I'm working on my first build and that part I'm struggling with the most is deciding on which barrel to put on it. Right now I'm really going between the Strike Industries and Ballistic Advantage, but leaning more towards the Strike primarily since it's in the chamber I want, lighter than BA, Nitirded, and CHF'd. I'm not concerned about extreme accuracy and would rather have a longer lasting barrel that's easy to carry. I know it comes down to personal preference, but just wanted to get some thoughts from you guys who have been doing this for a while. And yes, I've also considered LaRue, Krieger, BCM, Criterion, Lothar, WOA, Rainier, and others. Got em all laid out on an excell spreadsheet

                                                                                       

MAKE	Strike Industries	Ballistic Advantage	Faxon
PRICE	$217	$180	$157
CALIBER	.223 Wylde	.223 Wylde	5.56 NATO
WEIGHT	25 oz	27 oz	22 oz
STEEL	416 RS	416	4150 CMV
FINISH	Nitride	Stainless Steel	Melonite
PROCESS	CHF	?	Button Rifled
TESTING	MPI	HP/MPI	MPI
OTHER	Mfg claims sub MOA	FailZero Ni-B feed ramps
		Sub MOA guarantee
		Includes gas block

I guess my question is then, am I putting too much weight on these factors? Am I likely to live to see barrel life degradation or be able to feel an extra two ounces in a barrel? I don't shoot a whole lot.. couple hundred rounds a month maybe.

Faxon for your needs.

For me, I'd get the most accurate.

Faxon

Faxon then BA, imo.

Very close.

Faxon has a stellar reputation for accuracy and durability, while the others offer manufacturer's claims.  Also, note that the Faxon is the lightest of the 3. When in doubt, I like to follow in the footsteps of top 3-Gun competitors. - CW

Just curious, are you going to be running a red dot on it, or magnified optics?  I always gravitate towards the most accurate option in case I ever want to be able to shoot small groups or predator hunt or something.  So I would probably get the BA. 

I would not get the Strike.  It is very new and unknown who makes it and not much feedback on them at all.

I would go BA or Faxon.  You have a premium BA barrel listed and a standard Faxon listed.  I have quite a few BA barrels and 3 Faxon.  Both shoot very well even when shooting from a bench with a front/ rear rest, premium ammo, quality 2 stage trigger and a good high power scope.  It would be very hard to tell which had tighter and more consistent groups unless you handloaded the perfect round for both.  You can get the BA barrels much cheaper than your listed prices from Androcorp.com, Righttobear.com or Graniteridge.com.  All are site sponsors.  I have ordered from Andro and Righttobear and both have outstanding customer service.

Just so you know, the BA and Faxon barrels you have listed are thin.  You don't realize how thin they are until you have it in front of you.  Some people won't like the look of it.  See the pic below.  The top barrel is a BA 16in standard government profile, 2nd barrel down is a Larue 16in PredatAr, 3rd barrel down is a Faxon 14.5 w/ pinned brake Gunner and bottom barrel is a Larue 12in Stealth .  The barrel with the AA battery next to it is the Faxon.


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I would go with a Faxon Gunner. It's still lightweight but has the extra meat where the barrel needs it.

Just a though.....you did a ton of research, but still come on here for internet strangers opinions that may not be as credible as your own research was.....



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Thank you all for your input! I was discounting the Faxon since, for its price, I was concerned about the quality and accuracy and I could only find limited anecdotal evidence on their accuracy online.

I'll be topping it with a 4x ACOG. If a Faxon can't manage 1 MOA (or close to it) I might swap out for a BA or American Defense.


Online research will only get me so far. I'm still somewhat new to this platform only having owned one AR so I was interested to hear from others how some of these factors that I'm putting a lot of weight on actually play out in the real world.

That's actually a good point! And if I accept a 5.56 barrel instead of a .223 Wylde and go with a BA Performance Series Hanson profile, I can get a 23 oz nitrided barrel for $180 that has a sub MOA guarantee. And thank you for the leads on the other sites. Righttobear has been one of my go-to sites so far but I hadn't heard of the other two.

I would go with the Faxon or BA over the SI barrel. Both of these two are proven quality options. From there, just pick whichever one suits your needs or tickles your fancy.

I'm liking Faxon more every week.

This, I have a 14.5in GUNNER barrel and would feel very confident in it's ability to do sub-MOA accuracy if I swapped out the red dot I have on it for a 4x optic and switched from plinking ammo to good quality match grade ammo.

Thank you RogueNathan. It is reassuring to see a company rep so active on these forums and makes your barrels that much more tempting. Can you tell me if Faxon has any plans for creating a Wylde barrel or are you focusing on the line-up you already have?

You said you want longer lasting, so why are you looking at the SS BA Hanson instead of the qpq 4150 Hanson?

The Hanson also comes with a gas block, for factoring price.  And it is pre-drilled for the pin on the gas block so it's never going to move.

I would definitely take the Hanson or Faxon over the strike.

The Hanson is frankly fantastic, I have a few and they are sub MOA and the barrel profile makes it feel lighter than it is because more of the meat is closer to the receiver.

Just one of many factors I'm considering and a nitrided barrel is a mark in the "pro" column. I'm looking for a good all-around balance. But I also know that if I start out with an inherently more accurate SS barrel with quality steel, it will be years and years before I shoot it out and need to replace it. Actually, BA makes a Hanson profile barrel with a 0.625" gas block journal that comes in at 22 oz. Maybe I should just get both and be done with it.

Edit: I ended up going with the 22 oz SS BA for the .223 Wylde chamber, the HP testing, and Ni-B coated feed ramps, which, while probably not necessary, seem to show a higher level of attention to detail and design. Thank you all for helping me think through this.

I like seeing how active Faxon is around here. Shows where their focus is when it comes to customer service. Excellent. I love my 14.5" midlength Faxon pencil barrel. Light as a feather and fairly accurate all things considered. Very high quality.

Agreed. Next time I'm buying a barrel, I think I'll give them my business.

Faxon and BA have both been good to me. I have 2 of each and another Faxon 16 GUNNER on the way.  Either would serve you well.  They both also have great CS with Faxon having an edge as evident in this thread. From here on out it's pretty much Faxon only for me.