colerain barrels ?

[jerrywh]

Product review - Do you guys like them?

 

[Bill Hall]

Like the end product, hate the work. I've used them twice in my builds and each one has been VERY rough on the outside. Deep milling marks and chatter. It takes running a file longways to get the flats actually flat before you can start smoothing by draw filing. On one barrel, I cut off a few inches, then smoothed out the roughness, then used that dimension to cut the barrel channel. When the finished barrel fit nicely, the original untouched barrel piece wouldn't come close to fitting into the barrel channel.

But, the inside bore is very good. Both barrels had round bottom rifling and were very accurate. I don't remember either barrel having patch cutting issues when new. And with both, the max ball size was .010" under nominal size. The .54 was very tight using a .530 ball, as was the .58 with a .570 ball. With G.M barrels, I always use .005" under (.535 and .575)

Only two Colerain barrels under my belt, but I see a pattern here. As far as shooting them, I think they're better than G.M. As far as the building part, start with a rough file :grin: . Bill

 

[Joe Sullivan]

My pistol barrels are Colerain. They look CNC machined. I was taken back at how ruff they were but the banded area needed only to be polished.

I used a flexable sanding disc on a high speed drill 220 grid down to 600 and a lot of care. half hour each they were polished. Thing is, I trust these barrels. I started with 50 gr. of powder only cause I did'nt trust the wood I swiss cheesed -to hold up but now I'm shooting full loads.

The inside dia. was right on .729 but is not reemed. A little ruff but I shooting with no problem.

 

[wattlebuster]

I have just used 2 colerains. Both insides are excellent and outsides are like the other two guys described, very rough. The accuracy is great though. If ya dont mind the file work I had just as soon have them as any other :hatsoff:

 

[kaintuck]

yes.

 

[LRB]

NO! I swore off them in 2005. As best I recall, I had dealt with about eight or nine of them in one way or another. Of these, two smooth bores had very noticiable tight spots in the bore. Two rifle barrels had the same. Two others I sent back because of very rough reaming, but two did shoot with competition grade accuracy. I lead lapped the two rifle barrels with the tight spots, and one shoots pretty well now, but never got the other to perform to any degree of satisfaction. Maybe they are made better now, but I just don't trust them. I like Rice.

 

[blackdog of vt]

I'll definatly say rice has the edge but availability and price make me go colerain more often than not. With that said the most acurate gun I've owned had a colerain.

 

[MSW]

used an "A" weight in .40 cal - swamped ... i like the raduis groove rifling, but they do need some work to get the milling marks off of them ... as a hobbyist builder this isn't that big an issue, but if i were trying to do this on a commercial basis, it might be an item of concern.

 

[mogrene]

I'm working with a Colerain .40 cal, 13/16 straight barrel now. Agree with the other posts regarding the external work needed. But I was impressed with their reputation for accuracy, so I'm willing to invest the time and work.

 

[billd]

They need to be rebreeched. The plug is usually about 1/16 or so short of bottoming.

Bill

 

[jdkerstetter]

I've used 3, 2 smooth bores and one rifled, all octagon/round. Have not run into the breeching problem that others have reported.

The exterior on 1 was quite good and the other 2 needed some work. The rifled one had a high spot on the round section that had to be taken down.

It's a trade off as you can get barrels with better outside surfaces but you are paying more. Save some money in exchange for time draw filing or lay it out up front.

Like stock blanks, if you have the opportunity to pick your barrel in person, say at Dixon's or the Log Cabin Shop, you will see some with rather nice exteriors.

All that being said, I have dealt with Scott and Scott personally and there is no problem they will not correct...and I have heard that from others also. They can be hard to get on the phone as they won't answer while working...don't know that they can even hear the phone....but they will call you back.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. Enjoy, J.D.

 

[mogrene]

In my case, the plug was longer than the threaded breech of the barrel. Needed to work it down to where the tang was flush with the top flat.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

For a rifled bore I would always choose a Rayl or Rice over a Colerain.
For convenience of availability, the 42" Spanish pattern smooth barrel they call the "Griffin" is a something I will use due to it's profile. If it was as available from another vendor I would pay the difference to avoid all the extra time at the file.

 

[Birddog6]

I've had good ones & also some with issues. Had 4 with bad bores (loose spots) and one bored in a arc. Colerain replaced all of them. Plan on rebreeching 5 out of 10 of them. Have no problem with accuracy with them.
I am almost out of them & have restocked with mostly Rice & Grn. Mtn, as I never have a problem with them. Guessing, I would say I have used 20 Colerains.
I have a .54 cal Lehigh Smoothbore that is In-the-White & testing it with no load work, it shot 2" groups at 50 yards.

Keith Lisle

 

[Eric Krewson]

I had an off center bored 12 ga barrel, Scott replaced it, no questions asked. He was really good to deal with.

The first barrel did need to be rebreeched, the plug was way off. I fit the first barrel's plug to the new barrel to fit my tang inlet.

Scott also sent my off center barrel back to me after he looked at it. It was jug choked by Caywood and had a white lightning liner installed.

The off center barrel will be fine to use as it wasn't that far off but I didn't want to use it in a gun that I had $900 invested in parts.

 

[jerrywh]

Well friends. They arn't good enough for me. Thanks. Jerry H.

 

[Herb]

I used one and the breech plug was not bottomed, as you say. Had to refit the breech plug.