Thinking about having a rifle built in .224 caliber with a 1-8twist. I know this is a Ford/Chevy type question but: Who makes the best barrel? Lilja, Krieger, Hart, Broughton... other???????

Thanks for opinions. Anyone with specific experience please be as specific as possible.

Thanks again!

It has been my experience that the person who is building the rifle is far more important then the barrel itslef . Those barrels you mentioned are all top notch barrels and should give top notch results.

I agree with what OEH. A bad gunsmith doing a bad ream job, crown or headspace work can make a top notch barrel into garbage with one hit of the lathe.

I have had two of the list you have there. And I am going to go with Dan Lilja next go around. My Krieger shoots great, but copper fouls a tad more than I expected from a barrel like this.

My biggest deciding factor last go around was delivery time. I don't think that is an issue anymore. I think sinclair and others have them in stock these days.

Also, if your unsure of the gunsmiths in your area, Shilen, Krieger and i believe Lilja all will chamber and bed your gun. I have heard nothing but good from people that has done this.

When you are dealing with fully competent professional gunsmiths, there isn't much difference in the quality of the installation. The barrel will be threaded, chambered, profiled, and crowned pretty consistently - and whether it shoots or not will depend on the quality of the barrel itself, as well as other particulars of the firearm and the loads.

These barrels are each somewhat unique - and paying more money for one does not necessarily guarantee they will shoot - just lessens the probability of a "lemon". I have seen factory Remington barrels that could win benchrest matches, and have seen high dollar premium barrels that were fairly mediocre shooters. Also, I have been doing this long enough to have seen certain barrel companies improve the overall quality of their product - and seen others go downhill. So . . . . the bottom line is you roll the dice every time you screw on a new barrel - and you start over again on all your load development.

Key Ingredient and not easily found


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Very true as well

Boy, I wish I could find one of those. My gunsmith did an outstanding job on one barrel job. I mean he matched my FL die headspace by .001". No freebore at all with plenty of bullet in the case. I then got him to rebarrel another gun, and he took over a year. So I started to complain. Wish I didn't. He got it to me with nothing I asked for. I asked for a custom chamber, but he took a used reamer he borrowed, and I had freebore, and the gun doesn't shoot well. We had some words. And I didn't pay him all the money, and that was that. He's fully compentent when he wants to be. But when work piles up, beware.

Did you introduce this guy to Mossy's old girlfriend? Maybe that's why he did you that way

I would have to pick Hart for barrels, but what the others are saying
is also true. If they are backed-up they don't have time for good
quality control. A good gun barrel man is just as good.
I have a friend that got fed-up and bought his own equipment to
do barrels.

Did anyone ever wonder why Savage and Remington's 788 (among the cheapest guns ever made) are also among the most accurate? Is it because they screwed on Hart barrels?.....not a chance.....
Barrel quality is far far over worked as a factor in accuracy.....Now if one wants the difference between a 1/4" group and a 3/16" group one of these makers might be a tad better. However the most of us will be hard pressed to tell the difference between an off the shelf savage barrel and the finest Hart (or other) ever made.
The fitting of the barrel to the action is also critical and many other factors.
If you are a serious bench rest shooter the barrel to pick just might be one of the mentioned barrels. If you're a hunter or varminter the barrel that is best just might be one from A & B or ER Shaw....personally I have used Douglas with excellent results.....but don't get the mistaken opinion that one can buy accuracy just by buying a premium barrel.....You will still be hard pressed to beat some of the elcheapo rifles from Savage......and some of the former Remington 788s

Thats what it was, my gunsmith was spending too much time at mossys house while we were shooting. He should have been working on his backlog.