AR15 barrels

DarkJoker33

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Yep, im still a newb. Yep you can call me stupid.

But, the eay to learn is to ask questions.
I figured i should probably direct this more to AR15.com , but there is a wealth of info here too.

So, im in the purchasing phase of parts for a proper AR build.
I have the trigger, optics, upper and lower parts already.
The buffer system is chosen.
The stock is between a few.
The fore end/ handguard is between a few.

The bolt and carrier system is either going to be a lightweight version the dame as the buffer or a superlative arms piston setup

Now, when it comes to barrel

There are so many producers of them.
Are they similar to uppers and lowers where the vast majority are just cranked out at the same factory and just re branded by each seller?

Or do places like faxon,bcm,odin works,nemo,proof actually make their barrels from scratch?

Then i know the finishing is another conversation, which someone probably broke down on youtube very well.
I admit i havent dug into that really yet.

Currently at the moment, im eyeing nemo for my barrel.

Whats its use going to be?
Like most a range toy, but id like to branch out further eventually. But wish to focus on accuracy,speed and reliability.
My brain says a heavy barrel. I lnow that doesnt tie in with the speed mentality.

Sbr,carbine,rifle?
Its going to be a 14.5/16 inch. Im tinkering with the idea of longer

Thanks in advance
 
Don't buy a heavy barrel unless you're building a match rifle or a true DMR with like a 3-18, 3-21, or 3-24 scope, and even then, I'd instead suggest a Proof carbon fiber barrel over a heavy steel barrel.

Companies that make high end barrels make barrels from scratch. So, yes, Proof, Krieger, Criterion, etc. all make their own barrels using their own special sauce. Lower end barrels are sort of interchangeable and not super distinguishable.

My suggestion would be a FN barrel because the barrels are cold hammer forged (better than button rifled) and FN is the current contractor for the M4. You're not looking for something particularly niche and a FN CHF barrel would be fine.
 
No, you're not stupid. Barrels are one of, if not the most, critical parts of an AR15 build. I think spec-ing out how you want your barrel setup to be is more important than the manufacturer at first. A 14.5" barrel with a muzzle brake and carbine-length gas system is a nice setup. Or a standard 16" with a mid-length gas system, my preferred setup.
Then there's the barrel profile: pencil vs govt vs heavy. For me, I like pencil since I'm only casually shooting and not full auto.
Also, don't spend a million bucks on your first barrel. Most brands will do exactly what you're looking for. I've never had a problem with the lower cost brands. Once you become a true enthusiast, then go nuts on barrel spending.
Take your time with the process. It's a blast going from idea, to purchasing, to building, to shooting.
 
Personally, I would avoid a lightweight BCG for your first build. Get an M16 BCG, an H1 or H2 buffer, and call it a day.

for barrel, that’s a lot to unpack and I’ll get back to this thread when I have more time.
My current ar has a full weight bcg and had an h2 buffer setup in it till i tinkered with it and put in an odin adjustable.

Which is kinda why i wanted to try a lightweight.

But rhe whole idea of a light weight dies if i get the supererlative piston gas system kit.
Its a full weight m16 bcg
 
My current ar has a full weight bcg and had an h2 buffer setup in it till i tinkered with it and put in an odin adjustable.

Which is kinda why i wanted to try a lightweight.

But rhe whole idea of a light weight dies if i get the supererlative piston gas system kit.
Its a full weight m16 bcg

Why would you add in an adjustable gas block when you aren't using a suppressor?
 
Don't buy a heavy barrel unless you're building a match rifle or a true DMR with like a 3-18, 3-21, or 3-24 scope, and even then, I'd instead suggest a Proof carbon fiber barrel over a heavy steel barrel.

Companies that make high end barrels make barrels from scratch. So, yes, Proof, Krieger, Criterion, etc. all make their own barrels using their own special sauce. Lower end barrels are sort of interchangeable and not super distinguishable.

My suggestion would be a FN barrel because the barrels are cold hammer forged (better than button rifled) and FN is the current contractor for the M4. You're not looking for something particularly niche and a FN CHF barrel would be fine.
Unless you're doing long range shooting, you don't need a hammer forged barrel. They are usually way more expensive. From what you are saying, button sounds fine. I will tell you, from experience, building an upper from scratch is a PITA. Find a good one and build a nice lower.
 
Don't buy a heavy barrel unless you're building a match rifle or a true DMR with like a 3-18, 3-21, or 3-24 scope, and even then, I'd instead suggest a Proof carbon fiber barrel over a heavy steel barrel.

Companies that make high end barrels make barrels from scratch. So, yes, Proof, Krieger, Criterion, etc. all make their own barrels using their own special sauce. Lower end barrels are sort of interchangeable and not super distinguishable.

My suggestion would be a FN barrel because the barrels are cold hammer forged (better than button rifled) and FN is the current contractor for the M4. You're not looking for something particularly niche and a FN CHF barrel would be fine.
Being that I wanted an accuracy based rifle, which is why i leaned towards the heavy barrel.

I have been seeing the fn barrel advertised on primary arms or midway i think weekly.

The optics are just a 3x magnifier and dot most likely. Im about 80% that i wont change that.

Like a dumbass, i was leaning towards a heavy barrel for the meltdown reasons.
I know ill most likely never be in the situation, i.e. full auto for x amount of rounds.
But the idea of overbuilding something stems from my past mechanic career.


View: https://youtu.be/XY8iNt064sE
 
Being that I wanted an accuracy based rifle, which is why i leaned towards the heavy barrel.

I have been seeing the fn barrel advertised on primary arms or midway i think weekly.

The optics are just a 3x magnifier and dot most likely. Im about 80% that i wont change that.

Like a dumbass, i was leaning towards a heavy barrel for the meltdown reasons.
I know ill most likely never be in the situation, i.e. full auto for x amount of rounds.
But the idea of overbuilding something stems from my past mechanic career.

The statistical likelihood of you cooking a gun at a Massachusetts gun club is laughably small. What's more likely is a fat old Fudd interrupting you during a mag dump yelling "WHADDYA SHOOTIN ALL THAT FOR?" before threatening to report you to the Board of Directors. Again, excluding the context of full auto, a heavy profile barrel isn't going to be much help unless you're very concerned about dampening recoil by adding weight, when you should be more concerned about minimalizing weight. With a 14.5" to 16" carbine, you want the gun to be as weight-efficient as possible - everything that's on there should be on there for a reason and shouldn't have excessive weight.

IV8888 is also not that good of a source. If I want to learn about Top 10 Redneck guns, I'd go watch his videos, or the nuances of deer hunting with an 1840s-era Kammerlader.

To put it simply, pick up and handle an AR with a heavy barrel and then compare that one to one with a normal or pencil profile barrel.
 
5.56 or 223 Wylde.....do some research into diffs.


Midweight....achieved the goal of govt profile and put more material where its needed.....first 6-7 ish inches past chamber.......generally speaking handles heat best.....a plus if you ever choose to do any courses with noteworthy round counts.
The midweight sounds like the best of both worlds.

I did read a bit about 223 wydle and nemo offers this barrel and also believe it maybe a midweight.

Buy a BCM or Ballistic Advantage barrel. Match your BCG to you barrel. tolerances vary manufacturer to manufacturer slightly, and matching your BCG to barrel is good for reliability as well as minimizing potential for accelerated wear due to tolerance variability.

/end thread
I did think about this part matching companies for the bolt and barrel.

See above for the nemo stuff


The othe part of the conversation i haven't broached yet, was i saw something somewhere along the line of a bolt with double extractors vs single
 
Okay… BLUF: I recommend a Triarc barrel for your uses/preferences. Maybe a 14.5” with a pinned and welded BCM comp if you’re in MA. Or a 13.9” with a P&W Surefire flash hider if in a free state. Fantastic general purpose length. And forget about an aftermarket piston system.

If you want precision, either get an upper that requires thermal fitting of the barrel, or use green loctite 609 or 620 to bed the barrel extension into the receiver.

Cold hammer forged: I’m going to disagree with C. Stockwell about cold hammer forged barrels. The only thing it provides is a cheaper way to make barrels for companies making LOTS of barrels. It does not improve durability. But his recommendation for FN barrels is fair. They make good barrels.

Barrel manufacturers: Most places don’t make their own barrels, but rather order barrels to a certain spec. Nothing wrong with that because sometimes companies choose better specs than other companies. For instance, Hodge doesn’t make his own barrels, but they are fantastic. Great port size, unique steel, mild fluting in the chamber to increase reliability…

Finish: Chrome lined barrels are not needed unless you have a machine gun. And chrome lining makes it a lot harder to make a precise barrel. Sure, some do it by hand lapping the chrome (e.g. Criterion).

Nitrided barrels are usually more precise than chrome lining, and at a cheaper price. Because it is a treatment rather than a coating, the rifling doesn’t get additional inconsistencies. And nitriding can last 10s of thousands of rounds even with some full auto fire.

Stainless steel barrels will be the most precise usually, but will start showing precision decline in as few as a couple thousand rounds.

Brands: I don’t have experience with Nemo, but here are some I’ve had experience with:

Faxon: Can make great and precise barrels, but their QC isn’t great so some bad barrels make it out. But they are pretty much the king of the really light barrels.

Ballistic Advantage: Amazing bang for your buck. Rather light, almost always precise, and their QC is better than Faxon.

BCM: Great reliability track record, but they’re not that precise compared to others. And their CS can be accusatory if you do have durability problems.

Criterion: Super precise. Mine is a 1/2 MOA barrel with some match loads. It’s chrome lined, but hand lapped. But it’s not that fast. Kind of average speeds. Their new “Core” profile is a wonderfully balanced medium profile barrel.

Black River Tactical: Great speed. My 14” gives muzzle velocities near that of normal 16” barrels. Easily a 1-2 MOA barrel depending on load, and good gas port sizing.

Triarc: Also great velocity due to the unique rifling. About 50 fps faster than Criterion with SBR length barrels. And it seems like many people get just under 1 MOA groups with heavier match loads (77gr). Nice weight/profiles too.
 
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The midweight sounds like the best of both worlds.

I did read a bit about 223 wydle and nemo offers this barrel and also believe it maybe a midweight.



I did think about this part matching companies for the bolt and barrel.

See above for the nemo stuff


The othe part of the conversation i haven't broached yet, was i saw something somewhere along the line of a bolt with double extractors vs single
Getting a matched bolt is good if the barrel company offers it, but almost all new bolts and barrels will be within spec enough to headspace. Getting a matched bolt will only potentially eek you out a tenth of an MOA. And that’s only if the company doing the matching spends enough time to find the best bolt for you. They’re just checking headspace before putting it in your package.

223 Wylde is great. My most precise barrels are 223 Wylde. I also like 1/8 twist.

For 5.56, I wouldn’t worry about dual extractors. Replace the extractor every couple thousand rounds and call it a day. Also, use those little o rings with the extractor spring.
 
Finish: Chrome lined barrels are not needed unless you have a machine gun. And chrome lining makes it a lot harder to make a precise barrel. Sure, some do it by hand lapping the chrome (e.g. Criterion).

Exception: chrome-lining is a very nice thing to have for guns that are being exposed to either (a) corrosive ammo; or (b) very corrosive environments like salt water or high humidity. However, corrosive 5.56 isn't a thing unlike say 5.45 and OP doesn't seem to be interested in touring the rice paddies or salt marshes any time soon.

Normally I wouldn't mention this but OP is a newb.
 
If you're going to shoot with a red dot, any barrel will do because the dot is going to be bigger than the group even a shit barrel will produce. Don't bother with a bull/match barrel unless you're going to use a different optic.
What about irons? Should Service Rifle competitors ditch their heavy barrels?

Bull/Match rifles have their places, even with red dots or irons. A red dot doesn’t mean you can’t produce good groups.

That said, I do agree that most people don’t need them and their negatives far outweigh their positives.
 
What about irons? Should Service Rifle competitors ditch their heavy barrels?

Bull/Match rifles have their places, even with red dots or irons. A red dot doesn’t mean you can’t produce good groups.

That said, I do agree that most people don’t need them and their negatives far outweigh their positives.

I would argue irons are far more accurate that any dot, which tend to blow out the target the further out you go.
 
Then you have your red dot turned up too bright.

I've used and owned all types of red dots from aimpoints to holosun to cheapo chinesiums. I'm far more accurate with irons than any dot on a rifle, regardless of the brightness setting.

I'm not saying don't buy red dots. I have plenty of rifles with red dots.
 
I've used and owned all types of red dots from aimpoints to holosun to cheapo chinesiums. I'm far more accurate with irons than any dot on a rifle, regardless of the brightness setting.

I'm not saying don't buy red dots. I have plenty of rifles with red dots.
I guess we have different experiences then.

For many, removing the need to maintain an exactly consistent sight picture leads to big improvements. And for me, the decent to good 1 MOA red dots can provide a perfectly crisp red 1 MOA circle. It is usually a more precise aiming system than the barrel/cartridge combo being used with it.

Sure, it may not work if you’re trying to hit quarters past 100 yards if there is no frame of reference for the target. But I don’t know of any normal target(paper, reactive, or living) that doesn’t have a frame of reference bigger than 1 MOA.

The only real limiting factor is a lack of repeatable elevation adjustment.
 
I get that. It's just never worked out for me. For the OP it doesn't make sense to me to worry about barrels if he's going dot. Pick a length, buy one. The dot is going to be the limiting factor I think. Not the barrel.
 
Internally cries.
Both triarc and criterion are out of stock
Yeah, it sucks, but it’s the current climate. Sometimes nowadays, all you can do if you don’t want to wait is have a list of barrels you’d be okay with and wait for one to pop up in stock somewhere.

Criterion makes their own and they do blocks of manufacturing runs. If they say a certain barrel configuration will be in stock a certain month, it will be. So, they’re a good option if you’re okay waiting, but want some idea. Triarc outsources theirs, and I don’t know if their estimates are accurate.
 
OP should just pull the trigger on this and move on/shoot/have fun


Prob wont be in stock long but you cant go wrong
I don’t think I’d go for a stainless barrel unless it were a match/competition gun. 🤷‍♂️
 
This....

WRT barrels....I'll open the conversation......

5.56 or 223 Wylde.....do some research into diffs.

Barrel profiles......Pencil, Govt profile, midweight and heavy

Unless you're in a ban configuration state or shooting matches you can toss the heavy/bull barrel profile

On the other end of spectrum is pencil/lightweight barrels.....not my thing.....

Govt profile has a long back story....long story short is they put the meat of the barrel in/around the gas block.....long fubar story......instead of where the most heat is generated.....the first 6-7 ish inches from the chamber....my beef with this profile is that it puts the weight at the end of the radius.....where it has most impact on presentation on target/driving the gun

Midweight....achieved the goal of govt profile and put more material where its needed.....first 6-7 ish inches past chamber.......generally speaking handles heat best.....a plus if you ever choose to do any courses with noteworthy round counts.

Probably 1000 other opinions out there......with some luck this wont be your last build.....live and learn
other than barrels trying to be "milspec"
223 wylde seems to be the norm now?
 
I guess we have different experiences then.

For many, removing the need to maintain an exactly consistent sight picture leads to big improvements. And for me, the decent to good 1 MOA red dots can provide a perfectly crisp red 1 MOA circle. It is usually a more precise aiming system than the barrel/cartridge combo being used with it.

Sure, it may not work if you’re trying to hit quarters past 100 yards if there is no frame of reference for the target. But I don’t know of any normal target(paper, reactive, or living) that doesn’t have a frame of reference bigger than 1 MOA.

The only real limiting factor is a lack of repeatable elevation adjustment.
Comes down to end use.
I have never put my eye behind a red dot with less than 3moa. For target shooting= trying to hit a 1moa X from 100-600 yards does not work well.
I like those luepold scopes with the tiny red dot in the center but have not bought one yet.

For hits on target type shooting red dots are fun

Although aperture style sights are pretty darn quick and your eye/brain will "naturally" center up the front sight.
If some how the could do a 1 moa red dot with the brute tough adjuztments of a M 1 garand .....hmmmm
 
I've used and owned all types of red dots from aimpoints to holosun to cheapo chinesiums. I'm far more accurate with irons than any dot on a rifle, regardless of the brightness setting.

I'm not saying don't buy red dots. I have plenty of rifles with red dots.
Then we need to define accuracy,
Hitting a specific spot like a 1moa X on the bulls eye or anywhere on the silhouette.
I think this is the the split with ar "shooters"
 
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