hi guys i'm new to this site and i had a question

alrite, i know that the heavy barrel's gotta be more accurate, but how much more can it be? i'm building an M4 and i ran across a guy's complete flattop upper for around 200, i was aimming for an HBAR barrel, but this was only standard.

how much of a difference would a 16in heavy barrel make accuracy wise compared to the standards(wilson CM 16in 1/9)?

thanks!
HEnry

The bullet doesn't know it's in a heavy or light barrel.

If you're looking for accuracy you might think about a longer barrel.

Biggest issue is probably a FF handguard.  More so than a light or heavy barrel.

My $.02

so really more what affects everything is the length and if it's floated or not?

than.. what would the heavy bbl usually affect?

Quoted: so really more what affects everything is the length and if it's floated or not? than.. what would the heavy bbl usually affect?

A heavy barrel will be easier to control in bench shooting, have slightly less muzzle climb in rapid fire, and may perform slightly better due to its slightly better ability to suck up and dissapate heat.  All in all, my personal opinion is the real weight difference between HBAR and gov't profile isn't as big a deal as some people think, and the performance differences probably really aren't huge either.  As I've said before on other threads -- I am a big guy, and I'd prefer to go with the HBAR and just build up more muscles but that is definitely not the popular opinion around here.  I'd say it goes at least 3 to 1 in favor of "lighter is better", and the lightweight fans tend to vocally shout down anyone who dissents.

Quoted: The bullet doesn't know it's in a heavy or light barrel. If you're looking for accuracy you might think about a longer barrel. Biggest issue is probably a FF handguard.  More so than a light or heavy barrel. My $.02

Myth:  Busted.   Barrel length does not affect accuracy beyond the stabilization point. Also, I wouldn't buy a heavy or light barrel based on accuracy potential.  If you fire at a slow rate, there will be no significant difference.  I would make the choice based on the rifle's potential use.  The HBAR will be more stable (but not more accurate) for offhand target shooting, but more tiresome for plinking, classes, etc.  I ended up getting both, eventually.  I use the light profile M4 for plinking, the HBAR for target shooting.  


Edit:  That "standard" barrel is probably an HBAR.  The least expensive 16" and 20" barrels are the HBAR's due to reduced machining costs.  

thanks alot guys, i learned alot