Scrap Barrels?

[JJR]

Can someone help me?

Mike Bellm @ bellmtcs.com is selling barrels at what seems to be really low prices, I want to reserve my expensive Bullberry & MGM barrels for Moly bullets. But, I did some research and asked around. Apparently, these barrels are scrap barrels bought from Bergara (BPI) at scrap prices and he is supposedly doing something with them. Does anyone know what? And can they be trusted to shoot the lower pressure loads associated with cast bullet shooting?

I heard Bergara barrel lugs are really soft (similar to the late 90's problem they had with soft steel) and people are reporting loose lock-up due to the slop with the locking bolts. The only way to fix this is heat treating the lug to up the hardness. Last month I bought a Bergara barrel through EA Brown. It has obviously had the lug heat treated, quite sloppy. I tested the hardness, it is RC 37, so it would seem BPI has acknowledged the problem, but what about the thousands of barrels out there sold up to 2010!?

[NoZombies]

Can you give a link to these "cheap" barrels, looking around the site briefly I didn't see them.

As far as the HT issue, he might be doing that as his "modification" but I don't have any personal experience with it.

[missionary5155]

Good Morning and WELCOME JJR !
Good to have you about the place !
I have nothing to add about the barrels... Just wanted to be sure you did not slip through without a greeting.
The old barrels up to about 1840 were VERY soft iron and depended on mass to hold the charges that were dumped into them. So if a barrel made rescently is profiled after origonal designs and fired with origonal pressure guides then there should not be much to worry about.
Modern pressures.... That would take some serious study.