Factory Vudoo lead time (straight bartlein barrel)?

[Masojoh]

I ordered a barreled action from Vudoo on 8/14. It is a 360 with a straight 1.2” bartlein barrel. Original ETA was 9/25. Have asked a couple of times about updates, and have been told the barrel has not come in.

Anyone else in a similar boat with their BA being 3.5 months and counting coming from Vudoo? I keep telling myself that patience is a virtue, but I didn’t wait this long when I custom ordered my Jeep.

I’m starting to think I should just request the action, and send it to one of the smiths who have other barrel options in stock. I don’t believe they just sell actions, but it may be worth a shot versus waiting an untold amount of time.

 

[patriotnation]

Past my given date for the same thing but mine was ordered 8/22 just after yours. I figured they were waiting on barrels.
No word from them yet.

 

[GIXXER2000]

I have the Bartlein 22in MTU barrel on mine and it shoots great. If Vudooto come in are waiting on barrels 3 months is nothing as I waited 8 months for my last Bartlein barrel. Sad to say but that is what it is now day.

 

[Mark_Dorman]

I ordered mine last month (360 with a 24" 1.2 Bartlein). They weren't shy in warning me it could be 3-4 months as Bartlein hasn't been very consistent with delivery times on barrels. I guess the demand for the 1.2 straights is just way higher than they anticipated. When I had my first phone conversation with them they said it happened almost overnight. Like one week they didn't have a lot of orders for them, then out of no where people were switch to the 1.2's, sending in their actions to get re-barreled in 1.2's, and all the new orders were only for the 1.2's. IIRC I think they said that happened around August/September.

 

[littlepod]

They are hostage to the barrel delivery. If you want just the action you can get that done within a week. I just ordered and sent an action over to Modacam. My Vudoo that was waiting on a Bartlein took nearly 5 months. Bartlein took forever to get those barrel blanks produced...

 

[Masojoh]

Thanks for everyone sharing your experiences. I have a gen 2 with a 22” MTU barrel. It’s nice, but it does not outshoot my RimX. I seldom have issues with my RimX, but the fixed extractor always has me very nervous that I’m going to have an issue in the middle of a competition.

I want to try the 24” straight to see if it can come close or out shoot my RimX. I made an appointment at the Lapua test center a few months back when I ordered the barreled action. The good news there is that the test center admitted they were backed up 6 months. So I still have a little time to wait before I either send my old vudoo in, or the new one. First world problems. I know.

 

[Hagen]

I ordered mine on 7/20. Called last week to check on it and they said it would be done this week. Was hoping it would be today to get it by the weekend but no dice. Got a match next week and am really hoping to use it.

 

[Mark_Dorman]

I ordered mine on 7/20. Called last week to check on it and they said it would be done this week. Was hoping it would be today to get it by the weekend but no dice. Got a match next week and am really hoping to use it.

Jesus, maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up with the 3-4 month ETA.

 

[Badjujuu]

Ordered 1.2 Bartlein rebarrel 22MAY, got shipped 14SEP.

Like @littlepod said - they're at the mercy of Bartlein or any other barrel manufacturers.

 

[Hagen]

And my dumb ass didn't schedule an appt at Lapua when I ordered it. When I looked to schedule it after I called Video about my time frame their website says 9 months wait for testing in ohio.

 

[USMC22]

Ordered 10/30.... was told 12 weeks. I'm feeling the optimism slowly leave me . . .

 

[DownhillFromHere]

Sigh. The straight truck-axle barrel is the current kool-kids toy. I was at a little NRL22 match this weekend... I'd say half the guys on my squad had 22-24" straight barrels on their Vudoos and RimXs.

I had my 1st-gen Vudoo rebarreled last summer by Vudoo with a Bartlein in MTU, cut to 22 inches. From day of order to the day I got it back was exactly one month. The only thing the straight-contour barrel gives over an MTU or lighter contour unit is a further-forward balance point, which may be advantageous if the action is in a butt-heavy chassis. I wasn't willing to wait 2-3 extra months - or more - for the straight barrel.

I've been very pleased with the performance of the new barrel - a small but notable improvement over the original 2019-vintage 20" Ace barrel in Kukri profile.

 

[Hagen]

Got the email this evening that mine is completed. Also got notice 2 more bricks of sk long range shipped.

Wonder if this is how my wife feels when every day I get home from work and there's another Amazon package on the porch

 

[Rob01]

Guys you have to wait for the parts to come in. Just the sad facts of building a custom rifle. If you could find a barrel of your own and ship it to Vudoo I am sure they could get it done faster but if waiting for the 1.2" from Bartlein you just have to get in line. I did earlier this year but luckily it was before the rush and I only had to wait 8 weeks before my rebarrel was done. The demand has gone up and the winter is a busy time with people getting ready for next season. Get the order in sooner than later and it will get done and you will be very happy with the end product.

 

[JimTN]

Got the email this evening that mine is completed. Also got notice 2 more bricks of sk long range shipped.

Wonder if this is how my wife feels when every day I get home from work and there's another Amazon package on the porch

Are you referring to you or the Amazon package??? LOL

 

[LR1845]

Sigh. The straight truck-axle barrel is the current kool-kids toy. I was at a little NRL22 match this weekend... I'd say half the guys on my squad had 22-24" straight barrels on their Vudoos and RimXs.

I had my 1st-gen Vudoo rebarreled last summer by Vudoo with a Bartlein in MTU, cut to 22 inches. From day of order to the day I got it back was exactly one month. The only thing the straight-contour barrel gives over an MTU or lighter contour unit is a further-forward balance point, which may be advantageous if the action is in a butt-heavy chassis. I wasn't willing to wait 2-3 extra months - or more - for the straight barrel.

I've been very pleased with the performance of the new barrel - a small but notable improvement over the original 2019-vintage 20" Ace barrel in Kukri profile.

I ordered by phone a couple of weeks ago and wanted the 1.2" but after asking what was in stock and about lead times I just went with a 22" MTU...I doubt the small difference is going to move me from bottom middle to top 3 LOL and the 6 to 8wk lead time sounded much better than 4+ months.

 

[0724/1030]

If the industry has taught me anything, it’s patience. I placed an order with Jill a few weeks ago and didn’t bother to ask for an eta figuring it would be at least 3-4 months. Seems I was a bit optimistic with my estimate.

 

[Hagen]

Its like ordering a suppressor, order it and forget it. Anyone remember the old Heinz ketchup commercials, "good things come to those who wait".

 

[Masojoh]

The old “you get what you get, and you don’t say shit” customer service concept.

My initial question was - who else may be experiencing a large delay in their order. It appears that I am not alone, which is good. The original ETA of 6 weeks now being 14 weeks and counting - well, buyer beware. I guess I could always just turn and sell it when it comes in, and stop holding my breath and hoping it will be this week or next.

The great news is that my RimX is still an absolute hammer. And someone out there will surely be willing to take a 24” 1.2” straight bartlein barreled 360 off of my hands with zero wait.

With the video released earlier this week about the new magazine development process, and Vudoo’s crowd sourcing openness to addressing the feeding issues for said magazine, maybe they should crowd source to get ideas on how to better plan supply. And how to provide better customer service and expectations setting. It’s not the 4+ month wait that irks me. It’s the 1.5 month wait turned into silence that does.

 

[Rob01]

The old “you get what you get, and you don’t say shit” customer service concept.

My initial question was - who else may be experiencing a large delay in their order. It appears that I am not alone, which is good. The original ETA of 6 weeks now being 14 weeks and counting - well, buyer beware. I guess I could always just turn and sell it when it comes in, and stop holding my breath and hoping it will be this week or next.

The great news is that my RimX is still an absolute hammer. And someone out there will surely be willing to take a 24” 1.2” straight bartlein barreled 360 off of my hands with zero wait.

With the video released earlier this week about the new magazine development process, and Vudoo’s crowd sourcing openness to addressing the feeding issues for said magazine, maybe they should crowd source to get ideas on how to better plan supply. And how to provide better customer service and expectations setting. It’s not the 4+ month wait that irks me. It’s the 1.5 month wait turned into silence that does.

Maybe you can crowd source how a company can deliver a finished product if they don't have enough of the parts to build it. It's nothing to do with "The old “you get what you get, and you don’t say shit” customer service concept." but supply of a part they have no control over. If you can't see that then don't know what to tell you.

 

[MajorD]

The right way to do it is to say 8 months when you really know you can do it in 6. Giving a long wait time that then gets shorter keeps people happier even if the actual amount of time is the same.
Getting something delivered sooner than estimate ( no matter how long the estimate is or actual delivery time is) will always be perceived as “better” than being told 6 and waiting 9

this is not unique to vudoo, or even the gun industry alone. People order things, are told 6 weeks and get upset when that stretches to 9. However, if told 13 and it happens in ten the perception is better

 

[Mark_Dorman]

The right way to do it is to say 8 months when you really know you can do it in 6. Giving a long wait time that then gets shorter keeps people happier even if the actual amount of time is the same.
Getting something delivered sooner than estimate ( no matter how long the estimate is or actual delivery time is) will always be perceived as “better” than being told 6 and waiting 9

this is not unique to vudoo, or even the gun industry alone. People order things, are told 6 weeks and get upset when that stretches to 9. However, if told 13 and it happens in ten the perception is better

I'm a fan of the "under promise, over deliver" strategy. Unfortunately most companies don't seem to like doing it. I don't think it's malicious or anything half the time. Many small companies are just overly optimistic and don't think about the effect it'll have. The other half totally do it to rack up more sales as they know people have a harder time cancelling an order they've already waited a while for.

 

[Rob01]

The other problem is when a supplier tells you they will deliver in this amount of time and then they use that number as an estimate and then that supplier doesn't deliver it leads to longer wait times and not on them. This is what is happening. Nothing malicious or trying to trick buyers.

 

[MajorD]

The other problem is when a supplier tells you they will deliver in this amount of time and then they use that number as an estimate and then that supplier doesn't deliver it leads to longer wait times and not on them. This is what is happening. Nothing malicious or trying to trick buyers.

With vudoo at that point being something of a middleman at the mercy of a parts supplier, not much you can do, except every time as supplier provides an estimate, is to triple it and tell the customer that time, then if things happen early, you win.
logistics sucks sometimes. Especially in the modern age of order now get tomorrow expectations ( which are not generally realistic)

some of us are old enough to remember when 6-8 weeks was about normal delivery time for a mail ( not internet which didn’t exist back then) order item of any sort

 

[Rob01]

With vudoo at that point being something of a middleman at the mercy of a parts supplier, not much you can do, except every time as supplier provides an estimate, is to triple it and tell the customer that time, then if things happen early, you win.
logistics sucks sometimes. Especially in the modern age of order now get tomorrow expectations ( which are not generally realistic)

some of us are old enough to remember when 6-8 weeks was about normal delivery time for a mail ( not internet which didn’t exist back then) order item of any sort

I don’t feel like lying to people is a good business practice though. They give their best estimation on the info they have to customers and be honest with them. If that changes then it changes. Anyone who has had a custom rifle built knows this stuff happens especially with barrels.

 

[LR1845]

With vudoo at that point being something of a middleman at the mercy of a parts supplier, not much you can do, except every time as supplier provides an estimate, is to triple it and tell the customer that time, then if things happen early, you win.
logistics sucks sometimes. Especially in the modern age of order now get tomorrow expectations ( which are not generally realistic)

some of us are old enough to remember when 6-8 weeks was about normal delivery time for a mail ( not internet which didn’t exist back then) order item of any sort

This right here ^^^ Its hard to make PPL happy with lead times now days when we live in a world of instant gratification.

 

[Hagen]

Mine showed up yesterday and got it thrown together last night. Need to get some shots through it before match sunday.

Its in a c4 chassis with a gen3 razor on top. Will probably take some weight out but they are calling for 30 mph winds Sunday so will wait till after that lol.

 

[Mark_Dorman]

Mine showed up yesterday and got it thrown together last night. Need to get some shots through it before match sunday.

Its in a c4 chassis with a gen3 razor on top. Will probably take some weight out but they are calling for 30 mph winds Sunday so will wait till after that lol.

So you had a solid 4.5 month wait. What ETA did they give you when you ordered? Glad to hear you got it and would love to see how it shoots for you.

 

[Hagen]

So you had a solid 4.5 month wait. What ETA did they give you when you ordered? Glad to hear you got it and would love to see how it shoots for you.

6 weeks was quoted but said barrels had been running behind so maybe longer. Think it was when they were starting to get slammed with this size barrel.

Shot it last night with a bad lot of standard plus that I had to get it close. Then shot a box of sk auto match, last ten shot group was .3. Was after dark and had to put my coon light on the target but couldn't not shoot it.

Did some positional tonight just messing around and really like it. Have several bricks of sk long range I plan to use in matches but want to season the barrel good before using it and messing with tuner. Did shoot ten with it at 150 off a prop and was definitely impressive.

Edit-Also ordered 24 inch roughly and was told that could take longer to get it to slug out that length. Ended up a little over 23". Happy with it so far with only around 250 rounds through it

 

[patriotnation]

22" is now ready. maybe Bartlein sent 22" barrels but not yet 24" barrels, who knows. Anyway it should be worth the wait.

 

[Mark_Dorman]

I have no doubt it'll be worth the wait. Just trying to set my expectations so I don't get overly excited around March of next year only to be disappointed by a longer wait. I'll wait though...very patiently...or at least I'll try

 

[Masojoh]

Closing the loop here. The new BA arrived today to my FFL, and I was able to pick it up. It’s sitting in an MDT ACC. I am unsure which scope I am going to run, so I put one on that was just sitting in the safe. I would expect my tangent theta to balance the same as the Cronus.

Gun porn for the fellow addicts. The beauty of the 1.2 at 24” is seen in the balance point with absolutely zero extra weights needed.

 

[USMC22]

My 24" straight bartlein is done and got the tracking number today. Hopefully have it within the week. Ordered 10/30/23

 

[Mark_Dorman]

My 24" straight bartlein is done and got the tracking number today. Hopefully have it within the week. Ordered 10/30/23

Nice! Ordered mine 2 weeks after you so hopefully mine is right around the corner

 

[USMC22]

Nice! Or ordered mine 2 weeks after you so hopefully mine is right around the corner

Reach out to them and ask. They said there was an email sent to me but I never got one. I emailed Jill over the weekend and she responded that it was ready to do (I had prepaid in full)

 

[Mark_Dorman]

Reach out to them and ask. They said there was an email sent to me but I never got one. I emailed Jill over the weekend and she responded that it was ready to do (I had prepaid in full)

I checked couple weeks ago to see if the barrels had come in. They had told me at the beginning of the month my build was slated for the next batch. They were hoping to get the barrels in mid January, but they hadn't gotten them as of 2 weeks ago. I did just talk to Jill and Greg though this week as I picked up a $600 cert to apply to my order. If I don't hear from them this week I'll check in again. I know they say reach out whenever, but I feel bad bugging them too often. My expectation was to get this in March so anytime before that is just a big bonus

 

[USMC22]

I checked couple weeks ago to see if the barrels had come in. They had told me at the beginning of the month my build was slated for the next batch. They were hoping to get the barrels in mid January, but they hadn't gotten them as of 2 weeks ago. I did just talk to Jill and Greg though this week as I picked up a $600 cert to apply to my order. If I don't hear from them this week I'll check in again. I know they say reach out whenever, but I feel bad bugging them too often. My expectation was to get this in March so anytime before that is just a big bonus

Thats how I felt. Placed the order, tried to forget about it. I didn't reach out till this last Sunday and Jill told me Monday I should have gotten an e-mail (I looked everywhere, spam, trash etc and never found one) but was happy to hear the good news.

 

[Mark_Dorman]

Thats how I felt. Placed the order, tried to forget about it. I didn't reach out till this last Sunday and Jill told me Monday I should have gotten an e-mail (I looked everywhere, spam, trash etc and never found one) but was happy to hear the good news.

I emailed Vudoo today to see if I could also just pay my balance in advance. Added a couple things like the bore guide and an extra mag to my order, but they told me "This order is in machining currently so hopefully not too much longer." Which means it should ship out in the next two weeks. I've now sent final payment so now I just have to wait

 

[AJMag]

So out of curiosity, is the bartlein barrel just a popular choice or is it the running champion? Just curious if there's other brands for blanks that would produce equal results without the wait.

 

[LR1845]

So out of curiosity, is the bartlein barrel just a popular choice or is it the running champion? Just curious if there's other brands for blanks that would produce equal results without the wait.

Its the 1.2" bartlein that everyone is waiting on you can order and get a bartlein MTU contour and get it pretty quickly, normally, but you'd have to call and verify the MTU and time...everyone wants the straight 1.2" to help balance their rifles.

 

[uortiz]

Waited about 4 months for my vudoo to come in, im very happy with it. It's a 1.2 straight 22" Bartlein barrel the gun shoots lights out!

 

[Mark_Dorman]

So out of curiosity, is the bartlein barrel just a popular choice or is it the running champion? Just curious if there's other brands for blanks that would produce equal results without the wait.

Like @LR1845 said, it's mostly for the balance. There are a limited number of barrel makers that do the big truck axles and they're in pretty high demand and have been for the past year. I know there are quite a few that have gone with Modacam or DI Precision (I'm sure there are more) and gotten the Mullerworks and Krieger 1.25 barrels. However, wait times on those are just as long from what I've heard if not longer. From what most have said they're not anymore accurate than the MTU or Kukri Barrels from Vudoo, but so many want that balance that is much harder to get from a thinner profile and shorter barrel (shorter than 22 in most cases).

Others have said the MTU and Kukri can balance out with a lightweight stock, but most say it's easier with the big barrels. For chassis like the MDT ACC, MPA Matrix, KRG C-4, etc, instead of using a ton of weights, people have been able to balance things out and keep overall weight a little more in check. I recall someone saying they dropped about 2 lbs off their rifle and got the same balance by changing to a 24 or 25 inch 1.2 straight from a 22 inch MTU barrel.

 

[LR1845]

Like @LR1845 said, it's mostly for the balance. There are a limited number of barrel makers that do the big truck axles and they're in pretty high demand and have been for the past year. I know there are quite a few that have gone with Modacam or DI Precision (I'm sure there are more) and gotten the Mullerworks and Krieger 1.25 barrels. However, wait times on those are just as long from what I've heard if not longer. From what most have said they're not anymore accurate than the MTU or Kukri Barrels from Vudoo, but so many want that balance that is much harder to get from a thinner profile and shorter barrel (shorter than 22 in most cases).

Others have said the MTU and Kukri can balance out with a lightweight stock, but most say it's easier with the big barrels. For chassis like the MDT ACC, MPA Matrix, KRG C-4, etc, instead of using a ton of weights, people have been able to balance things out and keep overall weight a little more in check. I recall someone saying they dropped about 2 lbs off their rifle and got the same balance by changing to a 24 or 25 inch 1.2 straight from a 22 inch MTU barrel.

I have a 1.25" Krieger rim fire blank, a Vudoo 360 and a TT Diamond on the way and all going to Johnathan at Modacam....going 25" in a matrix pro.

 

[Mark_Dorman]

I have a 1.25" Krieger rim fire blank, a Vudoo 360 and a TT Diamond on the way and all going to Johnathan at Modacam....going 25" in a matrix pro.

Dude that sounds amazing! Sounds like we'll have semi similar setups, though I'm just getting the 24" 1.20 Bartlein from Vudoo. But it's a 360 with a TT Diamond and going in a Matrix Pro

 

[LR1845]

Dude that sounds amazing! Sounds like we'll have semi similar setups, though I'm just getting the 24" 1.20 Bartlein from Vudoo. But it's a 360 with a TT Diamond and going in a Matrix Pro

It'll shoot...this will be my 3rd Vudoo, first had a 20" Kukri, my current has a 22" Bartlien and it shoots better than the first one did cant wait to get the third one back for Modacam.

 

[oneshot.onehit]

A bunch here getting similar set ups.
I waiting on a Vudoo 360 RBLP, 25” 1.25 straight 13 twist Mullerworks with EC tuner and a TT Diamond going in a Matrix Pro at DI Precision. Should be a nice change versus hauling a 48 lb ELR rifle around, I’m definitely looking forward to it.

JH

 

[AJMag]

Like @LR1845 said, it's mostly for the balance. There are a limited number of barrel makers that do the big truck axles and they're in pretty high demand and have been for the past year. I know there are quite a few that have gone with Modacam or DI Precision (I'm sure there are more) and gotten the Mullerworks and Krieger 1.25 barrels. However, wait times on those are just as long from what I've heard if not longer. From what most have said they're not anymore accurate than the MTU or Kukri Barrels from Vudoo, but so many want that balance that is much harder to get from a thinner profile and shorter barrel (shorter than 22 in most cases).

Others have said the MTU and Kukri can balance out with a lightweight stock, but most say it's easier with the big barrels. For chassis like the MDT ACC, MPA Matrix, KRG C-4, etc, instead of using a ton of weights, people have been able to balance things out and keep overall weight a little more in check. I recall someone saying they dropped about 2 lbs off their rifle and got the same balance by changing to a 24 or 25 inch 1.2 straight from a 22 inch MTU barrel.

That makes sense. And glad to know it's not just about accuracy from one maker.

I shot a vudoo for the first time last weekend and now I'm headed down that rabbit hole. Unfortunately I'll have plenty of time to keep researching until i get through some recent medical issues and get those bills paid down. But gives me something to look forward to, and still have access to shoot vudoo loaners at the local matches. Just some absolute sweet shooting rigs!

 

[Mark_Dorman]

Just got the email from Vudoo that my barreled action is shipping out today. So that makes it almost exactly 3 months from order date to shipment.

 

[kornface13]

All this fuss about the straight contour makes me hesitant to order an MTU-V. Does anyone know the dimensions of the Barlein MTU-Vs? I cannot find it anywhere on the webs (going 24").

 

[Rob01]

All this fuss about the straight contour makes me hesitant to order an MTU-V. Does anyone know the dimensions of the Barlein MTU-Vs? I cannot find it anywhere on the webs (going 24").

Can only go 22” with the Vudoo MTU. I would get you the measurements on mine but driving home from a match. I am sure someone will jump in and help.

And nothing wrong with a 22” MTU if that’s what you want. They are accurate but just less weight.