Gunsmithing Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

[str8razor]

I wasn't sure if I should post this on the bolt action rifle section or here and I decided this would be the best section.

Anyway, I want to order a barrel and I get the feeling the smith doesn't want to make any suggestions and wants me make the choice on my own. Which I fully understand in todays day and age. I'm want to get the heavy varmint 1.250 X .900 with a 1 in 10 twist and the following are my questions:

1. I hope this isn't a stupid question, but the barrels are offered in 27", 29", 31" & 33". I think I want to end up with a 24" barrel on the rifle and I'm guessing when you purchase a barrel blank, the length includes threads. Which barrel would I want to order to wind up with a 24" barrel on the rifle? Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy is my main concern and I'll mostly target shoot with some occasional hunting. I welcome any suggestions on barrel length, but my main concern is which length to order. I'm guessing the 29" is the barrel to be used for a 24" rifle. I think the barrel I want to order is the Krieger 30cal 1 in 10" twist #17 HV 5-R 29" 1.250 x .900

2. 5-R vs. regular rifling. Please feel free to let me know your experiences with both riflings as I welcome all comments to help me to decide.

Thanks

 

[CaptLink]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

27" is all the smith should need for a Krieger the reason he is not being help full is he makes no money on the barrel if he says he needed a longer barrel for your needs then you need a new smith!

 

[STR]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

When you call Kreiger to order your barrel, you tell Scott you want it to finish at 24 inches with a muzzle of .900. They will take care of how long it will be in the rough. Great customer service. You will wait about 6 months for it, but worth it. Good luck.

 

[wnroscoe]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

If building a 308 I'd order a 1-11.25 twist, for 300WM I'd order a 1-10 twist. .300”/.308” bore would be standard

As far as 5r goes, I doubt you'd be able to tell the difference between a 5r or standard 4 groove barrel. I use both and both shoot extreme well. My Bartleins come as 5r's and all our Krieger’s come as the standard 4 groove.

As far as contours and finished rifle weight, the #17 Krieger Heavy Varmint will put your rifle in the 17# range all up. Typically, I use either a #8 Bartlein or #18 Krieger for most builds with an occasional Remington Varmint or Heavy Bull Sporter mixed in.

As far as some smiths not wanting to help you with suggestions or recommendations, it's because they just don’t know or care. You should be able to lean on your smith for suggestions on barrel contour, finished length, chamber dimensions, final weight and stock selection.

When you order your barrel you can do as most do and just order the desired contour in the makers standard length blank or do as Ozzy suggested and specify a desired finished length, contour and muzzle diameter at the finished length. As far as the accuracy goes, it'll all be same/same, don’t sweat that.

As far as the accuracy goes, it'll all be same/same, don’t sweat that. Good luck.

Feel free to call if you need more help.

 

[300sniper]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

if your smith won't or can't give recommendations on barrel contour and length based on what you want to do with the rifle, i'm guessing he doesn't specialize in precision rifles or shooting them. i think i'd look for another smith. one of the very few i'd let do work for me posted in this thread and is in your state.

edit: there's another smith i'd trust posting on this thread too but i don't think he's taking customer work anymore.

 

[Frank Green]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wnroscoe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If building a 308 I'd order a 1-11.25 twist, for 300WM I'd order a 1-10 twist. .300”/.308” bore would be standard

As far as 5r goes, I doubt you'd be able to tell the difference between a 5r or standard 4 groove barrel. I use both and both shoot extreme well. My Bartleins come as 5r's and all our Krieger’s come as the standard 4 groove.

As far as contours and finished rifle weight, the #17 Krieger Heavy Varmint will put your rifle in the 17# range all up. Typically, I use either a #8 Bartlein or #18 Krieger for most builds with an occasional Remington Varmint or Heavy Bull Sporter mixed in.

As far as some smiths not wanting to help you with suggestions or recommendations, it's because they just don’t know or care. You should be able to lean on your smith for suggestions on barrel contour, finished length, chamber dimensions, final weight and stock selection.

When you order your barrel you can do as most do and just order the desired contour in the makers standard length blank or do as Ozzy suggested and specify a desired finished length, contour and muzzle diameter at the finished length. As far as the accuracy goes, it'll all be same/same, don’t sweat that.

As far as the accuracy goes, it'll all be same/same, don’t sweat that. Good luck.

Feel free to call if you need more help.
</div></div>

Simply and well put William!!!!!

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[jeffm]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

I think you have gotten some really good advice from some very knowledgeable people here. I have only had 1 bolt gun built. It is a 700 SA in 308. It shoots very well and I am happy with it, but there are things I might change if I did it over. The smith was good, but his advice consisted of “what ever you want”. Don’t get me wrong, you want a smith that will give you what you want, but you also want to lean on their expertise. I ended up with a 26 Hart max heavy barrel in 1/12 twist and a .342 throat. If I had it to do over I might have gotten a slightly lighter barrel with a slightly tighter throat. But again it shoots great.

 

[Wylie Custom]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

I have two 30 cal barrels. .308 Win is a 5r, 1 and 11.25 .299 tight bore Bartlein in sendero contour finished at 24" (.860 at muzzle). It is a lazer beam with 168 berger vld's traveling 2800 FPS.

I have a 5r, 1 and 10 twist standard bore 300 WSM remington var contour Rock Barrel and it is .830 at muzzle. It is a lazer beam to 600 yards with 185 Berger VLD at 3025 FPS.

 

[STR]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 300sniper</div><div class="ubbcode-body">if your smith won't or can't give recommendations on barrel contour and length based on what you want to do with the rifle, i'm guessing he doesn't specialize in precision rifles or shooting them. i think i'd look for another smith. one of the very few i'd let do work for me posted in this thread and is in your state.

edit: there's another smith i'd trust posting on this thread too but i don't think he's taking customer work anymore.

</div></div>

I also believe that your smith should be one that shoots if he's building precision rifles. Not saying in any way that the work won't be quality. Just that it would be hard for him to advise on something he doesn't have too much experience with. It takes shooting many different configurations to be able to offer useful advise. Also, sometimes they are afraid to offer opinion because after the customer gets his rifle, he's very quick to ble the smith for whatever he didn't like. William did a much better job of explaining it than I .

Happy New Year

 

[JJones75]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

what smith is it? sombody on the south shore?

Like was said earlier mr Roesco is pretty close and does great work

 

[str8razor]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

Trust me when I say, he is an excellent smith and highly thought of for his work. I actually met him a few weeks ago and was thoroughly impressed with his knowledge and his character. I’m usually a good judge of character and maybe it’s just me or I caught him at a bad time. He did tell me he had some customers at his shop and he needed to go, but my first thought was…I wouldn’t blame a smith In today’s day and age with everyone so sue crazy and be hesitant to suggest anything because of liability. A good friend introduced us and I think the smith might actually want to me to order the barrel in order to save me some money.

BTW: If I forgot to say, this is a Remington 700P in .308win. After going back and forth it looks like I may want a 22” with a 1 in 11.25” twist barrel for shooting 600 yards and further. From what I understand, 168 grain doesn’t do as well after 300 yards…Especially in wind. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

 

[Wolvenhaven]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

I've got a 1:10 twist 5R at the smith right now being finished out to 24". I left the chamber up to him as I'm relatively new to this and he's a great smith so I've been going with his recommendations. I wanted to be able to stretch it out at a later date, and 180gr+ is supposed to do amazingly well out to 1k setup like this.

Mine started out as a 30" barrel blank.

 

[Terry Cross]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

str8razor,

I keep several contours and twists of 30 cal. Kriegers in stock for my own spec builds. Depending on what you are settling on, I may be able to supply you with a blank for your job.

Email me ([email protected]) if interested and I will reply with what I have in my rack.

Don't overthink the length and twist thing down to 16 places to the right of the decimal. 10 to 11" twist will handle anything you want to throw down the barrel. The chamber dimensions and the machining is probably going to be more important than anything else, so make sure you get with your smith on exactly what type of reamer specs will be used on your job.

Good luck with your project.

 

[azimutha]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

Greg Young @ Southern Precision Rifles (bugholes here on the 'Hide) is also carrying Krieger now. He's doing a build for me and was very helpful in discussing the pros and cons of barrel specifics. Like you said, maybe the guy was busy/having a bad day, but seems to me a big part of a custom build is getting good advice and having a good, communicative relationship with the gunsmith.

As Terry Cross mentioned, the chambering is another important issue. Also, you've gotten some great advice in this thread not only from him, but from William Roscoe as well...must be something in the Louisiana water. I've never done business with him but have used his advice in this forum section for bedding rifles, etc.

 

[Frank Green]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

Don't waste your time with the 168's. It's a good bullet but I feel the 155's and 175's fly better.

A 1-12 twist will handle most bullets up to and including some of the 190's even at .308win. velocities.

MOst of my guns have 1-11.25 and I've used a couple of 1-12's in the past. I've got a 1-11 on my rebuilt '03 Springfield set up as a 1941 USMC Sniper rifle also.

I don't see any accuracy difference at all.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[jcsguns]

Re: Help with ordering a .30cal Krieger barrel

hello str8razor.

terry is giving you some great pointers. terry has built me two .308 and one 300wsm. he is very good at answering your questions. i had a million and one for him and he allways gave me good advice. my .308 are kreiggers 11.25 at 24 inches and they are tack drivers. good luck.