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Posted: 9/5/2004 3:38:41 PM EDT
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At first, I thought this was a really dumb question but when a lady at Rock River Arms couldn't answer it, I figured maybe someone with a bit more experience could. I'm going to get a RRA CAR M4 upper in a few days with the 16" stainless barrel. Now what I was wondering, is the Wilson who makes the barrels for RRA the same Wilson of 1911 fame (Wilson Combat) or some other manufacturer? If not, how do the "other" Wilson's barrels stack up against the competition. Thanks. |
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No, Wilson Arms, the barrel blank manufacturer, is NOT the same as Wilson Combat, the 1911 manufacturer. Wilson Arms barrels come in several grades, from decent to pretty darn good. Obviously, higher grades are more expensive to make and cost more. Will your manufacturer of choice (that uses Wilson Arms barrel blanks) tell you what grade you're getting? I dunno. -Troy |
| The RRA/Wilson barrels are great, at least in my experience. My Dad and I have two, both chromoly Mid Length barrels (preban). They're the most accurate barrels I've used, at least on a carbine, especially for non"match grade". Partly it may be due to the extra site radius, but I think the barrels are very accurate alone. I can get MOA or better from mine, and my Dad's usually gets around MOA too. I don't think you'll go wrong w/ a barrel from RRA. |
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Sounds good. I'm going to go with the free-float mid-length handguards on mine as well. I like the extra sight radius and less chance of me touching a hot barrel on accident. I just hope going with the stainless rather than the chrome-moly won't weigh the gun down too much or really throw it off balance, but I doubt it. I'll try to post some pics when I get done with the rifle. Thanks for your help. |
| ASA used to use wilson barrels (don't know if they still do). They weren't worth a crap because ASA didn't ream the chamber/ drill the gas ports properly. Wilson makes good barrel BLANKS but make sure you get the finished barrel from someone with a good reputation. |
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A barrel blank is a 30" long, 2" thick round stock with a hole drilled down the center and then rifled, in virtually all cases, by hydrolically pulling a hardened carbide "button" with the negative of the rifling on it. As the button is pulled through the bore, the metal is forced around it and forms rifling. In order to make a finished AR barrel, you need a lathe to turn down the barrel that's at least several inches longer than the final barrel length will be. You will need to "profile" the barrel (turn it down to desired thickness in various areas), thread the chamber end for a barrel extension, optionally thread the muzzle end for a muzzle attachment, and most critically, cut the chamber to precise dimensions based on the barrel extension. An alignment pin hole must be drilled at 12 o'clock on the barrel (based on the orientation of the barrel extension's feed ramps), and likewise a gas port must also be drilled. If you wanted the barrel chromed, it would have needed to have been chromed before drilling the gas port. Wilson generally doesn't sell completed barrels at retail, but will make them if a retailer orders a big enough lot. Normally, the manufacturer/retailer does all the finish work, or farms that out to another machine shop. -Troy |
| For blanks, you can try; ar15barrels.com. He is a member and sometimes poster here on the site. |
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