Barrel Recommendations for Savage prefit

[Luked]

Looking to upgrade a couple Savage rifles I have. One is in 6.5CM and the other is my wife's 7mm-08.
Been looking at a Criterion or Shilen. I don't have near the experience with this type of thing like most of you here so looking for some recommendations from you all.

 

[UpNorth89]

I've used several Criterion barrels and all have shot great. Get them from Northland Shooters Supply.

 

[hereinaz]

I've used them, and they shoot. Occasional lemon, but any of the prefit companies are better than most factory barrels. If that 6.5 barrel you have shoots good, I wouldn't worry about upgrading it unless you want different specs.

I have started using Preferred Barrels because I could spec out just what I wanted.

 

[Truck24hr]

I've used Shilens Stainless Select Match with great success.

I tried one from X Caliber once and could never get the accuracy with it. It was an MOA shooter, but never better. I tried countless bullet, powder, and primer combos.

I've stayed with Shilen since

 

[Luked]

Big reason for the swap is The stock barrel isnt threaded and its thin. So threading makes me a bit nervous with the barrel being so thin.
So figure a swap is the best bet.
Plus I want to have the tools and know how as I want to build a 6 Creed and the savage makes for the best budget option for me to be able to do that.
And I like to tinker with stuff

 

[juju]

Like Kenny Rogers said, sell the rifles and get what you want ready-made. I'd investigate other actions in the interest of longevity.

 

[TaperPin]

Looking to upgrade a couple Savage rifles I have. One is in 6.5CM and the other is my wife's 7mm-08.
Been looking at a Criterion or Shilen. I don't have near the experience with this type of thing like most of you here so looking for some recommendations from you all.

I have no experience with Criterion so can’t even guess about them.

Have had 3 Shilen and a number of friends with more. Generally well above average, with some extremely accurate. My 22 creed is a Shilen match grade (not select match) and it shoots well, but not as good as a previous rifle which was ridiculously accurate with a thinner profile. I had a problem barrel with the previous owners and their customer service folks told me to kick rocks, so it was 20 years before trying another. The only bad thing I’ve heard about the current owners was with a rifle that moved a great deal as it warmed up. They told him to kick rocks, so he removed it and mailed it them saying it’s a POS and they can throw it in the trash and stiff him if they want, but it shoots so poorly he didn’t want it back. Upon inspection turns out it had a defect in the steel near the receiver so they did replace it and the new barrel shoots great. Prefits can be ordered directly from Shilen in any configuration, but be aware like many companies today lead times are less of a guarantee and more of a suggestion. A number of guys the past few years have complained about their promptness. I ordered the 22 creed barrel from Midway slightly less than $400 shipped and it arrived two days later, but it wasn’t threaded for a can.

From shooting range gossip and whatnot online, it’s pretty safe to say Preferred can charge a little more than Shilen because it’s a slightly better barrel. Some Shilens will outshoot some Preferreds and visa versa, but on average you get what you pay for.

With any gun part, a dealer will get better results when sorting out an oddball issue than an individual would. That has value when ordering from someone like Hereinaz.

Be aware that companies that offer prefits made from various barrel manufacturers and do their own chambering are not all created equal. How it’s chambered can be as important as the barrel maker. It’s like having a motor rebuilt - they don’t have to be fancy, but they have to care or the results aren’t good.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Like Kenny Rogers said, sell the rifles and get what you want ready-made. I'd investigate other actions in the interest of longevity.

And what, pray tell, are you basing this recommendation on?

To the OP, Criterion makes a good barrel, as does Shilen. I doubt you will be able to tell the difference between them. I would say whichever you can get with the specs you want faster should be your decision.

 

[juju]

And what, pray tell, are you basing this recommendation on?

To the OP, Criterion makes a good barrel, as does Shilen. I doubt you will be able to tell the difference between them. I would say whichever you can get with the specs you want faster should be your decision.

A Kenny Rogers banger, obviously.

And also having run some Savage actions until they went clunk clunkity clunk clunk. And then bobbled a round. Yay.

 

[TaperPin]

I can’t say I’ve ever been around a savage at the range that wasn’t as reliable as any other. To the contrary, that action has been around since the early 1960s and has a great reputation for reliability and accuracy. I have no doubt a 1/2 MOA barrel would shoot just as well if it was unscrewed from a $1500 custom and installed on an untrued Savage. If you’re looking for a 1/4 MOA or better rifle, sure go a high dollar custom route, but even then many 1/4 MOA varmint rigs have been built on factory actions, including Savages.

If anything, the large number of custom actions people are putting together with less than ideal combinations of stocks, bottom metal and magazines provide non stop entertainment from jams and failure to feed the first round. My favorite question is often, “Is that a feature you pay extra for?” If they don’t snarl too much I might even follow it up with, “Does practice clearing pistol jams help with that rifle?” *chuckle*

1000 yard Texas Plinking, or Eric Cortina challenges have multiple feeding failures with custom rifles every episode.

 

[Luked]

I 100% get the point of "get what you pay for"
I just money wise cant justify a really high end customer to begin with. Nothing wrong with the guys that can, I am just not one of them.
I'm sure there are a lot here that have more in a custom than I have in pretty much every rifle I own.
I jsut do what I can with what I have.
I have like a lot of others here gravitated more to the smaller calibers and am really enjoying them much more than the big bores.
The biggest reason for my question was to get opinions on these barrels and appreciate the opinions good and bad as this is still new for me.
I really like the Savage I have and its been a tank for me for hunting. Dropped it 15 feet out of a tree last year. Scope was off but it has never failed to fire for me. I have done some add on stuff to it, bilt lift kit, extended bolt knob etc. and its made it much better too shoot.
The Barrel swap and a different stock is next up.
But with plans to get a can this year that is also high on the priority list and the only threaded barrel rifles i have are ARs.

 

[Halligan]

@Luked, found this thread thinking the same question. I would not feel in anyway short changed shooting a savage from an accuracy/quality standpoint, especially with 110/111. Pretty much every savage I’ve shot over the last ten years has been a shooter, including my 243 win varmint (boringly accurate @ 500 yds).
In a way, it’s a phenomenal prefit host due to its floating bolt head, which allows the bolt to “blueprint itself” to the barrel (within reason). This is the often forgetten about design feature of modern savages that predisposes them to good accuracy.

Additionally my experience has mirrored yours, savages may be more utilitarian, but the things work.

 

[MuleyFever]

I've had good luck with McGowan. Pick the barrel you want, send in your rifle and get it back with the new barrel. They charge $100 to do the swap.

 

[JollyRoger]

I’ve got a Criterion from NSS and it shot fantastic. If I was doing another savage I’d defintely give them a call