I have seen quiet a few accuracy reviews from padom on the old ultra match barrels but haven’t seen anything since they went away from Shilen ? Any real world review on the new ones ? I’m looking at putting g together a 18” Grendel for yotes and am considering their barrel .
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@NVScout We have an accuracy guarantee. If you buy the barrel, mount it, shoot it and you don't like it. Send it back. We'll give you a 100% refund on the barrel. I can guarantee we use some of the highest quality components.
I am 100% sure you will be happy with one of our barrels. Also don't forget we offer all SH members a 10% off coupon SH10 at check out.
I am 100% sure you will be happy with one of our barrels. Also don't forget we offer all SH members a 10% off coupon SH10 at check out.
What blank
can you tell us what blanks you are using now ?@NVScout We have an accuracy guarantee. If you buy the barrel, mount it, shoot it and you don't like it. Send it back. We'll give you a 100% refund on the barrel. I can guarantee we use some of the highest quality components.
I am 100% sure you will be happy with one of our barrels. Also don't forget we offer all SH members a 10% off coupon SH10 at check out.
@NVScout
I cannot. We had an issue back in the day with our lower Match line where we couldn't get blanks from Wilson or Montana. But I can say it is a blank mfg that is talked about quite a bit on this forum. All of our barrel components and raw materials are US sourced high quality components. No bargain bottom barrel parts here.
I cannot. We had an issue back in the day with our lower Match line where we couldn't get blanks from Wilson or Montana. But I can say it is a blank mfg that is talked about quite a bit on this forum. All of our barrel components and raw materials are US sourced high quality components. No bargain bottom barrel parts here.
Chican556,
So have you completely exhausted all the "old" barrel inventory on both Match & Ultra Match series barrels currently in stock?
Thanks.
MM
So have you completely exhausted all the "old" barrel inventory on both Match & Ultra Match series barrels currently in stock?
Thanks.
MM
@MontanaMan
Old inventory has been gone for years.
Old inventory has been gone for years.
Cut or button rifling ?
That makes no sense, given that Padom just recently reviewed "new" barrels & it also contradicts what I thought I knew, which may not be correct...............there was Shilen, then supposedly Rock, now something else.
What is the real chronology with approximate dates?
MM
For what it is worth, I recently picked up a 16” ultramatch in 308. I have had many of their barrels in the past and have been a big fan. The build quality seems to be just as good (probably even better) than their old stock. I am in the middle of load development now. I have not found the magic load yet but I should be finished with by the end of the week. Most of my loads are hovering just above the 1 MOA mark, but that’s been with 168’s. I will jump to 175’s-178’s on Wednesday or thursday.
To be safe, I picked up a box of FGMM to try at the very end, which to me will be the final test. Everything that I have ever gotten from rainier has been WELL-below moa. I may have a lemon, but more than likely I just haven’t found what she likes yet. I will report in this week with target photos.
To be safe, I picked up a box of FGMM to try at the very end, which to me will be the final test. Everything that I have ever gotten from rainier has been WELL-below moa. I may have a lemon, but more than likely I just haven’t found what she likes yet. I will report in this week with target photos.
Got it, thanks. Still curious if they are cut blanks or not. I don’t understand why they just don’t say who’s blanks they are.
Most OEMs prevent their customers from stating where the item is question was manufactured. Generally has to do with competition using the pricing to work backwards and undercut(at least in my industry). This was a big deal for years with the three main forging manufactures for AR-15 receivers.
I've been testing their NEW MOD2 Ultramatch barrels for a few months now in the above linked review thread.
They are hammering just like the old Shilen Ultramatch's which I also still have in the safe.
Buy with confidence. Loving their 224V which is hammering with 88 ELD's... their 6.5cm AR10 is averaging between 0.5-0.6" 5 shot groups and I have a final load confirmation loaded up to test at distance.
They are hammering just like the old Shilen Ultramatch's which I also still have in the safe.
Buy with confidence. Loving their 224V which is hammering with 88 ELD's... their 6.5cm AR10 is averaging between 0.5-0.6" 5 shot groups and I have a final load confirmation loaded up to test at distance.
I just installed a Ultramatch MOD2 barrel the other day. When it dries up and time permits I will be shooting it. I got it based on @padom reviews. 20” 223 Wylde. Can’t wait.
We had our Mod 2 barrels out for a while but have been quiet about the changes. We moved away from Shilen blanks on the tail end of our "mod 1" contour and that has been long gone. With our UM barrels we have only used 2 blanks. Shilen and what we use currently. Our match line has been another story. Budget minded blanks that shoot well get eaten up quickly. Early on they were Wilson, Montana and GM. We currently are very happy with who we use currently.
When did you move away from Shilen? I'm Curious on the two I have from late 2013 and early 2014, which I'm pretty sure are Shilen.
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Thanks for the feedback.
Are you still guaranteeing the Match barrels to <MOA?
I've been wanting to use an 18" lightweight version Match in a light build, & at 2 lb., that's about as light a barrel, other than a pencil, that I can find & still expect the kind of performance that I want. WOA does make a 3G barrel that comes in at 1.9 lb.
I really would like to see your UM's with a light 18" fluted version at 2 lb. or even a little less.
MM
Well, I took my rig to the range. I elected to shoot the federal GMM first. I shot a 5 round group and it landed a group that was bigger than desired (see image 1). When I looked at the brass, I could see clear ejector marks (see image 2) again, this was factory FGMM.
I have found pressure signs on my hand loads in the past but have discontinued at the first sign. Noteably, I have gotten pressure signs at what I believe to be rather modest charge weights.
I contacted rainier via message, I hope to hear back soon. I’m a little disappointed that I’m having an issue, but I’m not going to be very quick to blame rainier. The good news is I will be able to test the quality of rainier’s customer service.
I have found pressure signs on my hand loads in the past but have discontinued at the first sign. Noteably, I have gotten pressure signs at what I believe to be rather modest charge weights.
I contacted rainier via message, I hope to hear back soon. I’m a little disappointed that I’m having an issue, but I’m not going to be very quick to blame rainier. The good news is I will be able to test the quality of rainier’s customer service.
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Barrel doesnt have shit to do with ejector marks... you need to tune your gas, bcg and buffer/spring to prevent the bcg from unlocking early. Your going to get ejector marks on an large frame gasser. Knowing how to tune one to minimize or prevent them all together is the key.
Also, I never had good luck with FGMM in my semis. Hornady 168 Amax, TAP and M118LR shot the best out of factory ammo but my handloads shot better than anything with 175smk.
So a short freebore, tight neck clearance or headspace wouldn’t cause ejector marks ? I agree it’s likely gas related but to say the barrel couldn’t cause that....
Could it? Yes. Highly unlikely. Especially after doing no due diligence and checking those things and just submitting an rma. I dont know any Smith's cutting semi barrels using tight neck reamers or short throat reamers...
Throwing a AR together is easy. Knowing how to properly tune it, especially large frame gassers is an entirely different story.
For the record I did not just submit an rma. In fact, in my message to rainier I asked for advice and/or direction. I’m not here to trash rainier, I feel that I have continuously been supportive of them due to my experience with their barrels.
I do have one symptom of overgassing (2 o’clock brass ejection). I can’t say that I’ve had ejector marks on my large frame gassers in the past but that’s duely-noted.
Pending on Scott’s response, I anticipate swapping other parts, probably starting with the gas block. Saying as they are the ones with the kick ass warranty, I would feel better about their two cents on a potential over-pressure issue.
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Was that 224V sub moa with the factory Hornady 88 eld?
I'd try an adjustable gas block or just make up a lighter load for it, it's probably a bit overgassed and it looks like you have a suppressor that can add pressure too
I don't shoot factory ammo
Either way, the 224V looks promising in the 7.5 twist barrel. I called them yesterday and was asking about it. They said it stabilizes everything up to the 95s fine. Your test with the 88s show that to be the case.
I'm about to sell my PSA 6.5 twist barrel to fund one of their match or ultra match barrels.
I'm about to sell my PSA 6.5 twist barrel to fund one of their match or ultra match barrels.
A few points: the swipes on your brass can easily be tuned out with adjustable gas block, buffer spring weights and buffer weights (@padom has discussed this a ton). Your bolt is unlocking a bit too early and case is still under pressure causing bolt to rotate around brass during extraction, this causes swiping.
If running your rig suppressed (just a guess due to suppressor in photo), shoot it without suppressor to see how it does. Suppressors dramatically increase dwell time and back pressure in case causing extra swiping if not tuned properly.
If you are running a new bolt head, it's more than likely that your bolt has very small burrs that will increase the appearance of swipes.
Your primers look fine: no flattening and no cratering.
The one group or even the first 50-75 rounds from any new build or barrel (specifically semi-autos) doesn't really say much about barrels capability. I don't bother too much with precision for the first 50-100 rounds simply because it takes time to uniform.
My 6.5 CM gas gun showed the same swipes you have for the first 200-250 rounds before calming down and being non-existent. I tuned buffer and gas block (which helps a lot) then shot gun to smooth bolt.
If your 16" barrel 308 can shoot ~1" with factory ammo within the first 50 rounds, it's doing really well and I'd keep shooting it. Almost certainly nothing Rainier did/can do to fix what you are seeing.
I appreciate the points. I went ahead and ordered an adj gas block. I will get that on, then reassess for the buffer. Which buffer did you end up settling on?
I’m not running it suppressed yet, I planned on getting everything running correctly before giving that a try. As for the bolt, the barrel and bolt were both purchased together through rainier at the same time so they would match them.
I am somewhere around the 150 round count right now. I did load development with three types 168gr pills, and now I am working on 175-178. I just hadn’t found anything that would shoot very well. But that being said, I discontinued at mild charge weights due to the swipes. I very possibly may have missed some nodes since I blew the whistle when I saw what I thought was pressure signs.
I’m not running it suppressed yet, I planned on getting everything running correctly before giving that a try. As for the bolt, the barrel and bolt were both purchased together through rainier at the same time so they would match them.
I am somewhere around the 150 round count right now. I did load development with three types 168gr pills, and now I am working on 175-178. I just hadn’t found anything that would shoot very well. But that being said, I discontinued at mild charge weights due to the swipes. I very possibly may have missed some nodes since I blew the whistle when I saw what I thought was pressure signs.
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I use JP Silent Captured Spring and buffer. Super easy to tune and awesome feel during shot. Get the tuner kit, well worth it. If you've never shot a rifle with one, I cannot describe how awesome it feels during recoil and cycling.
Gas guns generally speaking run more accurate at slightly lower charges than their bolt gun counterparts. My 6.5CM likes 42gr with 123s but the common charge of 42gr with 140s is not so good relatively speaking. I would search for good SD and then play with seating depth. My gas guns seem to be more sensitive to seating depth than my bolt guns.
I really don't expect much more than .75 avg from gas guns (5+ (5) shot groups) because they are incredibly picky to both load and shooter form. I can fairly easily keep a bolt gun at or under 1/2 MOA but a gas gun can swing back and forth from 1/2-1moa very quickly in a single session just from inconsistent form during recoil.
Perfect example from today with 223: 6 straight groups (shot about 4-5 min cool down each) of .5-.7 moa then it started opening up a bit closer to 1 moa. Barrel heat starts to build too much without a 20-30min cool down and body started getting out of position.
My 6.5CM is a bitch for recoil control and a 308 is worse. Id shoot for average at or just under 1" for 5 shots and be super happy. If it was a bolt gun, I'd say you might have some work to do but I think your on the right track.
I think you will get it but if your within the 90day return period, you can always ask for swap or refund. They have AWESOME customer service and it's one of the main reasons I continue to use them for builds. My
Get a JP SCS Heavy and then buy their seperate spring pack. It's hard to remove swiped 100% with a can but you can minimize it with a heavy buffer and AGB. I run SCS in all my AR's. I tune them with the correct weights and springs that give me the least swipe. With no can, I can tune it so my brass looks like it was shot in a bolt gun. With a can, I can then if for minimal swipe.
@Onyx Z those will be shilens. You can tell by the stamp on the barrels All shilen UM barrels will have a S stamped next to the twist.
@MontanaMan We do still guarantee our Match barrels to be submoa. Only our Mountain barrels do not get the sub moa guarantee.
You will be happy with our lw match barrels. They are great shooters without going too crazy removing weight behind the gas block.
I have been thinking about a lw UM Mod 2 offering. Maybe later this spring.
@DTF370 looks like you got some good info from a few guys above. if you have further issues let me know.
100% +1 on this. @DTF370 Another help can be lightly polishing the bolt face to ensure no burrs on ejector hole, firing pin hole and extractor notch. There are various write ups on steps to do this around the web and on here. To complete this, you must completely remove ejector plunger/spring, extractor/spring/o-ring and firing pin.
Either use very, very fine polishing emory cloth and/or *cringe* Dremel with appropriate polishing tip. BE EXTREMELY PATIENT AND CAUTIOUS if using Dremel around anything; you can ruin bolt if you don't know what you are doing.
The other solution is to fire 1000 rounds and most burrs will be smooth. Take your pick.
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Polishing feed ramps, and using cratex rubber abrasive point, then flitz with felt point work wonders for my 308 build. Got to excited to try a surpressor from my buddy, before tuning gas block. Marks were on my brass as well.
Does Rainier Arms still offer a 10% discount? Thank you.@NVScout We have an accuracy guarantee. If you buy the barrel, mount it, shoot it and you don't like it. Send it back. We'll give you a 100% refund on the barrel. I can guarantee we use some of the highest quality components.
I am 100% sure you will be happy with one of our barrels. Also don't forget we offer all SH members a 10% off coupon SH10 at check out.
Ha, I found this thread last night before buying an Ultramatch Valkyrie barrel. Looks like they are clearing these out if you're interested:
Gun deals - Ultramatch 224 Valkryie Barrels
Gun deals - Ultramatch 224 Valkryie Barrels
I can tell you that code no longer works.
Never been a fan of their barrels they have universally been one of the most overrated gun barrels for a long time. Over the years and especially in the early days before we knew better, we built a bunch of guns using their Ultra-match or whatever it was at the time. There were not alot of great options at the time . Very few shot anywhere near what they cost, and we ended up going back to WOA for a cheaper non CLE/Krieger/Lija builds.
There are certainly Rainer barrels that shoot but there has never been the consistency needed to trust them. Not paying $400+ to play the lottery when you can spend $250 and get a WOA that is almost guaranteed to shoot well with a wide variety of ammo.
Maybe they started out with good tube but the chambering was inconsistent. Rumor was some were rock creek and some were shlien. Maybe it was BA/Aero do their proximity. There are a couple other small barrel manufactures in the PNW, mostly rimfire guys like Clint. Would have been better off sourcing a bit further south from Pac Nor with a deal similar to Noveske. Atleast those barrels shot well despite the crazy high prices.
There are certainly Rainer barrels that shoot but there has never been the consistency needed to trust them. Not paying $400+ to play the lottery when you can spend $250 and get a WOA that is almost guaranteed to shoot well with a wide variety of ammo.
Maybe they started out with good tube but the chambering was inconsistent. Rumor was some were rock creek and some were shlien. Maybe it was BA/Aero do their proximity. There are a couple other small barrel manufactures in the PNW, mostly rimfire guys like Clint. Would have been better off sourcing a bit further south from Pac Nor with a deal similar to Noveske. Atleast those barrels shot well despite the crazy high prices.
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