Re: Barrel upgrade
I'll be happy to take a few minutes out of help out a LEO.
There are plenty of opinions out there and most are just that opinions. Ford vs. Chevy.
First figure out what it is that you want. For a full on tacitical rig the M40 profile is pretty much standard. They weight about 7 pounds and make about a 15 pound finished rifle. Some guys use them to hunt with but they are best for competitions and real tactical work. I wouldn't want to be toting one up a treestand in Lower Alabama.
For a good dual purpose rig I like a #5. Check out week #95 on 6mmbr.com guns of the week. That is a little lighter than a sandero and will work great for dual purpose rigs.
For hunting in Alabama I like a #4 profile. Great balance and weight. A little heavier than most factory contours but not enough to notice.
For mountain hunting go with a #3.
Then decide Stainless or Chrome Moly. Stainless is by far the most durable and longest lasting. Only get Chrome Moly if you want a classic blueing job. 95% of custom barrels are stainless.
Fluted or not. It's mostly to save weight and for asthetics. I usually stay away from fluting. For a $150 fluting job you are half way towards paying for your next barrel. Some say they cool faster but a solid barrel will heat up slower to begin with. Heavier pots heat up slower on the stove. When I do get flutes I usually just get 6 strainght flutes. That skip fluting negates the whole removing weight idea.
Then grooves. 4, 5, 6. I really like the 5r or 5c depending on what the company calls it. Broughton reports longer service and higher velocity with their 5c barrels. Obermeyer, Krieger, Bartlein, Rock, Shilen, also offer it. They all do great and I've always been tickled with my 6 groove Harts.
The big debate is cut or button rifling. This is the big Ford vs. Chevy debate. I own both. I've had great luck with Hart, Broughton, and Krieger. Some people say that the cut rifled barrels last longer. I've seen no differance. I have a 6 groove Hart 308 winchester with over 8,000 rounds through it and still shooting .3 groups.
Some say the button rifling has a superior interior finish with no tool marks. When properly lapped I see no tool marks in my cut barrels. The cut barrels do seem to take a little longer to break in.
Some say the cut is better because it takes more skill from the machineist. I don't buy that. The more skill thats required the more room for human error. All the manufactures have there own commonalities and there own proprietry metheds.
You can't go wrong with any. I've had great personnal success with Hart, Broughton, and Krieger. All have won matches and I would shoot any on your thread without hesitation if the price or wait was right.
If you haven't decided on a smith Hart does smithing in New York. Also google Bobby Hart, he is a distributer out of PA and is a phenomenal smith that distributes Harts.