FartMcClintock
FNG
- Joined
- May 10, 2026
- Messages
- 2
Hello everyone, I recently built a custom rifle and decided to go with a Douglas barrel based on two things
1)Their promised lead time was only 4 weeks, anyone who has ordered a custom barrel knows that's a very short lead time.
2)Their ordering form on the website doesn't require you to choose from a list of actions. You can enter tenon thread specs into a text field and that's what they will cut. This was important to me because I as working with a Browning A-Bolt 2 action, which has approximately zero (0) aftermarket support.
Some things that made me hesitate were a lack of reviews on Douglas Barrels. People say Douglas used to be the business back in the 60s and now theyre not sexy anymore for some reason. Also it was said that they dont lap their bores, which seems like a big miss in the custom barrel market. Another said they dont lap their bores because they have a unique boring and button method that does not need to be lapped. The general lack of information was a little concerning.
There is also an option to request a call from a machinist to discuss what you need, which i have never seen anywhere else.
I ordered a 300 win mag, light target profile, 22 inches long and entered the tenon dimensions I needed.
I did opt to talk to a machinist because this action uses a shouldered barrel and I needed to know how Douglas handles shouldered pre-fits. I spoke to a man in their shop who explained that they will cut the chamber to its full depth and then a gunsmith will need to cut the shoulder back to set the headspace. Okay, good to know.
I asked him if all barrels get the air gauge inspection, or if its only the "premium" barrels. He told me there is no premium option anymore, they all get cut and air gauged the way their premium barrels did back in the day.
He also told me that everyone got sick at Shot Show 2025, so my barrel may be delayed because the shop was short-handed. Bummer.
On the 4th week to the day that I submitted by order, I received the barrel via overnight express shipment. I dont know if they sent it overnight because the 4 week target was coming up or if they send all barrels that way but it was much appreciated anyway.
I found the tenon threads and shoulder diameter to be just as ordered.
I used a bore scope to see how their cut looked. Ive seen smoother bores, and Ive seen rougher bores. I would say that this was about as smooth as a barrel you would get on $1200+ rifle. This was not bad by my standards, considering that it wasnt lapped (it didnt look lapped). The groups on paper will have the final word...
The muzzle threads were a little funny, they didnt go down close enough to the muzzle shoulder. I had to chase them with a 5/8"-24 thread die to get the muzzle brake to attach all the way. Wasnt a huge problem for me but still a little miss on their part.
I did not take my rifle to a gunsmith to cut the shoulder back for headspace. I used the equipment that is available to me to cut the thickness of the recoil lug by .015" which brought the headspace right up to the tight end of SAAMI spec.
All the dimensions checked out. I parkerized the barreled action, bedded the recoil lug to a highly modified Boyd's Quest stock, made sure the custom one-off removable magazine I designed fit (it does). Time to hit the range.
This isnt a thread about load development so the abbreviated story is that this barrel is not picky about bullets, I was able to find a wide accuracy node with Berger Hybrid Target 215s and it shoots great. Consistent .5 MOA performance with the BHT 215 load, ive tested it three times now and the results have been repeatable. Its good to go. A note about the chamber, it seems to have plenty of free bore. As I understand it, these long and heavy modern bullets wouldnt normally fit well in a 300 win mag but I was able to load them fairly shallow in the case and put them .020" off the lands, similar to a 300 PRC.
So I wanted to give the internet some information about the current state of Douglas Barrels because it would have eased my mind before I ordered from them. All in all, I wouldnt hesitate to order from them again. They seem like a well kept secret in a custom barrel market where 12 month lead times and unreturned calls/emails are becoming normal. Stay classy Douglas
1)Their promised lead time was only 4 weeks, anyone who has ordered a custom barrel knows that's a very short lead time.
2)Their ordering form on the website doesn't require you to choose from a list of actions. You can enter tenon thread specs into a text field and that's what they will cut. This was important to me because I as working with a Browning A-Bolt 2 action, which has approximately zero (0) aftermarket support.
Some things that made me hesitate were a lack of reviews on Douglas Barrels. People say Douglas used to be the business back in the 60s and now theyre not sexy anymore for some reason. Also it was said that they dont lap their bores, which seems like a big miss in the custom barrel market. Another said they dont lap their bores because they have a unique boring and button method that does not need to be lapped. The general lack of information was a little concerning.
There is also an option to request a call from a machinist to discuss what you need, which i have never seen anywhere else.
I ordered a 300 win mag, light target profile, 22 inches long and entered the tenon dimensions I needed.
I did opt to talk to a machinist because this action uses a shouldered barrel and I needed to know how Douglas handles shouldered pre-fits. I spoke to a man in their shop who explained that they will cut the chamber to its full depth and then a gunsmith will need to cut the shoulder back to set the headspace. Okay, good to know.
I asked him if all barrels get the air gauge inspection, or if its only the "premium" barrels. He told me there is no premium option anymore, they all get cut and air gauged the way their premium barrels did back in the day.
He also told me that everyone got sick at Shot Show 2025, so my barrel may be delayed because the shop was short-handed. Bummer.
On the 4th week to the day that I submitted by order, I received the barrel via overnight express shipment. I dont know if they sent it overnight because the 4 week target was coming up or if they send all barrels that way but it was much appreciated anyway.
I found the tenon threads and shoulder diameter to be just as ordered.
I used a bore scope to see how their cut looked. Ive seen smoother bores, and Ive seen rougher bores. I would say that this was about as smooth as a barrel you would get on $1200+ rifle. This was not bad by my standards, considering that it wasnt lapped (it didnt look lapped). The groups on paper will have the final word...
The muzzle threads were a little funny, they didnt go down close enough to the muzzle shoulder. I had to chase them with a 5/8"-24 thread die to get the muzzle brake to attach all the way. Wasnt a huge problem for me but still a little miss on their part.
I did not take my rifle to a gunsmith to cut the shoulder back for headspace. I used the equipment that is available to me to cut the thickness of the recoil lug by .015" which brought the headspace right up to the tight end of SAAMI spec.
All the dimensions checked out. I parkerized the barreled action, bedded the recoil lug to a highly modified Boyd's Quest stock, made sure the custom one-off removable magazine I designed fit (it does). Time to hit the range.
This isnt a thread about load development so the abbreviated story is that this barrel is not picky about bullets, I was able to find a wide accuracy node with Berger Hybrid Target 215s and it shoots great. Consistent .5 MOA performance with the BHT 215 load, ive tested it three times now and the results have been repeatable. Its good to go. A note about the chamber, it seems to have plenty of free bore. As I understand it, these long and heavy modern bullets wouldnt normally fit well in a 300 win mag but I was able to load them fairly shallow in the case and put them .020" off the lands, similar to a 300 PRC.
So I wanted to give the internet some information about the current state of Douglas Barrels because it would have eased my mind before I ordered from them. All in all, I wouldnt hesitate to order from them again. They seem like a well kept secret in a custom barrel market where 12 month lead times and unreturned calls/emails are becoming normal. Stay classy Douglas
