Hastings Barrels... Anyone with knowledge on or experience with them?

[Ryninger]

Hey All,
I've been on the hunt for a moderately priced rifled barrel for my Browning Gold Hunter. It has been a long process with little success. However today I came across a Hastings Barrel for it with cantilever mount! That being said, the only info I could find on them was quite dated. Has anyone used one recently and what slugs did you have success with? What I read from 2006 was that with it being 1 twist in 34" it didn't like higher velocity slugs... Any other thoughts or info on them?

Thanks ,
R

 

[dukeboy_318]

I've got a 24 inch hasting's on my 1187, the most accurate slugs were a tie between Winchester Bri's, approx velocity 1300 ft per, and Winchester XP3s, velocity 1700+ Both were around a 1 inch spread at 100 yds.

 

[snapping turtle]

Hasting made/makes great aftermarket barrels. I think they fell on hard times and now are owned by someone else but the barrels are still available. Might be why you see little press on them now.

The cantilever ported 870 barrels were good enough to pin in place on a shotgun for a dedicated slug gun like the ithica deer slayer. They shot as well pinned as a browning abolt shotgun. Drawback with this was the choice of changing barrels was gone. But if you wanted great groups in a slug gun they did that in spades. I don't remember the twist rate. And no you do not have to pin the barrel just takes the adjusting of the knob away in the 870 shotguns.

They also made a straight rifled barrel for regular birder shells. i guess the idea was to keep the shot wad even as it ran down the barrel. I will admit the one that i shot once did pattern very tight. That was the only straight rifled barrel I have ever seen.

 

[Hookeye]

IIRC the straight rifling was called "Wad Lock"..............

 

[SEMI-AK]

I have one on my bps browning. It loves light fields only....single hole at 50 yards.lightfield whites.