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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:02:06 AM EDT
[#1]
Be sure to get a #2 barrel.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:04:34 AM EDT
[#2]
Yes, it's a very noticeable difference. I got one last year off the EE for a lightweight build, I'm thinking it was Daniel Defense? I could be wrong.
Yeah, here it is: Lightweight profile: https://danieldefense.com/16-5-56mm-1-7-lw-profile.html |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:05:14 AM EDT
[#3]
Quoted:
Be sure to get a #2 barrel.  
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:05:39 AM EDT
[#4]
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:06:04 AM EDT
[#5]
Big difference in weight.
I have a 20" that weighs less then my 16" carbine with the M4 profile. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:06:47 AM EDT
[#6]
The vietnam profile barrels are going to be very, very light.
Assuming you don't add optics or other heavy shit to you carbine, you're looking at a bit over 5 pounds. That is extremely light, and the absolute minimum I would ever go based on weight. ETA: The important thing to remember is that weight does not matter as much as WHERE THE WEIGHT IS. A well balanced rifle will put far less stress on the left arm than a poorly balanced rifle. This is why I bought a government profile 20'' for my go to rifle and stuffed a bunch of lead in the stock of my HBAR rifle. Both are well balanced now, and it makes a big difference. On an AR15, barrel weight is the primary determinant of both weight and balanced. A light weight will be very light and possibly unbalanced rearward. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:06:49 AM EDT
[#7]
How do they do during sustained rapid fire?
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:07:08 AM EDT
[#8]
It makes a lot of difference.
Most who have never held them, wouldn't believe how light an A1 is:  |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:07:22 AM EDT
[#9]
Quoted:
Big difference in weight. I have a 20" that weighs less then my 16" carbine with the M4 profile. this. get pencil barrel and a lightweight rail of some type. or SBR. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:07:35 AM EDT
[#10]
What about a Big Chief? Or izz that too Hbar
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:08:25 AM EDT
[#11]
Quoted: How do they do during sustained rapid fire? They get hot, but will only overheat if you're doing mag dumps out of a full auto. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:08:42 AM EDT
[#12]
i built 2 a few years ago using bushy barrels. both were MUCH lighter but i had issues with both of them stringing shots once the barrel got hot. ended up selling them and went back to a standard profile barrel. the wife got a gov profile which is lighter but had no issues.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:09:22 AM EDT
[#13]
Quoted:
The vietnam profile barrels are going to be very, very light. Assuming you don't add optics or other heavy shit to you carbine, you're looking at a bit over 5 pounds. That is extremely light, and the absolute minimum I would ever go based on weight. I have an M16A1 upper on a lower with collapsible stock, and it is extremely light KISS rifle. 
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:10:22 AM EDT
[#14]
I really like the Colt 6520 barrel. 16", 1/7 twist, pencil profile with 0.625 gas block, 4150 steel, chrome lined.
The Bushmaster superlight is nice also. Same as Colt except 1/9 twist. Others like CMMG, BC USA, etc. make pencil profile barrels that are equal to the above. Good luck finding anything now. ETA: I think the present model is 6720. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:10:50 AM EDT
[#15]
Quoted: Quoted: The vietnam profile barrels are going to be very, very light. Assuming you don't add optics or other heavy shit to you carbine, you're looking at a bit over 5 pounds. That is extremely light, and the absolute minimum I would ever go based on weight. I have an M16A1 upper on a lower with collapsible stock, and it is extremely light KISS rifle. http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=10198 My unfinished build is a 653 clone for SHTF, so I will one day be in the same boat.  |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:11:05 AM EDT
[#16]
Quoted: i built 2 a few years ago using bushy barrels. both were MUCH lighter but i had issues with both of them stringing shots once the barrel got hot. ended up selling them and went back to a standard profile barrel. the wife got a gov profile which is lighter but had no issues. Define stringing though... They are not target barrels, and if you're doing 3 inch tall-1.5 inch wide groups at 100 with optics, you're doing fine... |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:11:13 AM EDT
[#17]
Definitely notable on the weight difference. I agree that they heat up and spread groups much more easily than thicker barrels, but without doing mag dumps, it should easily retain minute-of-realistic target.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:11:34 AM EDT
[#18]
ok cool.ive already free floated the gun and installed a troy vtac rail which seems pretty light but if i can get rid of another pound or so that would be great.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:12:03 AM EDT
[#19]
Quoted: I really like the Colt 6520 barrel. 16", 1/7 twist, pencil profile with 0.625 gas block, 4150 steel, chrome lined. The Bushmaster superlight is nice also. Same as Colt except 1/9 twist. Others like CMMG, BC USA, etc. make pencil profile barrels that are equal to the above. Good luck finding anything now. The problem with the Bushmaster is huge wait times all in "normal" conditions, much less now. The problem with BCM is it requires a FSB installation which is a real pain in the ass and costs 100 bucks to get done. I plan on a Daniel Defense when I can afford to finish my carbine. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:15:22 AM EDT
[#20]
Because of where the weight's coming off from, the difference in handling and balance is night and day. More than you would expect from just looking at the numbers.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:15:42 AM EDT
[#21]
Right now with the panic buying, it would probably be easier to send off your barrel and have it re-profiled down to .625 and should be cheaper and less headaches than trying to find a new barrel.
I've been thinking bout having a barrel turned down to .582 or there about just for shits and giggles.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:17:40 AM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
Quoted:
I really like the Colt 6520 barrel. 16", 1/7 twist, pencil profile with 0.625 gas block, 4150 steel, chrome lined. The Bushmaster superlight is nice also. Same as Colt except 1/9 twist. Others like CMMG, BC USA, etc. make pencil profile barrels that are equal to the above. Good luck finding anything now. The problem with the Bushmaster is huge wait times all in "normal" conditions, much less now. The problem with BCM is it requires a FSB installation which is a real pain in the ass and costs 100 bucks to get done. I plan on a Daniel Defense when I can afford to finish my carbine. Tell me about it. I ordered a Bushmaster superlight in 6/11. I got it last month, 12/12. As far as BCM goes, you can always go with some type of clamp on FSB. Of course that costs money also, many of which cost more than the $100 to have somebody install a factory one for you. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:18:43 AM EDT
[#23]
Quoted:
Quoted:
i built 2 a few years ago using bushy barrels. both were MUCH lighter but i had issues with both of them stringing shots once the barrel got hot. ended up selling them and went back to a standard profile barrel. the wife got a gov profile which is lighter but had no issues. Define stringing though... They are not target barrels, and if you're doing 3 inch tall-1.5 inch wide groups at 100 with optics, you're doing fine... shots going from 2-3" at 100 to vertical string groups of 6-8" after 10-15 rounds. the warmer it got the more the accuracy began to decline. an 8 moa rifle is not acceptable to me. YMMV. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:19:52 AM EDT
[#24]
Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: i built 2 a few years ago using bushy barrels. both were MUCH lighter but i had issues with both of them stringing shots once the barrel got hot. ended up selling them and went back to a standard profile barrel. the wife got a gov profile which is lighter but had no issues. Define stringing though... They are not target barrels, and if you're doing 3 inch tall-1.5 inch wide groups at 100 with optics, you're doing fine... shots going from 2-3" at 100 to vertical string groups of 6-8" after 10-15 rounds. the warmer it got the more the accuracy began to decline. an 8 moa rifle is not acceptable to me. YMMV. Ouch... How hot was it, sizzling, or just too hot to touch? |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:19:59 AM EDT
[#25]
I've done a couple builds with the Bushmaster SuperLight 16" barrel (same as the Colt pencil barrel), and they have been very good. Highly recommended. Just remember, the diameter under the FSB is less then .750" on most barrels, so you have to pick a appropriate gas block product, but they are out there for sure.
ETA: Here is a pre-build picture with one of the Bushmasters. IIRC, the gun weighed in right at 6 pounds. 
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:20:23 AM EDT
[#26]
Quoted:
Quoted:
The vietnam profile barrels are going to be very, very light. Assuming you don't add optics or other heavy shit to you carbine, you're looking at a bit over 5 pounds. That is extremely light, and the absolute minimum I would ever go based on weight. I have an M16A1 upper on a lower with collapsible stock, and it is extremely light KISS rifle. http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=10198 NOICE! 
A1 carbine length upper on a CavArms lower. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:25:26 AM EDT
[#27]
I love mine. I have a Doublestar 1:9 carbine gas pencil barrel which is no big shits compared to the tier 1 stuff. It still did fine, shot less than 3" groups at 100 yards with a cold barrel and was still good enough for self defense when it got hot. I've since replaced it with a DD mid gas pencil barrel just because I'd rather have a midlength gas system.
And now with the weight savings I can hang a bunch of shit off the gun. 
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:25:30 AM EDT
[#28]
It's not just the lighter weight, the whole balance of the gun shifts more toward your body.
I like them a lot. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:27:25 AM EDT
[#29]
Quoted: NOICE! http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/ragin_cajun_photos/IMGP2251.jpg A1 carbine length upper on a CavArms lower. I'm sure that is so light, most would think it was a toy if they picked it up. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:28:22 AM EDT
[#30]
BTW they are not just for AR-15s
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:29:02 AM EDT
[#31]
It is extremely light. My rifle has a 16 inch Bushmaster super lightweight barrel. It is also bulldog-approved. 
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:30:50 AM EDT
[#32]
Now a pic thread? I'll play. 16" DD barrel referenced above on a New Frontier lower. I never have actually weighed it but it is extremely light.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:30:54 AM EDT
[#33]
Quoted:
It is extremely light. My rifle has a 16 inch Bushmaster super lightweight barrel. It is also bulldog-approved. And a fixed stock! A fixed stock was the best change I've made to my gun. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:32:33 AM EDT
[#34]
I ran a test years ago with my 6520 barreled upper. Can't find it in the archives, but it went something like this.
5 different ammos, 30 rds each as fast as I could pull the trigger, 50yds. Ammos were something like this: Factory 55gr brass case Black Hills 69 gr remanufactured Wolf 55gr steel case 77gr SMK reloads M855/SS109 62gr penetrators No real evidence of stringing in that test. It was only 50yds. Not scientific by any means. I would guess that if you had a pencil barrel with alot of production stresses in it, it would very easily move as it heated up and cooled down. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:32:55 AM EDT
[#35]
Quoted:
Quoted:
It is extremely light. My rifle has a 16 inch Bushmaster super lightweight barrel. It is also bulldog-approved. And a fixed stock! A fixed stock was the best change I've made to my gun. Not just a fixed stock, but an original 1960s M-16 stock without a trap door! These original stocks were fibreglass and they were very, very light. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:34:51 AM EDT
[#36]
Quoted:
Not just a fixed stock, but an original 1960s M-16 stock without a trap door! These original stocks were fibreglass and they were very, very light. Nice. I have an A2 on mine, it's not nearly as light but they're pretty strong. And I didn't feel bad about drilling a couple holes in it to side mount a sling. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:35:58 AM EDT
[#37]
Light enough a five year old can carry it with no problems.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:38:44 AM EDT
[#38]
Quoted: Big difference in weight. I have a 20" that weighs less then my 16" carbine with the M4 profile. Same here. With an Ace Skeleton Stock and free-float, the damn thing almost floats. Once you add a Bipod and scope, the weight is about in-line with the Carbine.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:40:20 AM EDT
[#39]
Quoted: All my rifles have fixed stocks, never was a fan of collapsible stocks. I've got a 16" Oly (get off me, it was cheap and works fine) that holds "minute of a man" all day long. The balance is just right for me, and is a natural pointer, again for me. No it's not a super duper, tier 1, sniper, anti-aircraft, stealth, ninja, commando, SAS, French Foreign Legion rifle, but it's mine and I like it.Quoted: It is extremely light. My rifle has a 16 inch Bushmaster super lightweight barrel. It is also bulldog-approved. And a fixed stock! A fixed stock was the best change I've made to my gun. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:40:38 AM EDT
[#40]
built a midlength one for my step daughter for xmas... NFA lower with a magpul forgrip... she loves it
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:52:20 AM EDT
[#41]
Quoted:
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/ragin_cajun_photos/IMGP2251.jpg A1 carbine length upper on a CavArms lower. gotta post the weight anytime you put up a pic like that... 
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:52:36 AM EDT
[#42]
Quoted:
All my rifles have fixed stocks, never was a fan of collapsible stocks. I've got a 16" Oly (get off me, it was cheap and works fine) that holds "minute of a man" all day long. The balance is just right for me, and is a natural pointer, again for me. No it's not a super duper, tier 1, sniper, anti-aircraft, stealth, ninja, commando, SAS, French Foreign Legion rifle, but it's mine and I like it. I think people here make too big of a deal about that anyway. "Would you trust your life to an Oly" ignores the possiblity that someone got a deal and the gun works fine. Anyway, back on topic. This is that Doublestar barrel I have, it was relatively cheap and I have no complaints. Unfortunately I haven't seem them available anywhere since the panic kicked in: link |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 7:59:51 AM EDT
[#43]
Depends how much barrel is after the gas block.
Most barrels are turned down from breach to gas block a decent amount already. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 8:05:36 AM EDT
[#44]
Update:
Ammo: Winchester 55 gr Utracrap 75 gr Black Hills 68 gr remanufactured Wolf 55 gr steel case 77 gr SMK reload Can't remember the specific order I shot them in. I shot one target after the other, as fast as I could pull the trigger while keeping the Aimpoint on target, 30 rds each target (might have been 28 each, but let's not start that argument again). Again, 50 yds only. 
Someone could argue that the Wolf showed two distinct POIs and I couldn't argue against that, really. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 8:09:11 AM EDT
[#45]
I think this barrel is was made by Wilson. I bought it back in 2007 for a project and finally used it for this build last fall.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 8:10:49 AM EDT
[#46]
PSA pencil upper on a free Noveske Blem lower.
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Posted: 1/21/2013 8:11:22 AM EDT
[#47]
Pencil Barrels suck. You will probably mag dump 100 rounds to break contact.
Send two mags down your barrel and it will be smoking. Suggestion: 18" mid weight profile FLUTED barrels IMO is perfect. 20" is too damn heavy, 16" ballistics are slightly better, but you loose accuracy. Accuracy is paramount when it comes to 5.56. 18" fluted. |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 8:14:07 AM EDT
[#48]
Quoted:
Pencil Barrels suck. You will probably mag dump 100 rounds to break contact. Send two mags down your barrel and it will be smoking. Suggestion: 18" mid weight profile FLUTED barrels IMO is perfect. 20" is too damn heavy, 16" ballistics are slightly better, but you loose accuracy. Accuracy is paramount when it comes to 5.56. 18" fluted. Break contact with who? Heavy Six and his band of merry marauders? |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 8:15:32 AM EDT
[#49]
Quoted: Only the Barrel is "Oly", the rest is Franken-Mutt, built on an 80% lower, hence the cheapy barrel.Quoted: All my rifles have fixed stocks, never was a fan of collapsible stocks. I've got a 16" Oly (get off me, it was cheap and works fine) that holds "minute of a man" all day long. The balance is just right for me, and is a natural pointer, again for me. No it's not a super duper, tier 1, sniper, anti-aircraft, stealth, ninja, commando, SAS, French Foreign Legion rifle, but it's mine and I like it. I think people here make too big of a deal about that anyway. "Would you trust your life to an Oly" ignores the possiblity that someone got a deal and the gun works fine. Anyway, back on topic. This is that Doublestar barrel I have, it was relatively cheap and I have no complaints. Unfortunately I haven't seem them available anywhere since the panic kicked in: link |
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Posted: 1/21/2013 8:19:49 AM EDT
[#50]
Quoted: Pencil Barrels suck. You will probably mag dump 100 rounds to break contact. Send two mags down your barrel and it will be smoking. Suggestion: 18" mid weight profile FLUTED barrels IMO is perfect. 20" is too damn heavy, 16" ballistics are slightly better, but you loose accuracy. Accuracy is paramount when it comes to 5.56. 18" fluted. Wait, What? 16" ballistics are better that what? Ya want accuracy, then get a 24" heavy Krieger barrel, have fun dragging that thing around. |
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