Re-barreling question?

C

Colten519

New member
I have a 257 weatherby magnum which is fairly new so I'm not looking to re barrel it right now. I just know that it's a barrel burner and since I'm testing a lot of reloads I'm prepared in the future to get a new barrel. I know it may be years down the road I just am curious. My gun is a vanguard s2 which came with a 24" barrel and everything I've read says to get the most out of the 257 you need a 26". So my question is what are some good brands and what kind of price would I be looking at total.

Thanks
Colten
 
Shilen, among others. And, check with your local gunsmith.

I hunted with a 26" Mark V in '06 for some 35 years. Never had a problem with "handiness".

Guessing, you'd gain maybe 100 to 150 ft/sec muzzle velocity for 26" over 24".
 
Prolly be cheaper to sell the old one and buy a new one.

New quality barrel would be around $350 minimum with matching funds for the smith to cut it and do the install. All in today's dollars. Tomorrow's dollars would be anyone's guess.
 
"...just know that it's a barrel burner..." No moreso than anything else. Real issue is the current chambering. That ammo is pricey and isn't easily found in small places. Should you ever have a need to.
Anyway, current prices for finished(that's threaded and ready to put on) Douglas barrels start at $314. Plus installation.
 
I have a Vanguard in 257 Wby w/24" barrel. I will tell you that (in my experience) the 257 isn't worth it's cost w/o a 26" barrel. I'm only seeing 150-200 fps increase over a 24" barreled 25/06 at the cost of 10(+) grains of powder. The difference in recoil is noticeable and makes the rifle more difficult to shoot with the precision needed to capitalize on the ranging ability of the cartridge.
 
I've spoken with you before mobuck about the weatherby. I have a 25-06 and various other calibers but I love my 257. I guess I just like the exotic factor of it. I know it's more expensive to shoot and may not be much better than the 25-06 but personally I love it.
 
I cannot say what other smiths charge to re-barrel a Howa /Weatherby Vanguard, but I charge $375 and that's barrel, labor, bluing,--- out the door.

I use Shilen most of the time. But I have also had very good results with Green Mountain and Douglas as well as several other makers.

Prices vary a great deal from maker to maker, and that will effect my charge if someone wants to use a more expensive barrel, but none of the 25-06s or 257 Weatherby's I have re-barreled have shot worse than MOA and most have done a bit better. Some a LOT better. The best 257 Weatherby I ever did shot groups so small I hesitate to tell folks, and it was made from an Adams and Bennett barrel I got for $48 from Midway on a sale. I have used some barrels that cost a LOT more and none have ever been as accurate as the A&B was.
In my experience, spending more on a barrel is NOT a promise that you are getting a better barrel.

If you want stainless the cost goes up about $50-$70, but only for the extra cost of the stainless barrel. The work is the same.

Be aware of the extreme torque that Howa uses to install the factory barrels. Some sources say it is 1300 foot pounds. To put that in perspective Remington and Winchester torque to 55 foot pounds, a "mere 1145 foot pound less". I cannot say with certainty that the 1300 Ft Lb spec is correct, but I can tell you that in the 40+ years I have dealt with Weatherby Vanguards, I have never been able to unscrew a barrel from a Howa or Weatherby Vanguard without cutting a relief cut. Why Howa does that is beyond me, but they do.

It may not be possible to unscrew them without damaging them. Many gunsmiths complain to them about this, but in the years that they have been making the rifles they absolutely refuse to listen to reason, and they keep screwing them in that tight.

It's not a problem if you intend to replace the barrel, but on a Vanguard, do not try to remove a barrel unless you are willing to make a relief cut at the breaching shoulder to relieve the pressure from the receiver/barrel joint. I have done it many times to install muzzle breaks, but you have to set the barrel back a thread to clean up the shoulder where you made the cut, and come in with a chamber reamer to bring the chamber back to spec, so installing a break on a Howa/Vanguard is far more expensive then on most other bolt actions.
 
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Last Wby I used Rock Creek barrel @ 26". Most barrels like Bartlein run around mid $350
http://bartleinbarrels.com/barrel-pricing/

http://direct.kriegerbarrels.com/collections/30-cal

http://riflebarrels.com/centerfire-barrels/

http://www.hartbarrels.com/barrels/current-prices/

You can buy barrels for $200

Douglas makes great barrel but if you order 1/9 twist 7 mm barrel you may get 1/8.5 twist,1/9 twist or 1/9.5 twist barrel Read bottom of this page

http://douglasbarrels.net/chamberings/index.html
 
everything I've read says to get the most out of the 257 you need a 26".
Click to expand...

MAYBE...

possibly probably, but definite maybe...

Every rifle (and ammo combination) is a unique individual. Many are very similar, but some are much different from the average.

"getting the most" from a round usually means the highest velocity that still gives the desired accuracy.

And longer barrels USUALLY give higher velocities. But not ALWAYS. Some barrels are "faster" than others, and a "fast" barrel can deliver velocities greater than a longer "slower" one. And a "fast barrel might be faster with everything, or might only be faster with certain bullets and loads. Individals, each behaving in its own way.

IF you don't already have one, get a chronograph. Using a chronograph, comparisons between different rifles and identical ones can be eye-opening.

I have personally seen 100fps difference in average velocity between 3 guns with the same barrel length shooting the same ammunition. Not common, but it does happen.

A good friend of mine loved his .270 Wby (26") because of the speed he was getting, compared to his .270 Win (22"). UNTIL he got a chronograph, and discovered that his .270Win was actually a handful of FPS FASTER than the longer barreled Weatherby!

He either had a fast Win or a slow Wby, maybe even both. Its not common, but it does happen.

A barrel isn't worn out until you decide it is. That's one thing to a match shooter and something else to a deer hunter. One big thing that shortens barrel life (even in non magnum calibers) is HEAT. Rapid fire, hot barrel, steel erodes faster (more erosion per round). Not likely to be a real issue with a Weatherby bolt action but something you should be aware of. ;)

Not sure about today but in the old days, 3-5000 rounds of deer level accuracy was the expected standard of barrel life for standard rounds, overbore rounds shooting slow powders usually gave less, sometimes considerably less. Lots and lots of variables at work.

One thing you might consider, is getting your next barrel now, or in the near future and just storing it until you need it. If they are stored properly, they don't spoil. ;)
 
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