Are they all made with the H-bar or can I get a light weight barrel? Should I go with a A2 or A3? colt or bushmaster?

Have you checked their web sites yet? IIRC, Colt doesn't make a 20" skinny barrel anymore. I have no idea about BM.

Keep in mind there's a slew of aftermarket companies such as J&T that sell or make what you want. J&T may be as good as Colt or BM in quality, IMO.

My .o2

What is the price on a new 20 in barrel? what will i have to change to make it fit right? Do they install it or can you do it your self? Should I just get the standard H-bar?How much lighter are they? I will use it for target shooting (probably not in any competions though)and varmit hunting.

No Bushmaster doens't sell post-ban lightweight (GOvt Profile) uppers.  They do sell pre-ban versions if you have a pre-ban rifle.

It you want a rifle with it that is post-ban then order it (either the rifle or the upper) from Gunsmoke (www.AR15.tv) they can get you a Bushmaster and covert the barrel to post-ban legal with their in-house gunsmith.

The govt profile barrels are a full pound lighter than the HBAR - and it feels like more as all that weight was hanging on a lever...

A2 or A3?  Depends are you planning on optics? If so what type?  I see you want to varmint hunt - generally for the scopes used for that I'd recommend a flattop (which is really an A4, but lets not nit-pick).  


HAHAHAHHAHAAHA!  Man thanks for the laugh !

I have a colt scope for the handle but i was think maybe down the road I may want to add a better scope. Is there any real disadvantage to getting a A3?

There are only two disadvantages that I can think of:

1) Flattop currently are not DCM legal (not that you'd be going to Camp Perry with a Govt profile barrel).

2) The iron sights are not as secure, and if you use the detachable handle you will increase the weight of the rifle a full half pound heavier than an A2 rifle (of course there are Back-Up-Iron-Sights that are lighter...).

Neither are big issues (more like nit-picking).

Oh a flattop with carryhandle rifle will run you about $80-$90 more than an A2 rifle and that Colt scope won't mount properly on the detachable handle (though TAPCO does sell an inexpensive mount that will allow you to use it on a flattop).

The other option is to get a post-ban HBAR and have it turned down to Govt. profile by someplace like KKF.

NYCOP, sending it out to get turned down by Kurt is a good idea if you already have the rifle but I like Forest's idea better because you buy the rifle and have it turned at the same place, it's one step that way which is much faster and cheaper than buying it, shipping it to a gunsmith, turned, and then having it shipped back to you.