what are your top/favorite barrels?

[recurve]

What are your favorite barrels Green mountain , Getz, Rice,  Colerain and why ?

[rich pierce]

Availability is important. There is no magic as far as I know that would make one more accurate than another.

[Daryl]

I've had VERY accurate barrels from GRRW, Bill Large, Les Bauska, Green Mountain, Goodoien.
My new Rice .36 bl. seems accurate but I haven't put in enough time testing it to say. Same
with the Getz .50 bl. I have.  Much depends on what your expectations are. 

There are other barrel makers out there. One, who call themselves H&H, but have nothing to do
with the old top-end gun making firm of Holland and Holland of England. There is also Ed Rayle
and Bobby Hoyt, reputed to make good barrels.  I've never had a Coleraie barrel, so cannot
comment on them either.

[hanshi]

Several barrel makers are represented in my stable.  Let's see, now; there's Rice, GM, Colerain, H&A and a couple more I can't recall.  None rise to the top, as best I can tell they are all about equal.

[Ky-Flinter]

In this order:

#1 Charlie Burton, http://fcibarrels.tripod.com/ well made, breeched correctly and accurate.
#2 Rice, also well made and accurate, but check the breech plug fit.  I've gotten some that weren't fitted correctly.
#3 Getz, also well made and accurate, but can you order a new one anymore?  NOS ones sell for "collectable" prices.
#4 Colerain.  I'm currently building a rifle around a Colerain barrel, but haven't shot it yet.  The machine work in the bore seems to show some chatter marks and the outside isn't finished as well as Burton or Rice.

-Ron

[Frank]

All I ever used back in the 80s and 90s were Getz barrels and they were all tack drivers. Use mostly Rice barrels now because of availableity.

[kudu]

I have three Rice barreled Guns, that shoot good. But one of them is hand lapped at my request that shoots very nice.

I also Have  "Huge Tonjes- Blacksmoke" 50 cal. Barrel  That shoots Teflon patching Real well.

[Lucky R A]

     Having built well over 350 guns, I view barrels from several different aspects.  As Rich said availability is important as is price.  Colerain has been my top supplier for quite a number of years, and delivery is usually spot on.  Rice barrels makes a wide variety of profiles and this is where I go when I need a specialty production barrel.  The exterior of a Rice barrel is nicer than Colerain, but there is a price for that nice finish.  When I need a truly custom barrel Ed Rayl is the go to guy.  There isn't much that he can not make and at a reasonable price.
      Accuracy,  I have not had any barrel that would not shoot acceptable groups.  I shoot and adjust the sights on every gun I build.  Obviously, I do not have time to get into load development as Daryl does, but using pretty standard loads i.e. like 70 gr,3f, 490 ball and .015 patch in a 50 cal.  all have printed nice groups.  Some have shot tighter than others, but then I might have been having a good day.  I have heard some blast Colerain's barrels, but I have clients who have awards from Friendship competition that were shot using Colerain barrels.   The barrel makers like the rest of us are trying to put the best product out at a competitive price as they can.  All are good, some individual barrels may be better than others.  Remember Winchester made a big deal out of their 1 in1000 promotions so even in their barrels some were better than others. 

Ron

[Darkhorse]

My Rice barrel was better finished, inside and out, no chips in the breech threads. It took many shots to get the barrel shooting it's best but now it's capable of really tight groups at 50 yards.
My Colerain needed draw fileing on the outside. The breech threads were full of tap chips. But it basically shot good right off, it has and will shoot one hole groups at 50 yards with a variety of lubes and patch thickness's
I can't really tell which one is  more accurate as the Rice is a .40 and the Colerain is .54, but I'm giving the edge to the Colerain.
Of course this is after much charge, patch and lube testing over several years.

[Roger B]

Virtually any custom or production maker will turn out barrels that have more inherent accuracy than we usually get out of them. And everyone will rarely turn out a clinker, but a good maker will stand behind their product.  If you find or order what you want from a well known maker, order or buy it with confidence.  My favorite was a Ron Long barrel, but I have two of Hugh Toenjes that could edge it out.
Roger B.

[Marcruger]

A friend has two shallow-rifled round bottom Colerain barrels in flinters. Very accurate, and easy to find appropriate patching. Easy to clean too.
I have a lot of direct experience with Green Mountain barrels. They are super accurate, and are not fussy or finicky. The firing line at Friendship is full of GM barrels for a reason.
Jason at Rice stands behind his products.
God Bless, Marc

[Robby]

[wattlebuster]

I have Burton, Rice, an Colerain an all have been shooters. The Burtons come better finished on the outside an the Rice are nearly finished as nice. The Colerains required quite a bit of draw filing but thats my only complaint about them. As far as just shooting all shoot really good. Burton will cone the barrel for you if you want which I like an maybe thats why Ive always went to him more than the others

[shifty]

   
    Robby ,I hear ye those were the days !

[smallpatch]

Rice...... here's my take.
When you turn over a new rifle to a customer, the last thing I want to tell him, ..... you'll have to shoot it 200 to 300 rounds to smooth it out before it will shoot well.

First seven rounds out of a new Rice barrel.  No load work up.

[45-110]

Won lots of matches with my favorite old rifle that has a Sharon .54 barrel. I like my Getz,  Green mountain and H&H barrels too.
kw

[BOB HILL]

I have used barrels from most of the popular makers and never had any complaints with any of them. I use more Rice barrels than the others. I have been using them since they started and have never had any trouble getting what I need in a timely manner.
Bob

[Turtle]

 Shallow grooved round bottom rifled Colerain barrels? Is this something special, or all Colerain round bottomed rifled barrels shallow as compared to rice?

[oldtravler61]

 Barrels for me it's FCI Burton barrels. Finish excellent. Accuracy excellent.
Second would be Rice on current product. Ed Rayle for any specialized barrel. But I do have a 46 inch Getzs barrel on my Lancaster that is an excellent barrel. But they are very hard to find anymore. Green mountain an Coleraine
are very good also. JMHO.  Oldtravler

[Blacksmoke]

Here are a few "proof" targets  shot with my hand rifled barrels from my rifling bench.  Targets were shot at 100 yds. with no wiping between shots.      Hugh Toenjes

[Dennis Glazener]

I have used barrels from most of the popular makers and never had any complaints with any of them. I use more Rice barrels than the others. I have been using them since they started and have never had any trouble getting what I need in a timely manner.
Bob

I am with Bob, mostly Rice barrels, next would be Getz then a sprinkling of Green Mountain, Colrain, Rayl, Hoyt and a Burton fowler. I can truthfully say not a bad one in the bunch. Oh almost forgot the best shooting barrel I have owned was a 45 caliber Numrich Arms. It had shallow grooves and a real slow twist but boy would it shoot.

The only barrel I could not get to shoot was on a Cabela "Hawken" style. I would hit better with a slingshot!  Would not shoot bullets, slugs or round ball, a real dog and it was my first 50 cal and I have not cared for a 50 cal since!
Dennis

[Marcruger]

Hi Turtle,

"Shallow grooved round bottom rifled Colerain barrels? Is this something special, or all Colerain round bottomed rifled barrels shallow as compared to rice?"

Just Colerain's standard barrels.  It appears to me that their round grooves are maybe .012 deep.  My buddy's Tip Curtis rifles do not need super thick patching, shoot great, don't have blow-by, and are easy to clean.  I don't own a Colerain barrel (yet), but his are convincing examples.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy a rifle with a Colerain or build a rifle around one. 


Best wishes and God Bless,  Marc

[bob in the woods]

I have used all the makes listed, as well as barrels from Long Hammock . It comes down to availability re the caliber/gauge
and profile I'm looking for.  All of them have shown to be capable of shooting better than I can hold. Finish wise, C. Burton, Rice, Getz, and E. Rayl are my favourites    We are really lucky to have the variety of profiles etc of barrels today. I remember when straight oct. was the norm.

[Mike Brooks]

I like them all, never had one that wouldn't shoot. As I get older and fall apart more I like barrels with a good exterior finish so I have to file it less (Colerain sucks on the outside), Kind of a trivial thing though. Oh, I find Rayle barrels too much work to file out, too blasted hard, they do shoot good though.
 Come to think on it, I have found Colerain Breech plugs to not always be symmetrical lately, that is they are lopsided, a VERY annoying discovery after you have already inlet it. How does that happen anyway?

[moleeyes36]

I've had barrels by GM, Douglas, Rice, FCI, Paris, Hugh Toenjes, and Oregon Barrel Co.  The only lemon I ever had was the one and only Oregon Barrel I ever owned; it was drilled off center.

Mole Eyes