I recently purchased what was advertised as a new 5-gallon charred oak barrel from a barrel company located in the Midwest that I intended to age a new batch of hard cider in. While filling it with boiling water to swell the staves I decided to measure the volume because it just didn't seem large enough to hold 5-gallons. It held 4.4 gallons! I contacted the place I bought it from asking why their 5-gallon barrel only holds 4.4 gallons. They replied that the barrels are handmade and there are inconsistencies in their actual volumes. I replied that being off by .6 gallons on a five-gallon barrel is not an inconsistency but more like false and deceiving advertising. They provided a return shipping label and will refund upon receiving the barrel back. At least I didn't have to go the PayPal dispute route but still frustrating and annoying. Has anyone else had or are aware of this problem? I thought that going with an established oak barrel company would be on the up and up as compared to ebay, amazon or the like. The barrel was made in Mexico by what was described as a long-standing family owned and operated cooperage.