Experiences with accurate AR barrels

Originally Posted By: 36FanI sure hope BHW barrel is worth it, cause their shipping dept isn't impressing me at this point.

This can happen with the best barrel makers. I had an custom order in to White Oak Armament, and after the obligatory wait period, called, and heard crickets when I asked when to expect my barrel. John Holiger called me personally, and made it right. Probably the most accurate rifle I own, and I own a few. I have heard a number of good things about BHW, but CS isn't one of them.
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If I were in the market for a match grade barrel, to win matches, I would be calling White Oak Armament. If I wanted a barrel, that shot close to a WOA barrel, at half the price, it would be ARP getting my call.

Squeeze
 
I perfer ARP barrels because they are pretty cheap but high quality. If the wind isnt stupid im goin to test the 73gr ELDM's out of the 20" ARP out to 600. If it groups as good like it did at 100 yards ill take it out to 1000.
I dont think you can go wrong with a ARP barrel. All of the ones i have from him shoot better than most my bolt action rifles.
 
I have had a White Oak Armament and currently use a Rainier Ultramatch barrel. Both barrels are comparable in accuracy, 1/2 MOA with handloads. If I remember right the WOA was a Wilson blank and the Rainier is a Shilen Select Match grade. My absolute best 5 shot group @ 100 yards has been with the Rainier. I could get consistent hits/groups with the White Oak barrel at 500 yards on my 10"X12" plate. My best 5 shot group at 500 was 5" CTC. It was a 26" 1-8 twist full bull barrel. I have not shot the Rainier at that distance but have no doubts it would do the same. It is also a 1-8 twist but is a HBAR profile. The WOA barrel and the Rainier currently shoots great with 75 grain BTHP Hornady's over 24 grains of Reloder 15.

What size of plates are you shooting?

Brad
 
Originally Posted By: SqueezeOriginally Posted By: 36FanI sure hope BHW barrel is worth it, cause their shipping dept isn't impressing me at this point.

This can happen with the best barrel makers. I had an custom order in to White Oak Armament, and after the obligatory wait period, called, and heard crickets when I asked when to expect my barrel. John Holiger called me personally, and made it right. Probably the most accurate rifle I own, and I own a few. I have heard a number of good things about BHW, but CS isn't one of them.
wink.gif
If I were in the market for a match grade barrel, to win matches, I would be calling White Oak Armament. If I wanted a barrel, that shot close to a WOA barrel, at half the price, it would be ARP getting my call.

Squeeze

I can understand wait times on custom barrels, I have a few from various vendors that took some time to get. But this was an off the shelf in stock barrel. After phone calls and now unanswered emails Im left with the, "We have your money and we will ship when we get to it" situation going on. The lady on the phone was very pleasant and even informed me that I will love this barrel and be back to buy more in the future, yet she couldn't give me any idea when it would ship......I think she got the future buyer assumption way wrong this time.
 
Guys I'll be the first to admit, I'm as lost as a ball in tall weeds when it comes to accurate AR's. I come from a bolt action background and have limited experience in shooting AR's at distances farther than 100 yards. I have 5-6 AR but most of my shots have been at distances less than 100 yards. Mostly with buddies doing mag dumps and shooting the crap out of stuff.

I regularly shoot bolt rifles longer distances and know what to expect and know what I like in a bolt action rifle. Kinda lost count, but I have 17 or so full custom bolt rifles. Talking full on custom actions, barrels, stocks etc. So I know what I like in a bolt and what has worked for me and what hasn't.

To be honest, if this local club wasn't hosting these matches I wouldn't be building this AR. I"m learning a lot already. From my own personal experience, I know I like single point cut rifle barrels better than button barrels. Not gonna say button barrels cannot be accurate, they can be as I"ve had some, but its my money and I get to pick what I want to buy.

Having said that, I'm surprised no one has mentioned a cut rifle barrel. I had a couple on my radar and no one mentioned them. It's either no one has tried them or they aren't at the to of the heap in AR barrels.

Cost is not a consideration in this equation. I simply want an accurate barrel. As Tim N eluded to, I want a really consistently accurate barrel. I've seen some so called "good" groups during my research and if that were one of my bolt rifle groups, I'd spin that barrel off and make a tomato stick out of it.

To me 600 yards is not long range. So I want to be able to make pin point shots. I know the positions are gonna be unorthodox so I want all the accuracy I can muster from a barrel

I really appreciate all of the input and I will research the most popular responses. I am grateful for those of you that have taken the time to reply..

Thanks
 
Originally Posted By: Buster HindendGuys I'll be the first to admit, I'm as lost as a ball in tall weeds when it comes to accurate AR's. I come from a bolt action background and have limited experience in shooting AR's at distances farther than 100 yards. I have 5-6 AR but most of my shots have been at distances less than 100 yards. Mostly with buddies doing mag dumps and shooting the crap out of stuff.

I regularly shoot bolt rifles longer distances and know what to expect and know what I like in a bolt action rifle. Kinda lost count, but I have 17 or so full custom bolt rifles. Talking full on custom actions, barrels, stocks etc. So I know what I like in a bolt and what has worked for me and what hasn't.

To be honest, if this local club wasn't hosting these matches I wouldn't be building this AR. I"m learning a lot already. From my own personal experience, I know I like single point cut rifle barrels better than button barrels. Not gonna say button barrels cannot be accurate, they can be as I"ve had some, but its my money and I get to pick what I want to buy.

Having said that, I'm surprised no one has mentioned a cut rifle barrel. I had a couple on my radar and no one mentioned them. It's either no one has tried them or they aren't at the to of the heap in AR barrels.

Cost is not a consideration in this equation. I simply want an accurate barrel. As Tim N eluded to, I want a really consistently accurate barrel. I've seen some so called "good" groups during my research and if that were one of my bolt rifle groups, I'd spin that barrel off and make a tomato stick out of it.

To me 600 yards is not long range. So I want to be able to make pin point shots. I know the positions are gonna be unorthodox so I want all the accuracy I can muster from a barrel

I really appreciate all of the input and I will research the most popular responses. I am grateful for those of you that have taken the time to reply..

Thanks


Most folks doing at builds are buying a "pre-fit" barrel, contoured, port drilled, extension installed. Would I be correct in assuming you would be more inclined to getting a blank and sending to a smith to be finished?

If so, I'd say pick you barrel manufacturer of choice and send it off to your smith. As with a bolt action, you can have the are receiver face trued. After that, pick a free float tube and spend some money on a good trigger. Buttstock is pure preference. Maybe a magpul prs or luth ar stock would suite your needs. I like rock river a2 or magpul Moe a2. Simple and they have a good cheek weld for me.

 
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I've shot both. No appreciable gains in the cut in my experience. Button barrels are winning a lot of gold in the US on the AR platform. One thing that I see is that is far harder to shoot tiny groups with an AR. I'm no slouch with either but the ergonomics of the bolt plus lower demands of not being concerned with gas and pressure requirements lend themselves to the old school stuff.

I've shot more than a few DMR style matches over the past few decades. Anything under an MOA would usually be competitive. Obviously the smaller the better but they are not a challenge to most barrels on the market. The Black Hole tubes will hold their own in that venue all day long if my successes prove anything.

Greg
 
If you'd like cut rifling, get a Rock Creek barrel. Rainer sells them prefit and ready to shoot. I can totally get with working with what you know...if you want to stay with your typical barrel makers, you can certainly buy a blank from whomever and have a smith make it AR ready. I see Rock Creek and Krieger make AR ready barrels and I do not see either being a problem to garner accuracy. You can get a Bartlein worked to AR ready as well, however they don't offer it direct. link


I am sure most of this is a repeat of your own research.


The one thing I see is that you will never get to your standard of accuracy and consistency with an AR compared to your bolt rifles. Close...but not the typical bug holes you produce. My 6X45 is easily sub-MOA, really around 1/2 MOA with little effort. The last time out I shot three 10 shot groups that all measured 1/2" at 100. I think a different trigger will help me close in on more consistency. That rifle wears a BHW barrel. I like it quite well as I have told you in the past.
 
Buster, Having shot a bunch of action type matches, the best barrel in my stable is one that came from the DPMS upgrade department...It's a 16" match grade bull chrome-moly barrel that was cryo treated before ever being shot....It was also hand fitted to the upper...



I don't have any idea of how many rounds that have gone through the barrel due to practice and actual matches...My bore scope inspection a month or two ago indicated very little wear and I've had it since about 1999...I have to admit though that the last action competition it was in was the DPMS 3-Gun in 2007...I shot one of the PM 5 shot, 5 group competitions that was run on this site sometime about '08 or '09 and it was producing groups in the .3s with my loads...

Now, I can't say the the cryo'd barrel is the reason for low wear and good accuracy, but of the nine 5.56 ARs that I've owned, this one is outstanding...
 
Originally Posted By: bryan hOriginally Posted By: Buster HindendI appreciate the help guys

I ordered a barrel today





So what did you go with.


Called Compass Lake and got a Bartlein, 20", threaded 1/2 x 28, 7.7 twist, 4 groove

Just what I wanted

Thanks guys for all the help
 
Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeBartlein... Huh... I'd a never guessed that...

Well maybe I was thinking I had an idea...grin

Had I known I could have ordered the Bart the way I wanted, I wouldn't have posted this question. Shane turned me onto Compass Lake
 
Originally Posted By: Buster HindendOriginally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeBartlein... Huh... I'd a never guessed that...

Well maybe I was thinking I had an idea...grin

Had I known I could have ordered the Bart the way I wanted, I wouldn't have posted this question. Shane turned me onto Compass Lake

I got you homie!
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