barrel for 30-06?

[rocknwell]

hello. I just bought a Rem 700 sps 30-06 with black synthetic stock. everything is stock and i am going to make improvements over time. one thing i'd like to know is 1: what are some of the better brands for custom/aftermarket barrels? and 2: do barrels come caliber specific (ie: 30-06 barrel for 30-06 action)?

 

[backwoods83]

Krieger, Benchmark, Bartlein, and Lilja are among the best picks. They come caliber specific, not cartridge. A 30 cal barrel typically comes with .308" grooves and .300" lands, your gunsmith will have to chamber, shoulder, crown, and thread it. You will receive it as a contoured blank.

 

[LouBoyd]

hello. I just bought a Rem 700 sps 30-06 with black synthetic stock. everything is stock and i am going to make improvements over time. one thing i'd like to know is 1: what are some of the better brands for custom/aftermarket barrels? and 2: do barrels come caliber specific (ie: 30-06 barrel for 30-06 action)?

I'd suggest you use you factory barrel for at least 1000 rounds of long range practice shooting, preferably in windy conditions. That won't wear out a 30-06. A 1/2 or 1 moa barrel is about as good for practicing doping 10-20 moa wind as a 1/4 MOA barrel.
After that you should have a better idea what you want in a new barrel. It might not even be chambered in 30-06. 270Win, 280Rem, and 338-06 are just barrel swaps. You may decide you need a longer or shorter, lighter or heavier barrel contour. Perhaps a longer throat for lower drag bullets as the Rem 700 action has a 3.6" magazine and the 30-06 SAAM cartridge OAL is only 3.34".

Don't be in too much rush thinking a custom barrel will make you a better shooter. That's not the way it works. Being a better shooter will allow you make better choices in selecting a custom barrel.

 

[rocknwell]

I don't think at all that a "better barrel" will make me a "better shooter". and if you notice, in my original post, I said I would make upgrades over time. a new barrel is the last of my concern. however, I like to have all the information i need ahead of time. that would make me smart. i'm not trying to be too insulting, but my question was not "when" i should get a new barrel. my question is on what kind. i'm simply trying to learn.

 

[winmag]

Aside from some excellent barrel makers already mentioned, add Hart to the top of the pile as well. Brux barrels are becoming.g wildly popular as well.

I don't think Lou was "telling you what to do or when to do it". He was simply offering very sound advise. As you shoot long range more & more, you develop a certain taste for different things for different reasons. Even intended use has an effect on barrel contour choices. Some manufacturers won't flute a barrel with less than a #4 taper. Fancy fluting sometimes requires a #6 taper. Barrel length & taper have minimum lengths for fluting. If your into saving weight, fluting helps, plus it looks cool. However maybe you don't want fluting, & want a factory taper barrel or even a palma contour. For shooting past 1k a heavy rifle helps soak up some external factors, such as heartbeat wiggling crosshairs etc.
Lou, & myself for that matter are simply offering polite advise in reference to the question posed. No one is looking down thier nose or telling you what to do.

Advise is just that. Advise. Take it for what it is, & don't read into what it isn't.
You've been around here long enough to know that. Most long time members (not all) are polite. The newby's here lately are a bit more questionable tho.
Lou is a very respected member, & offers very good advise to just about anybody willing to soak it up. I'm sure he meant no insult whatsoever, but id caution you not to ruffle his feathers either. He's a very polite contributing member, with real world experience, & knows his stuff. In my years here, I've not read a single post of his that was insulting to anyone.
You've been around here a while, contributed a bit, & have earned some respect. Your not a newby. You know Lou is good company.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

It seems everyone has a favorite barrel make. I don't even know the make of the custom barrel on my 7mmstw- someone else built the rifle and moved it in freshly built condition. You want to get a barrel that a smith you trust is comfortable working on. Some guys just don't like certain companies and asking them to work with a company who they had a poor run in with will not earn a favor. Most of the better makers will turn out barrels that will outshoot most people. My stw is outshooting me right now holding .3moa; I believe in the right conditions it would run 1/2 that for three shots and about that for 5 shots. It's tough to prove with North Dakota's wind.
I personally like to get my worth out of a tool and will usually shoot a barrel until it starts to taper off accuracy wise before I make a move. I've owned close to 40 rifles, and quite a few would give my 7stw a run for it's money; a few would beat it soundly. None of the other rifles have had a custom barrel on them.
Most of the people on this site have good knowledge of what they are writing about. I believe waiting was mentioned as the rifle will likely be just fine as is for at least 2000 rounds with upgrades like stock and trigger, not even working on the barrel or action. 30-06 rifles simply do not wear the throat like a 7rum. If it shoots well, get to know a smith and work with them as you go.

 

[Derek M.]

Cut rifled: Oberymeyer, Krieger, Bartlein, Rock, Brux. Any will do.
Button rifled: Hart, Lilja, Broughton, Shilen, PacNor, Schneider.

My 30.06 has a PacNor. I settled on it because the builder got great deals on them and passed the savings on to me.

 

[rocknwell]

first off, Lou, I apologize if I took the wrong approach on your comment. I did feel like my intelligence was insulted a bit. but if that wasn't your intention, i apologize. y'all know a lot more and i'm here to learn. with that said, I do want to have all the "knowledge" i can get so that when i'm putting this stuff into practice, i know what i'm looking for and can make more educated decisions. thanks everyone for the input. moving on, i have another question: what is the difference between a button rifling and cut rifling?