EABCO or T/C barrel?

[MDM]

I'm fixin to buy a 26" blued .204 Ruger barrel for my Encore.  Would the Eabco Accuracy barrel be any more accurate than the T/C barrel?  I can get the Eabco for $325 and the T/C for $255.  Just wondering if the extra $70 bucks got a better barrel?  Thanks.

[Luckyducker]

I bought the T/C 28" fluted ProHunter blue barrel in 204 Ruger and it is a tack driver with my handloads.  I was having trouble with inconsistency until I added a bi-pod and now it will shoot one ragged hole at 100 yds.  This barrel was about $280 from the Sportsman's Warehouse in Loveland, CO.

[oldandslow]

This is the results of the one T/C barrel that I have had for about six weeks. It is a 23' bull barrel in .223. Shooting 40 gr. Sierra HP bullets over 26.5 grains of Varget. At 100 yds.- .422", .488", .289", and 2 shots in .214" and I pulled the last shot to open it up to .855". I shot one group at 200 yards and quit because of the mirage; it measured 1.326" These were all 3 shot groups and it was a rare day with no wind. This is the most accurate rifle I have ever owned.

[Grumulkin]

I guarantee I wouldn't pay $325 for an Eabco barrel.  Factory T/C barrels in my experience are quite good.  Actually, I wouldn't pay $255 for a T/C barrel either.  I got my Contender 204 Ruger barrel lightly used for around $160 and it's a tack driver.

[KN]

I was under the assumption that Eabco was just a distributor of TC barrels. Do they make their own?   KN

[MDM]

Let me ask you this.  I can get a new blue T/C 26" .204 barrel from Natchez for $223.  Or I could go with a new Match Grade Machine 26" blue .204 barrel for $350.  Would the MGM be worth the extra $125?

[sportsman223]

  I say yes but having them build a complete custom barrel for me I know first hand about there service  Look @ G2 357 Max project post on forum
         Jeff @ MGM is one of the best people to deal with as you will find they will build all my future barrels

[mjbgalt]

the customs are not worth the extra cash. tc builds some fine barrels. i have had 3 contenders and 3 encores and ALL of them except one were tack drivers, and by that i mean less an half inch groups with regularity. did they shoot in the .1's? no, but .350" to .5" were and are common.

the only one which was not a tack driver was a .223 barrel that i did not shoot well...but in TC's defense I did not try to find a load for it. I only had it because i wanted the frame it came on...that barrel did not lock up well, and did not shoot accurately. who knows, maybe I could have made up some reloads and it would have shot great. i only had that one a week anyway.

-Matt