Shaw Barrel: Yea or Nay?

[Legionnaire]

I appreciate the responses. I'm not overly sentimental about guns; they are tools. I wonder if I'd have gotten the same responses had I asked about replacing the original tombstone-safety trigger or the walnut stock. I think that as long as I own the receiver it's still Dad's gun. When schedule and weather permit I'll take it to the range and put a few more rounds through it before deciding ... but I'm leaning toward swapping the barrel. Dad was a machinist with a very utilitarian perspective on life. I think if I had opportunity to tell him, "Hey Dad, I updated your rifle," he'd say, "Cool!"

 

[JmacD]

Dad was a machinist with a very utilitarian perspective on life. I think if I had opportunity to tell him, "Hey Dad, I updated your rifle," he'd say, "Cool!"

That’s what would make up my mind…

 

[Bill M.]

This here sounds like a case where you can and should do just exactly what you want to do. A rifle project sounds interesting. If you really like the 700 action and hate the 7 mm mag then why not change it to something you like?

 

[CowboyTim]

If you're set on a rebarrel, you're good to go with ER Shaw, they do nice work. Their bluing is first rate too, if you want a nice finish on it.

 

[horsey300]

I appreciate the responses. I'm not overly sentimental about guns; they are tools. I wonder if I'd have gotten the same responses had I asked about replacing the original tombstone-safety trigger or the walnut stock. I think that as long as I own the receiver it's still Dad's gun. When schedule and weather permit I'll take it to the range and put a few more rounds through it before deciding ... but I'm leaning toward swapping the barrel. Dad was a machinist with a very utilitarian perspective on life. I think if I had opportunity to tell him, "Hey Dad, I updated your rifle," he'd say, "Cool!"

Definitely! The receiver is what I was looking at too! When I finish burning the barrel out of my dad's rem700 it's getting a swap and it's not changing in sentimental value at all (swapped stock and trigger too, all that will be original will be the bolt and receiver and bottom metal (and I'm questioning a bdl to aics conversion honestly) and I hope that one day, one of my kids takes that particular rifle and says, "this has, throughout 2 generations, piled up tons of animals and worn (or maybe more?) different barrels, and now it's my turn!" Kinda curious how rebarrelling a rem700 to a photon laser will work for them but regardless I say, best of luck and best results!

 

[d2wing]

I like the 7 MM Mag so I would keep it the way it is. But it's not mine. It's yours, do what you want. Nobody else cares much or has a say except just now as you allow.

 

[Nature Boy]

Re-barrel it and shoot it. The satisfaction you’ll get from that, especially since it was your dad’s, will exceed what you’d get from having it languish in the back of your safe.

That’s what I would do.

 

[Galil5.56]

Can't answer your choice, but I can add a bit about E.R. Shaw, at least from a long way back. My custom gunsmith only used their barrels on a ton of high end creations, so when I had him build me a 'simple' custom rifle Shaw was the barrel used. Shown is a Mark-X action with a custom heavy contour Shaw barrel in .243 Winchester I used to zap varmints with. It was extremely accurate with a well cut chamber, excellent fitment and as another has mentioned the bluing work was excellent. This rifle was finished in 1987, but I would not be surprised to learn Shaw continues to do very good work.

 

[The Old Redneck]

Rebarrel is basically screwing old one out and fitting new barrel to action. I say this as a great simplification of cutting chamber, head space etc. You can ask for old barrel back and explain at some time you may want to put it back. To do the work as a switch barrel. That gives you the barrel you want with option of reversal at a latter date. Not a complicated process. Bless you Sir

 

[JumboJVT]

Do you not think it “matters” that the guy already loads for 7 PRC and doesn’t want to buy dies and brass to set up for a different cartridge? Doesn’t seem like silliness.

In lieu of the cost of a re-barrel? Facory ammo readily available? Yep, I do. Then again, alot of things people do bewilder me.

 

[Varminterror]

alot of things people do bewilder me.

Like shooting factory ammo

 

[JumboJVT]

Like shooting factory ammo

What did I say? Dies and brass vs. re-barrel, factory ammo available if thats too much. Your the one that somehow suggested that reloading for a new cartridge was a problem, not I.