Barrel Recommendations

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Barrel Recommendations

Posted: 10/18/2018 11:23:38 AM EDT

I'm building a semi-lightweight rifle for a friend, but given that they're a small female, I'm working to keep the weight down on it.

What's the most accurate barrel out there that fits the below?

> under 26oz
> 16in mid-length
> Wylde or 5.56 chamber
> $200 hopefully, $250 absolute max

I'm currently looking at the KAK Stainless Lightweight, as the KAK barrels seem to get good reviews for accuracy, unlike Faxon which while combat acceptable are worse than I'd like for what will be a range rifle. Am I going to find something better in the $200 range, or if I step up another $50 do I take my options up to a notably better tube?

Posted: 10/18/2018 11:56:17 AM EDT

[#1]

As of this moment, Ballistic Advantage is including free uppers with any purchase over $200. They might have what you need.

Posted: 10/18/2018 12:18:08 PM EDT

[#2]

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Quoted:
As of this moment, Ballistic Advantage is including free uppers with any purchase over $200. They might have what you need.

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Already got an upper. I like their Hanson profile, but was hoping for a 0.625 gas block. I'm also not sure how well they handle heating up, which seems to be the issue that Faxon has. From what I've been able to find, it seems that the 24-26oz range is where I need to sit for an appropriate balance of weight and accuracy. I'm not used to building either lightweight or accuracy AR's, so this is all rather new to me, I'm used to just focusing on durability and reliability.

Posted: 10/18/2018 12:20:51 PM EDT

[#3]

We had a recent thread extolling the accuracy of DD CHF lightweight barrels. Dunno the price. Look into them.

Posted: 10/18/2018 12:22:25 PM EDT

[#4]

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Quoted:
I'm not used to building either lightweight or accuracy AR's, so this is all rather new to me, I'm used to just focusing on durability and reliability.

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you may already know this, but given what you said, here goes: For accuracy, freefloat the barrel. Don't use a typical handguard that attaches to the barrel at the delta ring and the gas block. Use some type of Keymod or MLok freefloating handguard.

Posted: 10/18/2018 12:23:24 PM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
We had a recent thread extolling the accuracy of DD CHF lightweight barrels. Dunno the price. Look into them.

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Quoted:
We had a recent thread extolling the accuracy of DD CHF lightweight barrels. Dunno the price. Look into them.

They'd be perfect if they weren't $290.

And they're so good that no one wants to sell them on the EE either....I may end up just holding out longer and getting one anyways if there's no close option in the lower price tier. I understand that asking for both accuracy and low weight is a bit like dividing by zero.

Quoted:
you may already know this, but given what you said, here goes: For accuracy, freefloat the barrel. Don't use a typical handguard that attaches to the barrel at the delta ring and the gas block. Use some type of Keymod or MLok freefloating handguard.

Yup, got a 15" SLR Helix going on it. It'll be irons only for a while (15in with DD sights, because #allthesightradius), as it's her first gun (to own, not to shoot) we're starting off with the basics and working up from there. She can manage my 8lb+ (unloaded) M4gery, but not quite well enough, so I'm trying to drop at least 2lbs which so far should be easy if I can get a barrel in this weight range.

Edit: Found that Right To Bear has the DD CHF 16in middy at $260....that's $10 over my max goal so it'll push some other parts back a bit, but that's the best deal I've seen on one (new) and I don't think I'm going to pass that up, so it looks like I'm good to go on a barrel.

Because what even are budgets, right?

Posted: 10/18/2018 1:26:30 PM EDT

[#6]

I have had bad experiences with two lightweight barrels that become very inaccurate once they heat up (both 16", one was BCM, don't remember the other).

DD CHF is the only lightweight one I have heard of that stays mostly accurate when it heats up, near your price point. Noveske lightweight might, but I think it may be close to $400.

Posted: 10/18/2018 1:27:38 PM EDT

[#7]

Faxon Gunner Barrel

Posted: 10/18/2018 1:46:57 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:

They'd be perfect if they weren't $290.

And they're so good that no one wants to sell them on the EE either....I may end up just holding out longer and getting one anyways if there's no close option in the lower price tier. I understand that asking for both accuracy and low weight is a bit like dividing by zero.

Yup, got a 15" SLR Helix going on it. It'll be irons only for a while (15in with DD sights, because #allthesightradius), as it's her first gun (to own, not to shoot) we're starting off with the basics and working up from there. She can manage my 8lb+ (unloaded) M4gery, but not quite well enough, so I'm trying to drop at least 2lbs which so far should be easy if I can get a barrel in this weight range.

Edit: Found that Right To Bear has the DD CHF 16in middy at $260....that's $10 over my max goal so it'll push some other parts back a bit, but that's the best deal I've seen on one (new) and I don't think I'm going to pass that up, so it looks like I'm good to go on a barrel.

Because what even are budgets, right?

View Quote

You won't be disappointed in the DD splurge. I grabbed one of the older-style .625 versions off brownell's when they were clearing them out. Best/worst purchase i've ever made cause i'm spoiled as fuck now.

That said, just for the sake of discussion, I also have a faxon pencil profile that is very nearly as accurate, weighs a tad less, but isn't CHF of course. Both barrels are extremely predictable as to what accuracy will "fade" to when they warm up. Fade is of course a relative term, because even hot as hell they still shoot better than a lot of "budget" uppers friends have bought here and there.

Posted: 10/18/2018 1:58:41 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:

You won't be disappointed in the DD splurge. I grabbed one of the older-style .625 versions off brownell's when they were clearing them out. Best/worst purchase i've ever made cause i'm spoiled as fuck now.

That said, just for the sake of discussion, I also have a faxon pencil profile that is very nearly as accurate, weighs a tad less, but isn't CHF of course. Both barrels are extremely predictable as to what accuracy will "fade" to when they warm up. Fade is of course a relative term, because even hot as hell they still shoot better than a lot of "budget" uppers friends have bought here and there.

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If we're being honest, it'll probably be a long time before the shooter that'll have this is able to find the limits of it's accuracy.

But I'd like her to be able to have this gun for a very long time, and I'd rather that it shows her shortcomings and weakness as she improves rather than her outstripping it quickly and not being able to learn further, because she's reached mid-level skill on low-level gear.

This was going to be a graduation gift (1.5-2yr), but I made the mistake of checking the EE and just kept finding one good deal after the other...so now it's going to be ready for her to put together by Christmas.

We'll get her a Geissele trigger and an optic when she graduates I guess.

Posted: 10/18/2018 2:07:32 PM EDT

[#10]

hahaha nice.

i was gonna build my wife a mid-range (300-500) rig, so i got a handguard she was dropping hints on just to hang on to (sposed to be a val day gift a couple years ago). then BA went and had a sale on their ops-contoured 16" barrels, and I thought "well hell, this will help convince her I need an AEM5 for my mk12 clones!!" so i got one for her and two for me (mod H, seal recce). then brownells went and put their house-branded geisseles on sale, so a g2s-e showed up...so i said fark it, why wait for february and went all in.

She had a wonderful berfday that November.

Posted: 10/18/2018 2:11:22 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
hahaha nice.

i was gonna build my wife a mid-range (300-500) rig, so i got a handguard she was dropping hints on just to hang on to (sposed to be a val day gift a couple years ago). then BA went and had a sale on their ops-contoured 16" barrels, and I thought "well hell, this will help convince her I need an AEM5 for my mk12 clones!!" so i got one for her and two for me (mod H, seal recce). then brownells went and put their house-branded geisseles on sale, so a g2s-e showed up...so i said fark it, why wait for february and went all in.

She had a wonderful berfday that November.

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I accidentally myself an upper too.

Found a great deal on a Triarc 16in rifle gas for her build, but then decided it was a bit heavy and that we didn't want to deal with rifle gas....so that's going on mine. Then I realized that ALG has their EMR V0-E on closeout/sale so one of those 13's should show up today, and oops there was a MUR on a good deal...guess I'm getting a precision upper now.

Posted: 10/18/2018 5:14:13 PM EDT

[#12]

A man can never say no to "DD's"

Posted: 10/18/2018 9:47:14 PM EDT

[#13]

Larue PredatAr if you don’t mind being at the upper $$ range ($245 w/ M4 ramps plus shipping) and it came out to 26.25oz on my scale before I cleaned it.

Posted: 10/19/2018 5:46:44 AM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
A man can never say no to "DD's"

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Have you SEEN jenna jameson or brianna banks these days?

Yeesh.

Posted: 10/19/2018 7:29:18 AM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
Larue PredatAr if you don’t mind being at the upper $$ range ($245 w/ M4 ramps plus shipping) and it came out to 26.25oz on my scale before I cleaned it.

View Quote

^^^^^^
I really like my Larue!

Posted: 10/19/2018 6:18:05 PM EDT

[#16]

I have a Faxon pencil barrel that does get warm, and I guess it affects accuracy, but that is a lightweight gun I built for home defense. My other I built with a BA 16" mid-length modern barrel which cost me $105 on sale, and that one performs very well. Mine are both 16" mids.

Posted: 10/21/2018 2:04:51 PM EDT

[#17]

Budgets only exist to be broken!

I think that the DD at 260 bills is a solid choice and something that will last a very very long time. Buy once cry once right?

Posted: 10/21/2018 4:39:14 PM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
Budgets only exist to be broken!

I think that the DD at 260 bills is a solid choice and something that will last a very very long time. Buy once cry once right?

View Quote

Amen to that!

Hopefully this gun will last the rest of her life, though I have told her to make sure it's not a safe queen and to shoot it until she breaks it.

Posted: 10/21/2018 6:09:47 PM EDT

[#19]

the KAK melonite value line version they make of that barrel works really good in my GF rifle, and it's alot cheaper at 107 bucks

Posted: 10/31/2018 1:39:10 PM EDT

[#20]

a bit more than you want to spend, but Criterion makes excellent barrels and this one is light @ 24 oz. https://www.americandefensemanufacturing.com/view/product/1225/

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Barrel Recommendations

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