I would like to know how many companies produce after market gun barrels for 1/35th armour and the quality of these items also the expected prices.

Any info on this subject greatfully accepted.

Cheers Russ

That's a pretty broad brush stroke you've just painted there, Russ.

Anything in particular you looking for?

# of companies: Lots. Rubio and Elephant make nice barrels, as do Eduard and a few others. Lots of crap out there, too.

Quality: runs the spectrum.

Cost: see above. For most, expect to pay $10-$15.

This came up in the sherman group build. The only aftermarket item allowed was the barrell as Italeris was so wrong. Then some guys came up with different options and others only pointed out what was wrong with them. I have never bought an aftermarket barrell yet as it was one of the first things I learnt to do was how to sort this out. I would only consider this as a last resort.
So in my experience, máke sure the barrell you order is right. If your gonna spend $10 to $15 on something, you could/might make matters worse!
On the other hand..... some swear by them.
Just my $0.02

The best replacement 76mm M1A2 US gun for the Sherman is probably the one by Jordi Rubio. I think it is item #TG-32. I have one and it is nice. As far as other AM barrels, it all depends on what you want. JR tends to make good quality WW2 barrels for US, German, UK and USSR kits. Elefant makes WW2 German barrels mainly. Barrel Depot makes modern AFV barrels for US, France, Russian, etc. and are priced low. Model Point makes mainly modern Soviet barrels, and their barrels are a work of art, more akin to a precision surgical instrument than a model kit part. I have the Eduard T-72 barrel. That tube is nicely done and is a multimedia kit in itself. CMK Hotbarrels makes WW2 German and Soviet barrels mainly and are nicely done too. They include resin components like the mantlet and muzzle brake.

One thing to remember,especially about Jordi Rubio is that if it has a muzzle brake the price will be over $10 but they are nice barrels
Chad pig #31 PMC

I swear to AM barrels, for one reason alone, it saves me the trouble of sanding the barrels.

As to quality, both Judio, Elefant are great, for some larger caliber gun, it even comes with riflings. But the actual qualiy might vary. SO be careful.

I feel the need to weigh in here.

Sabot--I have to disagree with you about the Rubio Sherman barrel. In my most humble opinion the CMD barrel is superior.

I think that the price range given is a bit too narrow. You can pay as low as $4 for some Elefant barrels and as much as $30 for some of the incredibly complex Model Point barrels.

Here are the companies that make barrels that I know of and my thoughts if I have actually seen the barrels or used them:

Jordi Rubio - In general they are very good. Sometimes the mantlets provided are a bit rough, but on the whole they are well worth the cost. All major combatants in WWII.

Elefant - Hit or miss. They tend to make barrels to fit a particular kit rather than try for accuracy in my experience. It seems that they just make a turned aluminum copy of the barrel that comes with the kit. A good example of this is the barrel for the Italeri Sherman which was a metal copy of the completely incorrect barrel that came with the kit. Mostly German, but they do have other stuff as well.

Armo - Simply wonderful. Very reasonably priced. Some come with resin and PE components like their SIG 33 barrel which has a resin recoil mechanism and a PE insert for the rifling. Mostly German and Soviet. Get these through Jadar (link at bottom).

Model Point - Incredible, but pricey. Like Rob said they are more like precision instruments, but you pay through the nose for them. Mostly Soviet WWII and Soviet Modern, but some other modern as well.

Barrel Depot - Decent quality, nicely priced. Mostly modern.

Chesapeake Model Designs (CMD) - Very nice and reasonably priced. Not an extensive line, but they are considered by some to have the most accurate line of Sherman barrels and I believe they have a T-72 barrel as well. Buy direct.

Eduard - They only make 5 barrels so far, but they are beautiful. They have Panther G, Firefly, T-72, Tiger I, and Tiger II barrels so far. They are reasonably priced.

Michael Dobiesz - Nicely done and he is willing to make custom barrels (I don't know how much that costs though). Mostly WWII.

New Connection - Nicely done and reasonably priced. Mostly WWII.

CMK Hot Barrels - Very nice and come with resin mantlets. Reasonably priced. Mostly WWII

Fine Molds - Very nice and reasonably priced. Mostly WWII Japanese, but they have some German and Soviet as well. Best source is HobbyLink Japan (link below).

There are some others out there, but I'm pretty certain that these are all of the major barrel manufacturers. I would recommend all, but Elefant with some reservations (only if the kit barrel is correct, but a pain to sand and build).

The best sources for these barrels IMHO are:
Michigan Discount Models
Jadar
The Barrel Store
HobbyLink Japan
Panzer Shop
Squadron
...and as a last resort
Great Models

HTH

Adam,

Once again, I have to applaud your extensive knowledge on this matter, thank you for all the information you provided.

One question, I know out there, there is a beautifully done Tiger I barrel, brass. Is it from Model point? because the price seems to be at that range.

I only use Jordi Rubio gun barrels and I swear by them. They are excellent (although sometimes innacurate).

HI Guys ...interesting to see all the different opinions in here.....Now I will only change a barrel if I know there is something drastically wrong with the kit barrel....I have found a technique that works great and will save you some big $$$ ...What I do is glue my barrel together and cover the joint with putty even if it looks perfect....I let it dry over night and the next day I take it and place it in my ordinary drill ...(black and decker) I wrap a piece of sand paper around the barrel and slowly turn on the drill in 2 to 3 minutes I have a perfectly round barrel ....Try it ..you'll like it !!!

Richard( I say this and I can't wait for my Tiger1 barrel from Lion's Roar to get here!!)I'll tell you what it looks like when I get it ..

I've never used the CMD barrels, I just replaced my Italeri M4A1 (once I found out the barrel was incorrect many years ago) with the JR one because it gave the option of a muzzle brake or the threaded end cap. The other one I looked at (don't remember which) only had a one piece barrel with no muzzle brake option and the end cap looked like it was a continuous part of the barrel. If the CMD barrel is better, I'll look for one when I do my DML M4A3 76mm HVSS kit.

I have to chip in here!

I only replace the barrel if the kit version is poor, or I screw it up. Given the reviews I've seen here, on TL and elsewhere, the replacement barrels are just as inaccurate on average as kit barrels.

Frankly, the kit barrels have worked well for me most of the time. I replaced the inaccurate Italeri M4A1 barrel only after I tried fixing the original (FAILURE!!!), and on my PzIIIJ, once I had broken the original...

I'm just too cheap to spend 50% of the kit cost on a new barrel!!

Andy

Thanks for the info and tips guys.
I can consider myself an expert after all this feedback !!

Cheers Russ

Could this be the barrel you refer to?:

Precision Brass Barrels
Review of : Missing Links Review

Another manufacturer is BrassBarrels.com

Ken--Brass Barrels is Michael Dobiesz. He used to market them under "Michael Dobiesz Brass Barrels". Looks like maybe he took his name out of the product name.