MOA is not end all be all.  There are different barrels for different uses.  It is difficult to make a determination about whether your barrel will fit my use.  In my case I desire reliability and longevity over absolute accuracy.  Sub MOA is sweet, but isn't the only thing people are looking for in a barrel.  For some people a CHF barrel will fit their needs more than a SS barrel...but we can't even get that info out of you.

Can you give me any claims to barrel longevity?  Will you replace my barrel free of charge if it does not last at least 20,000 rounds like most CHF barrels will?

 








That said, if you look back at some of bigbore's tests (owner of ADCO Firearms), he put a Rock River 4140 and a SS Wilson barrel through some high round count torture tests, including full auto use, and both were still shooting well beyond what many think would equate to a "shot out" barrel. The SS test was very interesting, and was north of 18K rounds IIRC, and it was still shooting.

Here are the links for you to read up on them:

Haha.  You did say that.  I didn't know what u meant by it.  If I don't buy a barrel i think I may just pick up a complete rifle.  I do believe youake high quality gear...the proof is in the results.  I was just saying that it may not meet my needs.  If it will last 20000 rounds, I would be satisfied with that type of durability given the accuracy.  Thank you!

Best get to ordering your new LaRue barrel, rxer311!  Damn, I cannot wait for my new 12" Stealth build to be done!

I'm on the fence between these two barrels for a pinned FH on a 14.5" build.  

14.5" 5.56 BA Hanson .625 MidLength w/ LoPro, Perf. Series

or

LaRue 14.5" 5.56 Stealth Barrel $245  

The Ballistic Advantage Barrel comes with the LoPro pinned gas block.  
The LaRue charges an extra $69 for their gas block!  OUCH!

One thing I do not know much about is the difference between the STEALTH vs the HANSON Profile.  I'm still researching that.  

But with the extended description listing all the specs on the Ballistic Advantage barrel, including:
4150 CMV
QPQ
1.03" Gas Block Seat for .625" Gas Block
1:7 Twist
Weight 20.7
and FailZero Nickel Boron Coated Extended M4 Feed Ramp Extension

The Ballistic Advantage looks like a better deal.

But everyone seems to be raving about the killer $225 + $20 (Feed Ramp) deal at LaRue.  

Decisions, Decisions  

The Larue Stealth barrel has a much heavier profile compared to the BA barrel that you linked to.  Just to throw you another curve, there is a vendor who stocks that exact BA barrel but at a 14in length for the same price, $220 with pinned gas block.  You don't have to use the Larue $65 gas block, there are other gas blocks that fit but they will only have two set screws.

If your still on the fence after that reply I do not know what to think.
Glad my 20" Larue is on the way....That way I do not kick myself later.

I ordered a BA 12.5" barrel just before LaRue put their barrels on sale. Had the BA barrel on my upper and everything. When I saw the LaRue barrels were on sale, I ordered a 12" and took that upper back apart. The BA barrel goes into the spare parts heap. Pretty easy decision for what's going to be a lifetime weapon for me.

I'm not sure why you haven't already bought this. So much debat over nothing. Mark and the guys at Larue make an amazing product and stand behind it 100%. I bought a stealth barrel during his sale last summer and I wish I had bought more while I had the cash. Now I just to add an MBT to cap it off.

Well, ok. I'm toying with getting a barrel but "trust me" isn't enough to push me over the edge. I have to have some basis for believing the claims. That's just me. Obviously you have enough business not to have to worry about such market segments, though!



The patent for XTRAXN looks pretty interesting. I dunno, maybe I'll poke around some more, maybe not.



-Stooxie



 

FYI, The sale ends on 4 July.

If you can absolutely confirm they are LW50 stainless with polygonal rifling, then I will buy one. (20" Stealth)

I'd love to put that up against my ARP at the range for a day.

Somehow I figure it would replace my ARP.

That sounds like a pretty good deal.  Any hints on where to find this?

Weapon Outfitters BA 14in Hanson Barrel

That's the best thing a company can say and stand by!  I missed on the last sale, bought one this go around, and bought one off the EE.  With that comment there, I may buy another to stash away for a future build with my son when he gets older.

Okay - not asking for the recipe.   But...

Can you tell me the weight of the 12" stealth and the weight of the 16" stealth and predator?

Is the profile the only difference between the stealth and predator? Is one better than the other for general beating around?

 
I believe LT no longer uses Lothar Walther blanks. I could be wrong here, but I thought they had transitioned to making their own barrels "from scratch straight out of 12' long bars" of steel in house.






Mr. LaRue may correct me on that, but that's what I understand.






ETA: And, I would not hesitate to buy one of their barrels. Their results speak for themselves. All you need to know is that they will shoot better than you






 

This is what I want to know...material, rifling type, and twist rate.

The quality is not in question, I would just like to know what it is I'm buying first, thats all.

 
Twist is 1/8 on both barrel types (ETA: Stealth and PredatAR).


 

So yeah...I ordered a 14.5" barrel...

Damn, I just saw the weights posted for those barrels on here the other day and can't remember where. What I do remember is that the 12" Stealth and 16" PredatAR barrels were very close in weight to one another. (I ordered the 12" Stealth so that info was pertinent to my interests as well.)

Now where the hell did I see that posted...

You must buy expensive ammo. For a LaRue I see $337.90 shipped with M4 ramps, gas block and tube. Same price as a Noveske stainless with pinned LPGB and tube. Not saying one is better, but equal pricing.



-Stooxie

Actually I haven't been able to find a Noveske 14.5" stainless barrel with pinned LPGB for any less than $432.

I just bought a 10.5" 300BLK stainless Noveske $310 shipped. During Noveske's Black Friday sale I bought a 12.5" for $272 shipped. True, Noveske does charge more for longer lengths whereas LT is currently the same price regardless of length. Kind of interesting that a 12" barrel is the same price as a 20".



I'm not trying to rain on the parade here, just pointing out that-- to me-- I've yet to be pushed over the edge and the price isn't THAT compelling when adding in all the stuff you'd need. What the heck was the price before?? Having the owner use analogies like Sears batteries selling the same shit but claiming a lifetime warranty doesn't exactly resound with me either. I read that as "the consumer is stupid."



Again, that's just me!! For all I know the LaRue barrel IS the second coming, but I can't buy on bravado alone.



-Stooxie



 

I agree 100%! $6,000 worth of ammo at a bare minimum.



-Stooxie



 

I hope you are not taking a shot at me on this one.

For the record, I ordered one of your barrels last night.

I know you make top shelf products.  Everybody knows you do.  My comments have to do with the fact that certain people are looking for specific qualities in their barrels.  Its hard to make an informed decision on purchasing a product without knowing even the basic specs of it.  I was very much leaning towards a CHF barrel because of the specific uses of this rifle.  I was simply looking for assurances that this barrel would hold up to the rigors of carbine classes.  I already knew that your barrels are some of the most accurate on the market, however, generally with SS barrels, life is shorter.

After weighing the pros and cons I decided to give one of your barrels a try due to the excellent feedback of some of your other customers.  It also made sense to me that even at 20000 rounds if the group opens up to 2 MOA, that is my starting point with a CHF barrel.

Its really not good policy to make remarks like that about potential customers...but I can roll with it.  You make good stuff.  I am also seriously considering purchasing a complete rifle from you.

I was just simply looking for assurances that this particular barrel would match the needs that I have set out for it.  Thank you for your time in here.  I appreciate you letting me know as much as possible without giving away your "secret recipe."  

This is how marketing is these days. Marketing used to be about creating a value prop and communicating it to the target audience. Now it's build a brand and tell everyone they're fucken' stupid if they don't get on board. Blows my mind, the negative advertising I see and hear.





I have to give credit, though, it sure seems to work! Literally the ONLY reason I would even consider a LT barrel is because I now have this nagging feeling that I might be missing out because of the sale. Then I tell myself to cut the shit and I come back to my senses. That's why I did the price check. It's really not that great of a deal relative to other premium offerings that I am already familiar with. <---- that's the operative part there. It's not that I have any reason to doubt LT barrels, it's that I have no basis for displacing what I ALREADY know about others (Noveske, Criterion, DD, etc).





-Stooxie

 

LARUE Stealth! I just received my order for the 20" yesterday.  I am by no means an expert on AR's, but I been thru my share of barrels. So far, Larue is top notch! If you're worried about weight, their PredatAR bbl has the leaner profile. My build with the Stealth bbl can't get done fast enough.

If it helps, you can always email Larue for barrel weights.  I got this response when I asked about some specific barrels:


I don't mind all the secrecy re: the barrel recipe, but it would be nice to at least have the barrel weights listed on the website.  That's a vital statistic and it's kind of a pain to have to email or call to get such basic information.  IMO.

FWIW I have a 20" Stealth I got in the last barrel sale and hot damn will it shoot.

Just received my 20" Stealth barrel + some other unexpected goodies very quickly after ordering.
Cannot wait to put together my new AR-15 and give the MOA challenge a go.
To all at Larue I thank you for such great customer service and the quality speaks louder than words on all of your dedication to being the best.
You have a new loyal customer here.

This or Larue is what I'd go for.

Dang...just DANG!

To the OP, if you are wanting a FH to get to 16" consider the VooDoo Innovations Manimal. It gets you to legal length when permanently attached, but allows removal of gas blocks and barrel nuts on .750" barrels.

http://www.voodooinnovations.com/vdi-manimal-extended-flash-hider

Just ordered a 16" LaRue barrel moments ago.

I've been thoroughly impressed with my LaRue products and I'm sure this one will be no different.

I went ahead and added the matching gas block and M4 ramps.

I think my order was a dime south of $335 shipping and all.

Green Mountain has some good barrels at good prices; http://www.gmriflebarrel.com/ar-15-m16-m4-rifle-barrels/

I used one of theirs on a 20" build and it's a good shooter.

I was very disappointed

They sent me a barrel that was threaded non concentrically. It was out .050", I had to chop and re thread it.

How that can be manufactured for one and get past a QA inspection is beyond me.....

Don't want to hijack the OP's thread, but I figured since it's about $300 and under barrels this little update was applicable.

As stated a few posts above I ordered a 16" Stealth "UltraPrecision" barrel from LaRue Tactical.

It arrived today.  I placed my order for the barrel, gas block, and gas tube.  Had it shipped with their cheapest regular ole' shipping option.  It was $334.90 for everything.  It arrived in roughly 5 business days.

Shout out to Mark, and his guys he has working on these barrels.  Naturally I just installed it, so I have not fired it yet.  But this thing sure is pretty.  I've installed barrels, gas blocks, and rails countless times. But I cannot remember a time that went as smooth as this one.  I didn't just get the barrel, I basically got a well-tuned system.  The gas block is spendy, but when you see it you can understand.  I didn't have to fuss with block alignment, making my bcg and rail install much smoother.  All of the guess work was done for me.  The barrel is dimpled, and done nicely.  The screws set right in place with no wiggle room for mistakes.

The barrel itself is beautiful.  The barrel extension went into the upper with just the right amount of snugness and zero play once there.  

I don't mean to be gushy or sound like an advertisement for LaRue.  Especially since I haven't fired it yet.  Who knows what it will do then, but my bet is this thing is going to shoot as good as it looks.  I'm hoping to get that initial shooting out of the way over this weekend, and will update for those interested or on the fence.

One more thing,...if you're goal is lightweight, this barrel is not the one for you.  I didn't take any accurate measurements or anything, but suffice it to say it is much heavier than my ST-FN it replaced.  It's not a bull barrel or anything, but it is meaty.  I'm thinking this can only help the accuracy though.

Thank you Mark and the LaRue team for another great product.  I gave full price for my first MBT-2S during your launch, and have since gotten another one during one of your smokin' trigger deals.  Both are excellent.  Now I'm just waiting on those sweet scope mounts to go on sale.....  

Here's a couple of pics showing the barrel during install to give an idea of the profile.

Lol.  I'm going to try and make that happen tomorrow...

Just get the Larue barrel and do not think twice about it.
I was not even shooting FGMM and I shot under 1/2" moa with my new 20" Stealth barrel with ADI 69 SMK's which cost less than half
what the Federals cost.
If I could afford to buy a dozen Larue barrels right now I would, but I am tapped out.
You will not be sorry with these barrels.....The Larue Stealth 20" outshot my Lothar Walther 18" and Green Mountain 18" barrels today easily.