Is it worth it to upgrade the stock barrels?

[Alan]

A lot of shooters end up making a switch from their factory barrel to an aftermarket option. For those who’ve gone ahead with it, did you experience any noticeable enhancements in accuracy, consistency, or reliability that justified the price tag?

 

[KingSnake]

The only barrels I’ve replaced have been a couple of 1911’s with cracked barrels. I use Kart barrels with great results.

 

[Sgt. Stadanko]

Depending on your shooting requirements, if you reload, the barrel changes can make a big difference. If you use a faster twist barrel you can shoot heavy for caliber bullets for longer distance accuracy/stability, etc. That is one example of many reasons to swap barrels.

 

[oldracer1]

I bought a cheap[e AR, under 400 bucks, a closeout BCA heavy fluted 18" $185, a Timney trigger and a Mueller 8-32 scope. It shoots sub-MOA with Nosler 85 grainers. Under $1000 in the whole setup.

 

[Bottom Gun]

I would definitely shoot it with my desired load before I considered any barrel swaps. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[12insurertough]

I got tired of wasting money on factory rifles.
By the time you buy one for $600, pay a gunsmith $300 to square your action, buy a barrel blank for $350 and have it fitted to action for $450 you now have more into it than buying a precision action and prefit barrels. Dump your factory gun and go with the second route.

 

[Alan]

I got tired of wasting money on factory rifles.
By the time you buy one for $600, pay a gunsmith $300 to square your action, buy a barrel blank for $350 and have it fitted to action for $450 you now have more into it than buying a precision action and prefit barrels. Dump your factory gun and go with the second route.

I can see the logic. If your goal is a true precision rifle, starting with a quality custom action and pre-fit barrel often makes more financial sense than pouring money into upgrading a factory rifle. That said, factory rifles have gotten so good lately that many shooters will never outshoot what a stock rifle can do. It really depends whether you're chasing tiny groups or just a dependable hunting rifle.

 

[12insurertough]

We don’t disagree. If you buy more than you need you also waste money. What I was saying is if you have a factory rifle you want to rebarrel you would be better served by selling it and going the custom route. No gunsmith worth his salt would put a barrel to an action that isn’t squared because it still may not shoot. Then his reputation would be damaged.

A happy middle ground would be the Tikka guns because their actions are so precisely made you can buy prefits for them. Without precise tolerances no barrel company would do that. This removes the time and expense of the gunsmith route. The only downside is you loose the Rem 700 footprint which allows an almost infinite amount of options for stocks, triggers etc.

If the factory gun shoots you win. If it doesn’t you only need a prefit. It’s a win win. UNTIL you start replacing triggers, stocks and bottom metal. Which is what I did till I realized I was still ending up with a gun that at heart was still a factory action.
I

 

[the bullet man]

this should help.

 

[oldracer1]

I have some out of the box Savages that are extremely accurate. Model 12 in .223. 110 Tactical in .308

 

[oldracer1]

Also this was a buddies Savage .338 Lapua, first time shooting. 5 shot group.