Wow can't believe this thread is as old as it is. That barrel shot everything well and the 300 gr. Nosler bullet seemed a bit tough but still can't fault it in any way. I stayed with Shockey's Gold but this barrel is going to have to burn up some old stock Black and Pyrodex P. A while back my computer died and I guess I lost my way to this forum and just today by accident I found this thread. I traded off the old blued barrel and have been wanting another ever since. My new barrel which I just bought off another forum is Stainless but otherwise like the old one. The new frame is blue not weathershield and it has had new springs put in it. The 270 barrel this frame came with is a true tackdriver. I am going to top it with a 2-7 Leupold and really hope this barrel shoots as good as the first one I had. I did trade the old Encore off on a very nice model 29 Smith which was too pretty to hunt with and it also got traded off.