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Barrels
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2025 11:11 am
by Greyhound
Hello Shooters,
I'm looking to have a barrel chambered in 7mm 284 win for F open. The builder can get Lothar walter, IBI and Swan barrels. I am not familiar with these barrels. Does anyone have any experience with these barrels? Generally all I see is benchmark, brush, Krieger!
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2025 1:08 pm
by Benji
My wife’s 6bra is using an ibi because she wanted spiral fluting and if you can’t shoot you might as well look good missing. It shoots well only 300 rounds in though.
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2025 3:37 pm
by GuyLuke
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2025 4:02 pm
by Guy
Hi
7mm have Bartlin in stock, would be my go to . And the q store have Benchmark in stock as well both more main stream for f class
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2025 5:59 pm
by MattyG
I can vouch for Lothar Walther barrels, mine shoots lights out!
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2025 6:23 pm
by Greyhound
Thanks guys. I appreciate the feedback. I remember a rifle builder said to me once when I wanted a particular barrel which he didn't stock. He said "Someone wins a match with a Krieger, then everybody wants a krieger". He said "If the barrel comes from a reputable company and you have good action, rifle, load development, then you can win with anything". Is this a fair statement?
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2025 8:22 pm
by disb
You won’t go wrong with a Swan.
Grant makes a good barrel.
I have 30” 1.25” straight 9 twist Swan looking for a home.
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2025 8:42 pm
by Tim L
Greyhound wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 6:23 pm
Thanks guys. I appreciate the feedback. I remember a rifle builder said to me once when I wanted a particular barrel which he didn't stock. He said "Someone wins a match with a Krieger, then everybody wants a krieger". He said "If the barrel comes from a reputable company and you have good action, rifle, load development, then you can win with anything". Is this a fair statement?
Not really, no.
You kinda need to be able to shoot it aswell
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2025 8:47 pm
by willow
There are some 7mm Bartleins available right now at 7mm. Buy one of those. At least that's what I would do compared to the others mentioned which you can get.
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2025 8:13 am
by BATattack
If you put a value on your time a quality barrel is cheap.
You spend a lot of time scratching your head, trips to the range, wasted components testing and end up stuck with a barrel that shoots "ok".
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2025 6:27 pm
by Greyhound
Time has a lot of value. Good point.
Re: Barrels
Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2025 7:18 pm
by PeteFox
It doesn't take long to burn up the difference in cost in wasted ammunition shooting with an average barrel, discovering along the way that an average barrel is in fact average.
Cheapest way is buy the best barrel you can and save the ammunition.
Re: Barrels
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2025 10:16 am
by MarkS
A fair bit of experience, mainly in 6mm, with Bartlein, Proof, Krieger, Hart, IBI and just now running my first Swan.
You will not here a bad thing about Benchmark
Guys are now bringing CRB into Aus too - used to be Hawk Hill.
If you want a 100% guarantee barrel will be excellent (as long as smith does their job), go a Bartlein.
They shoot very well, every single time.
APRS in Adelaide carry them amongst others.
Krieger are fast from the go MV wise and have a longer round life than any brand we have used.
Proof have all shot VERY well for me.
Hart shoot well, nice to support a NZ company.
The Swan I have just started using is fast, about 35fps up for charge, and shoots as well as any barrel I have used. Machining by Grant as Swan is excellent, very clean cuts. Good to support an Aussie company too.
IBI - for a hunting gun, go for it. For a comp rig, no way IMO. Slow and very erratic results barrel to barrel.
As for component priorities, excluding a must for true high end glass, the barrel is THE main factor in ease of LD and overall performance of a comp rig.
Buying a "cheap" barrel actually costs way more over the lifecycle of that barrel/chamber job.
Re: Barrels
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2025 4:20 pm
by superx10
Brux do an excellent barrel as well, coming out of SA .
Re: Barrels
Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2025 9:18 pm
by Fire Dog
I can give you a recommendation about SWAN as I have two rifles that are using their barrels and also very good results with Benchmark and has been my pick twice for my 6 BR F Open rifle.
Swan being an Australian company and located in the Brisbane area can make you one to custom choice/design and can also supply gunsmithing as well. Give them a call after looking at their site and see what they offer.
They did a custom profile for my 338 Federal build and having very good results with one of their 7mm barrels in my F Open rifle.MarkS wrote: Mon Apr 28, 2025 10:16 am
A fair bit of experience, mainly in 6mm, with Bartlein, Proof, Krieger, Hart, IBI and just now running my first Swan.
You will not here a bad thing about Benchmark
Guys are now bringing CRB into Aus too - used to be Hawk Hill.
If you want a 100% guarantee barrel will be excellent (as long as smith does their job), go a Bartlein.
They shoot very well, every single time.
APRS in Adelaide carry them amongst others.
Krieger are fast from the go MV wise and have a longer round life than any brand we have used.
Proof have all shot VERY well for me.
Hart shoot well, nice to support a NZ company.
The Swan I have just started using is fast, about 35fps up for charge, and shoots as well as any barrel I have used. Machining by Grant as Swan is excellent, very clean cuts. Good to support an Aussie company too.
IBI - for a hunting gun, go for it. For a comp rig, no way IMO. Slow and very erratic results barrel to barrel.
As for component priorities, excluding a must for true high end glass, the barrel is THE main factor in ease of LD and overall performance of a comp rig.
Buying a "cheap" barrel actually costs way more over the lifecycle of that barrel/chamber job.