Where is the best place to buy these barrels. Directyl from Olympic Arms or from a distributor? I know some brands are cheaper from the distributor versus buying directly from the manufacturer.

Distributors will do better on pricing for you.  Carricozarmory.com is a dealer here, and he can get what you want. Call or email him for prices.

Spend the extra few dollars and buy direct from Oly.  

If the barrel has problems grouping*, then you can just deal directly with oly instead of a middle man such as a dealer.

DCM'd upper with Sum barrel should print MOA using match ammo with the groups shrinking as the barrel fully breaks in..

My Oly PCR with SUM is 3/8 moa at 100 and 200 yards.  When I replace the trigger with a NM we'll see if that helps even more.  Great barrel.

rick

Rick,
You getting full shot strings at 3/8 MOA? When I stated MOA, it was the full position string, and not just a few shots.  Also production ammo or reloads, and how may shots can the rig go until it opens up past the MOA due to fouling (read are you having to clean the barrel after each position, or can you go the full match without needed to clean the bore and still stay under MOA)

All I can say is if you are getting this for full position strings/the match, and out of a production barrel, you got a keeper on your hands.  I got a feeling that when the time comes for another barrel (this one worn out), you going to be hard pressed spinning the current barrel off the rig.  At 3/8 MOA, I can see the barrel going for 4K easily until it gets to the point that you blow a stage due to the barrel have gone south.

Dano,

I wish I were that good a shot!

So far my "best" has been from sandbags with a 7 power scope and hand loaded 55 gr V-max over  26.0 gr of Varget.  Federal primers, trimmed pockets, deburred holes, trimmed, weighed brass.

I have been pleased to reproduce 3/8-1/2 moa very consistently with my 3 shot groups.  Your point about best group versus reproducible group is a good one.  Simple probabilities alone will tell us that an exceptionally tight group one out of 100 times will happen but that doesn't mean that the rifle (or the shooter) is the cause, just luck. Reproducibility is the thing.

The single stage trigger in my rifle is a decent single stage but un worked and kinda creepy with a heavy break.  I bought a RRA NM to put in and look forward to that.  I'm glad to hear that I should get long life out of the barrel.  

I understand that this barrel (1994 manufacture) was broach cut.  Do they still do their barrels that way?

Regards,

Rick

All Sum barrels are all Broach cut, but production reamed (on the tight side).

The downfall to Broach cut barrels is when the do give up the ghost, they fall of the mark  very fast.
Trust me, unlike a button produced barrel which may be still usable for another 1000 round of match shooting since the groups open up slowly over that many rounds, around the 2500 mark, The broach cut barrel's is going to go south in like one of two shooting.


Rule of thumb is that a broach cut barrel is good for around 2.5K rounds (in the groove), and a Button produced barrel another 1K over than mark due to still semi staying in the grove as it wears out.  As for hands down the best shooting when still in spec, the broach cut due to sharper lands/grooves, and no barrel tension caused when producing the rifling.


SCvARminter, so you don't think we forgot about you,

Keep in mind that the Sum barrel is tighter chambered in 223. Surplus 5.56 ammo and the Sum barrel are a bad combo since you get way high working pressure and often lead to case sticking in the chamber. Also, depending on what the end product of the rig is going to be, compass lake does offer custom Douglas barrels that will hold there own with the Sum barrel (read even better due to lapping and custom chambers so they are taylored to the ammo and don't need to be broken in).  If you don"t want to take a chance of getting a production produced barrel that won't print, then you may want to spend a couple extra dollars and give Frank a call and talk to him about barrels.
www.compasslake.com/

P.S. welcome to the site!!!!!!

Rick_Lind,
you too may want to speak to frank about having him work over the RRA trigger. Trust me, the money will be well spent since a polished RRA trigger and stock RRA two stage is night and day between the two.

I will be using this for coyote hunting, and it would be awhile(if ever) that I would reach 2.5k rounds. Thanks for welcoming me here. It somewhat surprised me when you said that because I have been poring over this site hard for about two weeks. I forgot I hadn't posted here yet.
                                                                   

Rick,

Why are you shooting three shot groups?  

A 5 shot group is still standard, and if you are pulling groups that tight there is no reason not to finish it up and do it right.