Thanks to All. I'm still torn. Might go with the Recon. The UltraMatch 145 is amazing in its capabilities though. Appreciate all.
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Thanks to All. I'm still torn. Might go with the Recon. The UltraMatch 145 is amazing in its capabilities though. Appreciate all.
I am building an upper around the 13.7" infidel that was born in early 2014. Marvin Pitts currently has it, but i should be getting it back within a week or so.
It will be an SBR, because i do not want to perm attach a BE Meyers, KX3, or KX5.
I looked at other 13.7" barrels, but went with Noveske because they make quality stuff, it came with a gas block ready for pinning, and i scored it at a great Black Friday price when all other 13.7" brands were out of stock.
I have both a Noveske Recon and an Ultramatch barrel.
Around Thanksgiving, I happened to be browsing through MidwayUSA and noticed the Recon on sale for ~$175 off their normal price, so I snatched one up. I definitely wouldn't have bought it at the normal price since there are other quality options out there. I haven't spent a whole lot of time with it, but the first few shots with my 55gr FMJ handload shot pretty well (~1.5moa). I think that's damn good from a brand new, never-fired barrel. It shoots well with my 69/77grmatch handloads, but I still need to play with it and do some load development to see it's true potential. I did pin the GB, which is said to degrade accuracy, but there are reports of many pinned Noveske barrels that stack bullets. A pinned GB is a first for me so I'm still unsure on it...
I picked up the Ultramatch barrel on Black Friday for ~$80 off the normal price. Having such good success with my first Ultramatch, I had no doubts about this barrel doing well also. The first few rounds with my 77gr SMK load put all rounds in the same .5moa groups as my other Ultramatch. Very impressive if you ask me. A nice touch is the stainless barrel extension. It doesn't really make any difference either way, but from what I've seen, most others do not do this.
You really can't go wrong either way, but I would give a slight nod to the Ultramatch barrels.
Last edited by Onyx Z; 01-03-15 at 14:06.
Yeah, I took the clean, copper-free Noveske Recon barreled upper it to the range yesterday with a few different loads. I wasn't too impressed at the start. I did notice that the more I shot it, the tighter the groups got, which, for the most part, is pretty typical. But, I'm talking 50-75 rounds in, not 5-10 like I see with other barrels. FWIW, I get consistent .5moa with both of my Ultramatch barrels using this same 77gr SMK load. Oddly, my 55gr FMJ bulk load grouped just over moa with the Noveske barrel.
BUT, I did change a step in my 77gr SMK loading process (from a light Lee Factory Crimp to a light Redding Taper Crimp) that I have yet to try in my Ultramatch, so that very well could make a difference. I loaded some more rounds with the light Lee FC, so I'm gonna try it without to see if I see better results. I also removed the pin in the gas block. Hopefully both of these will bring the groups together.
Last edited by Onyx Z; 01-05-15 at 00:54.
This was only the second time I've shot it. First was a new, unfired barrel. This time was a clean, copper-free barrel. I noticed it this time since I spent a little more time with it than before. Maybe it was just getting worn in. I'm not sure, but I plan to play with it more now that deer season is over.
Last edited by Onyx Z; 01-05-15 at 09:21.
My 13.7 Infidel. This is by far my favorite rifle. Accuracy is superb. Like others have stated, this rifle is probably the softest shooting one I own.
Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. George Orwell, 1984
I wouldn't worry about Noveske quality. I've been pretty please with everything I've received from them since Johnny's untimely passing. Currently building an SPR, I'll let you know how it works.
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