R8 Custom Barrels-Dream Come True!

[Philip Glass]

An update:

The PROOF Blaser barrels seem to be a no-go, as the dimensions seem to be wrong:

View attachment 440132

Top is Blaser factory barrel, middle is PROOF blank, and bottom is Sip carbon barrel. You can see that the shank on the PROOF is too short. Both the front optics recess and the front receiver stud would be in the carbon. As an aside, the barrel diameter on the carbon barrels is 22mm, so they wouldn’t fit Blaser standard, which kind of defeats the purpose.

When did you get the Sip carbon fiber barrel? I had no idea they made them.

 

[nomspc]

When did you get the Sip carbon fiber barrel? I had no idea they made them.

That’s Sip’s photo.

 

[Opposite Pole]

This is strange, hard to imagine Proof would get it that wrong. I mean, being off by a few micrometres, I can understand, but this looks like a high school project done by stoned teenager.

 

[TTundra]

This is strange, hard to imagine Proof would get it that wrong. I mean, being off by a few micrometres, I can understand, but this looks like a high school project done by stoned teenager.

I would guess there was an error in giving the specs to Proof to make a longer breech length on their shank for the mounting hardware and correct contour. I can't see them botching the engineering that much either.

 

[HWL]

Here it comes....

eGun

HWL

 

[TOBY458]

Here it comes....

eGun

HWL

I wonder if they'll make that in a semiweight barrel? That would be close to the correct weight if they did that.

 

[HWL]

I wonder if they'll make that in a semiweight barrel? That would be close to the correct weight if they did that.

This was a special order..... this indicates, they can, if you ar willing to pay.

Price was 8825 €.... a lot of money for just a gun, not even a Mauser M98


HWL

 

[BeeMaa]

Here it comes....

eGun

HWL

I thought the 404Riml NE was same as a 404J. Why would they stamp the barrel in this manner when almost every ammunition maker stamps their cases with 404J? Aren't they making it more difficult for the traveling hunter to have to explain this to a customs agent?

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I thought the 404Riml NE was same as a 404J. Why would they stamp the barrel in this manner when almost every ammunition maker stamps their cases with 404J? Aren't they making it more difficult for the traveling hunter to have to explain this to a customs agent?

The Norma brass I bought on sale was stamped 404 Rimless NE. Thereby rendering it useless for travel overseas.
If I had to do it over I think I’d have both stamped on my barrel.

 

[Tra3]

And just when I thought I had all the R8 parts I needed…

 

[HWL]

I thought the 404Riml NE was same as a 404J. Why would they stamp the barrel in this manner when almost every ammunition maker stamps their cases with 404J? Aren't they making it more difficult for the traveling hunter to have to explain this to a customs agent?

Germany is CIP country, and they stamp the CIP designation...

HWL

 

[nomspc]

Norma .404J is marked:

 

[IvW]

You will not have an issue....

 

[Globalstar66]

They once again have a current auction - this is the 3rd 404 Jeffery they're selling in just over 2 months... This one is actually stamped 404 Jeffery... https://www.egun.de/market/item.php?id=14665455

Barrel serial of this one is R040749. The one sold in December 2021 was R183473....

 

[BeeMaa]

They once again have a current auction - this is the 3rd 404 Jeffery they're selling in just over 2 months... This one is actually stamped 404 Jeffery... https://www.egun.de/market/item.php?id=14665455

Barrel serial of this one is R040749. The one sold in December 2021 was R183473....

My German isn't the best so please forgive me. The barrel profile is 22mm...correct?

 

[Globalstar66]

My German isn't the best so please forgive me. The barrel profile is 22mm...correct?

Correct. I sent the store in Germany an email to ask where they're getting all 404 Jeffery rifles from.... Curious to know, as the one being sold now, was originally produced in 2012. The one they sold in late December was a 2021 production rifle.

 

[Globalstar66]

I just received an email back from the store selling the 404 Jeffery rifles on Egun. He says he's only aware of 3 of these barrels in 404 Jeffery, and he somehow got his hands on all 3 used rifles to sell. So doesn't seem to be in "production" - just one-off units from time to time possibly.... There goes my hope in getting one......sadly.

 

[BeeMaa]

I just received an email back from the store selling the 404 Jeffery rifles on Egun. He says he's only aware of 3 of these barrels in 404 Jeffery, and he somehow got his hands on all 3 used rifles to sell. So doesn't seem to be in "production" - just one-off units from time to time possibly.... There goes my hope in getting one......sadly.

Truthfully, it needs to be a semi-weight (19mm) barrel to even move the needle for me. The Selous (22mm barrel) is too heavy for a rifle of this caliber IMO.

Better yet, make it a semi-weight FLUTED barrel...but now I'm asking for the sun and the moon. LOL. Thanks for the lesson in German. Cheers and good luck.

 

[GeoffB]

These two images above show barrels made years apart by the date codes.
So they obviously can offer them as a special order rather than a once off run of that caliber.
BC = 2012 Manufacture
BK = 2019 Manufacture

 

[nomspc]

After just over a year, I received an R8 barrel in 280 AI from Pale Horse Zero. I don’t blame PHZ for the long wait as Krieger was torpedoed by Covid, and PHZ wasn’t getting their barrel blanks. Fit and finish of the barrel is great; 24”, 8.5 twist.

I had 4 factory rounds at the 100 yard range today. I will send an update when I get some handloads done and zeroed at 200. Here are the velocities, actual followed by values printed on the box in parentheses. 5 round average, LabRadar, 80°, very humid, sea level.

Nosler 140 Ballistic Tip = 3128 (3200)
Nosler 140 E-Tip = 2911 (3200)
Nosler 150 ABLR = 2800 (2930)
Hornady 162 ELD-X = 2835 (2850)

I shot two 3-shot groups for each round (3 groups for the 140 ET as I had a just under 2” group). The others were consistent. Best groups:

140 BT = .54”
140 ET = .88”
150 ABLR = .51”
162 ELD-X = .47”

The winner:

This is a high quality barrel, every bit as good as the Elmer Laitala barrel I had. (PHZ bought Elmer’s business when he retired.)