I want to talk about wilson barrels rock river.

skeetlee

New member
I was reading a post over on the hide about wilson barrels. The reviews were pretty hit and miss. Are wilson barrels a premium barrel maker, and are the wilson barrels on the rock river varmint guns a Premium barrel? Who do you think cuts the chambers for rock river? does rock river do this them selves? Just kinda wondering how wilson stacks up against the other premium barrels on the market. Lee
 
Every one I've seen has been a great shooter so I'm pretty sure they're decent.What is considered premium? I think wilson may make different grades of barrels,Rock River uses good ones.Its amazing how good they shot especially for a gas gun.My bolt actions have a hard time keeping up.
 
RRA guarantees the Varmit versions to shoot 3/4" groups. My 24" Varmiter will shoot 1/2" 5 shot groups with 60V-Max, 75 Hor & bugholes on my good days with 77MK's.

My youngest son bought a Nat. Mat. version before going to the sandbox. We shot a few rounds a couple of days before he left with the irons, then I put a scope on the rail from my gun & he shot a 1/2" group with fact. 69 gr. He returned a few days ago from Iraq & we plan to load test his & I plan on more of the same.

I don't know of a better production AR, but I am not taking away fro Bush., DPMS & others.
 
let me give you my long answer opinion about Wilson barrels (as I point back at myself with my thumb).

Back 10 years ago- we (mil teams) got great deals on match ARs from Armalite and RRA, about $700 bucks for complete match guns, $400 or so less than cost. We were shooting the National Championships so the companies knew we would shoot them in competition. In 2001 (I recall) a good friend, recently retired team coach, HD H. of CA won the US National Championships on a Wilson barrel, almost stock AR except for a borrowed chrome bolt. Harry is a champ- been one all his life- had a few issues converting from the M14 to the mouse gun. Once done- he won the 4 day shoot against the Worlds very best shooters. The Armalite with a Wilson tube only had about 400-500 rounds through it. 99% all other comp guns belonging to the Who's Who crowd were shooting mostly Kreigers, some Douglas, and a few others. The shooters not worried about winning were shooting Wilsons, stock match guns, not super match guns. While some would shoot- their ability to hold record championships groups would NOT last after a training season. After about 3K rounds- they opened up and would yield "rat poop in the drawer" size groups. Every upper that I had built would start life as a RRA or Armalite Match Rifle with a Wilson Tube and I would install a Kreiger or a Lilja- sell the unfired Wilson for $175, to someone who wanted a training barrel or was ranked Expert or below.

Another case- the now team coach for one of the MC teams- thought he would use the cheaper Wilson tubes (get almost 3 for the price of one Kreiger)- but come around US National time (August)- he had down guns- meaning his rifles wouldn't hold High Master Nationals winning groups. Everything shows at 300 and 600 yards, opens up. While a Kreiger or other higher end tube will give you up to 8k rounds.

I am having a new upper built- but have a Kreiger tube installed- cost is about $300 more than a Wilson- but my old saying is I shoot to win- I don't enter a horse race with a mule. If you will settle for the groups a Wilson shoots, or don't plan to shoot a bunch of rounds- you are a stronger man than I. I hate second place or a missed yote. I don't sleep at night for second place, first loser. Well that was my 10 minutes- Keep center. JHG
 

skeet,

I can't speak for all Wilson barrels, but the one on my
RRA 20" heavy barreled upper, is plenty "premium". I
have shot a couple of high 1's, a number of 2's, and
regular 3's. Anything over .5 MOA, and I have drunk
too much coffee, or the wind is up. It cleans up easily,
and collects very little copper. Mine is pinned to an
Armalite NM lower, with some tweaks to the fire control
group /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have yet to see a "bad" Wilson barrel. I assembled an
AR-15, for a friend, chambered in 7.62x39 Russian, with
a Wilson barrel. The last group of load development
ammo, on my range, before the friend took it home to Texas,
was .5 MOA. It was just a plain jane Wilson 16" Chrome Moly
barrel. It too cleaned up easily, and collected little
copper.

I am not sure if my heavy SS Wilson barrel, is considered
"premium", put it shoots "premium" groups.

Squeeze
 
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