45 colt octagon stainless barrel blank

[micky_blue]

Anyone have any idea of a barrel maker that makes one? I want to convert an 1894 44 mag to 45 colt. The gun is stainless so I want to stay with a stainless barrel but if I can I really want an octagon barrel. I have looked at Pac Nor, Shillen, Douglas, and either I am missing it or can't find it.

If you can point me in a direction I would appreciate it.

thanks
micky

[micky_blue]

subscribing - what an idea, subscribe to your own thread, whoda thunk it?

[BABore]

Check with Geen Mountain or Montana. They used to go by Montana Rifleman, but IIRC it has changed. They will likely run between $300 and $400.

[micky_blue]

Green Mountain makes an octo but not one in stainless. I think I am just going to use the Green Mountain and have the gun cerakoted (spelling).

[BrettT/C]

I have heard good things about McGowen Precision Barrels. they have stainless pistol caliber barrels and they will fit the too. Here is a link.

http://www.mcgowenbarrel.com/catalog2.htm

Good luck and keep us posted.
Brett

[waksupi]

I have heard good things about McGowen Precision Barrels. they have stainless pistol caliber barrels and they will fit the too. Here is a link.

http://www.mcgowenbarrel.com/catalog2.htm

Good luck and keep us posted.
Brett

No No No! McGowen is a disaster! They are about three miles from me. Send your money, but don't expect a good barrel! They are not the same company that they were back east.

[waksupi]

Check with Geen Mountain or Montana. They used to go by Montana Rifleman, but IIRC it has changed. They will likely run between $300 and $400.

It is now Montana Rifle Barrel Co.

One of the best barrels on the market.

[BABore]

I'm happy with mine. I put one of their octagon bbls on my 450 Marlin GG.

[fireball168]

You've been working Mcgowen over pretty good on here for the last couple of years.


No No No! McGowen is a disaster!

Send your money, but don't expect a good barrel!


A short time later, the local business paper had a full page article about the company, with the owner running off about having sold over 1500 completed rifles that year. I knew that was BS, there was no way they were set up for it.


Whoa! You guys buying from McGowen in Kalispell? Unless things have changed in the past year, don't give them much money up front!


Yeah, they are making things happen alright. There was a full page story on them in our local paper. They recently overstated thier production outrageously. Made claims of having sold over 17,000 firearms last year, when they hadn't sold any.

We tried several of thier barrels, and had a 50% reject rate.


I send McGowen money frequently, ever since they bought the operation from Harry, and before.

They send great barrels back in return, in a reasonable length of time and at a more than fair price.

I haven't "rejected" one yet, nor have I lost any money in paying up front.


Are these the articles you've previously quoted?

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_9ba77d5d-4b97-58e3-82f8-15ed01441961.html

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_9d6737ea-d7af-5c49-9652-7f648b1798c7.html

[waksupi]

You've been working Mcgowen over pretty good on here for the last couple of years.
I send McGowen money frequently, ever since they bought the operation from Harry, and before.

They send great barrels back in return, in a reasonable length of time and at a more than fair price.

I haven't "rejected" one yet, nor have I lost any money in paying up front.


Are these the articles you've previously quoted?

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_9ba77d5d-4b97-58e3-82f8-15ed01441961.html

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_9d6737ea-d7af-5c49-9652-7f648b1798c7.html

Part of the Billings article is. If you notice they claimed to be making 1500 rifles a year. The BATF also read that, and asked them for paperwork on those rifles. There was none. Zero. They had produced no rifles. The barrel production numbers are wildly inflated.
They can not keep employees. They have a hard time making payroll, and have sold some of their personal guns to keep bill collectors off of them.
Suit yourself, this is a local company, in an area with a lot of firearms related businesses. The word travels pretty quickly about a company that doesn't deliver.

[John Taylor]

I use quite a few McGowen barrels and I am a dealer for green mountain. GM does not always have what I need. I got in 7 octagon barrels from McGowen and I must say they look good. If I do an octagon here I have to spend time draw filing, the ones from McGowen only need polish. They will make up just about anything you want when it comes to barrels
The owners use to work for Montana rifleman. I'm not sure what happened but a few left Montana rifleman and bought McGowen. It took a shot time for them to get all the machines straitened out and working properly but I have had very good success with their barrels.
A Green mountain octagon barrel will need to be draw filed.

[fireball168]

If you notice they claimed to be making 1500 rifles a year.

"They", being the newspaper.

Since you misquoted the article yourself, by 15,500 units - I'd say there's a pretty fair chance the reporter might have as well.

[McGowenBarrels]

Part of the Billings article is. If you notice they claimed to be making 1500 rifles a year. The BATF also read that, and asked them for paperwork on those rifles. There was none. Zero. They had produced no rifles. The barrel production numbers are wildly inflated.
They can not keep employees. They have a hard time making payroll, and have sold some of their personal guns to keep bill collectors off of them.
Suit yourself, this is a local company, in an area with a lot of firearms related businesses. The word travels pretty quickly about a company that doesn't deliver.


I've written the response to the quote above multiple times. But being very accustomed to this kind of stuff I know that if I don't write it just right, then someone will go in there, turn my words around and make me and the company look like idiots.

I can say without a shadow of doubt that what is quoted above is in error. The article written was actually written in a local paper and was then republished in numerous other newspapers. The number of rifles that is says we produce was taken out of context in that what was said was that we are working towards that goal. McGowen actually doesn't manufacture any rifles. Our sister company "American Gun Company" is the rifle company that is working on several different projects to produce actions, barreled actions and complete rifles. Unlike other so-called rifle companies, we feel that it is important to ensure that what we produce is high quality, therefore we are not interested in "rushing" anything out just to say we are a rifle company. Experience has taught us that doing so might get you out there right away but the backlash from producing a inferior product will live with you and the company forever. We will not ship 1 rifle, barreled action or action without it being right. As to the "over-inflated" production numbers, while we may not produce thousands and thousands of one-size-fits-all barrels, our production capability has only scratched the surface. We do not accept huge one-size-fits-all orders as we know from experience that you cannot live on these high volume, low profit orders and that the vast majority (something like 95%) of our customers are independent gunsmiths, small manufacturers and retail customers. Just like American Gun Company, we will not ship out a product that has known issues. I would rather disappoint a customer because we didn't ship as quickly as we could than to send them something that we know is not right. We are not perfect by any means, and if any company out there thinks that they are, they are just fooling themselves. Our reputation was built on providing a very good product at a reasonable price and in a reasonable time-frame. We know that not everyone is going to like our products, but we will still do what we can to help the customer out in any way that we can. I've even turned down orders because I thought another company could do the work for them better. Yes, I have recommended other barrel companies.

The other issues that are quoted are also in error. I'm not sure who this person is that wrote them, but I would be interested in knowing their name so we can check our records to see whether we have done any business with them in the past. I realize that most likely we will never know who they are or what their motive is for writing what they did. And I also realize that I will get some responses to this asking questions that I may not be able to answer. Not because I don't want to answer them, but because frankly what happens within the walls of McGowen Precision Barrels is company business and being that this is not a publicly held company, it is nobody's business but the companies.

I can tell you this. McGowen Precision Barrels may have hit a few bumps along the road in the past, but the company is stronger than ever and is constantly upgrading its personnel and production capabilities.

We strive for the best and will not settle for anything less.

Regards,

Dan W
McGowen Precision Barrels

[45nut]

Well Dan I'll welcome you aboard and quote you and applaud you for the admission of a fact that is so often denied:


We are not perfect by any means, and if any company out there thinks that they are, they are just fooling themselves.

It is admirable to accept that, it's what you do with that knowledge that can make or break you in any endeavor.