What barrel for Curtis Vector

[blaserman33]

Whose “prefits”/shouldered & chambered barrels are Curtis Vector owners running?

Gonna be a 26” 6mm Creedmore M24 or MTU contour. PVA has a 16 week plus lead time so I have been looking at a Krieger from Keystone Accuracy, Proof Stainless Barrel from Straight Jacket Armory or possibly a Bartlein from Area 419? Anybody got experience with any of the above barrels/Smith’s? Any other smiths doing prefits for Vectors?

Not a lot of info on the Proof all Stainless barrels but what is out there has been good.

 

[b6graham]

keystone. get it in a week or two max, often less. and they're hammers

@Redeye3

 

[Lunchbox27]

Not running a vector, but I’m running a proof stainless now, about 250 rounds down it. Its stupid accurate and fast. I would get another in a heartbeat.

 

[Ccollins02]

I havent had any experience with Keystone or Straight Jacket, but its hard to beat Area 419. They do great work and have some fast turn around times. Ive been very pleased with my Bartleins...

 

[blaserman33]

Not running a vector, but I’m running a proof stainless now, about 250 rounds down it. Its stupid accurate and fast. I would get another in a heartbeat.

That’s what I have heard so far, but I know the blank manufacturer isn’t the only variable so hopefully someone who has experience with Straight Jacket Armory will chime in.

 

[Jimmy31593]

PVA. their barrels are top notch.

 

[padom]

Keystone Accuracy Kreiger. Laser and super fast turn around. They quote 2 weeks but it's usually in your hands sooner. I've had or have 15-20...

 

[Subwrx300]

Try Area 419 or Keystone. I'm sure timing will be much better than 4-6 months. I've gotten three barrels in the last 3 months from Area 419 (in less than 30 days. All three shoot .2-.4s for consecutive 5 shots groups and I've scoped them inside and machining is ultra-clean.

 

[TEXA$$TEEL]

ES Tactical

I encourage anyone wanting to buy from Keystone Accuracy to call the guy and try to hold a conversation with him......

 

[AXMC]

I have a Keystone. He may be difficult to converse with, but he sure knows his way around a lathe.....

 

[spife7980]

I encourage anyone wanting to buy from Keystone Accuracy to call the guy and try to hold a conversation with him......

My conversation with Keystone yesterday went well? I called him up, he said "can I call you back in two minutes?" I guess he went into his office where he could take the order and called me right back, I told him what I wanted and he told me how he invoices me for payment and what I needed to do on my end. Super simple.

What were your issues?

 

[CStroud]

Ordered a 6 Creed prefit from ALTUS on 5/20, and got a shipping notice today.

 

[DangerRanger]

Straight jacket chambered mine but he had my action, good to go

 

[blaserman33]

Are any of you guys using the hand tightening and set screw setup? Or traditional Torque setup

 

[DangerRanger]

Hand tight and set screw

 

[TEXA$$TEEL]

My conversation with Keystone yesterday went well? I called him up, he said "can I call you back in two minutes?" I guess he went into his office where he could take the order and called me right back, I told him what I wanted and he told me how he invoices me for payment and what I needed to do on my end. Super simple.

What were your issues?

I’m not here to bash... I’ll let others form their own opinion... Let’s keep this professional and take this to PM

 

[padom]

ES Tactical

I encourage anyone wanting to buy from Keystone Accuracy to call the guy and try to hold a conversation with him......

I’m not here to bash... I’ll let others form their own opinion... Let’s keep this professional and take this to PM

Lol. Your the first I've heard of any issues communicating with Keystone. I deal with them regularly. There reports on and track record here on SH speaks for itself. I'll take a top quality product delivered in 2 weeks or less vs someone that wants to sit on the phone all day and have long lead times all day long. My $0.02

They prefer to stay on the machine, actually getting work done instead of chatting on the phone and I'm fine with that. They arent the make you all warm and fuzzy shop.

 

[TEXA$$TEEL]

Glad you have had good experiences with him. I’m not doubting his ability on a lathe... Like stated above I’ll keep this professional and keep my opinions in PM

 

[padom]

Glad you have had good experiences with him. I’m not doubting his ability on a lathe... Like stated above I’ll keep this professional and keep my opinions in PM

Well thats kinda out the window now since you decided to post publicly before retracking to PM's. So why dont you fill us in and finish what you started? You called Keystone and what tried to place an order? They didnt want to take your order? Ask questions? Pick their brain on knowledge? Ask what blanks they had in stock? Im interested in your experience so yes I deal with them regularly, recommend them regularly because there top notch service, times and pricing and quality of work.

 

[TEXA$$TEEL]

Well thats kinda out the window now since you decided to post publicly before retracking to PM's. So why dont you fill us in and finish what you started? You called Keystone and what tried to place an order? They didnt want to take your order? Ask questions? Pick their brain on knowledge? Ask what blanks they had in stock? Im interested in your experience so yes I deal with them regularly, recommend them regularly because there top notch service, times and pricing and quality of work.

Well I kind of feel like I’m going to get banned if I don’t explain and banned if I do explain so here it goes I guess...

Post #9 stated that I would encourage interested buyers to try to have a conversation with the guy... Post #16 in response to post #11 I thought I made clear I was not trying to bad mouth anyone and if they wanted to discuss my experience that it should be done through PM. I felt I squashed that enevitable shit show in a professional manner. That could have quite easily been the end of that... All I’d said to this point was “give the guy a call” ... maybe see what you think of the guy or his personality. Then post #17 laughs at my attempt to squash this inevitable shit show. Post #18 Still staying professional and again try to direct this shit show to PM. Again feel this could have been let lay with this post (#18). Then post #19 asks to finish what I have started... well I assure you I didn’t mean to start anything. As I stated clearly I don’t want to talk badly about anyone... but since “everyone” seems to be wanting to hear my experiences after repeatedly trying to squash this I’ll elaborate.

I was recommended by a friend to watch his Facebook that he posts sales from time to time on calibers... he posted a feeler ad on his page wanting to see how many people would be interested in a .224 barrel sale... Curious, I called and asked him if he could chamber me a 22 creedmoor (his past sales have a list of what he will chamber)... rudely he told me that the details of his sale would be posted on the page... looking at his other sales he often only has one twist on sale so I asked “if you don’t mind what twist are you putting on sale”... he lost his shit and I was told I’d have to wait till he got around to posting it on his page... there are too many other competent smiths out there to deal with that kind of BS... very simple two question conversation that went horribly wrong... I’m not here to bash just thought to myself wow the customer service after the sale is what I’d worry about after my experience... so there it is... Maybe the guy had a bad day... maybe he did deal with a million phone calls with stupid questions... maybe he should have just posted what the sale was to begin with (calibers and twist listed) instead of a feeler seeing who was interested if he didn’t want to deal with people calling with a question or two... None the less I don’t believe anyone deserves to be talked to in such a manner. Again I am not doubting his work or ability as I know plenty that are happy with his work. I have never seen such a response for another vendor when someone gave their opinion of them or their products and I would have never thought a simple statement would arouse such attention.

This is by far the best site on the web with a wealth of knowledge filled with great people and many friends. It’s very existence is to discuss products, builders, and experiences. Every forum listed here has someone’s opinion listed in one place or another. Never would have thought this would have escalated into what it did... Not worth getting banned over but I guess it’s too late for that too although it would probably benefit my marriage

Hind sight is 20/20 I guess... probably should have taken my scolding, apologized, said I was in the wrong and so forth but I was raised differently... when you’re in the right you’re in the right

 

[Redeye3]

Are any of you guys using the hand tightening and set screw setup? Or traditional Torque setup

For prs matches torqued to 60-80, off season hand tight 15"pounds on set screws

 

[Redeye3]

AND Keystone (hammerhammerhammer)hes fast and chambers R exact from barrel to barrel.

 

[DangerRanger]

Hind sight is 20/20 I guess... probably should have taken my scolding, apologized, said I was in the wrong and so forth but I was raised differently... when you’re in the right you’re in the right

Damn brother get your tail out from between your legs and say it with your chest.

“I called him and dude was a jackass to me, I don’t have time to pay people that treat me like that”

 

[padom]

Well I kind of feel like I’m going to get banned if I don’t explain and banned if I do explain so here it goes I guess...

Post #9 stated that I would encourage interested buyers to try to have a conversation with the guy... Post #16 in response to post #11 I thought I made clear I was not trying to bad mouth anyone and if they wanted to discuss my experience that it should be done through PM. I felt I squashed that enevitable shit show in a professional manner. That could have quite easily been the end of that... All I’d said to this point was “give the guy a call” ... maybe see what you think of the guy or his personality. Then post #17 laughs at my attempt to squash this inevitable shit show. Post #18 Still staying professional and again try to direct this shit show to PM. Again feel this could have been let lay with this post (#18). Then post #19 asks to finish what I have started... well I assure you I didn’t mean to start anything. As I stated clearly I don’t want to talk badly about anyone... but since “everyone” seems to be wanting to hear my experiences after repeatedly trying to squash this I’ll elaborate.

I was recommended by a friend to watch his Facebook that he posts sales from time to time on calibers... he posted a feeler ad on his page wanting to see how many people would be interested in a .224 barrel sale... Curious, I called and asked him if he could chamber me a 22 creedmoor (his past sales have a list of what he will chamber)... rudely he told me that the details of his sale would be posted on the page... looking at his other sales he often only has one twist on sale so I asked “if you don’t mind what twist are you putting on sale”... he lost his shit and I was told I’d have to wait till he got around to posting it on his page... there are too many other competent smiths out there to deal with that kind of BS... very simple two question conversation that went horribly wrong... I’m not here to bash just thought to myself wow the customer service after the sale is what I’d worry about after my experience... so there it is... Maybe the guy had a bad day... maybe he did deal with a million phone calls with stupid questions... maybe he should have just posted what the sale was to begin with (calibers and twist listed) instead of a feeler seeing who was interested if he didn’t want to deal with people calling with a question or two... None the less I don’t believe anyone deserves to be talked to in such a manner. Again I am not doubting his work or ability as I know plenty that are happy with his work. I have never seen such a response for another vendor when someone gave their opinion of them or their products and I would have never thought a simple statement would arouse such attention.

This is by far the best site on the web with a wealth of knowledge filled with great people and many friends. It’s very existence is to discuss products, builders, and experiences. Every forum listed here has someone’s opinion listed in one place or another. Never would have thought this would have escalated into what it did... Not worth getting banned over but I guess it’s too late for that too although it would probably benefit my marriage

Hind sight is 20/20 I guess... probably should have taken my scolding, apologized, said I was in the wrong and so forth but I was raised differently... when you’re in the right you’re in the right

Why are you getting banned? Didnt need the long rant, just asked you to add context to your comment. You've done that. Thanks. Maybe he was having a bad day. Idk. I do know Keystone is extremely busy and preparing for a shop move.

Post the comment you did, without any information tells nobody nothing. It implies something, it doesnt say something. Now you've said what happened. Thats all I was after...

 

[patriot07]

colt - thanks for posting that. I know it can be tough to try to share experiences without feeling like you're pissing all over someone's business, but you're right that the whole point of this site is to discuss these type of things. I don't think you'll get any pushback from anyone as long as you're honest about your experience and don't look like you're trying to run his business into the ground because of it.

Don't feel bad bud. I wouldn't have given him my business either if he treated me like that. But he does have a decent reputation on here, so I agree with padom that maybe he was just having a bad day? We all get there from time to time. One of the many reasons I could never work in retail or customer service.

 

[TEXA$$TEEL]

Damn brother get your tail out from between your legs and say it with your chest.

“I called him and dude was a jackass to me, I don’t have time to pay people that treat me like that”

That was a condescending closing statement brother... I have no problem sticking my foot in my mouth where others would likely just take a lick on the chin lol! Just prefer to do it without an audience lol!

Why are you getting banned? Didnt need the long rant, just asked you to add context to your comment. You've done that. Thanks. Maybe he was having a bad day. Idk. I do know Keystone is extremely busy and preparing for a shop move.

Post the comment you did, without any information tells nobody nothing. It implies something, it doesnt say something. Now you've said what happened. Thats all I was after...

I just wanted to be clear that I did not intend to damage anyone’s reputation. The guy was extremely rude on the phone for what I consider two very viable questions but you are correct he more than likely was having a bad day or was bombarded with questions concerning his feeler post. More than likely the ladder since he took the feeler post down. None the less that little spate was not worth the possibility of loosing access to this site. Y’all have created the best site on the web for info, experiences, and knowledge with a super group of people... where else could you send $3k-$5k to a complete stranger with confidence lol! My main concern was putting my membership in jeopardy over something so petty

colt - thanks for posting that. I know it can be tough to try to share experiences without feeling like you're pissing all over someone's business, but you're right that the whole point of this site is to discuss these type of things. I don't think you'll get any pushback from anyone as long as you're honest about your experience and don't look like you're trying to run his business into the ground because of it.

Don't feel bad bud. I wouldn't have given him my business either if he treated me like that. But he does have a decent reputation on here, so I agree with padom that maybe he was just having a bad day? We all get there from time to time. One of the many reasons I could never work in retail or customer service.

I agree, guy was probably just having a bad day... were all entitled to a few of those lol! That’s why I didn’t want this to get out of hand and tried to steer it toward PM. I was definitely uneasy about posting what I did as I really enjoy my membership here... it’s nice to know yourself and hopefully others support the way I tried to handle the situation. Thank you for your support sir!

 

[padom]

That was a condescending closing statement brother... I have no problem sticking my foot in my mouth where others would likely just take a lick on the chin lol! Just prefer to do it without an audience lol!



I just wanted to be clear that I did not intend to damage anyone’s reputation. The guy was extremely rude on the phone for what I consider two very viable questions but you are correct he more than likely was having a bad day or was bombarded with questions concerning his feeler post. More than likely the ladder since he took the feeler post down. None the less that little spate was not worth the possibility of loosing access to this site. Y’all have created the best site on the web for info, experiences, and knowledge with a super group of people... where else could you send $3k-$5k to a complete stranger with confidence lol! My main concern was putting my membership in jeopardy over something so petty



I agree, guy was probably just having a bad day... were all entitled to a few of those lol! That’s why I didn’t want this to get out of hand and tried to steer it toward PM. I was definitely uneasy about posting what I did as I really enjoy my membership here... it’s nice to know yourself and hopefully others support the way I tried to handle the situation. Thank you for your support sir!

Why do you continue to state your access to the site was in jeopardy?? Nobody threatened or implied you were being banned. Questions were asked. That's it.

 

[TEXA$$TEEL]

Why do you continue to state your access to the site was in jeopardy?? Nobody threatened or implied you were being banned. Questions were asked. That's it.

You’re correct sir... but I think everyone could agree no one wants to get sideways with a super moderator especially on an open forum... I am totally A-OK to let this dog lie and move on... OP sorry to crap up your thread it was certainly not my intentions

 

[DangerRanger]

Let’s get this thread back to vector barrels. Keystone, straight jacket, Altus, PVA, area 419 anybody else?

 

[bgavin]

Only experience is with keystone. Got a krieger from him few months back for my axiom switch lug and it’s a damn hammer. Took a week and a half from order date.

Waiting on a call back right now to order a 224 Valkyrie Krieger for a origin.

 

[Lunchbox27]

Add Paradigm Gunworx to the list. Also, I don’t think Altus is offering Vector prefits any more. It is no longer an option on their site.

 

[blaserman33]

Thanks for the replies everyone! His products seem to be great so I think I’ll at least give Keystone a chance and give him a call.

What do you all recommend for freebore on the 6 Creedmore for the 105 Hybrids, 110 SMK and 115DTAC? I’ll probably use mostly the 105 Hybrid so was thinking .110-.120”

 

[JLP83]

Let’s get this thread back to vector barrels. Keystone, straight jacket, Altus, PVA, area 419 anybody else?

Paradigm Gunworx. Has Bartlein and Benchmark barrels.

 

[blaserman33]

Paradigm Gunworx. Has Bartlein and Benchmark barrels.

I hadn’t seen those. I do have a couple of 5R barrels I like a lot so the Bartlein option might be a good one. Anybody have experience with Paradigm’s barrels or smith work?

 

[CStroud]

https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/any-feedback-on-paradigm-gunworks.6942900/