I know they've been around a long long time and their reputation used to be good, but now I'm hearing some not so good reviews that have me wondering if the quality is still good. I know there are "better" barrels out there and I am sure there are worse. I'd just like to hear from some of you that have used them recently and your opinion. I don't want to dump money in a barrel that's no better than a decent factory barrel. Thanks!
Douglas Rifle Barrels
- Thread starter pyscodog
- Start date
Winny Fan
New member
Originally Posted By: pyscodogI know they've been around a long long time and their reputation used to be good, but now I'm hearing some not so good reviews that have me wondering if the quality is still good. I know there are "better" barrels out there and I am sure there are worse. I'd just like to hear from some of you that have used them recently and your opinion. I don't want to dump money in a barrel that's no better than a decent factory barrel. Thanks!
What specifically have you heard? Poor accuracy? Other issues?
What specifically have you heard? Poor accuracy? Other issues?
One guy I talked to said they shot out really quick. But its not going on a rifle that will see high volume shooting, so that didn't bother me. IIRC, one guy said they aren't any better than a factory barrel. Another said they don't lap their barrels and another guy says that they do. Just stuff like that. I was thinking of re-barreling my 788, either back to 222 or 20VT. I had a Douglas on a 257AI years ago and it shot good. Douglas has good prices and a pretty quick turn around time. I liked that. I know there are better barrels but I'm just looking for a good shooting barrel, not bench rest or F-Class. We all know the internet, there is always going to be negative reviews on anything and everything.
I've had them rebarrel 2 recently. One was CZ527 that I had them do 20vt on. The second one is a tang safety Ruger 77 in 22-250. Both are premium air gaged, machined great, no chatter in rifling, chambers are tight, throated correctly. And both shoot very well. No copper in either barrel. Turnaround on the CZ was 3 weeks, on the Ruger it was 6 days from the day I sent it until it was back on my step. No complaints here!
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With regard to "the guy" that told you Douglas barrels were no better than a factory barrel, yeah, I wouldn't listen to anything he had to say because he either has a personal issue with them or he simply doesn't know what the he11 he's talking about.
As to whether they lap their barrels, why would you waste any time asking on the internet when you could just give Douglas barrels a call and they'll be happy to answer any and all of your questions. Then, you'd have first hand information instead of other.
As to whether they lap their barrels, why would you waste any time asking on the internet when you could just give Douglas barrels a call and they'll be happy to answer any and all of your questions. Then, you'd have first hand information instead of other.
DannoBoone
Active member
I had a .22-250 barrel replaced on my 788 with a Douglas. It
hasn't been shot much since, so I cannot tell you anything about
barrel life, but it shoots around 1/2 MOA, and the bore is easy
to clean.
I have since lost contact information....anyone have it?
hasn't been shot much since, so I cannot tell you anything about
barrel life, but it shoots around 1/2 MOA, and the bore is easy
to clean.
I have since lost contact information....anyone have it?
Winny Fan
New member
Did you personally talk to these people you're referencing or did you just read and recite what Google provided?
I've regularly used Douglas barrels for years for big game hunting calibers (to me that means 6MM and above), and I've never had any complaints. That stated, if I'm buying a custom barrel from anyone, I don't buy the lowest grade that they produce. To me that's like buying a Ruger American rifle expecting it to be a family heirloom. In the past year I bought two Douglas barrels in .224" bore to replace a couple of less than stellar factory barrels. Both were definitely a huge step up in quality in terms of accuracy and cleaning ease.
From the Douglas web site in case you were wondering:
GRADES OF BARRELS AVAILABLE
Standard grade is a barrel that meets our dimension specifications but may have a minor amount of curvature. Truly, however, I see barrels in our scrap that are straighter than most factory barrels. A PREMIUM grade barrel is one that has been judged straight in checking. It will be marked with the symbol XX to designate this.
AIR GAGED QUALITY
In the process of checking our barrels all are checked with air gaging equipment. In so doing we find some that are more uniform than others. Those that measure .0001" or less variation from one end to the other are classed as air gaged. This does not mean that should you order a barrel of a lower quality grade that you might not receive a barrel that would have graded AIR GAGE but it does mean that if you specify AIR GAGE you will get a barrel with the tolerance indicated above.
You will find that most of our basic barrels are marked for the muzzle end. In the process of air gaging we mark the tight end as being the muzzle. Some people feel that the taper should be to the muzzle, others say that it makes no difference. At any rate the barrel is marked so the choice is yours.
I've regularly used Douglas barrels for years for big game hunting calibers (to me that means 6MM and above), and I've never had any complaints. That stated, if I'm buying a custom barrel from anyone, I don't buy the lowest grade that they produce. To me that's like buying a Ruger American rifle expecting it to be a family heirloom. In the past year I bought two Douglas barrels in .224" bore to replace a couple of less than stellar factory barrels. Both were definitely a huge step up in quality in terms of accuracy and cleaning ease.
From the Douglas web site in case you were wondering:
GRADES OF BARRELS AVAILABLE
Standard grade is a barrel that meets our dimension specifications but may have a minor amount of curvature. Truly, however, I see barrels in our scrap that are straighter than most factory barrels. A PREMIUM grade barrel is one that has been judged straight in checking. It will be marked with the symbol XX to designate this.
AIR GAGED QUALITY
In the process of checking our barrels all are checked with air gaging equipment. In so doing we find some that are more uniform than others. Those that measure .0001" or less variation from one end to the other are classed as air gaged. This does not mean that should you order a barrel of a lower quality grade that you might not receive a barrel that would have graded AIR GAGE but it does mean that if you specify AIR GAGE you will get a barrel with the tolerance indicated above.
You will find that most of our basic barrels are marked for the muzzle end. In the process of air gaging we mark the tight end as being the muzzle. Some people feel that the taper should be to the muzzle, others say that it makes no difference. At any rate the barrel is marked so the choice is yours.
Actually I did call Douglas and talk to them. I asked price, turn around time and if they could do a 20-222, which they said they couldn't. I talked to one guy on the phone and he told me his opinion on barrel life but he's a prairie dog shooter so I didn't pay much heed to that as I am not. All the other reviews just came off crap I read. The one Douglas barrel I had was a good shooter but it was installed by a local smith (deceased) and he used a lot of Douglas barrels, but I was planning on just letting Douglas do the work. One stop shopping!! I was/am going to just tell the that I want their top tier barrel, contour,caliber and twist and call me when its done.
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Winny Fan
New member
Originally Posted By: pyscodogActually I did call Douglas and talk to them. I asked price, turn around time and if they could do a 20-222, which they said they couldn't. I talked to one guy on the phone and he told me his opinion on barrel life but he's a prairie dog shooter so I didn't pay much heed to that as I am not. All the other reviews just came off crap I read. The one Douglas barrel I had was a good shooter but it was installed by a local smith (deceased) and he used a lot of Douglas barrels, but I was planning on just letting Douglas do the work. One stop shopping!! I was/am going to just tell the that I want their top tier barrel, contour,caliber and twist and call me when its done.
Ahhhhh..... That explains everything a bit more than your original post did.
Shilen has an internet reputation for short barrel life also, but I've never seen it in comparison to other custom barrels that I've bought over the years. Including Douglas.
Ahhhhh..... That explains everything a bit more than your original post did.
Shilen has an internet reputation for short barrel life also, but I've never seen it in comparison to other custom barrels that I've bought over the years. Including Douglas.
xphunter
Well-known member
Originally Posted By: pyscodogI know they've been around a long long time and their reputation used to be good, but now I'm hearing some not so good reviews that have me wondering if the quality is still good. I know there are "better" barrels out there and I am sure there are worse. I'd just like to hear from some of you that have used them recently and your opinion. I don't want to dump money in a barrel that's no better than a decent factory barrel. Thanks!
It should be better than a typical factory barrel.
It should be better than a typical factory barrel.
Coyotejunki
Well-known member
I have several Douglas barrels, but they are the older ones. Still holding up very well. Been trying other barrels lately.
A good barrel is a good barrel...Pay your money takes your chances....I prefer to take my chances with proven performers like Bartlein/Brux/Krieger for not much more money. A bad or less than stellar barrel can be frustrating and expensive.
From Douglas website...
"Each Douglas barrel is air gauged. All our barrels will gauge at less than .0002 variations, and our “air gauge quality” or Premium barrels will be within .0001 inch. We do no lapping to achieve these tolerances. We prefer to engineer and build our precision into the barrels during the manufacturing process; not lap the bores into tolerance afterwards. This is an added cost for Douglas, but the results are worth it for our customers."
From Douglas website...
"Each Douglas barrel is air gauged. All our barrels will gauge at less than .0002 variations, and our “air gauge quality” or Premium barrels will be within .0001 inch. We do no lapping to achieve these tolerances. We prefer to engineer and build our precision into the barrels during the manufacturing process; not lap the bores into tolerance afterwards. This is an added cost for Douglas, but the results are worth it for our customers."
I had Dad's 7rem mag re-barreled (Sendero Contour) and I had a 308 built with a heavy douglas. They both shoot better than we can shoot them. They both clean up well and shoot well. No complaints here.
And, they're made here in my state. I believe they'll take you on a tour if you make the treck this far east.
Brien
And, they're made here in my state. I believe they'll take you on a tour if you make the treck this far east.
Brien