Quote History Quoted: Thanks USSRangerSM! Couple of follow up questions:
1. Is an 18" barrel best for my application? I thought I had read 16" is standard but I'm not sure what is best.
2. It looks like that was is chambered for .223 but someone told me that I should buy 5.56mm. From what I understood, you can shoot .223 in 5.56 but can't shoot 5.56 in .223. Is that correct or am I confused.
3. Should I be concerned with whether the barrel is chrome lined?
4. Is now a good time to buy or should I wait a month or two for bigger sales (Veterans Day? or Black Friday? I don't need to buy immediately?
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1 - Slightly heavier, will give slightly more velocity, generally precludes mounting a bayonet.
2 - There are 3 basic chambers - .223 Remington (don't shoot 5.56x45mm out of), .223 Wylde (5.56x45mm is fine), and 5.56x45mm (.223 Remington is fine). The leade before the rifling is longer in the .223 Wylde and 5.56x45mm chambers to cope w/ the slightly higher pressure of mil-spec 5.56x45mm ammo. The longer leade tends to give accuracy issues, so the Wylde chamber is a compromise between the other two. .223 Remington chambers are just about only seen on manual bolt actions these days - which is the best action to withstand higher pressure.
3 - No. Chrome lining was the old method used to extend barrel life, but it tends to reduce accuracy as the chrome lining is not perfectly even. Ceteris paribus, a non-chrome bbl will be more accurate than a chrome bbl at the beginning of its life, though the accuracy of the non-chrome bbl will degrade faster. Due to EPA rule changes, chrome plating has gotten much more expensive, so nitriding has come onto the market, which has nearly the same wear resistance as chrome but without the unevenness of chrome plating. If you can spring for a nitrided bbl, you'll be slightly ahead. AR barrels are easy to replace, so unlined bbls are a good value and will be accurate for thousands of rounds.
4 - Things are cheap right now, but as we get closer to the mid-terms, expect prices to rise a little. There's always smoking deals on Black Friday, but it sells out quick and is never in the exact configuration/color you're looking for.