TRIARC 16” Track 2.0 Barrel:  A Quick Look




Over the last several years we’ve seen barrel manufacturers starting to move away from the traditional barrel profiles found on AR-15 barrels, such as the government profile, and moving toward “enhanced” barrel profiles, with the specific objectives of balancing weight distribution and handling characteristics while endeavoring to maintain accuracy that is on par with barrels with heavier profiles.  The late John Noveske was the impetus for bringing modern AR-15 barrel profiles to the civilian market.  His 16" CHF N4 barrel profile has the same weight as a government profile barrel of the same length, but it has a more intelligently designed contour that places more of the weight of the barrel from the chamber to the gas block journal and does away with the M203 cut-outs.

TRIARC is now producing a 16” barrel that has a profile that is quite similar to the Noveske N4 profile.  TRIARC calls this their Track 2.0 barrel and they refer to the barrel profile as the “balanced straight contour.”

TRIARC 16” Track 2.0 . . .





Noveske 16” N4 . . .





The TRIARC 16” Track 2.0 barrel is made from 4150V Milspec B-1159E Chromium-Molybdenum-Vanadium steel and has a nitride finish.  This stripped 16” barrel has a weight of 1 pound, 13.1 ounces.  For comparison, a stripped 16” Colt 6920 government profile barrel has a weight of 1 pound, 12 ounces. The barrel extension on the Track 2.0 barrel has M4 feed-ramps and is coated with NP3.





The gas block journal of the Track 2.0 barrel has a diameter of 0.75”; 0.7497” to be exact.  The gas block journal comes with a single dimple contralateral to the gas port.  Speaking of the gas port, it has a diameter 0.0695”.  Unlike the gas block journal of the Noveske N4 barrel, the gas block journal of the Track 2.0 barrel has a length of 1”; so a traditional A-frame front sight base will not work with this barrel.








The TRIARC 16” Track 2.0 barrel has a 5.56mm NATO chamber, a 1:7” rifling twist and utilizes a mid-length gas system.  A Colt reference bolt closed on the chamber with a 1.4646" head-space gauge and did not close on a 1.4666" head-space gauge.  Further chamber checks using both factory loaded ammunition and hand-loads detected no defects in the neck or throat of the chamber.
 
The Track 2.0 barrel is button rifled and the bore is honed using Sunnen machinery.  This honing system not only produces a “glass-smooth” finish to the interior of the bore, it also helps to create tight tolerances for the inside diameter of the bore throughout the entire length of the barrel.

The type of rifling found on the TRIARC Track 2.0 barrel is rather unique for AR-15 barrels.  The rifling is known as single edge polygonal rifling (SEPR).  The patent for this type of rifling (as well as a patent for machinery used to manufacture this rifling) is held by F.J. Feddersen. With single edge polygonal rifling, one side of the land has a traditional squared edge, while the other side of the land has a polygonal edge.








The F.J Feddersen patent for SEPR states that this type of rifling produces less bullet deformation than traditional rifling. F.J. Feddersen also claims that this rifling significantly reduces escaping gases and loss of gas pressures.






I've decided that I'm going to use an SOLG upper receiver for this build.  It will be a nice thermal fit with the barrel extension of the TRIARC barrel.  The internal specs of the upper receiver mate perfectly with the TRIARC bolt carrier group.  

The stripped Sons of Liberty Gun Works upper receiver was filled-out with a Forward Controls Design low drag forward assist and V7 Weapons Systems’ ejection port cover and one-piece port cover rod.





I recently picked-up an SOLGW stripped lower receiver to go with this upper receiver group.  The fit is damn near perfect.  



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ZEV Wedge Lock Handguard

When I first picked-up the ZEV handguard, I immediately noticed the distinctive color and smooth and lustrous finish.  The ZEV handguard has a velvety, luxurious look that feels so good in the hand.  The ZEV handguard is sure to stand out on the firing line.





The US patent for the wedge lock mechanism employed in the ZEV Wedge Lock Handguard states that it was invented by Michael Miller and James Reid.  The patent was originally granted to Mega Arms and has more recently been transferred to ZEV Technologies.





The wedge lock mechanism that secures the ZEV M-LOK handguard to the ZEV barrel nut is a simple, yet elegant approach to fastening a handguard to an upper receiver.  Speaking of the barrel nut, the ZEV barrel nut is a hefty 3.6 ounces of finely machined stainless steel.  The ZEV handguard comes with a custom barrel nut wrench.





The ZEV wedge lock assembly sits in a bottom lip of the ZEV handguard.  The slim design of the wedge lock assembly allows for a sleek, streamlined handguard profile when compared to some of the more bulbous designs on the market.














The wedge lock assembly consists of a top wedge and a bottom wedge with a Torx bolt sandwiched in between them.




















The top of the top wedge has a concave shape that perfectly matches the curvature of the barrel nut. The top wedge and the bottom wedge are mated at an angle such that when the Torx bolt is tightened, the top wedge is pulled rearward and upward wedging itself between the barrel nut and the bottom wedge and handguard forming an extremely solid lock-up.


The top wedge prior to being tightened . . .



. . . and after being tightened . . .




The ZEV Wedge Lock handguard used for this build is the 14 5/8” version and it’s manufactured from 6061 aluminum.  The handguard, barrel nut and mounting hardware have a combined weight of 15.5 ounces.  
The ZEV handguard has an indexing/anti-rotation pin at the 12 o’clock position. The hole in the ZEV handguard has an interference fit with the anti-rotation pin and mates precisely with the anti-rotation hole in the SOLGW upper receiver. The ZEV handguard also employs two anti-movement set screws at approximately the 04:00 and 07:00 positions.











The installed ZEV Wedge Lock handguard had zero degrees of rotation referenced to the picatinny rail of the upper receiver.






When selecting a gas-block to use with an M-LOK hand-guard, you’ll want to pay particular attention to the inside diameter of the hand-guard and the outside dimensions of the gas block.  You don’t want to make the amateur mistake of installing a MK12 gas block under an M-LOK hand-guard that doesn’t have appropriate clearance for that gas-block.  For this build, I used a V Seven Weapons Systems 17-4 PH stainless steel, set-screw, low-profile gas-block with an IonBond finish.






The TRIARC 16” Track 2.0 barrel was thermal-fitted to the SOLGW upper.  Next, the ZEV wedge-lock handguard and the V Seven gas block were installed.  With the TRIARC NP3 bolt carrier group in place and the upper receiver group mated with an SOLGW lower receiver group, the rifle passed dry-fire safety/function testing.

TRIARC has stated that the diameter of the gas port (0.0695”) on this barrel was designed with the use of the Vltor A5 buffer system in mind and they recommend using an A5-H1 buffer.  So, I began live-fire function testing with the A5-H1 buffer and a new Colt rifle length spring in a Vltor A5 buffer tube.  The weapon cycled smoothly with both 223 Remington hand-loads and factory-loaded 5.56mm loads; with the bolt locking-back on the last round of the magazine every time.

I also tested the upper receiver group mated with a lower receiver group that has a standard rifle length buffer system using a standard Colt rifle buffer and rifle spring.  Again, the weapon cycled smoothly with all loads tested and there were zero malfunctions.






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Great write up. I have two Triarc track 2.0 and they are very accurate, well gassed, and just a quality barrel. They really shine shooting suppressed. Right up there with Criterion and similar

In for more.

Looking forward to this one just picked up a 13.9

How do you know what kind of machinery they are using for their barrels?

Disregard

I keep hearing good things about this company's barrels. Definitely interested.

I built a 14.5 with a warcomp from them, coupled with their enhanced BCG, A5 with jp rifle spring it’s incredibly smooth. It’s on par with my 18in noveske JP silent spring and socom brake. I haven’t gotten to do much past zeroing it to test accuracy other than running some in close shots to check my offset and see how smooth it shoots.

Barrel looks promising especially with that small gas port, looking forward to your evaluation. Like to see how it stacks up to a Noveske barrel at 1/2 the price.

Have 11.5 and 12.5 versions.  Accurate and high quality.  Up to 11.5 you can get a suppressed-only upper with a gas port roughly .045.  It is extremely smooth.  It wouldn't cycle with an OSS or no blowback can.

been wanting to get one of their 12.5" grendel barrels. one of these days i might.

Any idea on the approximate barrel life of these?

A member here said his lasted around 14,000 suppressed rounds, IIRC.  I think it was Mad_Max1611

Man, I have had the 12.5 Track in my cart for 2 weeks.  I just don't need another rifle!  So tempting, and I really want a midlength suppressed 12.5.  Decisions...

How are these when being ran unsuppressed?

The suppressed-only won't cycle a new round.  There isn't enough gas back into the system from the .045 gas port without a can.

The 12.5" is smooth as a middy and has a larger gp size though I haven't measured.  I only shoot it suppressed with an OSS can.  It cycles the same due to the suppressor flow through tech.

All are accurate and a pleasure to shoot.  I slightly favor the 11.5" suppressed only...

Can’t wait to read more.  Picked up a 12.5 middy a couple weeks ago

I asked this question to Triarc, this was the response that I received from Scott Nguyen:

Barrel life expectancy is dependent on firing schedule and ammunition. Steel cased ammo will cut the barrel life down for any barrel by almost 50%. With that being said we've had demo guns with 20,000+ rounds through it and still functioning.

Chief Information Officer

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I have an 11.5 and it wouldn't cycle Wolf steel without a suppressor, would short-stroke.  M193 cycled without issue suppressed or unsupressed.

For those wanting one, the waits are long and Triarc has historically used parts for full build or full uppers. The suppressed only barrels have a shorty lead time but stop at 11.5” length.

Also, Triarc is going to all OSS cans so it’ll be interesting to see if they continue making suppressed only uppers.

I love my 16" track..

..but will follow this post for affirmation.

I suspect it will shoot very well with some 77gr ammo. Curious to see what you find.

Here is mine just shooting off a folding table with just Winchester white box ammo.

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Sight in

(100 yards)
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Dialed in at 100 yards
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If I had more stable platform and better ammo it would have been tighter. I had no issue pinging a 12” target at 350

You can kind of see it out there

Attached File

Where is that at? DM me if it needs to stay private.

I've had a 12.5 since early to mid 2018 and have run it as my primary rifle for most of that time because I love the balance etc of a 12.5.  90% of the time, I run it suppressed with a Socom RC can.  I have been very happy.  I have photos somewhere of some groups.  If I find hem and remember, I will edit this with the photos...  I have plenty of Noveske barrels too.  I wouldnt say this is better, but definitely great value proposition and I would not hesitate to buy another.

This is a good looking barrel!

How did I miss this?! I've been waiting for @Molon to do this review. Looking forward to seeing the results.

Thanks. Next time I go out I will use some hand loads and see how tight it can shoot. I just did a rough zero so I could ring some steel. I have a Criterion, Noveske and other higher end barrels and this Triarc shoots just as accurate. Plus, really easy to clean

I have the reading comprehension of an 8 year old, but from what I gather this is a hybrid rifling that is basically half polygonal?

It's like a ratcheting polygonal hybrid

With typical polygonal rifling such as found on Noveske gen 1 stainless steel barrels, both sides of the rifling have a polygonal edge.




With the single edge polygonal rifling, one side of the lands has a traditional squared edge, while the other side has a polygonal edge.



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Thanks, I can’t wait to see how it shoots.

Love these threads. Molon I hope you do a barrel from Vseven at some point. My LW fluted 16 inch barrel is one of my most accurate and my new favorite.

I was looking for a 13.9 Criterion barrel for a new build but they are like hens teeth.  Nowhere to be found and wait times are forever.  I decided on a Triarc 13.9 instead and seems like it might be a great alternative.  I have an ADM lower and upper I'm putting this on and will P&W a Dead Air Nox to bring it to 16" and use a keymo mount for my suppressors.  Waiting on the Nox and a couple other things to arrive before I start the build.  After this post I'm looking even more forward to it.

I tried one of these in an otherwise DD rifle a few years ago.

14.5 mid-length - the port size meant to be used with or without a suppressor.

It had issues cycling low power 223 unsuppressed with a DD BCG/carbine spring+carbine buffer (I also tried a super 42+h2 buffer)

I asked Triarc about it and they sent me a springco blue and one of their used in-house Bolt carriers at a big discount.

Cycled everything after that with a carbine buffer.

Why do you think their BCG and a stronger spring would cycle weak ammo that the DD carrier and stock spring wouldn’t?

I'll wish I still had that rifle.  But that was their enhanced BCG with Np3 coating.  You cant get those anymore.





I've always kinda suspected their gas port size was on the smaller side.  It was a very soft shooter and cycled 100% suppressed with the original setup.  
They handled my CS issue in a really unique way - made me feel like I was being given special attention.  I was new to firearms at that point and was really impressed.
Sorry to keep adding to this but I may have actually used a G super gas block on that DD rifle - cannot remember 100%.

Funny you should say that.  I was deciding between the TRIARC barrel and a 16" V Seven barrel for this build.  I think I'll be using a V Seven upper receiver for this build.




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The V seven upper looks nice.

What’s the consensus on the GP size found on this barrel? I’m trying to get an understanding on what the appropriate GP size should be on a middy.

Great info!  Quality looking barrel and darn impressive with white box shit ammo.

@molon

My last build was mostly Vseven using their 16 inch lightweight profile with fluting option. Receiver used was the LR enlightened upper/lower and hyperlight rail. It’s the most accurate barrel I have in 556/223 currently. I’d love to see how long it takes it opens up with the fluting and heat buildup, and the LW profile.

I've been using some of their smaller parts in some recent builds and have been quite happy with the quality of their parts.

...

It’s officially Q2

I just installed a 14.5" Track 2.0. Can't wait to see how it does.







Thanks @Molon for doing threads like this.

Nice.  Turned out great, man.
I think I am done putting the Harley back together for spring ridin', and done with the wife's kitchen appliance mandates, so I am putting my new 11.5 Track 2 barrel on a Colt upper tomorrow, my backordered URX4 finally arrived

@Molon - Would this have any effect on bullet fragmentation?

Thanks.
I've got an extra Triarc gas block (ordered two because it took forever for Triarc to ship the first one), so now I have no other choice but to do another SBR upper. I'm looking at that 11.5 barrel for that one.

So I had a Triarc when they first launched the 2.0. Im a big proponent of polygonal rifling when I can get it and that's what drew me to this barrel. It is by far the most accurate barrel I have dealt with especially for the money. Up until I killed it, it would consistently shoot sub moa with mediocre ammo. I used it on a 13.9 build that I still have. Final round count was about ~30k probably half of that suppressed. What finally killed it was running the upper on a full auto lower and dumping 1k of steel case through it in one evening. Rounds would key hole at 25 yds. I cleaned it really well and it would shoot well for about 10 rounds and then start keyholing again, rinse and repeat. Decided to get another one and that is what's still on there as I don't shoot as much as I used to. After seeing mine a lot of my buddies have gotten them as well along with full Triarc guns and they are very happy with them. Also I never cleaned the barrel apart from running a snake through it a few times fwiw.

Also wanted to say more companies need to make polygon rifled, chrome line, chf barrels. The only reason they don't is they can make accurate barrels cheaper with cheaper tooling. These barrels don't offer anywhere near the same longevity and accuracy as the aforementioned.

What is mediocre ammo?

Wolf gold, pmc xtac, etc.