Our Barrels: Bartlein Barrels, Krieger Barrels, Shilen, and J. Lederer
Currently Bullet Central sells 4 different brands; Bartlein Barrels, Krieger Barrels, J. Lederer Barrels, & Shilen Barrels. In this article we will help you determine the difference between them.
Bartlein Barrels
Bartlein Barrels have been in the industry for over 15 years. On their website they claim that;
our machines are so accurate, we can carry the twist rate to the 4th decimal point (example: 11.3642).
Their process is done using the Single Point Cut Rifling method, which is the most stress free way to rifle a barrel. This ensures that the twist is exact and that the bore and groover dimensions are uniform. Bartlein Barrels also pre-laps their barrels before any rifling is done, and then finish up the lap after rifling.
Click here to shop Bartlein Barrels
Krieger Barrels
Krieger Barrels have been around since 1982, and believe that the most important part of the barrel is the steel it’s made out of. Because of this they only accept the best steel they can get, no matter the cost. So they run tests to determine if their steel is good or bad before using it for a barrel. This is also the reason they do not offer multiple grades of steel in their barrels, all of their barrels must meet the same standards from start to finish. They also use the single point cut rifling method and the same lapping method as Bartlein.
Click here to shop Krieger Barrels
Shilen Barrels
Shilen Rifles, Inc was founded in 1955, their barrels come in two different grades; Select Match Grade and Match Grade. The Select Match grade must air gauge within .0003″ of their standard diameter and the uniformity of the bore cannot vary more than .0001″. While the Match grade must measure within .0005″ of their standard diameter and no more than .0003 variation in the groove.
Click here to shop Shilen Barrels
J. Lederer Barrels
J. Lederer makes benchrest quality barrels that are single point cut-rifled and hand lapped.
Click here to shop J. Lederer Barrels
Contours available for Bartlein Barrels (For more thorough information on Bartlein Barrel contours, click here)
For more information about each contour checkout Bartlein Barrel’s website;
Sporter Barrel Contours
| Descriptions | A | B | C | D | E | F | Wght | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Featherweight #2 | 1.200 | 2.000 | 6.000 | 0.900 | 23″ | 0.580 24″ Blank |
2.60# |
| 1 | Win Featherweight | 1.150 | 2.000 | 6.000 | 0.745 | 23″ | 0.560 CM only 24″ Blank |
2.00# |
| 2 | Standard Sporter | 1.200 | 2.750 | 6.000 | 0.800 | 24″ | 0.600 CM only |
2.80# |
| 2″B” | Medium Sporter | 1.200 | 2.750 | 6.000 | 0.850 | 24″ | 0.630 | 3.20# |
| 3 | Heavy Sporter | 1.200 | 2.750 | 6.000 | 0.870 | 26″ | 0.670 | 3.50# |
| 3″B” | Lt. Bull Sporter | 1.200 | 2.750 | 6.000 | 0.900 | 26″ | 0.700 | 4.00# |
| 4 | Bull Sporter | 1.200 | 2.750 | 6.000 | 1.000 | 26″ | 0.750 | 4.50# |
| 13 | Rem. Varmint/Sendero | 1.250 | 2.000 | 4.350 | 0.950 | 26″ | 0.830 | 4.65# |
REM 700 Sporter Contours
| Descriptions | A | B | C1 | C2 | D1 | D2 | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Rem MAG Sporter | 1.250 | 1.500 | 4.250 | 6.000 | 0.920 | 0.835 | 25″ | 0.660 @ 24″ |
| 20 | Rem Standard Sporter – CM only | 1.200 | 1.250 | 5.750 | N/A | 0.790 | N/A | 24″ | 0.660 @ 22″ |
Ruger RPR
| Descriptions | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Standard RPR | 1.180 | 1.600 | 1.000 | 24 | 0.775 | 1.000 |
| 22 | Heavy RPR | 1.180 | 1.600 | 1.000 | 26 | 0.830 | 1.000 |
Straight Taper/Match Contours
| Descriptions | A | B | C | D | Wght | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Standard Target | 1.200 | 2.750 | .820 | 26″ | 6.00# |
| 6 | Heavy Target | 1.250 | 2.750 | .875 | 26″ | 6.50# |
| 7 | MTU | 1.250 | 2.750 | .930 | 26″ | 7.00# |
| 8 | Light Varmint | 1.200 | 5.000 | .875 | 28″ | 7.00# |
| 9 | Heavy Varmint | 1.250 | 5.000 | .900 | 28″ | 7.45# |
| 14 | M24/M40 | 1.200 | 3.000 | .900 | 26″ | 6.20# |
| 15 | Hunter Class | 1.250 | 4.000 | .750 | 26″ | 6.00# |
| 16 | #8 LV Modified | 1.200 | 2.000 | .900 | 23″ | 5.70# |
| 17 | #9 HV Modified | 1.250 | 2.000 | .935 | 26″ | 6.15# |
Palma Contours
| Descriptions | A | B | C | D | E | F | Wght | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Light Palma | 1.250 | 3.000 | 5.500 | .900 | 30″ | .750 | 4.50# |
| 11 | Medium Palma | 1.250 | 3.000 | 5.500 | .900 | 30″ | .820 | 5.35# |
| 12 | Heavy Palma | 1.250 | 3.000 | 5.500 | 1.000 | 30″ | .900 | 6.50# |
| 18 | Whitley Med. Palma | 1.250 | 3.000 | 5.500 | .950 | 30″ | .830 | 5.65# |
| #23 | Marksman | 1.250 | 3.000 | 5.500 | .970 | 28″ | .870 | 5.3# |
Bolt Action Contours available for Krieger Barrels (For more thorough information on Krieger Contours, click here)
Sporter Contours
| Contour | Breech Dia. (A) | Breech Length (B) | Muzzle Dia. (C) | Finish Length (D) | Blank Length (E) | Neck Length (F) | Neck Dia. (G) | Weight (LBS) |
| #0-Featherweight | 1.250 | 1.25 | 0.560 | 22.00 | 27 | 6.00 | 0.760 | 2.0 |
| #1- Light Sporter | 1.250 | 2.25 | 0.560 | 24.00 | 27 | 6.00 | 0.760 | 2.5 |
| #2-Standard Sporter | 1.250 | 2.75 | 0.600 | 24.00 | 27 | 6.00 | 0.800 | 2.8 |
| #3-Medium Sporter | 1.250 | 2.75 | 0.630 | 24.00 | 27 | 6.00 | 0.830 | 3.0 |
| #4-Heavy Sporter | 1.250 | 2.75 | 0.670 | 26.00 | 27 | 6.00 | 0.870 | 3.5 |
| #5-Bull Sporter | 1.250 | 2.75 | 0.700 | 26.00 | 27 | 6.00 | 0.900 | 4.0 |
| #5-Bull Sporter PLUS | 1.250 | 2.75 | 0.700 | 26.00 | 27 | 6.00 | 0.940 | 4.0 |
| Rem Varmint | 1.250 | 2.20 | 0.830 | 26.00 | 27 | 4.70 | 0.960 | 4.5 |
| #6-Heavy Bull Sporter | 1.250 | 2.75 | 0.750 | 26.00 | 27 | 6.00 | 1.000 | 4.5 |
Match Contours
| Contour | Breech Dia. (A) | Breech Length (B) | Muzzle Dia. (C) | Finish Length (D) | Blank Length (E) | Weight (LBS) |
| #7-Light Target | 1.200 | 2.75 | 0.750 | 26.00 | 27 | 5.5 |
| #8-Standard Target | 1.200 | 2.75 | 0.820 | 26.00 | 27 | 6.0 |
| #20-Benchrest Short | 1.200 | 4.50 | 0.900 | 23.00 | 24 | 5.2 |
| #18-Light Varmint | 1.200 | 5.00 | 0.875 | 28.00 | 29 | 6.5 |
| M24 (USAMU) | 1.200 | 2.00 | 0.900 | 26.00 | 27 | 6.0 |
| #9-Heavy Target | 1.250 | 2.75 | 0.875 | 26.00 | 27 | 6.5 |
| #10-Heavy Bull Target | 1.250 | 2.75 | 0.930 | 26.00 | 27 | 7.0 |
| #19-Hunter | 1.250 | 4.00 | 0.750 | 26.00 | 27 | 6.0 |
| #17-Heavy Varmint | 1.250 | 5.00 | 0.900 | 28.00 | 29 | 7.0 |
Palma Contours
| Contour | Breech Dia. (A) | Breech Length (B) | Muzzle Dia. (C) | Finish Length (D) | Blank Length (E) | Neck Length (F) | Neck Dia. (G) | Weight (LBS) |
| #16-Light Palma | 1.250 | 2.50 | 0.750 | 30.00 | 31 | 5.00 | 0.900 | 4.5 |
| #15-Standard Palma | 1.250 | 2.50 | 0.820 | 30.00 | 31 | 5.00 | 0.920 | 5.5 |
| #14-Heavy Palma | 1.250 | 2.50 | 0.900 | 30.00 | 31 | 5.00 | 1.000 | 6.5 |
Straight Contours
| Contour | Breech Dia. (A) | Muzzle Dia. (C) | Finish Length (D) | Blank Length (E) | Weight (LBS) |
| #11-SS Straight Blank | 1.250 | 1.250 | 28.00 | 29 | 10.0 |
| #11-CM Straight Blank | 1.300 | 1.300 | 28.00 | 29 | 10.0 |
| #12-SS Oversize OD | 1.450 | 1.450 | 28.00 | 29 | 13.0 |
| #12-CM Oversize OD | 1.450 | 1.450 | 28.00 | 29 | 13.0 |
| #13-50 BMG | 2.000 | 2.000 | 36.00 | 37 | 32.0 |
Contours available for Shilen Barrels (For more thorough information on Shilen Contours, click here)
| Shilen Contour Dimensions (inches) |
| Contour # | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | Weight at G length |
| 1 Featherweight **(.308 or smaller)** | 1.220 | .700 | .550 | 2.5 | 6 | 20 | 22 | 2 lbs 10oz. |
| 2 Lightweight (.338 and smaller) | 1.220 | .765 | .575 | 2.5 | 6 | 24 | 26 | 3 lbs 3oz. |
| 3 Sporter (.358 and smaller) | 1.220 | .815 | .625 | 2.5 | 6 | 24 | 26 | 3 lbs 7oz. |
| 4 Magnum Sporter (.375 and smaller) | 1.220 | .860 | .650 | 3.0 | 6 | 26 | 28 | 3 lbs 14oz. |
| 5 Lightweight Varmint | 1.220 | .910 | .700 | 3.0 | 6 | 26 | 28 | 4 lbs 8oz. |
| 5-1/2 Medium Weight Varmint | 1.220 | .960 | .750 | 3.0 | 6 | 26 | 28 | 4 lbs 14oz. |
| 6 Lightweight Target [1] | 1.220 | — | .750 | 3.0 | — | 26 | 28 | 6 lbs |
| 7 LV Light Varmint [2] | 1.220 | — | .840 | 3.0 | — | 26 | 28 | 6 lbs 12oz |
| 7 Standard Varmint [2] | 1.220 | — | .890 | 4.0 | — | 26 | 28 | 7 lbs 1oz. |
| 7 HV Heavy Varmint [2] | 1.220 | — | .940 | 5.0 | — | 26 | 28 | 7 lbs 8oz. |
| 8 Heavy Bull Barrel | 1.220 | — | 1.000 | 3.0 | — | 26 | 28 | 7 lbs 12oz. |
| 9 Rimfire Target [1] | 1.125 | — | .825 | 4.0 | — | 26 | 28 | 5 lbs 12oz. |
| 10 Benchrest Special [3] | 1.250 thru 1.450 |
— | — | — | — | — | 30 | — |
| 11 Straight Barrel (customer choose diameter) | 1.230 (Max) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12 Super Size [3] -add diameter to any contour | +.050-+.150″ | +.050-+.150 | +.050-+.150 | same | same | same | 30 | — |
| 17 Remington Varmint (Sendero) | 1.220 | .940 | .830 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 24 | 28 | 5 lbs |
| 18 Remington Standard [4] | 1.220 | .735 | .650 | — | 8 | 25 | 26 | 2 lbs 8oz |
| 19 Remington Magnum [4] | 1.220 | .795 | .650 | — | 8 | 25 | 26 | 3 lbs |
| LP Light Palma | 1.220 | .900 | .800 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 30 | 32 | 4.5 lbs |
| MP Standard Palma | 1.220 | 1.000 | .800 | 2.5 | 5 | 30 | 32 | 5.5 lbs |
| HP Heavy Palma | 1.220 | 1.000 | .900 | 2.5 | 5 | 30 | 32 | 6.5 lbs |
| 46 Mag Suppressed | Our #4 contour with a swell back up to .880 from the 16.5″to 19″. | 19″ | 3lbs 3oz. |
Contours currently available for J Lederer Barrels (for more information call +1 701 371 4444)
Back in 2015 Precision Rifle series wrote an article about what barrels the top 100 PRS shooters used, to summarize here were the results;
Top Barrel Brand: Bartlein
Top Contour: Heavy Palma
Top Barrel Length: 26″ (this varied depending on the caliber, but 26 was the most common)
Krieger ranked in the top 2% for brands.