advice on a custom barrel

J

jimsbriar

Inactive
So as I walk my way through building my 260 rem on a savage action, I have come to a stoppping point and need a little advice. keeping in mind that I want to build a long range hunting rifle, that could also be a decent bench rifle what would you guys recommend for barrel specs.?

I am leaning towards a 24-26 inch stainless steel mcgowen barrel, but beyond that, its all greek.

barrel? thinking is will be mcgowen (open to other suggestions)
barrel length?: 24-26

BUT

which contour?
fluting?
crown type?

thanks in advance
 
It might make a difference to you as to where you're intending to hunt as to how heavy/light you want your bbl. If you're going to stick to flatlands and foothills- I would choose a medium contour. If it's trecking up and down serious mountains and/or canyons- then think of something lighter. Hunting and benchwork are seldon equal tradeoffs. If you're still pretty young, in good shape, and don't mind the weight- maybe a heavy medium would work. The question really is: What's the seight mean to you?

For areas where the crown might get dinged- I like the recessed crown. I seriously don't think an average shooter would ever really come to realize or appreciate the difference between various target crowns and a good recessed one.

I never bought off on that fluting business. Those things just can't be machined in there without imparting some sort of stress on the barrel. I know there are a lot of incredibly accurate fluted barrels out there, but I just never saw the need personally. With that said- yes, personally, I would humbly suggest non-fluted.

For hunting and target work- you're going with the 1:10 twist, aren't you? For optimum performance in both larger critter hunting and range work, you'll likely benefit the most from heavier bullets with high BC's.
 
There are literally so many good barrel makers it's almost a pain to list them, so pick one or stick with mcgowen you'll be fine. Length is really up to you. Is overall profile of the gun a concern? Are you looking to add a brake or suppressor? Me personally considering a hunting rifle that i would be walking with a lot, i would go to 22" just for maneuverability and weight reduction. As for contour light palma would make a good hunting and bench rifle though a tad on the heavy side for walking. Heavy or bull sporter might fill that niche perfectly. Fluting is up to you as well, maybe get the palma and have it fluted to reduce some weight. My picks might be slightly heavy for a walking/hunting rifle, but i carry my 5R 700 hunting with the sendero/varmint contour (rifle is 13lbs) so many things seem much lighter. I'm not sure on crowning.

You don't really have to have a thick barrel to have a decent bench rifle, now if your wanting to shoot bench rest where multiple strings of firing will take place then yes it would be more advantageous to have one. Barrels actually can take quite an amount of heat before POI shifts. Though harmonics have to be taken into account as well.
 
For a 260 Remington you don't need a long barrel, so 24" would be good. As far as profile, if it is an all-around hunting/target/varminting rifle, a #3 profile will always work.
 
For hunting and target work- you're going with the 1:10 twist, aren't you? For optimum performance in both larger critter hunting and range work, you'll likely benefit the most from heavier bullets with high BC's.
Click to expand...

1:10? Seems 1:8 is more common for the .260/6.5 family, especially if 160gr bullets are to be used.
 
Mr. Borland is correct .260 1:8 1:8.5 is most optimal, i don't even think i'd go anything slower. IIRC that was one of the starting problems to the .260's popularity, remington was producing them with twist too slow for the bullets and accuracy results weren't so good. I have a Sako 85 with a 1:8 twist and have ran 129gr SSTs, 130gr Siroccos, and 140gr Scenars. All grouped well. 160gr aren't as common as the 130-140s for 6.5mm bullets. Also the BC tends to take a hit at the 160gr range IIRC. 130s-140s are where the 6.5 is high in BC.
 
I have a 260, but it still has the factory barrel. The only rifle I've had rebarreled was my 220 Swift and based on that I do have some thoughts that you might find useful. The Swift had a heavy varmint barrel and was just too darn heavy for a walking around type varmint gun, so when the barrel finally shot out I had a new barrel put on it and I had it done by a fellow that specialized in light rifles. I told him to do what he needed to do to it to make a real shooter, and that I'd leave the decision on the barrel and related work to him. He put a 22 inch number 2 contour barrel (by Douglas) on it, which I think is just a standard contour hunting barrel. Once he tuned the rifle up (action, trigger, bedding, etc.) it was and still is a fabulous shooter and isn't too heavy. I suppose the barrel is too light for use as an all day groundhog blaster, but it's fine for shooting small groups and coyote. So...I don't think you need a heavy barrel in order to get a real tack driving rifle.
 
10-96 a 1/10 is too slow. I've got a Remington with a 1/9 and it is marginal for anything over 140grn.
 
You guys are right, I was looking at that all backwards for heavy bullets. I was thinking about my project .243, 58gr bullets, slow twists, etc and over thought stuff.
 
I am re-barreling me Savage action, just today canceled a Shaw barrel that has been on order for months as part of a group buy, and according to the vendor, Shaw is not being cooperative so I ditched it...

I'm calling Jim at Northland Shooters tomorrow to see what he's got in a Criterion barrel- made by Krieger and from the feedback I've read online represent a great value...
 
I just ordered a barrel for my own Savage project...

McGowen, stainless, Shilen #3 profile, 24", fluted, 11dg crown, 243AI.

After much research, I decide those options best fit my desire for a primary deer hunting, secondary varmint, tertiary target gun.

Next year, 36" stainless, 22-250AI so I can go after the 5,000fps barrier. :D
 
As long as the crown breaks 90* you are good to go, just send it to your smith and tell him the length you want and caliber then let him work his magic.

Brian, are you using the 30gr bergers? I don't know if the 22-250AI will make it there. I know the 224 McDonald, and the 22 Cheetah have done it, maybe the 22-243 Middlestead too. I can't imagine how fast the throat will be gone though :)
 
Jimsbrier:

You are onto a great project. The .260 Rem is one of the all time great cartridges. It is superbly accurate, way better than a .243 on deer, easy on barrels and fun to shoot.

Don't discout that "fun" part. You'll be shooting that .260 when your buddies 6.5/284 is sitting in the rack. With some guns a few rounds is all the fun you want. With a .260 you will love shooting and shooting.

I built a .260 on a late model Winchester short action in stainless steel. Bobby Hart put one of his fine barrels on it using an 8" twist. I asked for a 24" tube but somehow got a 26. The whole rifle turned out to be very well done, just heavier than I had hoped for. Think about the total weight and balance that you want. Maybe that will help you pick the right length and contour barrel for you.
 
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