Outlier Barrel Initial Review

[jmc2282]

I Ordered an Arken EP5 and an outlier 7mm-08 26" Nitrided Howa prefit on Memorial Day for $630 shipped.

I did not receive a shipping notice for the barrel or scope. The scope arrived in about 7 days and the barrel 10 days.

Initial impressions of the barrel were it was packed in a hard cardboard tube with adequate protection. It had a thin layer of oil on it but there was still some very light surface rust on a 2 inch section of the barrel. The first thread on the barrels tenon was a little rough but all of the rest were very nice. The barrel is a straight 1.2" and has a CNC zippy surface texture (it was machined quickly with a single pass). Barrel weight is about 7.5 lbs.

I loaded up about 60 rounds of various bullets and powders just to kinda see what the barrel liked and do some break in. The first 20 shots were with 139 gr Hornady SP and 140 gr Sierra BTHP loaded with A2520. It would only hold a 2-3" group with these rounds and had me pretty worried tbh. The next 10 were with 130 gr Sierra BTHP and Varget these produced a 3/4" and 1/2" 5 shot group at 95 yards. 168gr sierras and 180gr sierras grouped around 1 MOA. It is advertised as a hand lapped barrel and I 100% believe this because it cleaned up about 3 times faster than a factory barrel and had very little copper fouling.

The next day I loaded up 15 shots of 162gr ELDMs with 3 different powders to do some velocity and accuracy testing.

The pictures below are 2 best groups from the first day and all 3 groups from the second day. The varget group had an obvious called flier where my morning coffee got the better of me. The picture with the barrels is the outlier barrel on top, 27" heavy palma about 0.9" at muzzle, and a factory 20" heavy barrel about 0.785" at muzzle.

Overall, I am happy with the barrel especially since I got the $350 off for the sale. I would say it will be a pretty consistent 0.5-0.75 MOA barrel after I get a load dialed in for it.

 

[Tofasgt]

I Ordered an Arken EP5 and an outlier 7mm-08 26" Nitrided Howa prefit on Memorial Day for $630 shipped.

I did not receive a shipping notice for the barrel or scope. The scope arrived in about 7 days and the barrel 10 days.

Initial impressions of the barrel were it was packed in a hard cardboard tube with adequate protection. It had a thin layer of oil on it but there was still some very light surface rust on a 2 inch section of the barrel. The first thread on the barrels tenon was a little rough but all of the rest were very nice. The barrel is a straight 1.2" and has a CNC zippy surface texture (it was machined quickly with a single pass). Barrel weight is about 7.5 lbs.

I loaded up about 60 rounds of various bullets and powders just to kinda see what the barrel liked and do some break in. The first 20 shots were with 139 gr Hornady SP and 140 gr Sierra BTHP loaded with A2520. It would only hold a 2-3" group with these rounds and had me pretty worried tbh. The next 10 were with 130 gr Sierra BTHP and Varget these produced a 3/4" and 1/2" 5 shot group at 95 yards. 168gr sierras and 180gr sierras grouped around 1 MOA. It is advertised as a hand lapped barrel and I 100% believe this because it cleaned up about 3 times faster than a factory barrel and had very little copper fouling.

The next day I loaded up 15 shots of 162gr ELDMs with 3 different powders to do some velocity and accuracy testing.

The pictures below are 2 best groups from the first day and all 3 groups from the second day. The varget group had an obvious called flier where my morning coffee got the better of me. The picture with the barrels is the outlier barrel on top, 27" heavy palma about 0.9" at muzzle, and a factory 20" heavy barrel about 0.785" at muzzle.

Overall, I am happy with the barrel especially since I got the $350 off for the sale. I would say it will be a pretty consistent 0.5-0.75 MOA barrel after I get a load dialed in for it.

Got in on the same deal, got the 26" 6.5 creedmoor for a remington 700 and the headspace is WAY excessive. The bolt drops with ease on a no go gage so unfortunately I'm unable to test mine. I've emailed them (since they don't have a contact number) and I guess we'll see what they have to say. Hopefully they'll make it right.

 

[jmc2282]

My headspace is fine but the chamber might be a little loose. When resizing brass it required more force than usual to full length size. But to be fair I was pushing high pressure.

 

[Tofasgt]

My headspace is fine but the chamber might be a little loose. When resizing brass it required more force than usual to full length size. But to be fair I was pushing high pressure.

Michael from outlier, actually called me via video chat and I was able to show him exactly what was going on, and he assured me that it would be taken care and repeatedly apologized. So I will say, so far I'm very happy with their customer service.

 

[Rob01]

Got in on the same deal, got the 26" 6.5 creedmoor for a remington 700 and the headspace is WAY excessive. The bolt drops with ease on a no go gage so unfortunately I'm unable to test mine. I've emailed them (since they don't have a contact number) and I guess we'll see what they have to say. Hopefully they'll make it right.

Is it a shouldered prefit for a factory 700? Never heard of that as Remington never kept their specs close enough to do that like custom actions.

 

[waspocrew]

Is it a shouldered prefit for a factory 700? Never heard of that as Remington never kept their specs close enough to do that like custom actions.

No, per their website these are all “adjustable shouldered”, or barrel nut prefits.

Single contour only. The promo code MEMORIAL still works (or at least it did yesterday). If I was buying an Arken, a free barrel is never a bad thing, but I don’t know if I’d have huge expectations.

 

[Rob01]

No, per their website these are all “adjustable shouldered”, or barrel nut prefits.

Single contour only. The promo code MEMORIAL still works (or at least it did yesterday). If I was buying an Arken, a free barrel is never a bad thing, but I don’t know if I’d have huge expectations.

Well then he should be able to adjust with the nut for headspace. Maybe I am missing something but will wait to see what he says.

 

[Tofasgt]

Well then he should be able to adjust with the nut for headspace. Maybe I am missing something but will wait to see what he says.

The bolt bottoms out on the face of the barrel before I can set headspace, it's chambered to deep. I worded that incorrectly in my previous post. With the bolt bottomed out on the barrel face, I can rotate the action back minimumly to free up the bolt and drop in the no-go gage and the bolt falls free.

 

[spife7980]

The bolt bottoms out on the face of the barrel before I can set headspace, it's chambered to deep. I worded that incorrectly in my previous post. With the bolt bottomed out on the barrel face, I can rotate the action back minimumly to free up the bolt and drop in the no-go gage and the bolt falls free.

Can you tell if it’s the barrel count bores recess depth or diameter that the bolt is bottoming out on?

 

[Tofasgt]

Can you tell if it’s the barrel count bores recess depth or diameter that the bolt is bottoming out on?

Diameter is fine, and the counter bore measures the same as the factory remington barrel that i removed. It's just chambered to deep, and the cartridge is going in to far, causing the bolt to bottom out on the counter bore. With the cartridge engaged on the bolt, the cartridge doesn't go in deep enough to contact the shoulder of the chamber. I hope that makes sense. Lol

 

[DanGroves]

Diameter is fine, and the counter bore measures the same as the factory remington barrel that i removed. It's just chambered to deep, and the cartridge is going in to far, causing the bolt to bottom out on the counter bore. With the cartridge engaged on the bolt, the cartridge doesn't go in deep enough to contact the shoulder of the chamber. I hope that makes sense. Lol

Curious to know if Outlier has taken care of this issue?

 

[Tofasgt]

Curious to know if Outlier has taken care of this issue?

What perfect timing you have: Initially the communication was great from them, after they recieved the barrel back communication went very differently. After a week of them having the barrel in their possession I sent an email to get an update, which they responded with they were going to have me a new barrel sent out. Sounds great huh? I asked a few times what they thought the issue was with that barrel, with no response to that question. After a few days went by I sent an email asking for an update, no response. After a few more days I recieved a notification saying that my order had been canceled. After sending that message this past Monday I finally got a response today saying that I recieved that in error and that it was an issue with their system and that a replacement was still set to be sent to me. I responded asking and ETA on a replacement barrel and which they responded with 3-4 more weeks. Also, I sent Michael (who Initially reached out to me regarding the issue) a couple text messages of which I never got response from. I messaged them back saying that I would just prefer to have my money back and they refunded me $55. I then emailed them back saying I didn't want the arken scope I had to order to get the promotion either, being as I only ordered the scope to get the barrel. So now I have to fill out an RMA on the scope and be charged $10 processing fee in hopes they'll take the scope back. I hate to speak negative of someone trying to start out, but I'll continue my business with northland shooter supply. At least James's communication is rock solid.

 

[DanGroves]

What perfect timing you have: Initially the communication was great from them, after they recieved the barrel back communication went very differently. After a week of them having the barrel in their possession I sent an email to get an update, which they responded with they were going to have me a new barrel sent out. Sounds great huh? I asked a few times what they thought the issue was with that barrel, with no response to that question. After a few days went by I sent an email asking for an update, no response. After a few more days I recieved a notification saying that my order had been canceled. After sending that message this past Monday I finally got a response today saying that I recieved that in error and that it was an issue with their system and that a replacement was still set to be sent to me. I responded asking and ETA on a replacement barrel and which they responded with 3-4 more weeks. Also, I sent Michael (who Initially reached out to me regarding the issue) a couple text messages of which I never got response from. I messaged them back saying that I would just prefer to have my money back and they refunded me $55. I then emailed them back saying I didn't want the arken scope I had to order to get the promotion either, being as I only ordered the scope to get the barrel. So now I have to fill out an RMA on the scope and be charged $10 processing fee in hopes they'll take the scope back. I hate to speak negative of someone trying to start out, but I'll continue my business with northland shooter supply. At least James's communication is rock solid.

Did you receive the scope in a timely fashion?

 

[Tofasgt]

Did you receive the scope in a timely fashion?

I absolutely did, it arrived within a week. And I see where you're going with that. Lol
And you're right, I shouldn't hold anything with outlier against Arken, but if Arken are going to be promoting the outlier name, the masses are going to associate the 2 as a whole. This was actually my 5th Arken scope, I have no issues with their optics. And I may just hang onto the glass for a future project that now have sitting around with no barrel. Lol

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

Got my barrel installed…won’t headspace. I guess that’s what you get for free99

Emailed outlier. I hope it’s an easy fix.

 

[jmc2282]

They just ordered new reamers and currently barrels are on back order because of this. My barrel headspaced fine but had a out of tolerance chamber spec. The base of the cartridge was excessively expanding which cause premature case head failures. The chamber also was out of round so I could wiggle the round around in 2 directions.

 

[Tofasgt]

Got my barrel installed…won’t headspace. I guess that’s what you get for free99

Emailed outlier. I hope it’s an easy fix.

Initially it was an easy fix for mine that was the same way, turns out it never happened, I ended up getting a refund of $55. Now I have scopes that I didn't even need. Seems like that marketing is working awesome.

 

[Megalodong]

F me. I ordered the same promo because I swear they said barrels in stock and ready to ship. Had to go a different route to make a match. So now I have my 24" fluted 6.5cm Outlier barrel sitting on the bench. Was going to wait till I shoot the current one out, probably 1 - 1.5 years. Sounds like I need to get it spun on and checked asap.

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

F me. I ordered the same promo because I swear they said barrels in stock and ready to ship. Had to go a different route to make a match. So now I have my 24" fluted 6.5cm Outlier barrel sitting on the bench. Was going to wait till I shoot the current one out, probably 1 - 1.5 years. Sounds like I need to get it spun on and checked asap.

I was in the same boat. Didn’t NEED to assemble but figured I might as well Make sure there are no problems.

I’m still rooting for them to pull through. It’s getting difficult though.

 

[Tofasgt]

F me. I ordered the same promo because I swear they said barrels in stock and ready to ship. Had to go a different route to make a match. So now I have my 24" fluted 6.5cm Outlier barrel sitting on the bench. Was going to wait till I shoot the current one out, probably 1 - 1.5 years. Sounds like I need to get it spun on and checked asap.

Maybe if you wait that 1 - 1.5 years they'll have their shit together by then and you won't have to wait another year to get a replacement barrel. You may be on to something here. Lol

 

[Mooseknuckles]

I actually received an email from the supervisor , hopefully they get their issues fixed.

Dear Brandon Watts,

I hope this message finds you well. I am a supervisor with OUTLIER USA and I do spot checks on our emails. I wanted to personally write to you. First and foremost, thank you for your patience and understanding regarding your recent barrel order with Outlier USA.

Currently, our barrels are in the final stages of the nitride process, and we expect to have them back in approximately 2-3 weeks. Once they are back in our possession, we will conduct a thorough final inspection to ensure they meet our quality standards.

In the unlikely event of any shipment interruption or delay, I will personally reach out to you to provide immediate updates and solutions. Your satisfaction is important to me.

If you have any further questions or require additional information, please feel free to reply to this email directly. We are here to assist you and provide any assistance you may need.

Once again, thank you for choosing Outlier USA.

Respectfully,

Chris Watkins
OUTLIER USA

 

[Haney]

Maybe if you wait that 1 - 1.5 years they'll have their shit together by then and you won't have to wait another year to get a replacement barrel. You may be on to something here. Lol

 

[Carole Baskins]

View attachment 8248433

Dude, there are way better posts on SH in which to use that meme. Weak.

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

Well I got my barrel back. Turns out the problem was more on my end than Outlier.

I ordered the R700 but installed it on a Defiance. There was enough difference that my barrel was bottoming out on the lugs prior to achieving headspace.

I think Outlier did a great job fixing the problem and the barrel is shooting sun MOA.

I did a whole mini write up in another thread.

Hope you guys get great barrels too!

Outlier Barrel: A review of the Company & Barrel

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