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Your PVA prefit experience

Thanks!


Also: On the Freebore, you want the standard with the 103/108 and you won't have problems shooting 87VMax or 95TMK from a 7 twist, I do it with my son's 6 Creed and the Standard Freebore. It's pure poison on woodchucks.
Awesome, thank you very much!
 
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@bohem Hey, quick question about the CDG pre-order barrels: I ordered one on 16Feb but my order doesn't state twist rate. Any idea if that's 7 or 7.5?
 
All the twist rates for the corresponding barrels are in the corresponding product descriptions.
Are you guys still the doing "off the shelf" prefits for Tikka? You used to have a selection of 6 and 6.5s that were pre-fabbed.
there doesn't seem to be a link for those anymore on the webpage. Is everything now a custom order?
 
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How do I get a hold of you? I called and left a message yesterday. If you are in Downingtown, PA, I'm local and would like to have the barrel removed from a Tikka.
 
Ordered my 6.5 addiction on Jan 10. Order status hasn't changed yet and I haven't received a response to any of the messages I sent through the PVA site regarding lead time. Hope to see the new barrel in the near future. Super excited to see how it performs.
 
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Have you used their email? And check your junk folder. I emailed them earlier this week and had a response within a few hours.
 
Ordered my 6.5 addiction on Jan 10. Order status hasn't changed yet and I haven't received a response to any of the messages I sent through the PVA site regarding lead time. Hope to see the new barrel in the near future. Super excited to see how it performs.

Chances are, with that uncommon of a caliber, it’s going to be awhile. Additionally, I believe their blanks just got back in stock.
 
anyone had a chance to try out one of their carbon wrapped barrels yet? my osprey 22gt is an absolute hammer, so I'm hoping their carbon barrels shoot just as well.
 
We’ve built several rifles with SS PVA osprey barrels and they have all shot very well.

We would think their carbon wrapped using the same “core” should shoot as well.

As soon as get a few builds under our belt we’ll report back.

Thanks

 
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Chances are, with that uncommon of a caliber, it’s going to be awhile. Additionally, I believe their blanks just got back in stock.
Kind of what I'm worried about. I'd rather just cancel the order if it's going to be forever waiting. I could have GA add a barrel to my order while they're cutting my others. I'm really hoping it all works with PVA though, I've seen some results of guys shooting PVA barrels and I'm excited to try them for myself.
 
Kind of what I'm worried about. I'd rather just cancel the order if it's going to be forever waiting. I could have GA add a barrel to my order while they're cutting my others. I'm really hoping it all works with PVA though, I've seen some results of guys shooting PVA barrels and I'm excited to try them for myself.
You need to reach out and speak to someone via phone or email. I had a 22BR barrel placed on 7/25/21 and it shipped 5/1/22 because of how infrequent people order 22BRs from them. I hope 22GT doesn't repeat this.
 
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You need to reach out and speak to someone via phone or email. I had a 22BR barrel placed on 7/25/21 and it shipped 5/1/22 because of how infrequent people order 22BRs from them. I hope 22GT doesn't repeat this.
Well, I suppose I will have to take time out of my work day to call. They have weird hours and I'm on the left coast so it is a bit of a time difference. I suppose I will send another email too. Thanks for the insight.
 
You’re going to love it. Trying a new powder today with my 223 PVA. 4 different charges and the middle left group is 2 rounds from each powder charge at 100 yards with my magneto speed.

These were shot after shooting 23 rounds straight and no cool down, the last group would be 35 rounds straight. The magneto speed group was probably 40 rounds later and was allowed to cool down before that.
 

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Anyone shooting a .100 freebore 223 osprey with 75g eld's? Seating depth tests haven't gone so good yet and wondering what jump I should use.

So far I've tried .010 to .032, jumping every .003 with no luck.
 
What powder are you using, and also curious what your COAL is, i just ordered the same barrel.
 
Varget and CCI #400 primers. I'll have to check COAL when I get home.
 
Josh did a .223 Wylde for me and I load the 75 ELDs .020” off at 2.470” oal and they happy great with Varget or 8208. I use Fed 205 primers and Hornady and Starline brass.
 
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I might re-test with some gold medal primers and a lower charge of powder. I am at the max charge weight...
 
Broke in my barrel with some pmc and black hills last weekend following the procedure on the website. Just started reloading 75 eldm’s for my .223 pva osprey. I’m using varget and cci 400’s. I started at .015 jump, hoping to shoot these by this weekend and I’ll report back, but open to all your loads/ideas!
 
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Put the first batch of varget and 75gr eldm’s down the barrel. 4 shot groups. One is really promising but only going a little over 2700 FPS according to the book , load b in the pictures. Another promising one is load h, going a hair under 2900, but again I didn’t chrono these. Load h also had a huge flier. I’m not the best shot but I dont think that was me, and Iv gotten good groups from rifles before. Should I load up h and do different seating depths or scrap this combo all together? A-h is .3 gt incrimemts.
 

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Put the first batch of varget and 75gr eldm’s down the barrel. 4 shot groups. One is really promising but only going a little over 2700 FPS according to the book , load b in the pictures. Another promising one is load h, going a hair under 2900, but again I didn’t chrono these. Load h also had a huge flier. I’m not the best shot but I dont think that was me, and Iv gotten good groups from rifles before. Should I load up h and do different seating depths or scrap this combo all together? A-h is .3 gt incrimemts.
If you're changing powders or bullets while you're doing load testing you should be cleaning the barrel, fouling a couple shots, then testing the load. Switching bullets and powders during load development without cleaning can make you want to put bamboo shoots under your fingernails. I've learned this the hard way.
 
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If you're changing powders or bullets while you're doing load testing you should be cleaning the barrel, fouling a couple shots, then testing the load. Switching bullets and powders during load development without cleaning can make you want to put bamboo shoots under your fingernails. I've learned this the hard way.
Ok, thanks for the tip. For this barrel I broke it in per the website, then shot some 77 grain black hills through it. I then took all my measurements and then cleaned the barrel like the break in with just patches to make sure nothing got in there. I loaded 5 rounds of each snd used 1 shot from each to foul/check for pressure. Then I did 4 shot groups with the remaining ones from each load. There’s about 90 shots down the tube now. I think I’ll try my load H again with a few tweaks in each direction and if that doesn’t show promise I’ll clean the gun and switch things up.
 
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If you're changing powders or bullets while you're doing load testing you should be cleaning the barrel, fouling a couple shots, then testing the load. Switching bullets and powders during load development without cleaning can make you want to put bamboo shoots under your fingernails. I've learned this the hard way.

You're making me question my life choices now....
 
Got my shipping notification yesterday, couple days earlier than the 2 week rush timeline.
Very happy, should be here Wednesday
 
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Got the barrel Thursday, had it torqued on that afternoon. First time using a shouldered barrel. Checked headspace and it was perfect.
20230316_200053.jpg

Out now breaking it in as per PVA recommendations. First 5 shots at 100yards. Red circle is eyeball boresite. Adjusted and next 4 shots are just left of the bull.
Needless to say I'm very happy so far, especially in 20mph crosswinds. Hornady Black 105gr
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.
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Shot 45 rounds total today. Barrel seemed to like Hornady Black 105gr and the Berger 95gr Classic hunters. Didn't seem to like the Precision Hunter 103eld-x.
But the weather got pretty nasty during break in, so hard to be 100% blame goes to the ammo or the shooter. Wind was constant from 9 o'clock changing back and forth between sunny 10-15mph and gusting 20-25mph with snow. Kept blowing off my orange stickers
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I have to say PVA is top notch and there barrels always seem to shoot with ease and no issues. Just wish it was easier for 30 nosler ect to get with longer barrels without the wait.
 
Shot 45 rounds total today. Barrel seemed to like Hornady Black 105gr and the Berger 95gr Classic hunters. Didn't seem to like the Precision Hunter 103eld-x.
But the weather got pretty nasty during break in, so hard to be 100% blame goes to the ammo or the shooter. Wind was constant from 9 o'clock changing back and forth between sunny 10-15mph and gusting 20-25mph with snow. Kept blowing off my orange stickers
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If you're changing powders or bullets while you're doing load testing you should be cleaning the barrel, fouling a couple shots, then testing the load. Switching bullets and powders during load development without cleaning can make you want to put bamboo shoots under your fingernails. I've learned this the hard way.
 
Yes I read the post about the cleaning and foulers. I did clean every 5 rounds for the first few groups for break-in.
Shot 1-5 Black - Cleaned
Shot 6-10 Black - Cleaned
Shot 11-15 Berger- Cleaned
Next 2 groups , (Shots 16-25) were all Eld-x
So the 105 Black and 95 Berger showed potential shooting good 5 Shot groups during break in, after cleaning (without fouler)
103 Eldx - Shot the two 5 Shot groups after cleaning and both were larger groups when cleaned+fouled but could have just been ill timed wind gust that opened them up.
Yesterday was mostly about barrel break in, and getting some rounds down the barrel before load development. Which is one reason I bought the Berger factory rounds was for the Lapua brass, the loaded ammo on sale wasn't much more than virgin brass. It shooting nice is a great plus.
I think the initial outing showed the build and barrel have nice potential.
 
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My PVA pre-fit arrived Monday. I finally got a return call from GA precision about my request for them to make a Bartlein Carbon barrel to match the stainless barrel I'm having them make for my TL3. As soon as I get my actions ( they're rebarrelling my curtis helix hybrid 300 prc also) back I will put the PVA on the tl3 and post a couple pictures and thoughts. If this PVA shoots as well as others I've seen I will be using PVA for future barrels. GA is just behind in the times.

They said they could do timed pre-fits without the action in hand; and then waited 3 weeks to tell me they needed my action to guarantee timing of engraving and barrel curvature. Then didn't send an invoice for anything for a few more weeks and they told me from the start it would take them about 4 weeks once they had my barrels, I had barrels sent to them.....over 8 weeks later... they don't even know if they started the work on the barrels.
 
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Does anyone with the PVA barrels shoot factory ammo? Trying to see how they perform with match factory ammo. I have never shot any group bigger than .75 (often smaller) with my tikka using factory match ammo. Would I see a significant improvement going with a PVA? If most of the benefit of the barrel wouldn't be realized unless you handload, it wouldn't' be worth it for me.
 
Does anyone with the PVA barrels shoot factory ammo? Trying to see how they perform with match factory ammo. I have never shot any group bigger than .75 (often smaller) with my tikka using factory match ammo. Would I see a significant improvement going with a PVA? If most of the benefit of the barrel wouldn't be realized unless you handload, it wouldn't' be worth it for me.

Yup I shoot factory ammo in my 6.5 and did in one of my 6 Creed barrels until I just ran out and they shot sub half moa but tough with factory ammo as you never know if one lot won’t shoot as good as another. Putting an ATS tuner on would be a great improver on a barrel only using factory ammo.
 
Yup I shoot factory ammo in my 6.5 and did in one of my 6 Creed barrels until I just ran out and they shot sub half moa but tough with factory ammo as you never know if one lot won’t shoot as good as another. Putting an ATS tuner on would be a great improver on a barrel only using factory ammo.
My tikka isn't threaded, so can't put anything on it. If it was threaded, I'd explore the tuner option you mentioned or the EC tuner brake. Local gunsmith wasn't close to $200 to thread the barrel.
 
Well when you get the PVA barrel make sure to get it threaded. 😉
 
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My tikka isn't threaded, so can't put anything on it. If it was threaded, I'd explore the tuner option you mentioned or the EC tuner brake. Local gunsmith wasn't close to $200 to thread the barrel.
We thread Tikka's for $125 plus return shipping. I don't even take the barrel off the action to do it. In/out in under 2 weeks, typically same week turn time.

Of course, we can simply replace the barrel on the rifle too. ;-)





Next product/service announcement:

Fluting is available for all prefits and for customer supplied blanks. We are not fluting factory barrels.
 

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Got my shipping notification yesterday, couple days earlier than the 2 week rush timeline.
Very happy, should be here Wednesday

Thanks for this. I'm considering a prefit, but don't want to pay the upcharge for rushing if it isn't going to actually be rushed.
 
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Yeah if you pay for the rush it gets done in the rush. Don’t worry about that.
 
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