Hand lapped barrel vs non hand lapped?

[spoonman]

So I thought I had my mind made up on a rifle. I purchased a Browning xbolt pro long range in 300wm but the kicker is the company I bought it from shipped the wrong rifle  so I sent it back and now the one I want is not available anywhere! I found out that the distributors wont get them in till march or so. So I'm looking at the hells canyon long range in 300wm and its $700 cheaper because of the carbon stock and the hand lapping. Is it worth it to wait for the original one I wanted? I just dont know enough about hand lapping and if it makes that much of a difference  or not? Also is the carbon stock going to be that much better than the one on the hells canyon?

[CAMPMEAT]

So I thought I had my mind made up on a rifle. I purchased a Browning xbolt pro long range in 300wm but the kicker is the company I bought it from shipped the wrong rifle  so I sent it back and now the one I want is not available anywhere! I found out that the distributors wont get them in till march or so. So I'm looking at the hells canyon long range in 300wm and its $700 cheaper because of the carbon stock and the hand lapping. Is it worth it to wait for the original one I wanted? I just dont know enough about hand lapping and if it makes that much of a difference  or not? Also is the carbon stock going to be that much better than the one on the hells canyon?

Seekins is building some nice looking rifles. Might wanna look at them.

[Bill W]

I see the one you want in the Kennewick Sportsman's Warehouse.  They are the only store in the state that has one.

[spoonman]

So I thought I had my mind made up on a rifle. I purchased a Browning xbolt pro long range in 300wm but the kicker is the company I bought it from shipped the wrong rifle  so I sent it back and now the one I want is not available anywhere! I found out that the distributors wont get them in till march or so. So I'm looking at the hells canyon long range in 300wm and its $700 cheaper because of the carbon stock and the hand lapping. Is it worth it to wait for the original one I wanted? I just dont know enough about hand lapping and if it makes that much of a difference  or not? Also is the carbon stock going to be that much better than the one on the hells canyon?

Seekins is building some nice looking rifles. Might wanna look at them.

Trying to stay under the $2000 mark. Just spent a decent amount on glass.

[CAMPMEAT]

So I thought I had my mind made up on a rifle. I purchased a Browning xbolt pro long range in 300wm but the kicker is the company I bought it from shipped the wrong rifle  so I sent it back and now the one I want is not available anywhere! I found out that the distributors wont get them in till march or so. So I'm looking at the hells canyon long range in 300wm and its $700 cheaper because of the carbon stock and the hand lapping. Is it worth it to wait for the original one I wanted? I just dont know enough about hand lapping and if it makes that much of a difference  or not? Also is the carbon stock going to be that much better than the one on the hells canyon?

Seekins is building some nice looking rifles. Might wanna look at them.

Trying to stay under the $2000 mark. Just spent a decent amount on glass.

Build one. My 6.5x284 WITH a Leupold Mark4 was right at $2000 not including the Suppressor.

[Bob33]

I suspect you could find a load that shoots 1 MOA or better in the Hells Canyon. There's no guarantee that a hand lapped barrel would shoot enough better to justify the extra cost.

How much weight will a carbon stock save?

I'd probably opt to save $700.

[Yondering]

I just dont know enough about hand lapping and if it makes that much of a difference  or not?

In my experience - it really depends on the quality of the barrel to start with, but a barrel marketed as being "hand lapped" is most likely a higher quality barrel. Personally I choose to put most of my budget towards a good barrel and glass, and most of the other features you'd pay for are secondary IMO.

With that said, modern barrel quality is generally really good these days, with even cheap rifles like the RAR and Savage offerings being more than accurate enough for any reasonable hunting ranges.

[hogslayer]

I would wait, or buy a Seekins Havok.  I don’t really see how you could build one for 2k that would be similar to these two rifles.

[spoonman]

I see the one you want in the Kennewick Sportsman's Warehouse.  They are the only store in the state that has one.

Sportsmans warehouse doesnt stock the one I want. Sportsmans stocks the xbolt pro, not the pro long range. The long range is a bit heavy due to the heavy sporter barrel.

[spoonman]

I suspect you could find a load that shoots 1 MOA or better in the Hells Canyon. There's no guarantee that a hand lapped barrel would shoot enough better to justify the extra cost.

How much weight will a carbon stock save?

I'd probably opt to save $700.

The carbon stock only saves a couple ounces,  it's more for the rigidity I think?

[spoonman]

I would wait, or buy a Seekins Havok.  I don’t really see how you could build one for 2k that would be similar to these two rifles.

It would be nice to put my hands on a Seekins! Would like to shoulder it and see how the stock feels.

[jasnt]

Put a custom barrel on a rifle you already own would my choice. But that’s just my opinion

[KFhunter]

get a honed barrel, skip the lapping

[yorketransport]

I suspect you could find a load that shoots 1 MOA or better in the Hells Canyon. There's no guarantee that a hand lapped barrel would shoot enough better to justify the extra cost.

How much weight will a carbon stock save?

I'd probably opt to save $700.

Buy the Hell's Canyon and see how it shoots. Most factory Savages are capable of .5 MOA with a little load work and those barrels are so rough they look like they were cast. If it doesn't shoot to your expectations you could have it rebarreled with the premium barrel of your choice for around $500. If it does shoot to your satisfaction you can take the $700 you saved and buy a better stock if you want one. Or, you might end up being happy with the the way the gun shoots and handles and you can just spend the $700 on more guns!

I've hand lots of hand lapped barrels and lots of standard barrels and both styles were capable of .5 MOA accuracy. The lapped barrels cleaned a little easier though.

[spoonman]

I'm a factory ammo shooter so Ill start with good ammo and see what the rifle likes.