Does anyone have the Rainier Arms barrels.  Either the Select or Match series.  The ultramatch are real nice but out of my price range and too heavy.  Rainier doesn't list the weight of all the barrels or say who they are made by. I know Rainier has a good reputation around here so I'm not overly concerned about quality issues.  Mainly weight and accuracy results.  I would consider having the profile turned down or fluting done to reduce weight.  Thanks.  Looking at the 16".

The UltraMatch are Shilen blanks, the Match are Wilson blanks, and the I had read that the vendor of the Select barrels had requested that there name not be advertised by Rainier as the price was so low.  There is interweb speculation that they are BlackHole Weaponry barrels.

I would for sure be happy with that. Never owned a BHW barrel but seem to be solid performers.

I dont think the match are Wilson's anymore, they said they were using a much better blank but wouldn't say what it was.

Very nice barrels though I love my 18" match.

My 13.7" is a little heavy but the accuracy and quality make up for it.

They have a 14.5" blem in the scratch and dent box for $269.

How well will .223 rounds work with the 5.56 chamber?  This is a hunting setup and I will be using 55grn or 60grn  bullets.  I think it will work fine.  Your thoughts?

Where is the item listed on the website, couldnt find the scratch and dent box.

I have one of their 18in SPR match barrels and couldn't be happier. Haven't sat down and done any bench shooting with it yet (lack of time) but it runs well when I play 3gun. The Match and Ultramatch barrels are chambered in .223 wylde which is supposed to be able to shoot both .223 and 5.56 however I have only shot 20rounds of pmc bronze and around 200 of hornady steel match(steel match works well in this barrel and is 52gr) with the barrel being a 1:8 twist it should be able to do a wider spectrum of bullet weight... I need to sit down with some 77gr and see how well it does

I just checked their website and you are right.  Thank you for the correction.  I should have checked it before I posted...

What makes RA's barrel's "match"?

My guess is the the quality of the blank from which it is made and the attention to detail during the profiling/chambering process.

This picture are the first 6 shots to come out of my RA UltraMatch 18". The one at 2 o'clock was the first shot down the tube, then I got it in the bulls eye. The next morning shot 4 shots, the first being the 11 o'clock flier and the following 3 make up that one ragged hole above the bulls. All shots are at 100 yds, 55 gr Hornady SP reloads from my Dillon 550b, so we're not dealing with match grade ammo.



According to Rainier Arms the Ultra Match and Match are guarantees sub-MOA (money back guarantees too). After seeing this performance so early on in a barrel I'm hooked on their products. On some other match barrels I've bought, it took 50 - 100 rounds before the groups really tightened up and became consistent.

It's truly a 1/4" MOA barrel and I have no doubt their Match series is 1/2" or in that range. I've read somewhere the select will shoot MOA or better.  The groups were this good out of the gate and performance has stayed the same every round after.

The 16" select middy would sound pretty good to me (guaranteed incl for the select series as well), but a match would be tempting.

(FWIW, I too have an Rainier ultramatch, and it does perform as well as advertised... hot or cold, clean or dirty).

Keep in mind, the barrel is the heart of the gun, and spending a little more on a barrel can be well worth it.

I have the select on order since it is the lightest.

It's in the store. You'd have to call them.