im planning to replace my old original m14 barrel...what barrel would you suggest & where to buy it    any tips/opinions?   please help.


tnx

Depends on what you are looking for.

Plinker, match, target, what?

I mean if all you do is shoot bottles and such a Kreiger or Douglas is way overkill. Then again, if you shoot highpower, a chrome lined GI barrel is not going to serve you very well.

If you are shooting for matches try the krieger if affordable.  The douglas will shoot well also.  They are cut different.
There are a bunch but many actually are either barnett or wilson barrels.
Lija also has a good one.
Shillon (spelling)
There are a bunch out there.  I have liked the krieger as they seem to last longer.

Barnett.

SEI Crazy Horse

1+ on the SEI crazy horse. I have one and all that I can say is , OH BABY!

The guys gave some great choices as always, but what kind of M14 replacement barrel you are looking for is a question that needs to be answered?
Match, chromelined usgi, non-usgi chromedlined, heavy contour, medium or standard GI, stainless, chromemoly, fullsize 22inch or 18inch Scout size? Which one?

Okay, I'll answer it for 'im I'm looking for an 18" but don't want to pay fulton armory prices, anyone  else making these? -besides Springfield?

Quoted: Okay, I'll answer it for 'im I'm looking for an 18" but don't want to pay fulton armory prices, anyone  else making these? -besides Springfield?

I suggest the SEI 18" Medium Heavy, Crazy Horse, Sniper-Grade barrel (P/N 9345-MK14).
I have one of these in my MK14 and it is super accurate with Port surplus

SEI also has an 18" standard profile Chrome Lined M118LR MK14 barrel, but you have to send
your receiver into SEI for installation.

Ah, forgot about Smith!  looks juicy, not cheap, but nothing top quality ever was.

I'd go with the Smith barrel also, after that there is the Criterion 18'5" chromelined. The Smith/Wilson barrels are suppose to be damn nice though, but not that the Crit isn't.

The Smith/Wilsons are very, very nice.

iam planning  to rebuild my M14 for law enforcement sniper application & im looking for a barrel that not so difficult to install     considering that i use to build my m4 clones      please help.  tnx

Quoted: iam planning  to rebuild my M14 for law enforcement sniper application & im looking for a barrel that not so difficult to install     considering that i use to build my m4 clones      please help.  tnx

If that's the case than I would suggest going with an 18 inch non chromedlined barrel.
An 18inch barrel will be stiffer than a fullsize and reach out to 800yards with no problem and a non chromelined will on average be more accurate than a chromelined. I'm sure that's about 700 yards more than you would need anyway on a regular basis and will still give you a shorter more mobil rifle which will benefit you in tighter spots. The new Smith E./Wilson chromelined barrels are suppose to be very accurate and should serve well for your purpose also, but Smith Enterprises would want to install it I believe. As far as you doing it yourself, it can be done and alot of guys do it, but building and working on a M14 is not the same as a M4, and having a professional M14 armorer do the work would be to your benefit also and if you haven't had any national match conditioning done, you could have it done then to make the rifle a top shooter.  

Smith Enterprises

thanks to all your inputs..
kreiger is now on my spotting scope         what twist should i choose?   im planning to shoot heavy match ammos & also ball ammos for  economomical training/practice.

Thanks

Quoted: thanks to all your inputs.. kreiger is now on my spotting scope         what twist should i choose?   im planning to shoot heavy match ammos & also ball ammos for  economomical training/practice. Thanks

I would go with a 1 and 11 twist which you'll also see as almost a standard twist in most match quality barrels for higher grain bullets and should offers more optimal performance for the rounds you'll be using in situations. It will still fire FMJ well too though.

Krieger

thanks for the suggestion.... what about the flash hider?   should i stick to the original flashhider?   what are the other alternatives?   tnx

Quoted: thanks for the suggestion.... what about the flash hider?   should i stick to the original flashhider?   what are the other alternatives?   tnx

I prefer the Smith direct connect Vortex myself as it is a more simple connection to the barrel and simply screws onto the existing threads, while continuing to tighten from the gas released and eliminates alignment and castle nut issues a traditional usgi flash has. That's not to say a usgi doesn't do a good job, just that the Vortex design is a damn good one though. You'd have to replace the gas lock with a gas lock front sight when using a direct connect Vortex, but I do find the GLFS hooded to be much faster in acquisition myself. Another part that you may be interested in, is that with DC Vortex you'll be able to have a quick connection for a silencer, if your interested that is.
If your not that concerned about flash supression and using a silencer on the rifle, than you might think of putting on a Smith muzzle brake that will lessen your recoil and muzzle rise, giving you faster followup shots.

Smith Vortex

What stock is your rifle in and what match tuning has it had is a very serious thought than just putting a new barrel on it though. There's alot more to making a M14 a sniper rifle than just the barrel.
You might think of bedding it to your stock or re-bedding it, or just upgrading the stock to a newer stock that doesn't need bedding at all and can adjust the tension of the receiver fit.

JAE-100

thank you so much for your inputs.    ill consider the vortex disconnect & also the jae-100 if the budget will permit              right now i have the ARMS scope base & rings   and also the Tasco Super Sniper optics.                   im just wondering how hard it is to install a Krieger m14 barrel...what other tools do we need to buy?  (jigs, etc..)

please help. tnx

Quoted:                   im just wondering how hard it is to install a Krieger m14 barrel...what other tools do we need to buy?  (jigs, etc..) please help. tnx

IMHO, if you have not installed a few M14 barrels you will be better served letting
Ted Brown, WarBird, DSS or other smith install the barrel and headspace your bolt.

HTH ~