Shilen Match VS Select Match barrels

82boy

82boy

Patrick Kennedy
I know this is a opinionated question, but has anyone ever seen a difference between a Shilen Match and a Select match barrel ? I have a couple of select match barrels, and thought about getting a match grade barrel. just wondering what the diference is.
 
I believe the Select Match are hand lapped, which just about doubles the cost. That's not to say that an unlapped barrel wouldn't eventually wear in, but you can never be sure.
 
Jim Briggs of Northland, told me that the barrels start out the same way with same materials. He stated that the difference was with the lapping process. He stated that they would take a barrel and lap it x amount of times, and if it passed inspection then it was a select match, if it did not pass then they would lap it again x amount of times, and check it, if it passed then it was a select match, if it did not, then they would lap it again, and if it passed inspection then it was a match barrel, if it did not pass then it was scrap.
 
I was thinking it had something to do with the tolerances? To be honest, I really dont know. I do know that i had a standard match barrel on a varmint rig a few winters ago and it shot pretty darn good. Lee
 
You know guys, go to their website and get the story. Don't ask a bunch of folks that don't know on the forum. Lee is very close.
Butch
 
Ed Shilen told me a while back that the both match and select match in stainless are lapped.
The match in Chrome Moly are only lapped by special order ~ $40 retail ~ $35 discount.
 
Select Match Grade
These stainless steel masterpieces of machining and hand lapping are intended for the competition shooter-- or even the hunter-- who wants the ultimate in accuracy and quality. These are our highest grade barrel and, of course, the most costly. What makes them so good that benchrest shooters, such as Tony Boyer, crave them? Consider this: To meet Select Match Grade criteria, the groove diameter must air gauge within .0003" of our standard diameter. Moreover, the uniformity of the bore cannot vary more than .0001" for the entire length of the barrel. These barrels are also completely stress relieved, and the bore is polished to a gleaming surface finish by our most experienced lappers.

Match Grade
Our Match Grade barrels don't quite meet Select Match criteria-- but not by much! In these barrels, the bore must measure within .0005" of our standard diameter and cannot vary in diameter more than .0003" for the length of the barrel. So how much accuracy does a couple of "tenths" give away, compared to our Select Match barrels? Perhaps not any! The point is, whether or not there is any real difference in the accuracy potential between the Match and Select Match grades, the really demanding shooter must play it safe and go with the higher grade. In many cartridges and barrel twists, the accuracy difference between the two simply can't be detected. So unless you're gunning for one-hole groups or just demand the top of the line, the Match Grade barrel is your best choice for many forms of competitive shooting and for hunting varmints and big game. The Match Grade is completely stress relieved and fully warranted. The price of Match Grade stainless steel barrels includes hand lapping to a beautifully smooth surface. Chrome-moly can be lapped to a similar finish at an additional charge.
 
I know what Shilen has on their site, but my question is what is the difference between the two that makes them speck out differently? My other question is, (And the more important.) Does anyone have any real wold experience with the two, and what is your findings?
 
Dennis answered all your questions above. You may not tell any difference in the way they shoot, but if you are shooting competition, you go with the best.
Butch
 
Make thousands of barrels to exacting standards and you will find some turned out ever so slightly better in tolerances than others... set these aside in a separate group. That's what happens...

Will these select group of barrels shoot any better? Sometimes they do. Unfortunately there is no way to guarantee which particular barrel will shoot better than another... this is true with any makers barrel.
 
You can have two barrels made at the same time to the same tolerances. Chamber both barrels with the same reamer fit to the same action fit to the same tolerances. One barrel may out shoot the other with everything as equal as you can get it even to the steel coming out of the same batch. What makes one barrel out shoot the other, no one knows. If a barrel maker could figure that out, he'd soon be the predominate barrel maker listed on the equipment lists "IF" he could get benchrest shooters to switch from the barrel makers that they've been using.
 
Would it have anything with Shilen barrels being button-rifled and the chance that the steel may have some amount of impurities in it that would make the button move more or less material in one spot than another to make it spec out differently? If that could be the case, would cut-rifling make the difference between match grade and select match disappear?
 
The way I hear that Shilen came up with select match barrels was they used to make one grade and one grade only. Benchrest shooters would ask Ed to pick out what he considered a best barrel by optical and by air gage. Since he was hand selecting these select barrels, he started charging more for the service and that's where the select match barrels came into being.
 
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