Shilen vs Mcgowen Barrels

[D Crockett]

I bought a Mcgowen barrel once never again D Crockett

[country gent]

I have used Kriegers ( 8 ) Harts (2) Lilja and Pac Nors Green Mountain mostly for match rifles (one douglas on a Garand). All were fine barrels. I put a shilen on a martini cadet in 218 bee for a walking rifle. Again a good barrel. I have yet to use a Mcgowen blank but a couple friends have them and no complaints. I used mostly Kriegers cut and handlapped barrels for my service rifles and NRA Match rifles and was always extremely pleased with their performance. I always wanted a Boots Obermeyer barrel but wasnt to be. I would give Mcgowen a try first on a varmit or fun rifle then if all panned out for a match rifle. Follow the match results most give rifle specs. Brux is supposedly making some very good barrels now also. What used to be a real hummer barrel is now almost common place though.

[akajun]

While the Mcgowen barrel company may be in Montana, the owner is a Local Car Dealer in Baton Rouge LA. He also owns a local skeet club and sponsors one of the local F class shooters at my local club with free barrels by the name of Dennis Hafner. I dont know who installs them. Dennis shoots F open, is a High Master, and usually wins the monthly matches outright, hes a hell of a shooter. Now as to his setup, caliber, action, idk I shoot prone during those matches and havent paid attention to his gear, I see him called up at the end off the match so there are some good shooters using those barrels.
That said, I helped assemble a savage rifle in .260 with a co worker a few years ago with a mcgowan stainless bull barrel ready to go from Mcgowan. Now this gun was bedded properly by me and not to toot my own horn but I have built some real tack drivers on savage actions. This gun at best using his handloads would only shoot a 1" group. Is that bad, no, but considering a factory savage generally shoots groups half that size and I have built some bolt guns that shoot on ragged hole I dont consider it good either. If I was building a gun to shoot hogs or a tactical ar, or even a low budget hunting rifle, Id use a mcgowan barrel If I got a good deal on one. A friend on the Navy team told me he shoots exclusivley with green mountian blanks he cuts himself, and he is a High Master and Distinguished so I respect his input so much I recently cut one for my practice gun but have not shot it yet. However when building a competition gun its Krieger or Douglas. Your not paying for an accurate barrel, your paying for the guarantee of an accurate barrel.

[MBTcustom]

However when building a competition gun its Krieger or Douglas. Your not paying for an accurate barrel, your paying for the guarantee of an accurate barrel.

Well said.

[mikej]

the barrel in question finally arrived, roughly 5 months and 3 weeks out. It does appear to be a triumph of form, it certainly is nice looking, dropped it off locally to get chambered today, i'll post range results in about a month. No nicks or chips, no gouges, flutes look very even and the threaded muzzlebrake is seamless. It certainly is nice looking, though i would have appreciated better customer service from the company. From what i understand, they lost a driller and have had trouble replacing him, but I would hope for better (and kinder) communication from the company in the future. If it truly shoots well, i'll consider them again, but will probably try a different company for my next barrel. I'd like to shop companies around a little more. Customer service in many areas of gun sales and shooting supplies seems to be lacking, even if quality is there and i don't see any good reason for this.

[Bad Water Bill]

When friend Harry owned the bbl works he did everything.

Harry ordered the steel,drilled and rifled them then took the bbl into another building (his shop is under his home)as he lives on a hill you can drive directly up to the shop door,where he chambered and installed the bbl to the action.

Next he went to another building where his bluing tanks were and produced a fantastic deep blue finish.

You would probably have to go back at least 8-10 years before you will find any information about the prizes HIS bbls won.

Several of the bbl makers mentioned here went to Harrys shop and he taught them to do the whole job.

The big reason he sold the bbl works as he explained it to me was trying to keep the heat up high enough to prevent any rusting.

As you back out of the parking lot there is a channel leading directly into the Kankakee River so moisture is a big problem.

Harrys work has always been great (going back to the 60s) and he did everything with one hand as the other one was withered.

[mikej]

I know its been a while, but i do have some shooting results for my barrel. Though the wait be long, it is an excellent barrel. Im able to cloverleaf and put holes in holes at 100 yds benchrested. 1/4 to 1/3 moa groups when i'm on and practiced, still 1/2 to a hair bigger when im being sloppy. I've yet to spend more than a day beyond 100 but at 2 and 300 yards, it can still produce less than 3/4ths of a minute, I believe i can get it down to under a half at most distances with more practice. My load is a 150g speer boattail softpoint in .277 with 52g of imr 4831. i may up the juice a little to 53 or 54, but its been a good load for me. I had it chambered locally within a thousandth of an inch from Nate at Bay area gunsmithing. Its the original savage 110 action with a timney trigger set about 2.3 lbs and a choate ultimate sniper stock. I am very happy with the overall result. I hope that in the future that if i order from them again, that i will not have the same issues with time promised vs actual production time as well as communication with their customer service.

[John Taylor]

After years of using McGowen barrels I have quit using them. I had two that were not sized right and sent them back and they refused to do anything about them.Both were suppose to be .451" groove diameter and were closer to .448. I had done all the machine work and had them blued and the customer decided to slug the barrels to see what size bullet to use. He came up with the under size and took them to a local gun smith to have them checked. The local smith came up with the same measurement so he sent them back to me and I checked them and again came up with the same measurement so I sent them back to McGowen. Was told the shop foreman check them with a pin gage and they were right. I'm still trying to figure out how he checked groove diameter with a pin gage. I ended up buying two more barrels, this time from GM, and doing all the machine work again then sending them out for blue. This cost me about $1,000 by the time it was all said and done so I'm done with McGowen. Have been buying from GM and Shilen now.

[phaessler]

I have one of the last of Harry McGowens last barrels, a 22-250AI (2006?) and its unbelievably accurate, shortly after he sold everything to the present owners, and I would be forced to try someone else now. Harry built three barreled actions for me in total , all exceed my expectations and shoot better than I can hold.
I am glad I was able to obtain the ones I have.

[John Taylor]

I heard that a few guy working for McGowen went and started a new barrel making business. This might be the place http://www.x-caliber.net/main/XCAL-page.asp?P=30

[rmcc]

Have a friend that just got his 300 Ultra back from McGowen. I looked it over, wasn't bad, but I am sticking with PacNor barrels.

[johnson1942]

if the bore is straight and it is consistant in diam so the bullet doesnt under size at the back of the barrel it will shoot with the right load and bullet length. to make any barrel shoot as max accurate as possibe send it away and have it vibratory stress relieved. when a barrel has been totally 100 percent stress relieved. it is then better than it was ever ment to be. im a firm believer in the old rubber o ring trick over about 6 inches of the barrel starting at ther muzzle 1 inch back from the muzzle. really cools down any barrel whip even in sonic vibratory stress relieved barrels. fat thick rubber o rings in a row touching each other for 6 inches. any one remember articles about that in gun magazines many many years ago. they used to sell a rubber sleeve to go over the front of the barrel for 75 dollars. why pay that when the o rings cost lest than 10 dollars. every one makes good barrels today but you can even tweek the best of them to shoot better.

[mattw]

I have several of the old Harry McGowen barrels. They range from .221 Fireball, 222 Mag, .223 Imp and 6mm/284, all are bench guns in either welded 700 actions or 40XBR actions. I would not give them up, the 6mm/284 is one of the best doggin' rifles I have ever owned! I am not a great shot, but off of a portable table it can and does hit dogs at 800 yards. We always work in teams, a shooter and a spotter so that shots are confirmed and not BS'ed.

I do not know anything about the business that the son or son's are running. Harry was always a bit slow, but I really expect that when I want the action worked over correctly and the barrel made to my design. I will miss his work and believe it or not I will miss him! He was a very interesting man, very opinionated, but often right! The .221 Fireball and .222 mag will shoot many 5 shot one hole groups at 100 yards if I let them.

[John Taylor]

I do not know anything about the business that the son or son's are running. Harry was always a bit slow, but I really expect that when I want the action worked over correctly and the barrel made to my design. I will miss his work and believe it or not I will miss him! He was a very interesting man, very opinionated, but often right! The .221 Fireball and .222 mag will shoot many 5 shot one hole groups at 100 yards if I let them.

McGowen barrel company was bought out about 10 years ago, no family members. A couple guys from Montana Rifle barrel went over and I got a call from one of the salesman ( John) that I had been doing business with from Montana Rifle who had moved over. They had a little trouble getting the machines to work with the larger calibers at first. I staid with them till they let me down.

[mattw]

All of my barrels are older than 10 years. I do not know anything about quality of the barrels since the sale. Sounds like I will not use them in the future. The old ones would 5 shot, one hole all day if you let them.

To bad!

[Houndog]

If I'm experimenting with a "what if" rifle I will use a lesser known maker's barrel, but when it comes serious time it's a Kreiger, Shilen, Douglas, Bartelin (Kreiger's old crew) or Pac Nor. ALL my Benchrest rifles (short range, F class and 1K) wear 4 groove Kreigers.

[Bad Water Bill]

IIRC Krieger went to Harry to learn how to make bbls.

At least that was what Harry personally told me while BSing in his shop.

[M-Tecs]

I shoot with both Boots Obermeyer and John Krieger. Both Boots and John have stated that John learned from Boots. Going to be ordering some more barrels in the next week or two. I will ask.

[LynC2]

I shoot with both Boots Obermeyer and John Krieger. Both Boots and John have stated that John learned from Boots. Going to be ordering some more barrels in the next week or two. I will ask.

Same thing I have always heard, BTW both make great barrels.

[M-Tecs]

BTW both make great barrels.

Agreed!!!! I has installed about 30 of Boots' and 40 or 50 of John's. Great barrels.