Custom barrel makers for G2 contender

[Aldeer]

Any recommendations on custom barrel makers for the G2 contender pistol? I'm looking for barrels in 357 max and 35 remington.

[45nut]

www.ottllc.com

none better imho.

[35remington]

I have both OTT and Bullberry Contender barrels.

I asked him (OTT) to set up my .25-20 barrel for cast, then sent him cartridges sized in my Redding neck sizing die with various lead bullets seated and asked him to give enough clearance for a .259" sized bullet, but not to make the chamber overlarge. Cast bullet friendly throat also specified.

Got just what I wanted. Apparently he uses an EDM process to cut the chamber, and advertises that he can cut ANY chamber dimension so long as the result is safe to fire in a Contender. Any wildcat you can dream up, or any weird variation of a standard chamber is within bounds.

The black oxide finish is a bit coarse and branches and such mark it in the field but it holds oil well. It shows no sign of rubbing off. The finish looks like very fine concentric rings on the barrel.

I'm well pleased with it. By contrast, my original T/C Custom shop barrel in .25-20 was just horrible. The OTT ran around 400 bucks but it's a lead bullet shooter, and jacketed groups run about .25! inch at fifty yards. Half inch groups at the same range with carefully selected lead bullets are routine.

I can recommend the Bullberry barrel as well, and he (Fred at Bullberry) can supply variations in twist to suit your preferences. Not cheap, but worth it. My 15.5" (with brake) barrel for my .35 Remington Contender pistol is rifled 1-14, with 14 inches of chamber and rifled barrel before the brake. My .22 K-Hornet barrel is rifled 1-12, and loves Accurate 1680 behind the 40 grain Hornady V-Max. It took quite a bit of fiddling to get it to shoot lead bullets though, but some of that was due to some mistakes in loading I made along the way - quite a learning experience to get a K-Hornet to shoot lead bullets.

Specify a cast bullet friendly throat. The K-Hornet was set up as a jacketed shooter first and foremost and this lead to some trouble with cast. The .25-20 is a better lead bullet gun anyway.

[tommyn]

got to go with OTT. He has made several outstanding barrels for me.

[Topper]

Here's another vote for OTT.

[jeff223]

Otts are great barrels but you have to wait a looooong time to get one.i had J.D. Jones and the boys build my 15 inch 357max Contender barrel.its a great shooter and their workmamship is second to none.

if your willing to spend the money for a premo barrel go with an SSK you wont be sorry and you dont have to wait that looooong time either

checkout this thread.the bores on an SSK are as smooth as a baby's ass and they shoot cast boolit pretty good too
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=20894

[tommyn]

A OTT barrel is worth the long wait compaired with the other barrels. No one else can give you the chamber you want, not what reamer they have and think is best for you. You pick your chamber size, leade and what ever you want. I talked to SSK only once and that was enough for me. Mike will listen and add helpful hints but in the end you get what you want. Not a flame but explaining the difference in custom barrels and attitude of different barrel makers. I have bought a couple MGM barrel's lately and am very pleased with them but OTT is the Ferrrari of barrel makers.

[jeff223]

Tommy we all know you are an OTT fan but you must admit OTTs are no better than a SSK,MGM or Bullberry.all these companies build their barrels using a premo blanks and if the lockup is good on you frame and the barrel has a flawless crown the gun will shoot.i even ended up with a great shooting Coyote Guns barrel that will shoot with ay of them

i might end up going with an OTT sometime but it will have to be ordered in the fall so the wait time is during the winter when im not shooting anyhow

Tommy would you like to try some of those 35cal Ranch Dog boolits out of your 357max barrel?if you do PM me here or on specialty pistols

[johnly]

I have T/C Custom shop, SSK, Bullberry, VVG, and a couple Bellm rechambers. They're all great barrels, but my both 10" factory 256WM bull barrel and S-14 6mm TCU will give them a run for their money in the accuracy department( less than 0.75 MOA).

In general, current production T/C barrels will deliver near MOA accuracy, if you need that level of accuracy or better guaranteed, go with a custom barrel.

John in Oregon

[Scrounger]

I think we should all ask ourselves just how much accuracy we as shooters can deliver when the question of $200 barrels versus $400 barrels. I do. I know my own limitations and I consider the practical accuracy needs of the barrel in question. Do I need a half-minute barrel, or even a one minute barrel for shooting deer at a power capability imposed limit of about 150 yards? My answer is,"No." If it's Bench Rest competition, a higher level is needed. But for any shooting I'll do, I'd much prefer two $200 barrels to one $400 barrel. I could have bought a BMW or Hummer but my under-developed ego figured a Nissan Frontier would be more than adequate for me.

[Kraschenbirn]

Any recommendations on custom barrel makers for the G2 contender pistol? I'm looking for barrels in 357 max and 35 remington.

You don't specify what length you'd like to have or what you plan to use the barrels for but (unless you're going for out-and-out bench-rest accuracy) you could have a pair of factory .357 barrels rechambered to those calibers for a lot less money than you'd pay for one custom barrel. My .357 Max was rechambered from an old "Super 14" barrel (shortened to 12") and, off sandbags, will shoot 1"-1 1/4" 100-yd groups all day.

That said, I've no experience with either OTT or Bulberry barrels but a lot with SSKs and, outside of going a bit over the top with the reloading data, I've never had a single complaint on ol' JD's barrels or his service.

Bill

[Scrounger]

I don't have a .32 caliber barrel but the urge is there. What kind of ballistics do you think we could get with a .327 Federal chambering in a 20 inch TC barrel? Actually, it'd probably have to be a custom barrel because I don't think they use any .314 barrels, they set everything up for .30 caliber.

[tommyn]

Tommy we all know you are an OTT fan but you must admit OTTs are no better than a SSK,MGM or Bullberry.all these companies build their barrels using a premo blanks and if the lockup is good on you frame and the barrel has a flawless crown the gun will shoot.i even ended up with a great shooting Coyote Guns barrel that will shoot with ay of them

i might end up going with an OTT sometime but it will have to be ordered in the fall so the wait time is during the winter when im not shooting anyhow

Tommy would you like to try some of those 35cal Ranch Dog boolits out of your 357max barrel?if you do PM me here or on specialty pistols

Sorry Jeff but OTT barrels are a level above the others. I wish you lived closer and we could shoot together and show you the difference. I have a RCBS 180 gr mold that puts out a good looking bullet but the way my OTT max is shooting with the Remington 180 gr bullets not going to change anything on that barrel. I have a MGM 357 mag barrel coming to shoot cast bullets in. I appreciate the offer and thanks.

[tommyn]

I think we should all ask ourselves just how much accuracy we as shooters can deliver when the question of $200 barrels versus $400 barrels. I do. I know my own limitations and I consider the practical accuracy needs of the barrel in question. Do I need a half-minute barrel, or even a one minute barrel for shooting deer at a power capability imposed limit of about 150 yards? My answer is,"No." If it's Bench Rest competition, a higher level is needed. But for any shooting I'll do, I'd much prefer two $200 barrels to one $400 barrel. I could have bought a BMW or Hummer but my under-developed ego figured a Nissan Frontier would be more than adequate for me.

Scounger I agree with this, as its what one wants. I guess my over developed ego likes the best. I love shooting small groups so its worth the price to me but understand other's don't care for that. Bottom line is do what makes you happy and if inch groups do it then thats great and if you want smaller groups go for it. My own limitations allow me to go for small groups and love doing it. In fact once I get as small groups as I think I can with a setup then I get bored with it and looking for another challenge. I drive a ford pu with over 200,000 miles on it but still enjoy seeing others drive BMW's and Hummers however I can afford a OTT barrel.

[Scrounger]

I guess I didn't proofread that well enough, I wasn't intending to imply that you or anyone else who buys a custom barrel has an ego problem. Point I was trying to make was that it is pointless to buy a barrel that is far better than you need or can capably use. Factory barrels work very well for most of us rinky-dink shooters.

[tommyn]

I guess I didn't proofread that well enough, I wasn't intending to imply that you or anyone else who buys a custom barrel has an ego problem. Point I was trying to make was that it is pointless to buy a barrel that is far better than you need or can capably use. Factory barrels work very well for most of us rinky-dink shooters.

No offense was taken and none meant. I agree with you on most of it.

[tommyn]

I don't have a .32 caliber barrel but the urge is there. What kind of ballistics do you think we could get with a .327 Federal chambering in a 20 inch TC barrel? Actually, it'd probably have to be a custom barrel because I don't think they use any .314 barrels, they set everything up for .30 caliber.


I furnished OTT with a Douglas .312 blank and got a 32 mag made. Was thinking about the 327 I'm looking for a good .313 or .314 mold to cast bullets for the 32 mag.

[Scrounger]

What did it cost with you furnishing the barrel?

[tommyn]

It is a step barrel meaning full inch dia barrel. I don't know if anyone else offers that. It cost $200 plus at that time $45 for the step feature. Prices have gone up since then I think.

[35remington]

Scrounger, the price category I wanted to be in was the 200 dollar range, but the T/C Custom Shop barrels I purchased ran more like 250 apiece at the time. Most miserable lead bullet shooters I've ever spent money on.

I got forced to cough up the additional 150 because T/C wasn't doing their job. I'd rather pay less myself, which is why I went the T/C Custom Shop route originally, but the chambers had such poor dimensions that they couldn't be salvaged by Bellm or anyone else. Keeping them in the original caliber, that is.

[Scrounger]

Buying something that don't work is never good. If we had to buy from TC, smart way might be to buy in shorter chamberings, then have someone rechamber them correctly. Buy .357 Mag, rechamber to .357 Max, etc.

[jeff223]

Buying something that don't work is never good. If we had to buy from TC, smart way might be to buy in shorter chamberings, then have someone rechamber them correctly. Buy .357 Mag, rechamber to .357 Max, etc.

that is a great idea and that has been done alot of times with TC factory barrels and others.if i remember right Tommy's 357max barrel is a Bullberry 357mag rechambered to 357max by OTT and seeings how Mike at OTT did the rechambering job that barrel is now in a class of its own!!!

OTTs are fine barrels and i have shot a couple of them out in Wyoming a couple of months ago when i was there on the specialy pistols prong horn group hunt.Old Fart owned both of them and we were shooting p dogs out at 550yds.i can't say one bad word about an OTT barrel but they are no better than any other premo barrel.down the road some i might even order a barrel from OTT