The time has come (maybe)

[grayfox]

Got an email that my barrel has entered into the production process.

[VASCAR2]

Got the original barrel removed. A local lgs I've used once before, he just set it up, torqued off the barrel. Bam.
Talked with him a few minutes, he built himself a nifty little grendel on a barrel he made, into a mini-mauser action from an international arms (?) older rifle. Looks cool, hexagon barrel and all.

Anyway back home I thought, while I 've got it this far apart why not try and see if that timney I bought couple of years ago (howa 1500, #609 style adjustable), would fit. As I recall it did not but didn't remember why. Turns out the little screw to fasten it to the action underside, is a tad too long, sticks up so the bolt cannot get back into the action. Can't use howa's screw, have to use the timney. Well, what have I got to lose? Took that little screw and my belt sander (the vertical disk) and shortened up that little guy. Voila!! all fits well, so this howa is getting a trigger upgrade as well as the barrel!

Almost as good as bacon n eggs, pancakes and pure maple syrup.

I wonder if that was a Zastava mini action imported by Interarms. My brother bought a 7 mm Mauser with Manilicher stock imported by Interarms in the late 70’s.

[Harpoon1]

So time flies and my Preferred Barrel arrived yesterday, which was exactly 5 weeks to the day from ordering it back on July 18th! Frankly, I had lost track of the time and when I ordered it until yesterday. Anyway, we had a contract, I agreed to pay $150 extra to get the barrel within 3 weeks! They dinged my CC the full amount the day of the order but haven’t refunded any amount for not meeting our agreement!

So I’ve sent them an email via their website, I’m hoping it’s just an oversight but they have/had a reputation for over promising order times in the past, and then not updating/ignoring customers when delays occurred. I’ll let you know what they say/do!

[grayfox]

Mine is "in process of getting shipped." via the email, so if it ships this week it will be 2 months, from june 22.

[Harpoon1]

Mine is "in process of getting shipped." via the email, so if it ships this week it will be 2 months, from june 22.

Nice, that’s impressive, I think they’re still quoting 10-12 weeks on the website! BTW, the finished product looks decent, inside and out! Still has all the chatter marks from button rifling but, the machine work looks decent. We’ll see how they handle this, before I commit to them again!

[Old Bob]

Nice, that’s impressive, I think they’re still quoting 10-12 weeks on the website! BTW, the finished product looks decent, inside and out! Still has all the chatter marks from button rifling but, the machine work looks decent. We’ll see how they handle this, before I commit to them again!

Chatter marks, eh? Will your new barrel require polishing once you have it installed? How much breaking in time & ammo are you looking at?

[Harpoon1]

Chatter marks, eh? Will your new barrel require polishing once you have it installed? How much breaking in time & ammo are you looking at?

No I don’t think so, the chatter marks are just what’s leftover, normal tool marks, from the button rifling process. Looks exactly like every Savage barrel I’ve inspected. I don’t think it’s going to have any effect on accuracy, at least it doesn’t with any of those Savage rifles. Plan to break it in like every other barrel. Clean it to make sure all the oil and crud is out of it, then go put 30-50 rounds through it, depending on what I feel like for the day. Then clean it again and repeat that process until I have somewhere around 200 rounds total through it and call it good. Finish load development, done! Bryan Litz feels like it takes 200 rounds or so for the speed of a new barrel to settle in, be consistent, and why I use the 200 round count. Of course he’s talking mostly about single point cut rifling, that starts off with a smoother bore. May take a little longer for a button rifled barrel to “settle in”.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19905[/ATTACH]

[grayfox]

Have to admit I like how they describe their process. Get a good blank, stress relieve it, do the rifling to a pretty narrow spec +/-, etc.
Might not be a krieger single point cut rifling, but I do expect it to shoot better than the stock howa barrel I took off.
I also like the 5R style vs 4 or 6. Having a groove opposite the land makes for a (Tom Selleck) "more harmonious outcome." At least I think so, and I thought this before I read about their setup.

Anyway, should know soon, both from Harp and me.

[grayfox]

Received the new Preferred barrel blanks barrel, and a howage nut, right about 9.5-10 weeks delivered.
Mounted it up into the Howa, and took out for an initial spin.
I Like what I see.
Second trip was today, so about 40 rounds down-pipe so far.
I think I found my load.
First the Barnes 115 factory is running 2520, SD of ~8 if I recall (don't have my notes from that one in front of me). Good grouping but I didn't measure it, certainly under 1"/100 yds.
But I also did 3 ladders to see how some of my powders would line up. Ar Comp, CFE, H335.
All 3 ran fast but in line with what I figured. Primers, Fed 205's. OALs 2.270 give or take, the brass, Starline brass, 0x fired. All at 100 yds outside. Temps ran 81-85 deg F today. Winds light and variable.

CFE, 30.7-31.6 gr in 0.3's, 2545- to 2591 at 31.6,
Ar Comp, 27.3-28.2 in 0.3 jumps, topped out 28.3 at 2603. Of the 3. this one graphs (excel) out at very much linear, no dips or big bumps, meaning to me the powder is well-behaving.
H335, this one seemed faster than the others and was a bit worried if over pressure, 29.1-30.0 in 0.3's. H335 at the top was 2694, which by my estimates is close or over pressure for a bolt action.
So I picked 2, Ar Comp and H335 for some closer looks.
Loaded Ar Comp, 4 each 27.2, 28.0 and 28.2.
For H335 I backed off some, to 27.5 and 28.3. I set the bullets deeper for these H335's, to 2.250, since the powder didn't take up as much room at these loads.

Ar Comp: 27.2, 2532, SD- 10.1 (+1 fouler, a 100 ttsx that is discounted). 0.672" ctc.
Ar Comp: 28.0, 2596, sd-8.1, 0.380" ctc
and 28.2: 2598, sd-9.9, 0.741" ctc
All groups (even with the magnetospeed) looked decent, with 28.0 looking the best, at 0.380" c-t-c.

H335,
27.5: 2536 Avg, 10.1 sd. 0.631" ctc
28.3: 2615, sd 7.9, 0.892 ctc. This last one in my grt simulation, was high press at 56.7 ksi, so this one would be bolt action only.
The 28.0 Ar Comp, was est with grt at 51.8 ksi.

[cwlongshot]

Good show on Preferred. I had them install there barrel,all cut to my spec and long throated Weatherby VGL (Howa) quote 10-12. Arrived home just shy of 10 weeks. This one is 6mm Rem 1:8 built for 107 Bergers seated base of neck. Hits 3200 fps & 1/2 or less MOA with MULTIPLE loads!!! 4831 & re26 are winners in my gun. I am SUPAH pleased. Ill use them again!!

I will likely build a second mini in spring. This a HB on a Brownells barreled action. BUT if a used mini should appear, Ill grab that and sent to preferred again!! Probably go longer then 20" too plus adjust contour. This would be range toy/ target rig for me. My lwt mini is a shooter too always under 1" sometimes astounding accurate but always satisfying. I just re scoped it with a Hawke 3-12-56 quite possibly my perfect optic.

CW