Getz or Colerain?

[JerryToth]

Halloo the camp!

I've asked a few other things about the Transitional I'm considering... thanks to all for the advice so far.

Now I'm coming down to the barrel. The "jury seems to still be out" on the Green Mountain barrels since they've only been making their swamped barrels for a year or two.

So, the question is Getz or Colerain? The supplier offers either for exactly the same money.

Both are 38" swamped, 54 calibers.

Which is the better way to go?

I think that Colerain uses a 1 in 56 twist, which seems kinda slow for roundball, which is all I shoot. Is this a concern?

As always, I'll appreciate the advice.

Thanks in advance,

Ironsights Jerry
Uniontown, PA

 

[Ohio Joe]

I don't have either barrel on any of my rifles, but I understand both are very good. For patched round ball it has been a long time understanding that the slower the twist, the better for round ball...

 

[TwoShadows]

Ohio Joe is telling you true. Slow twist is paramount for round ball. I own all the barrel brands you mention...no problems with any of them. Today's quality of barrel leaves little to be desired. As for Green Mountain....maybe they have just started to offer swamped barrels....but they have been in the barrel market for quite some time...wouldnt have stayed in this long unless they offerred a quality product. I personally would be pondering whether or not I wanted square goove or round groove rifling.....or whether or not your supplier has the barrel you decide on in stock.

 

[C_Laubach]

Ironsights,
TwoShadows makes a valid point. If Green Mountain didn't make a good barrel I don't think they would still be in business. I have used barrels by all three of the barrel manufactures you have stated and I can assure you that a barrel by any of these manufactures will most likely shoot better than any of us can shoot them. I think the bigger question is which one can you get in a reasonable time

 

[Deadeye]

I have Getz, Colerain, and Green Mt. and they are all excellent. GM just started making swamped barrels but I
see no reason their barrels should be any less good in that configuration than straight octagon. Any of them will outshoot most of us. :winking:

 

[LRB]

The Getz is much superior to the colrain. If you did not misread the prices, your dealer is either over pricing the colrain, or under pricing the Getz. Many consider 1-56 to be on the fast side for a .54, although I shoot a colrain .54, I will not own another until I see cleaner cut bores. The 1-56 twist in the colrain seems to work well. My best load is 90gr 2f. Square bottom rifling has a slight accuracy edge over round bottom, but only slight. If you compete you may want the square. Round bottom cleans a tad easier and off the shoulder shooting you likely will see no difference in the two types. Mr. Getz himself competes and uses the square bottom type.

 

[cayugad]

From all that I have read and all who I have talked to, both are excellent barrels and you would not go wrong with either one. All I have ever owned are the Green Mountain Barrels. I have been real happy with the quality, the accuracy, and the customer support from Green Mountain is excellent. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Ohio Joe]

I would also add that Green Mountain uses a 1 in 70 twist which is excellent for patched round ball... You may want to check and see if GM is putting the 1 in 70 twist in their swamped barrels. I sure would think so. Check to be sure anyway...

 

[Birddog6]

Getz, Colerain, Green Mountain, Orion, Douglas, Gooddoien, ... I have owned & shot & built with all of these & IMHO, ALL of them will shoot better than 95% of the guys holding them.

95% of the time when there is a barrel problem, it is not the barrel, it is something the shooter is doing or has done. Once in a while a stock problem & in real light A barrels you hear of a bent one now & then, but most of the time it is the operator.

If it were me & the barrels were the same price, I would go with the Getz. However, the Colerain & Grn Mtn. will both do awesome as well. Really seems odd the Getz is the same price as the Colerain tho as the Colerain is usually $50 cheaper in price..

 

[JerryToth]

A couple of you have remarked that the Getz typically costs more than a Colerain.

The price quoted for either a Getz or a Colerain from Pecatonica River was $225.

The swamped Green Mountain is priced at $160, but I understand that the GM doesn't come with the breechplug installed. To equal the values, then, the $15 price of a plug and the $25 price of fitting it could be added.
$160 + $15 + $25 = $200.

Does anyone know whether the Getz comes with the breechplug installed?

I've been told that the Colerain does come factory-breeched.

What would a fair price for a Getz and a Colerain barrel be? Is $225 too high for a Colerain, or very reasonable for a Getz?

Again, this is a 38" swamped, 54 caliber, for a Transitional styled rifle.

Thanks in advance to all,

Ironsights Jerry.

 

[LRB]

TOW lists the 38" Colrain at 180.oo. Last price I saw on Rice was 205.oo. With the Getz being 45.oo higher, I still recommend it over the Colrain. The Rice barrels sound really good, but I have not seen one yet. Were it me , I would chance the Rice, just from what I have heard, and I have talked with Mr. Rice. Give him a call and ask him about the quality of his barrels, he is very nice and easy to talk with, and will tell you anything you want to know. I know many people have had what they consider good luck with colrains, but the bores are a tad rough with noticeable reamer cuts. They run 6 wide grooves which leaves the angles a bit soft. Mine shot great for a while, but groups opened quite a bit after a couple of years, and I have talked to others that had similar problems. MLBS dropped them because of too many comebacks.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Here's LC Rice's website

http://www.ricebarrels.com/

I decided on having one of his barrels on the custom Lehigh I'm having built. As Wick mentioned, LC is as pleasant a guy to talk with as there is. I've never seen one of his barrels myself, but he's gaining a good reputation among shooters and smiths who have used his product. There was a six week lead time and Jim Chambers has 'qualified' him as a barrelmaker for his rifles. As I do 99% of my shooting offhand I'm hardly going to be squeezing the last bit of accuracy out of any barrel.

Don Getz is my hero for his work with smoothbore musket barrels. He was my second choice. I always pull for the little guys (I'm sure Getz has a goodly backlog to keep his folks busy for a piece).

 

[LRB]

Three major things impress me with the Rice barrels. They are stress relieved after milling. A carbide plug is run through the bore after the reaming and smoothing, insureing a uniform bore and work hardening the surface, and the fact that Jim Chambers is also impressed with them. Another plus is that they are supposedly nicely finished on the outside as well, and the price ain't bad if they are as good as reported.

 

I've just put about 75 shots through my new Colerain Jaeger 31" .62 swamped and it is a pleasure to shot, load and clean. So far I'm still sighting her(no name for it yet) in but the groups would stay in a Pringles lid at 25yrds. I use my range box for a rest but I still flinch a bit after several years of shooting flinters. All my other flint rifles have had Italian barrels and so my experience is not well rounded.

 

[LRB]

J, keep working with your load, you should be able to do that at 50yrds when you find your sweet load. Round bottom rifling likes, usually likes, a thick patch with a .010 under size ball. My, and my friends colrain barreled gun, started out liking a .005 under size ball and a .o15 patch. Mine changed in a couple of years of shooting. My friends did not, but he doesn't shoot near as much as I do. keep working with it, the colrains do not seem to break in for a while.

 

[Birddog6]

IMHO, the price they quotted ya on the Colerain is too much. They normally sell for $180-185 at most places & I would aske them about the price for the Colerain being so high, when they are so much cheaper at other places. Possibly they misquoted. The price for the Getz & Rice is about right ($230.) All 3 barrels come with the breechplug installed.
One the Rice, it will be super smooth inside & outside than the Colerain, the Getz will be close but not quite as smooth as the Rice. I have a Rice .54 C in 38" but have not had a chance to put it in a rifle yet. It is definately much more precise work than the Colerain. I did notice the tang on the Rice is about 1/3 less meat in thickness than the Getz or the Colerain, so you don't have allot of room for error if you don't contour it correctly, tho I don't see a as a real problem.
On the .62 Claiber Colerain, my son & I both have one & we shoot 85 gr. of FF Goex, .018 Pillow ticking & Lehigh Lube, with a .600 RB. At 25 yards they will cut one hole & they will shoot a cloverleaf to 1" group C to C at 50 yards. Personally I would not worry about sights at this time. When working loads I don't want to hit the bull, as that changes the sight picture & with that size hole in the bull it easily changes it & distracts you. Use a solid bench, sand bags & work the load first. You have lots of time to move sights later, but must get it to group first.
Also, swabbing between shot is important in working loads, for me anyway. Use a light patch (old tee shirt cut up)and swab down & back one time with the same amount of solution each time & be consistant. You change anything in the swabbing stroking, solution amount, etc. it will change the impact. Example is swab one time, reload shoot, swab 2 times the next time ?.. it will most likely change the impact as you just changed the consistancy in the barrel. Do it exactly the same Every Time and you will have better success.

Custom Muzzleloaders & Custom Knives

 

I'm useing 85gr FF Goex, FFFFprime, square cut pillow ticking about.015 " ,lubed with home made moose milk and a .600 ball sprue up. I swab between shots as a matter of habit. I've never been a superior marksman but I do expect to see an improvement in my accuracey as my new gun breaks me in. Thanks for the advice Birddog6, it always proves useful. My Jaeger didn't turn out as nice as the one on your website but I'm sure proud of it anyway. Thanks for the building tips. Oh, by the way. I started a ball without powder at the range and had to trickle FFFF into the touch hole. It sure sounded goofy when I shot it out. THOOMP!