ER Shaw Barrels?

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Stats Shooter

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Anyone have any experience with ER Shaw Barrels?
I'm about to rebarrel my 1992 Savage Model 110 .300 Win Mag and was looking at ER Shaw. I'm going to put a 26" heavy .909" barrel on it and I use it for 800-1100 yard shooting. the factory savage barrel on it was awesome and I achieved 1/8 MOA 200 yard groups with my hand loads and would like to get the same accuracy out of the new barrel.

I'm going from the original 24" barrel to a 26" barrel to squeeze just a hair more velocity out of it.
 
My ER Shaw barrel isn't any better than a "run of the mill" factory barrel. In fact it shoot worse than some factory barreled rifles that I own. If 800+ yards is what you plan to do go with a better quality barrel. For a good accurate barrel that is reasonably priced give X-Caliber barrels a look.
 
This is one of the few times I'd have to recommend stepping up a couple of levels on cost/quality(?).
 
I put an ER Shaw barrel on an budget precision rifle build I did about 10 years ago. I've been very happy with it, however I don't know that you will get 1/8th moa out of one. Mine holds nice 1/2moa groups very consistently... or at least it did a few thousand rounds ago. I can tell the throat is opening up a little as my groups have opened up to just under 3/4moa. I haven't experimented with bullet seating depth yet, though I believe this would likely solve my problem some.

If you are looking for 1/8th moa, I would spend a good bit more money than what ER Shaw will charge you. I am amazed that a factory Savage barrel was that good. I like Savage rifles, and have found them to be very accurate. Not really benchrest accurate out of the box, though, which is what you apparently have.
 
I had Shaw put a new .257 Roberts barrel on a Mauser action, and it shoots very well. Still working on loads, but it's easily MOA or better. However, this is a sporter barrel. I don't know how they are doing in the target arena. Shaw does offer their own version of a precision rifle. They earned a mediocre reputation years ago, but they are a different company now. How different? Can't say. If I were going for extreme precision, spending money on action, trigger, stock, I'd spend the money on a known top end barrel. I like Shaw, and I would go back to them any time for a sporter barrel (and excellent blue), but I don't know that they've earned their spurs on target rifles.
 
I have used ER Shaw barrels now for about 40 years. Many other barrels too, but I do have experience with ER Shaw. If I had to guess I'd say I have used about 90-100 of them. I have never has a bad one. Some were better than others, but the worst one I ever saw shoot with good handloads was about MOA. Many shot well under MOA.

What you are supposed to get with the very expensive barrels (made by "the competition") is a guarantee (I guess.) Maybe if you spend $600 on one and it shoots just MOA they would replace it, whereas ER Shaw would tell you MOA is within spec.

But If I made a guess, I'd bet if you had $600 to spend, and you purchased 4 ER Shaw barrels for that amount, at least one of them would shoot as well as the $600 barrel, and then you'd have three good barrels and one excellent barrel. If I had to say anything in comparison to the high priced barrels it's going to be that ER Shaw doesn't have as high a polish in the bore as some, so they may not clean as fast. But that may or may not be a factor that is important to every customer. Depends on how the rifle is to be used by the owner.

I have a 270 Winchester with an ER Shaw barrel and it that shoots 5/8" groups. I have a 375H&H with an ER Shaw barrel in it that shoots 3/4" groups. I also had a heavy barreled 22-250 that I sold years ago, that shot 5 shot groups into a hole that looked as if it was one shot from a 30 cal. It had an ER Shaw in it too.

So ER Shaw can and does make barrels that shoot super well, but not every barrel is outstanding. Every barrel is good, but not every one is great.
 
I feel hammer forged barrels are the most accurate of mass produced barrels steel is aligned with no stress points and a lot as good as match barrels. I have heard they are now forging the chamber along with rifling the barrel therefore achieving 100% alignment. I don't know if any barrel maker hammer forges their barrels very costly to set up. maybe some one knows of one
 
Thanks for all the good feedback. In response to one post, yes it was surprising to get benchrest accuracy out of a Savage barrel, but I spent 6 months developing the load for it, an I found that 2 thousandths off the lands gave me benchrest accuracy.....But the velocity in that load is unremarkable at 2900 fps for a 180 gr bullet; Hence wanting a 26" or 27" barrel.

But most of the feed back confirms what I suspected, that for the most part ER Shaw Barrels are good quality barrels and you may get one out of 4 or so that is benchrest quality.

I may still go with a shilen barrel, especially since it is a BR gun. I don't need, nor want, any special fluting which ups the cost.
But one post made a good point, I could buy 3 ER shaw barrels and see which is more accurate, and then build a nice hunting rifle with one the others provided it is at least MOA.
 
factory savage barrel on it was awesome and I achieved 1/8 MOA 200 yard groups with my hand loads
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It would be crazy to change that barrel to gain a little velocity... maybe gain a little velocity.
 
. It would be crazy to change that barrel to gain a little velocity... maybe gain a little velocity.
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I'm sorry, I should have mentioned initially that 1/8 MOA was what it used to shoot. After a few thousand rounds the throat has eroded to the point that I'm doing pretty good these days to hold just above MOA. At about 1500 rounds ithe groups opened up some but I was able to chase the lands maintaining 1/8-1/4 MOA ..... somewhere around 2500 rounds however, no matter what I did, 1.75-2" at 200 yards was all I could hold. The extra 2" of barrel thing is just because I figure why not since I'm rebarreling anyway.
 
ya-know Mississippi, most times if you simply cut off the shank and re-thread and re-chamber the barrel, you will gt past about 95% of the erosion. That's cheaper than getting a new barrel and it brings back the same degree of accuracy you used to have, but for only 5% (or so) less life on the 2nd "go-around".

Something to consider.
 
There seems to be a fair quality difference between their retail barrels and the custom shop (special order) barrels.
I've seen both, and there are countless discussions about E.R. Shaw barrels here on TFL.
Retail is a roll of the dice, but generally "good enough" for hunting rifles.
Custom shop is substantially better.


I currently own one retail barrel.

It shoots reasonably well (average 3/4" or better @ 100 yd, depending upon load).
But it is the rough- rough- ROUGHEST barrel I have ever seen from a mediocre or better manufacturer.
Honestly, the only barrel that I've seen that was manufactured in a rougher condition was hand-made in China in the '20s or '30s. :rolleyes:

My Shaw barrel shoots, but copper fouling is out of control after just 3-5 rounds; and after 15+ rounds, there are chunks of copper stuck all over the bore - especially near the muzzle.


If it's that bad, why do I still have it? ...Because it shoots well enough for the intended purpose and cost me less than a month's worth of beer.

One of these days, I'm going to fire-lap it. And, depending upon how that goes, I may go forward with hand-lapping after that. (It's too rough to start with hand-lapping).


I would use a custom shop barrel in the future if the project didn't justify something better, but I don't plan to ever use an E.R. Shaw retail barrel again.
 
For what you want, you do need to go to a higher caliber barrel.

They won't cost $600, depending on who you want to go with there may be a wait (300 WM is common enough they may have it in stock)

Range is a bit under 300 to no more than $400 (including shipping) for the best made ones.

If you are going to continue with 300 WM, get a short throat. As that guns shoots out barrels, that gives you more life. You start with shorter rounds and as the throat wears extend them longer. You probably got under 2000 with your Savage.

You got the best Savage barrel ever made if you got 1/8 inch groups (5 shots ?)

So here is the lineup. I also have a Lyman Borescope so I can talk about the interior barrel condition. Keep in mind, rough inside means ZERO in so far as accuracy goes. They will carbon up worse, they will copper up worse but if you can keep em clean (Bore Tech Eliminator) they are fine.

Button Rifled: Savage, ER Shaw, Shilen, XC, Criterion, Lothar Walther and and a number of others.

Savage and ER are the same class, 1 inch MOA, sometimes a good shooter at 1/2. Far less likely any better and far more likely 1 MOA. All my Savages are very rough, they clean up hard. Only one is a heavy barrel and I am still playing with it to see how good it shoots (indications of 1/2 MOA)


Then you have the Button Rifled, less mass produced and sometimes even low numbers made,

I have a Shilen and an XC. Both shoot about the same, Shilen is easier to clean up by about 30%.

Then there are Cut Rifled. These all use a stone to cut the rifling in the barrel, most if not all one cut at a time until its down to the right depth.

Those are very hands on, they tend to polish them and they are smooth and easy to clean.

That is what competition shooters buy, Brux, Krieger, Bartlein (and I think Barltlein is the most prominently used by comp shooters.

Southern Precision Rifles aka Bugholes.com is the best source.

So, how to choose. Best chance is the cut rifled to get close to what you had. You may not achieve it though you will be under 1/2 almost for sure. Those folks will take a barrel back and check it out if you don't.

Probably the best button rifled are Shilen, Criterion and Lothar Walther. Shilen and LW have two classes and LW will do an additional inepxtion and chekdc on a barrel at an added cost factor.

Criterion does not do added quality costs, but they are snap ready to take a barrel back and check it out and if they find a problem, they will replace it.

I suspect XC will as well but have not seen them jump on an issue like Criterion does.

So to really get the close to 100% on a barrel shooting the ways yours is, you will want a cut rifled.

You may want to throttle your expedition back, anything under 1/2 is doing awfully good with any barrel.

Shilen and LW would be my choices there and you could well wind up with a sub 3/8 or 1/4 barrel.

Wilson is a mass produced barrel per Savage and the quality the same.

Roughness: Having looked at a the insides of something like 10 barrels now and my brother at least that many. Rough does not mean it does not shoot.

Shilen goes to some extra on theirs and it shows not in the accuracy (very good) but in the cleaning (easy)

Button rifling puts stress in the steel and has to be relieved. Most have it down well but there is going to be a miss from time to time

Cut rifling does not, no stress relief needed.
 
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I feel hammer forged barrels are the most accurate of mass produced barrels steel is aligned with no stress points and a lot as good as match barrels. I have heard they are now forging the chamber along with rifling the barrel therefore achieving 100% alignment. I don't know if any barrel maker hammer forges their barrels very costly to set up. maybe some one knows of one
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I would be interested in finding out what you base that on.

Hammer forced can be accurate, but in order to do so, you have to take the kind of steps that they do in Europe, (Sako/CZ) where they hammer forge and then do a good finish job. I don't know if they do a final cut rifling to a fine finish or lap them.

The US they use it for speed and quality control down to a 1 MOA, but not necessarily better unless you are lucky or they are a custom operation that then does a hand finish and most do not.

Hammer forged gets a decent quality hunting barrel, you will not find anyone that shoots match with a hammer forged and you probably can't even get one unless its European sourced (factories in the US do not to let out their barrel including Savage which is why there is such a big after market barrel industry out there.

The machinery is extremely costly. Nice smooth finish though (cleans up easier)
 
I realized that 1/8 MOA is outstanding and uncommon in a factory barrel...I have a Krieger barrel on one of my AR's and a Shilen on a .270 I built for my wife.....Both are around 1/2 moa which is fine. I just saw the cost of Shaw Barrels and wondered how they compare.

The Short throat suggestion has legs because, as that guy said, the .300 wm is a throat eater and that might buy me another what 500? 1000? Rounds of life?
 
You buy a barrel from Bartlein you get same quality in hunting barrel as you would BR barrel.

Lot could care less about and Shaw fit their needs better.
 
The Short throat suggestion has legs because, as that guy said, the .300 wm is a throat eater and that might buy me another what 500? 1000? Rounds of life?
Mississippi is offline Report Post
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500 at a guess.
 
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