Does anyone have or have used a criterion prefit barrel recently. Any reviews ? Thanks
- Thread starter Turbochris13
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Used 4 or 5 all shooters
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Good barrels
@Turbochris13 I have also been wondering the same thing. I’m considering doing the Remage Criterion barrel on my Rem700. Thanks for asking!
Got my 1st Criterion prefit from Northland shooters mid last year. Shoots great!!! Will definitely buy again.
Great barrels
Honest question- accuracy wise why would someone spend more on a rifle cut vs a button cut barrel like criterion barrels? Anything to gain or loose?
Iv’e tried several different brands and they all shoot well. One not better than the other. Maybe one fouls more but similarly accurate.
Iv’e tried several different brands and they all shoot well. One not better than the other. Maybe one fouls more but similarly accurate.
Accuracy wise they CAN be the same... Depends on who did each barrel honestly and how tight the machining process was for either and whether or not the steel was properly stress relieved.
Button rifling doesn't cut. A mandrel is pushed or pulled through the bore and displaces material into the shape of rifling. It's more susceptible to button slip (twist rate error) and displacing the material work hardens it and creates internal stresses. If good stress-relief processes are in place, button barrels shoot right in there with all of the good cut barrels. Benchmark, Criterion, Rock Creek, Shilen, etc... All make outstanding button barrels.
Cut rifled barrels don't stress the steel but take forever (relatively) to make. Multiple passes per groove vs. push/pull a single mandrel through the bore. The theory has always been that if you never stress the steel then you have less chance for a dud. I think modern manufacturing&QC processes pretty much negate that "old" sentiment with quality barrel blanks.
Factory rifles often come with button barrels, but the quality standards are much worse so it's not really even in the same universe. Nobody wastes their time making 'cheap' cut-rifled barrels because it takes so long. So I guess a guy could still kinda make the point that button rifling is on a sliding scale of quality where cut-rifled blanks are almost all top-notch... But again, with the brands I listed before, and many others, it's a non-issue between the two methods as far as end-result accuracy.
FWIW, I'm currently running a $170 Wilson blank for my 6.5cm practice barrel and it's doing well under 1MOA with factory ammo. Good enough I'd have no reservations competing with it.
Cut rifled barrels don't stress the steel but take forever (relatively) to make. Multiple passes per groove vs. push/pull a single mandrel through the bore. The theory has always been that if you never stress the steel then you have less chance for a dud. I think modern manufacturing&QC processes pretty much negate that "old" sentiment with quality barrel blanks.
Factory rifles often come with button barrels, but the quality standards are much worse so it's not really even in the same universe. Nobody wastes their time making 'cheap' cut-rifled barrels because it takes so long. So I guess a guy could still kinda make the point that button rifling is on a sliding scale of quality where cut-rifled blanks are almost all top-notch... But again, with the brands I listed before, and many others, it's a non-issue between the two methods as far as end-result accuracy.
FWIW, I'm currently running a $170 Wilson blank for my 6.5cm practice barrel and it's doing well under 1MOA with factory ammo. Good enough I'd have no reservations competing with it.
Criterion is excellent and easy to install.
Excellent breakdown. Thank you for taking the time!
Had two on a Savage, one on a Tikka and currently have one on my Nucleus. All have shot great and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.
I’ve had great luck with button barrels.
Does a cut rifled barrel have longer life than the typical button rifled barrel in the same caliber? If so, about how much more barrel life can be expected from cut rifled?
I have one, shoots great, I got mine from mcrees precision a few years ago before the craziness, chamber was made around fgmm 175gr I believe
Had a criterion remage barrel in 243 8tw. On a trued action it shot great, lots of groups in the .2s&.3s. Cleaned up as easy as my barts and kriegers. I pulled the barrel at 2400-2500, it's been 6yrs ago, so kinda fuzzy. It still shot under 3/4moa, with no flyers or wild shots at distance, but it had lost 125fps. Load was 105 hunting vld@3120fps, slowed to 2995.
Should also note, I've had several in 6br, 243ai, and 243win on savage and remage. They all shot great. Built a few for buddy's in 6.5creed, 6.5x47, and 6br, also on savage and remage. All of them had no problem getting below .5moa consistently with handloads. I do really like their 6mm barrels, not sure what they do to them but they are fast. 243ai with 105hybrids@3280fps, 6creed with 105hybrids@3165, 2 diff 6br with 105hybrids@2910& 2940. These were all 26" barrels. Somewhere I have a 20rd group, 2 loads, from a criterion 6br that measured .420".
Criterion told me they wouldn’t do a 7 saum in a barrel nut application.
Shilen has the reamer and will.
What steel head said. Criterion is kinda goofy on bigger cal stuff. They wont do savage small shank or remage in 6.5prc, but shilen, pva, and several others will.
Is that because of pressure and potential issues with a barrel nut application?
Idk, plenty of other vendors do it. You can blow up any action/barrel if you try hard enough. Savage used to have plenty of magnums on the small shank size? The only reason they went to large shank on magnums is because they started using large shank on target actions.
Don’t know but I’m not having any issues with my 7 saum Brux in a heavy Palma savage small shank.
I'm not have any issues in my shilen or pva heavy palma 6.5prc small shanks, either.
Is it just bigger cal stuff? I was thinking about a 22BR and do not see it listed.
There’s better barrels than Criterion, but there’s also worse barrels.
What’s better in that price range
Proof SS prefits are only a little bit more if you shop around.
Go for the Bartlein you only live once might as well shoot the best.
As long as their limited contours, lengths and calipers fit your needs.
Ive shot both and haven't noticed a difference.
See that is the thing, maybe I just got a good crop of barrels, my 6mm Creed is a Proof SS - .308 bartlin - 6.5.47 benchmark - 284 Criterion, all of them shoot.
I have one in an M1 Garand, one in a Fulton Armory M14S (chrome lined), two 6.5 Creedmoor barrels on a Defiance and Rem700 (chromoly), one 6.5 barrel in stainless that's on the shelf, and I had a Savage 308 barrel in chromoly. They all shoot well. I prefer chromoly over SS, but that's just personal preference. For the price they're hard to beat.
I do prefer the Bighorn/Zermatt Arms barrel nut over the NSS one.
I do prefer the Bighorn/Zermatt Arms barrel nut over the NSS one.
Good enough for me and my shooting partner to win local matches and be confident when we miss that it is us and not the rifle.
Have had several Savage prefits. Most in 243AI shooting H1000. All have been capable of .4 moa prone from bipod with handloads. Many are better. They typically last 2500-2700 rounds. I don't push them hard. 3150-3180 fps with 105's and 3050 fps with 115's.
A buddy did one in 308. I did the load development and it was easy to get it shooting under half moa. I stopped there. He probably has less than 700 rounds on it in three years, so no info on barrel life.
Criterion is funny about chambering magnum bolt face cartridges in barrel nut set-ups. If you have an action print for them to work with they will cut a shouldered barrel for a small additional fee last I checked with NSS. They will also chamber a barrel with your reamer if you send it to them.
I cannot say for certain about the shouldered options. I have not had them cut a shouldered barrel. If I want a barrel with a nut I buy them from NSS. If I want a shouldered barrel I have a Criterion blank sent to my gunsmith.
A buddy did one in 308. I did the load development and it was easy to get it shooting under half moa. I stopped there. He probably has less than 700 rounds on it in three years, so no info on barrel life.
Criterion is funny about chambering magnum bolt face cartridges in barrel nut set-ups. If you have an action print for them to work with they will cut a shouldered barrel for a small additional fee last I checked with NSS. They will also chamber a barrel with your reamer if you send it to them.
I cannot say for certain about the shouldered options. I have not had them cut a shouldered barrel. If I want a barrel with a nut I buy them from NSS. If I want a shouldered barrel I have a Criterion blank sent to my gunsmith.
That's the secret behind all the barrel makers. It's all subjective, and anybody can have one slip through that just won't shoot for no good reason.
As long as you buy from any known, reputable manufacturer you'll most likely get a great shooting barrel. (Unless it's a X-caliber, then it'll shoot after you re-ream the chamber, re-cut the threads, etc.)
I have a 300wm barrel from them with a barrel nut.
Mine shoots good, makes me smile when it's the underdog and comes out on top.
I’ve had criterion prefits barrels in 6 creedmore, and 6.5x47. Both barrels shot way better than a custom barrel I waited 7 months for and paid more for than both barrels put together. I’ve seen someone really have issues with their semi-auto barrels. I would buy one of their prefits in a heart beat though.
My bad, I just looked it up again. It is only the SAUM barrels that they list as large shank only.
Their semi auto barrels at least in the several in 5.56/223 that I've had have shot MK262 clone ammo, Magtech/Federal/IMI all easy sub moa. Most of them .75 or better. I've had a friend who had an 18" 6.5 barrel that shot several .5 moa groups with standard Hornady 140 ELD-M factory stuff. Granted it's a small sample size, but between the prefits and chrome lined 5.56 barrels I've been exceedingly happy.
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I have three that often shoot in the 0.1s
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I have three and two in order. One 6.5 and two 6mm Creedmoor s and two 22 Creeds in order, all the ones I have are well under 1MOA, can shoot better than me-OA I had excellent customer service from them when I decided to put together my first precision type rifle answering my stupid newbie questions when others were not so helpful, that kind of service goes a long way with me.
You’re all welcome to use my code “ruggles15” on the criterion site for 15% off. You can call them to order bolt gun barrel blanks since I don’t believe they have them on their site. The code is also good if you call. They have been shooting very well for me thus far. I believe that puts a barrel blank in the $240ish price range, which is a darn good deal.
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