I have a 16" BCM barrel that I've decided to upgrade.  At the time that I bought it, I was trying to keep costs down, so I didn't get a cold hammer forged one.  Now, I'm thinking that I've already spent over $1300; I might as well put a CHF barrel on the thing (it hasn't been built yet so I can still sell the barrel as new).  



BCM is out of stock (it seems that they are completely out of stock on barrels right now).  So I'm looking for something comparable (MIL-B-11595E , 1/7 twist, chrome lined, M4 ramp extension, MPI, government or similar profile) - and hammer forged.  Anybody know where to find one in stock?

http://www.centurionarms.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=barrel_detail.tpl&product_id=45&category_id=19&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=133

When did the hype that hammer forged barrels were some magic thing come about?

Look for a Daniel Defense barrel....just not at SKD Tactical right now I think they have all been bought.

If you want a chrome lined, hammer forged barrel, what do you gain with BCM or CHF over Bushmaster, etc?  

I dunno, I read in a couple of places (or maybe is was just one place, I can't remember for sure) that hammer forging was as important as the composition of the steel, and BCM says that CHF barrels have "increased barrel life and outstanding accuracy."  Are they not significantly better than their regular barrels?

 

I have a Centurion barrel. If I ever buy just a barrel again, it WILL be a centurion. I get nearly stainless steel barrel accuracy out of a chrome lined barrel.

CHF stands for Cold Hammer Forged.  Regarding Bushmaster barrels, that's certainly a valid question... I had a hard time finding complete specs for their barrels.  Looking at various vendors' websites, it appears that they make barrels in both 1/7 and 1/9 twist, possibly depending on length.  I want a fast twist rate so that I can fire the heavy Hornady bullets.  They spec the barrel steel as "chrome moly vanadium," without saying that it meets MIL-B-11595E. Honestly, I will probably never need such a heavy-duty barrel, but this is my pet project and I want to use the best parts I can find that aren't outrageously expensive.  Also, they don't say that they're individually (or at all, for that matter) MPI tested.  And I haven't seen any Bushmaster barrels that do not include the front sight, which I don't want.





Maybe it's just a matter of marketing, but BCM barrels have check marks in all the right boxes, which is something that Bushmaster, ArmaLite (which is another brand that I have a lot of respect for) and most other manufacturers of complete rifles can't claim.





 

Rainier Arms has them. DD 14.5 inchers.  Enjoy.

Use the BCM.

Shoot the hell out of it.  

Rebarrel with a CHF when you get to that point.