out of the 10 or so factory barrels i've been associated with, all have performed excellent, with accuracy rivaling any factory rifle i've shot. they should perform just fine for hunting, and informal target shooting. tailoring a specific load for the barrel can produce great accuracy.
custom barrels are for chamberings you can't get in a factory configuration..........for getting EXACTLY what you want in length, twist rate, or case dimesions etc. you have many choices when ordering custom.
i would expect a custom to be slightly more accurate, but what you do with the loads would be a more determining factor imo. depends on it's intended use. in a hunting situation.....you'd hard pressed to see a difference.
a custom barrel made to your specs, has a certain amount of "cool factor" though.......
for a "first barrel" in 7-08........i'd go with a factory model, then add a custom chambered target/varmint barrel later. you WILL need another barrel :wink:
........but then again you could order a OTT 7-08 ackley improved that would provide added fun, and a lil more "cool factor". :grin:
