Match Grade Barrels?

[Farren55]

Found on ToTW their Jager rifle is offered with a more expensive Match grade barrel, can anyone help me how does match grade work for roundball rifles, wouldn't needing a patch make the match grade essentially worthless?

 

[coloradoclyde]

Marketing in my opinion....

Match grade :haha: Does that mean they just pick one from the top of the pile or the bottom.?

Never heard of a match grade barrel for a muzzleloader.

Everything match grade that I have ever seen doesn't mean that its better ....just that it is made to a certain spec. which many times in my personal experience ...SUCKS.

 

[19 16 6]

Never heard of a match grade barrel for a muzzleloader.

Well, that's one thing that you will never be able to say again now that you have heard of one.
O.

 

[coloradoclyde]

:rotf: true! :thumbsup:

 

[ejcrist]

I just got the kit you're talking about and the "match grade" barrel is a Rice barrel with radius grooved rifling. That's the barrel I ordered instead of the Colerain. I don't know why Rice calls it a match grade but I know I like their barrels better than any other due to their quality. You won't have to lap any machine marks or anything out of the barrel and it doesn't require breaking in. In my opinion Rice barrels are well worth the premium, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Farren55]

Thanks! and I should say My understanding of Match grade means the barrel is made with a Higher degree of precision, thus any ammo you use with a matching quality automatically gives the weapon much better accuracy (like what you'd need in a shooting match).

 

[nwtradegun]

don't pay the extra expnce, coltrain barrels are top 5. match grade ??????????????????????????????
not worth the cost.

 

[Rifleman1776]

There have always been several custom barrel makers who make barrels superior to the factory ones. Your top bench rest shooters often have these 'match grade' barrels on their rifles. Use of a patch is not a factor. I have never owned or used one so cannot comment if they are better. But, the top shooters I knew used them.

 

[Vaino]

Rice describes their bbls as "match grade" because of pulling a carbide burnisher through the bbl. This makes the bore uniform in dia and also smooths any tool marks or burrs.

Rice is the best bbl on the market and well worth the extra price.....Fred

 

[Loyalist Dave]

You pay for the precision of the boring and cutting, and for the polishing. Now, I DON'T have the skill to make my standard Colerain swamped barrel shoot better when I'm shooting it over when I have it sandbagged on a rest on a bench...so since my skill level does not exceed the quality and accuracy of my standard barrel...no reason for the added expense.

BUT there are folks out there who do have that skill level, and will spend the time to get that skill level and maintain that skill level, and for them, if they are competing, a match barrel makes sense.

Does the deer know that when I put that .530 round ball through it at 80 yards that on paper I could not put that ball through the same hole, but the guy I'm hunting with with his Rice barrel could? No. Do do the folks at the turkey shoot fear me and my rifle and my score...no...but it's all good :grin:

LD

 

[Billnpatti]

I agree with Loyalist Dave in that for a match grade barrel to be worth the added expense, you first need the marksmanship skills necessary to benefit from the extra quality. For me, a match barrel would be like putting silk sox on a rooster. I'm not that good and at my age, never will be. But, I can guarantee you that there are folks out there who are good enough that a match grade barrel is what they need.

 

[Farren55]

Thanks, at this time I think I will be heading with a cheaper alternative (probably start with a traditions rifle) and I will be doing a combination of re-enacting and target shooting, with a goal of getting 100-150 meters accurate shooting.

 

[coloradoclyde]

This is just my opinion but "match grade" means that guns, ammo, or components are made to a specific and equal standard so that the participants in a "match" are all competing on the same level and no one has an unfair advantage.
The Term is often coined and misused regarding accuracy, precision and quality. Because match grade items are used in competition people think they are the best there is. this is not necessarily the case.

If a gun is "Match Grade" then it means that it meets the requirements for a specific competition.

 

[MSW]

go with what works for you ... if I had the extra money, I'd probably spring for a Rice on my next build, but that's just because the internal finish is much nicer.

at my current level of marksmanship (or, but more exactly, my lack of marksmanship) I can't see it making any appreciable difference: the barrels I own can all shoot hold a tighter group than I can hold.

good luck with your project!

 

[Farren55]

I'll be sticking with a Traditions (a store near me sells one for $500, and in my part of Canada that's pretty good.

 

[Vaino]

"Match grade" is only a term which would denote a bbl that could be used for very accurate shooting.

"Match grade" is not req'd for match shooting...and a Colerain bbl could win a match against a "match grade" bbl...depends on the shooter.

Have used 3 Colerain bbls and all were accurate, but as a builder their outside finish isn't good as a Rice and their breeching sometimes misses the mark. They were also purchased because of time restraints. The Colerain "flaws" have never been experienced in a Rice bbl.

My most accurate bbl was a "run of the mill" Douglas...of course it was used more than any other bbl and my eyes were very sharp.

I think a bbl can be assessed from different viewpoints...a builder chooses a bbl that requires the least amount of work and provides accuracy while a buyer isn't concerned w/ the builder's concern at all. Just so it's accurate. Of course availability is another factor in a builder's choice. That's the reason I used 3 Colerain bbls.

Getz used to be "the bbl" and my first 5 LRs had Getz bbls...but then the waiting times became too long and I moved on to Rice bbls.....Fred

 

[coloradoclyde]

In my opinion "match grade" is a term only recently applied to some muzzleloaders but has been used in other shooting disciplines to define every single part or component for decades.

I am not criticizing rice or any other barrel maker, but for them to make such a distinction I believe is deceptive to the consumer and speaks poorly of their other barrels.

What other that 10 minutes of extra polishing makes it "match grade."?
Match grade or regular, don't they start as the same barrels and the effort they put into them is a business/marketing decision.

 

[M. De Land]

Usually match grade means they have been checked for runout and air gauged for uniformity in bore and groove diameter.
A patch will mitigate a bit of barrel diameter difference better than a naked bullet but uniformity is always a good thing in any barrel.

 

[Vaino]

Evidently you didn't read all of my post. Rice pulls a carbide burnisher or "button" down the bbl which yields a uniform dia and smooths out any machining marks and also eliminates any burrs.

My super accurate Douglas bbl had this same burnishing and the accuracy was outstanding.

Running the carbide "button" down the bore usually eliminates any "break in" period. Rice is, as far as I know, the only bbl manufacturer that does this. Some CF bbl makers also do this for the utmost accuracy.

Considering all aspects of a Mler bbl, Rice produces the best product.....Fred

 

[coloradoclyde]

Did Douglass do that to all the barrels?
Did the also designate them as "match Grade"

My issue is with the name "match grade" only. Because there is no standard for it, so it means different things to different manufacturers and most often is used as a marketing gimmick.

I have no issue with Rice Barrels but I bet that they have not published any accuracy tests between their "match grade" and regular barrels.