flipped around to give me a two sided, parallel, action wrench for Tikkas, old Martini's and Lever guns). Fortune favors the prepared...

Damn. Now I get it... I ordered a Mauser style wrench (v notch top with flat bottom) but if I had gone with a standard R700, I could have flipped the top half 180 to use it as the flat. The pictures of the wrench didnt make that as apparent as it is now with one in hand.

And as for the bolts being too short, I'm surprised any action would fit in that wrench the supplied bolts. They are reealllllyyy short and seems like it would be difficult to get any good thread engagement on a normal sized action (~1.2-1.3" OD).

 

[Subwrx300]

I also found the most difficult part of my installation of the same barrel to be removing the original. I think you’ll like how it shoots.

Chris, do you have the 6.5 CM prefit? If so, what load are you shooting and how did it group 5shot at 100 and beyond?

Asking because did a fast load test with 140 vld hunts and factory 140ELDM as control. Had okay results but I expected a bit more; two nodes shot ~.5-.6 3 shot groups but that's only three shots which is a bit worrisome.

 

[dannySH]

I ordered a wrench but the bolts were too short and it wouldn't fit around my action. Being the 4th of July and bolt threads being super fine, I opted for the quick solution, just to spin off the old barrel. Definitely getting extended bolts to use the action wrench in conjunction with the 31mm wrench to headspace and torque.

I had the same problem with the Wheeler #1 and my Tikka action. The bolts were to short and the pitch thread was weird (I can't remember what it was) I found some bolts at Ace Hardware.

 

[christopher.dow]

Yep... Couldn't get barrel vice tight enough so I used the barrel vice flat bottom as an action wrench instead and mounted flat to flat in vice with bushing on top of action for support. ...then I used a pipe wrench on the factory barrel..?. Felt like I was putting down an old dog... Almost sad.

Putting new barrel on was easy though...

I put the barrel in in a viper vice with a bunch of rosin and used my NSS action wrench, which has a cutout so you can put the pressure on the lug and not tighten down on the body of the action. Once that was set up, I still had to put the ring end of my 31mm wrench on the bar of the action wrench to Jerry rig an extension, but then it came loose and i could spin it off. My right shoulder is still sore, though. I did mar the original barrel a bit, but it hadn’t shot well enough for that to cause emotional distress.

 

[christopher.dow]

Chris, do you have the 6.5 CM prefit? If so, what load are you shooting and how did it group 5shot at 100 and beyond?

Asking because did a fast load test with 140 vld hunts and factory 140ELDM as control. Had okay results but I expected a bit more; two nodes shot ~.5-.6 3 shot groups but that's only three shots which is a bit worrisome.

Yes, I think it’s exactly the same barrel: 26” SS, 8 twist, tapered to .900”.

I shot factory Hornady 140 ELD Match, Prime 130, and my Nosler 140 RDF load (which I’m struggling to get tight in either the Howa or my TL3/Proof). The sight-in three-shot group was .26 and I had one more .23 group (both ELD-M), but it opened up to .5-.8 after that. I have retorqued everything and will go back to the range tomorrow.

I wasn’t worried about 3- vs 5-shot groups because the barrel is so heavy. I’ll do some 5-shot groups tomorrow and report.

I talked to several smiths about this, and they all said they wanted to true the action. I decided since truing is just making the action meet the factory specs more closely and these actions come from Japan, I’d see how it performed without that. It could be that’s needed to get it to the true quarter-minute level.

 

[m6z]

Nice looking rifle and thanks for the write up. Brownells has Howa barreled actions starting at around $250. One of those and KRG Bravo would make a great budget rig.

 

[m6z]

Save me from myself..

HOWA - 1500 308 WIN 20" HEAVY BARRELED ACTION $249

You can save another 4% if you sign up for active junky

And an additional $20 off with code M8Y

 

[spife7980]

Save me from myself..

HOWA - 1500 308 WIN 20" HEAVY BARRELED ACTION $249

You can save another 4% if you sign up for active junky

And an additional $20 off with code M8Y

The only thing is if you want a threaded barrel, 20" for 369 and 26" for 299

 

[christopher.dow]

Save me from myself..

HOWA - 1500 308 WIN 20" HEAVY BARRELED ACTION $249

You can save another 4% if you sign up for active junky

And an additional $20 off with code M8Y

Never ask junkies to help you quit your addiction.

 

[m6z]

Never ask junkies to help you quit your addiction.

I know. I've got a Origin action on order so I don't need another, but..

 

[Subwrx300]

Quick update on load development. Have only tested Berger 140 VLD Hunt so far (have a lot and like them lying around and shot very well in last barrel). Shot an OCW at 300 yds from 42-43gr and found nodes at 42 and 43 ( same nodes in last barrel):

Tested 42, 42.1, 43, 43.1 and 43.2. results below from ladder test at 388yds. 43.1-43.2 has great node staying sub 1/2 MOA at nearly 400 from field position and same avg velocity for both charges of 2825 avg with 10 SD. Will be testing a few other bullets to see how it shoots with non-VLD, tangent ogives ( like ELDM and Scenar).

 

[christopher.dow]

Nice load development! Too bad it uses Unicorn Tears! Sinclair supposedly had 8lbs of H4350 in stock, but they canceled the order after I placed it.

 

[jram]

I dig the bighorn barrel nut. Looks like a closed end wrench would be much less likely to scratch your barrel than the standard barrel nut wrench

 

[MakeSawdust]

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I have some food for thought for those pursuing 1/4 moa accuracy with these barrels. I've worked with several Criterion barrels. I only shoot steel matches. I am not a benchrest or f-class shooter. In my experience they are consistent 1 moa barrels. Most stuff will shoot in the .75 moa range. With load development I have been able to get every single one to go below half moa consistently. Some barely, some were in the one third moa range. All of this was with a Bipod and rear bag.

I am a HUGE Criterion fan boy. If I can buy a barrel for $300 that will consistently shoot sub half moa with a good load I am THRILLED! However, I do not believe I have ever had a Criterion barrel that was consistently capable of quarter minute accuracy. The good ones will shoot a quarter minute group a couple times a range session, but they won't do it all the time. They are a great value proposition and shoot better than most shooters. I do not believe they are quite in the same league as a barrel chambered by a very talented gunsmith. It is possible that the blanks are good enough to shoot that well, but I think their chambering process or tolerances or something holds them back just a little bit.

They have carved out a very nice niche in the market by offering a prefit barrel that shoots so close to a custom that it is indistinguishable to most shooters while selling it for the price of a high quality barrel blank.

At this point they are plenty accurate for me to compete with as I'm losing far more points for other reasons. They likely always will be. They are the perfect balance of price and quality for me. I do not believe they will quite hang with the best though.

If you want a barrel that will shoot most loads in the half minute range and THE load sub quarter minute you are going to have to spend a little more money in my experience.

 

[arm017]

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I have some food for thought for those pursuing 1/4 moa accuracy with these barrels. I've worked with several Criterion barrels. I only shoot steel matches. I am not a benchrest or f-class shooter. In my experience they are consistent 1 moa barrels. Most stuff will shoot in the .75 moa range. With load development I have been able to get every single one to go below half moa consistently. Some barely, some were in the one third moa range. All of this was with a Bipod and rear bag.

I am a HUGE Criterion fan boy. If I can buy a barrel for $300 that will consistently shoot sub half moa with a good load I am THRILLED! However, I do not believe I have ever had a Criterion barrel that was consistently capable of quarter minute accuracy. The good ones will shoot a quarter minute group a couple times a range session, but they won't do it all the time. They are a great value proposition and shoot better than most shooters. I do not believe they are quite in the same league as a barrel chambered by a very talented gunsmith. It is possible that the blanks are good enough to shoot that well, but I think their chambering process or tolerances or something holds them back just a little bit.

They have carved out a very nice niche in the market by offering a prefit barrel that shoots so close to a custom that it is indistinguishable to most shooters while selling it for the price of a high quality barrel blank.

At this point they are plenty accurate for me to compete with as I'm losing far more points for other reasons. They likely always will be. They are the perfect balance of price and quality for me. I do not believe they will quite hang with the best though.

If you want a barrel that will shoot most loads in the half minute range and THE load sub quarter minute you are going to have to spend a little more money in my experience.

appreciate the insight. I've only had one criterion - and she was a shooter, but sounds like that is part of the gamble with them is that they aren't all roses.

 

[HoustonB77]

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I have some food for thought for those pursuing 1/4 moa accuracy with these barrels. I've worked with several Criterion barrels. I only shoot steel matches. I am not a benchrest or f-class shooter. In my experience they are consistent 1 moa barrels. Most stuff will shoot in the .75 moa range. With load development I have been able to get every single one to go below half moa consistently. Some barely, some were in the one third moa range. All of this was with a Bipod and rear bag.

I am a HUGE Criterion fan boy. If I can buy a barrel for $300 that will consistently shoot sub half moa with a good load I am THRILLED! However, I do not believe I have ever had a Criterion barrel that was consistently capable of quarter minute accuracy. The good ones will shoot a quarter minute group a couple times a range session, but they won't do it all the time. They are a great value proposition and shoot better than most shooters. I do not believe they are quite in the same league as a barrel chambered by a very talented gunsmith. It is possible that the blanks are good enough to shoot that well, but I think their chambering process or tolerances or something holds them back just a little bit.

They have carved out a very nice niche in the market by offering a prefit barrel that shoots so close to a custom that it is indistinguishable to most shooters while selling it for the price of a high quality barrel blank.

At this point they are plenty accurate for me to compete with as I'm losing far more points for other reasons. They likely always will be. They are the perfect balance of price and quality for me. I do not believe they will quite hang with the best though.

If you want a barrel that will shoot most loads in the half minute range and THE load sub quarter minute you are going to have to spend a little more money in my experience.

1/2 MOA is good enough for me. I have been very happy with my Criterion (Tikka Prefit). Most people cant shoot better than half MOA on a normal basis anyway.

 

[ruebarb]

I have an 18" for my AR, shoots great for the price, I would't consider it a match barrel. But no complaints.

 

[christopher.dow]

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I have some food for thought for those pursuing 1/4 moa accuracy with these barrels. I've worked with several Criterion barrels. I only shoot steel matches. I am not a benchrest or f-class shooter. In my experience they are consistent 1 moa barrels. Most stuff will shoot in the .75 moa range. With load development I have been able to get every single one to go below half moa consistently. Some barely, some were in the one third moa range. All of this was with a Bipod and rear bag.

I am a HUGE Criterion fan boy. If I can buy a barrel for $300 that will consistently shoot sub half moa with a good load I am THRILLED! However, I do not believe I have ever had a Criterion barrel that was consistently capable of quarter minute accuracy. The good ones will shoot a quarter minute group a couple times a range session, but they won't do it all the time. They are a great value proposition and shoot better than most shooters. I do not believe they are quite in the same league as a barrel chambered by a very talented gunsmith. It is possible that the blanks are good enough to shoot that well, but I think their chambering process or tolerances or something holds them back just a little bit.

They have carved out a very nice niche in the market by offering a prefit barrel that shoots so close to a custom that it is indistinguishable to most shooters while selling it for the price of a high quality barrel blank.

At this point they are plenty accurate for me to compete with as I'm losing far more points for other reasons. They likely always will be. They are the perfect balance of price and quality for me. I do not believe they will quite hang with the best though.

If you want a barrel that will shoot most loads in the half minute range and THE load sub quarter minute you are going to have to spend a little more money in my experience.

That’s a good point. I’ve seen claims that SAC can get .25 MOA out of Howas, and I’ve no reason to doubt them, but that’s probably not with $300 barrels.

In any case half a minute is great and very few need better, and I’m willing to do the load development to get there—especially if it means I can burn out $400 barrels and leave the Proof on the other 6.5 for special occasions and matches.

It looks like @Subwrx300 has done a nice job with his load development.

 

[Subwrx300]

That’s a good point. I’ve seen claims that SAC can get .25 MOA out of Howas, and I’ve no reason to doubt them, but that’s probably not with $300 barrels.

In any case half a minute is great and very few need better, and I’m willing to do the load development to get there—especially if it means I can burn out $400 barrels and leave the Proof on the other 6.5 for special occasions and matches.

It looks like @Subwrx300 has done a nice job with his load development.

It's coming along fairly well. The 6 groove barrel seems to run slightly slower than a few others but faster than factory barrel for sure.

I've only run the 140 VLD and 123 SMK (not great with the SMK) so I want to try a few other bullets to see if I can tighten it up. Couldn't get much better than .6-.7 under heavy mirage yesterday.

I think Lapua or ELDM may tune well and hopeful to find a consistent 1/2 load. Searching for better than that is really time consuming and a waste of money for my purposes. Really just want a consistent cold bore and sub half with custom loads. Any suggestions from the guys with Criterion 6.5 barrels?

 

[christopher.dow]

I’ve had really good luck with Scenars and Scenar-Ls in my Proof 6.5 and my Shilen 308 (that was on the same action). As with Berger Hybrids, I didn’t have to fart around with seating depth to get to consisten .5 MOA. With this setup, it might be different.

I bought 1370 Berger 130 OTM Hybrid Tactical from a Hide member and loaded up for testing with RE15 and IMR 4350. I won’t be able to test until I get back from vacation in a couple weeks.

 

[Subwrx300]

Full review of testing to come in next day or two. Have tried a few different loads and found several .4MOA loads and even one that shot an AMAZING .16MOA 4-shot group with 123 Scenars (pic below).

I was a bit nervous at first due to some lackluster groups but seem to have it worked out after reassembling barrel/action/stock.

PS ignore the writing at the bottom! That is a 223 load with Varget. DO NOT put 43.5 grains of Varget into a 6.5CM... This was shot using H4350.

 

[HoustonB77]

Thats a heck of a group! I'm loving mine so far to!

 

[Subwrx300]

Heres a quick update/review after a few weeks. I have about ~160 rounds through barrel and while it started a bit rough, it's coming around great. Overall, I'd say it's capable of .3-.4 and I typically shoot it to .4-.6 with good loads.

Concerning assembly, I found it it is possible to misalign a barrel during installation. My original inlet was perfect. Then I disassembled and check headspace but when reinstalling, had the barrel hanging in space (unsupported except by action) and the nut torqued into place leaving the barrel well left of center. Long story short, thought I'd bent barrel or action but after another teardown, it came right back to center.

Inside, barrel is very smooth and easy to clean. A few patches, boresnake and it's done. Cold clean bore velocity is a bit low (about -50fps than next shots) and impacts about 1MOA high. Fouls in nicely with 1-2 shots and groups start stacking.

Berger's shoot just sub 1/2MOA consistently, factory 140 ELD shoots 1/2 or better and handload ELDs shoot 1/2MOA. Scenars are a bit touchy which is odd but they can either be 1/4 or 3/4 depending on the day.

For $500 including threading and barrel nut, these barrels are definitely good to go. You will spend a few hundred on other tools once but then rebarreling costs only about $400 per shot vs 700-1000. For a deer rifle or just punching steel, it's a no brainier to upgrade. For competition like PRS or local matches, I think it's a great value but I'm sure that some custom tubes (Bartlein, Kriger, Douglas and other point cut barrels) could better this system if installed by good smith.

But for a DIY, $500 upgrade for a Howa 1500? Take my money! Plus I could like send the nut and barrel to Bartlein or Krieger (maybe Proof?) and have one of their barrels cut for this system.

Here are some groups from development.

These are groups from the 388yd line.

 

[christopher.dow]

Heres a quick update/review after a few weeks. I have about ~160 rounds through barrel and while it started a bit rough, it's coming around great.
8<

Great work! I’m going to take my Bergers out to test on Saturday and I’ll report my findings here.

 

[Lionsbreath]

Good review, good-looking rifle! I like the finish on the stock... Krylon? Whatever it is, it’s sexy

 

[Subwrx300]

Good review, good-looking rifle! I like the finish on the stock... Krylon? Whatever it is, it’s sexy

Thanks. It's a Manners T4A which has the original Coyote/FDE paint/duracoat. Then I put Krylon (black) over top and lightly scuffed areas to give it the worn look. It's easy to remove so if I ever get tired of color, simply remove with acetone or brake cleaner.

Wasn't sure what color I wanted barrel/action/stock cerakoted so I thought I'd start bare and see how it shoots then layout color as needed.

 

[Lionsbreath]

Thanks. It's a Manners T4A which has the original Coyote/FDE paint/duracoat. Then I put Krylon (black) over top and lightly scuffed areas to give it the worn look. It's easy to remove so if I ever get tired of color, simply remove with acetone or brake cleaner.

Wasn't sure what color I wanted barrel/action/stock cerakoted so I thought I'd start bare and see how it shoots then layout color as needed.

Yeah she’s pretty, I’ve done the same thing to different stocks... i think it looks better than molded in camo from the factory, if it’s done right..