New Herlo barrel - with DAS ???

Just recd a new non-chrome Herlo barrel assembly P/N 5557154HC. Barrel is short chambered and turns on to 40 deg from TDC when hand tight on a WRA receiver. My understanding is that most/all Herlo barrels were rejected, yet this one has the DAS with a #7 overstamp struck on the barrel flat. The fact that the DAS is present leads me to believe that this barrel must have been accepted by a Govt Inspector. The military packaging reads in part: 1005 555 7154 BARREL ASSY 1 EA, followed by a contract #, HERLO CORPORATION, P/N 5557154 REV C, A IAU 2/73. From all appearances this is a servicable/usable barrel and I plan to install it.

"Non-chrome Herlo barrel"? I thought the contract was for chrome bores on the barrels. I do have friend who had 500(?) at one point. He took them to a chrome shop and they stripped off the chrome. He then sold them off. No one ever asked what the deal was. Just my $.02.

Have have no idea what the facts are on the Herlo barrels, but several people with great reputations on the gun boards (and who collect alot of oficial records, etc) have clearly pointed out that ZERO Herlo barrels were accepted by the US Gov't. The statement goes that while there may be individual barrels which are good, the entire lot, as a whole, was rejected. I can not say one way or another, but that is just what I have heard...

As far as the existence of acceptance stamps, that is nothing new. Contractors will sometimes put the required acceptance markings on during production. It made the job harder for Government inspectors, but they usually had their own procedures to insure nothing that was rejected got accepted.

It is not 100% fool proof as I have seen two contracts that were actually accepted and shipped with defective parts. Not often, but it did happen.

Herlo's entire contract was canceled and nothing was accepted into the US supply system, nor paid for by the taxpayers.

Thanks for the info. I'm going to install this barrel and will provide a further update on how it works out. Need to get a finishing reamer to set up the headspace first.

Good luck. Before you bother to rechamber, check the twist rate. iF IT IS ONE OF THE NON-CHROME BARRELS WITH A SLOW TWIST RATE, i WOULDN'T BOTHER WITH THE REAMING. IT WON'T BE ACCURATE. YOU'LL GET KEYHOLING AT 25 YARDS! That's why the non-chrome barrels were rejected.

jimb16 is correct. Barrel twist was not the only quality control problem. (Some had twist rates that changed, others did not twist at all).

There were gas cylinder dimension issues and front sight pad issues, just to name two. It does not mean every barrel was bad. Some were OK.

So far so good on twist rate-it exactly matches a Saginaw barrel twist. Front sight is tight and plumb in relation to the barrel flat. Once I get it installed and headspaced that will be the test for functionality of the gas system and accuracy. Maybe I got lucky and found an acceptable one.

I just posted and put pictures of mine on this site. I am new and this is second post. Talked to Bill Ricca this morning.

Take a look at the pictures here again. Same story.

What confuses me is the pages in Jerry Kuhnhausen book about contract 8448416, 12-72 Lot 3.

Mine is; 5557154HC

5 -73 Lot 3

Seems strange to me for both to be "Lot 3". Where is lot 1, 2 ?

Note those numbers are part numbers, not contract numbers. Maybe somebody else here can help you identify which barrels are which number.

The 84 number is a chrome barrel. The 55 number is the non-chrome.