Shilen vs Wilson

S

Shooter2675

New member
Do you have any experience with a Shilen or Wilson barrel? I am specifically looking for an AR-15, but I wanted to get input from people about the barrel being used on guns other than the AR-15. The Shilen costs $50 more than the Wilson ($275 vs $225) from White Oak Armament.

What is your experience with these barrels and for CMP service rifle shooting, do you think I should buy the Shilen or Wilson?

John
 
You won't be able to notice a difference in accuracy if you are using commercial ammo. You MIGHT be able to notice a difference if you tune handloads. Get the Wilson and spend the money you'd save on more ammo.

For Service Rifle the 10 ring is never smaller than 2 minutes of angle at any distance, and the X ring is no less than 1 minute of angle at any distance. Both Shilen and Wilson will get you into the X ring if you do your part with good ammo.

With the new optic rule for service rifle I expect to see a lot more people get interested in High Power now that they don't have to fuss around with iron sights.

Jimro
 
Jimro,

Thank you. I think I will get the Wilson barrel, especially since it is my first completion build and I might end up wearing it out pretty fast from shooting so much while practicing.

John
 
Practice does make perfect, but dry firing 100 practice shots every day is better than a weekly range trip where you shoot a hundred rounds. One High Master recommended watching TV in position (standing, kneeling/sitting, prone) to get your body dialed in on the basics.

The best thing you can do to practice on target is to get a decent air rifle and practice your position shooting a lot. It's a pity that the MAR177 upper has been discontinued, but you can still get a Daisy SSP (753, 853, 953) for reasonable through the CMP.

Good luck in High Power, it's a great game and you'll meet some of the nicest shooters around, with a few curmudgeons mixed in :)

Jimro
 
Shooter2675 said:
I think I will get the Wilson barrel, especially since it is my first completion build and I might end up wearing it out pretty fast from shooting so much while practicing.
Click to expand...

I shot some HP a little while ago, and did pretty well. I think your approach is sound, especially if you'll start out shooting reduced-courses.

Jimro gave some good advice, especially on the power of dry fire (though I'd never recommend watching TV while dry firing). During your dry fire regiment, I'd also recommend practicing your sitting and prone positions, including the mechanics of a reload. I'd also work a bit during your dry fire to get your gear and scope set up (relative to your body position) in a way that's comfy for you. The more you get comfortable in the sitting & prone position, and the more comfy you are setting your stuff up, the less you'll be thinking about it come match time.

One other thing...my live fire practice wasn't so much to work on stability & trigger control (I did most of that via dry fire); it was mainly to firmly establish the relationship between my rear sight adjustment and the POI (for each position). I'd record this every practice session. This was crucial for me, and firmly believe it was a big reason why I made Master after just a few matches. Come match day, I took a sighter or 2 and adjusted once if necessary (often wasn't). At this point I was able to shoot with 100% confidence. Believe me, if you're not 100% confident you're "on" when you pull the trigger, you're essentially going to take pot-shots, which your score will show.

Good luck & good shooting!
 
MrBorland gives good advice, definitely keep a shooting journal/data book. There are plenty of pre-formatted books out there you can download for free, or there are commercial products you can buy.

Jimro
 
In the case of Wilson vs. Shilen, who makes the barrel isn't that important. It's the guy who laps it that makes it accurate. John (White Oak) knows how to lap a barrel.
 
From what I've read the Shilen blanks are the Match blanks and not their Select Match. I guess this might mean the Shilen Match and Wilson blanks are equal? Mr. Holliger from WOA seemed to think so. Before I pull the trigger on the Wilson WOA barrel, any other sub $250 barrels with similar quality to the WOA?
 
If this is your first High Power build, it honestly doesn't matter. High Master scores have been shot with cheap 1:9 twist Bushmaster HBAR rifles factory stock pushing 69gr SMKs. However, that's not a route I would recommend to anyone.

I started out in High Power with a Colt HBAR 1:7 barrel. Still have it, and it still shoots 10 rounds into a 1:25" group with irons in the wind for me. About two more seasons and the throat will be so far gone it needs replacing though.

Jimro
 
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