I just bought an upper and put it on a colt lower. If I can’t get it to shoot moa at 100 yards with match grade reloads, will just changing out the barrel work? If so, what barrel would you recommend, colt socom, noveske, or who else? I want 16" barrel no FSB. This rifle will shoot to 600 yards is what i’m looking for. Doesn’t need to be moa to there, but at least to 400 would be nice.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Yes.
There may be a bullet/powder combo that barrel will like, but at some point you have to stop dumping $ into a barrel that just doesnt want to shoot.
The barrel you have now may just be a dud, it happens. I have had a few, sometimes the barrel maker is great and offers to replace it (you will see this with top end barrel makers), sometimes you are stuck with it and can relegate it to fireforming or in your case just a backup barrel (no need to fireform 223).
For a new barrel that can do what you want, I would go with stainless. I have had two Noveske barrels that performed very well. I also had a Rainier (Shilen) that shot very well, but the contour was so off from the bore axis that I could not put anything but an A2 Birdcage on it without safety concerns.
All that said, I REALLY like my BCM Enhanced barrels. They may not be stainless but the contour BCM uses sure makes them easy to tune.
If you are unable to come up with a good handload for the existing barrel, then replacing the barrel CAN allow you to achieve less than 1 MOA results. Naturally, this depends on your skill, both in
shooting and loading the ammo.
Besides being accurately machined, what other properties should the barrel posses?
Barrel profile (lightweight profiles aren’t really compatible with MOA performance in long strings of fire, but they sure are nice to carry)
Gas System (shouldn’t matter, but some users have strong preferences)
Material (as stated stainless will likely yield the best results, but at the expense of lifespan)
Coating/Treatment (bare steel or Nitride should give better performance over Chrome lining. Having said that, Criterion’s Chrome lined barrels are supposed to ignore that rule.)
Budget
Many manufacturers offer a 1 MOA guarantee, so that’s something to consider.
What type of upper? And you realize that a one MOA rifle at 100 yards should still be a one MOA rifle at 600 yards right?
It’s a sionics upper, i’m still waiting to do an ocw at 100 then ladder test inside the node at 400. Yes I do realize that it SHOULD, but if it starts to open up past there i’m ok with it. I had a 300 wsm that would barely hold moa at 100 yards but at 300, it would hold .4moa. If it holds it to 600 that’s ok, but with a 2-10 off a bipod, real world shooting conditions, off the hood of a pickup stuff like that, I realize it’ll open up because of the situation, maybe, and not the rifles fault.
My bolt rifle I can hold .75moa 308win rem 700 5r and sometimes .5 just depending on the situation.
If I buy a new barrel, how much does chrome lining affect accuracy?
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
I’d prefer a medium contour barrel. I can load sub moa ammo, and can shoot moa sub moa. Once i’m comfortable with the rifle. Will the nitride treatment improve life span?
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
I would be very surprised if you’re not able to get a Sionics barrel to shoot less than 1 MOA with 77 grain SMKs, good brass, and a powder it likes.
I’m not convinced that Nitride is as durable as Chrome lining, but it will increase the barrel’s life span over a non-lined/treated barrel.
Ok, great! I have 77 gr smk and 77gr nosler cc loaded up to test, just need the time. The 77gr loads that had worked good in the 6920 upper were 1.5 moa. But I’ll try building a specific load first. I just have gotten the bug again. I do really like the look and feel of the sionics upper.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
1.5 moa isn’t bad at all for a standard chrome lined barrel that’s in the Sionics. They are not necessarily made for maximum accuracy.
If you want the most accurate barrel I would go with s stainless Douglas, Kreiger, or Bartlein from compass lake
If you want a chrome lined barrel criterion is known to make accurate chrome lined barrels. Colt barrels are accurate as well, but a quality stainless barrel has the most accurate potential
The Ballistic Advantage Hanson profile barrels seem to get good reviews here. The one with the .750" gas block would be worth some additional research, and is only $230 with the pinned gas block.
A custom 16.5" medium profile 5.56 Wylde, Stainless, 1:7.7 twist, with finished chamber and crown will set you back $455 shipped, but should do very well.
I couldn’t think of Compass Lake’s name…definitely worth considering.
Try some Black Hills OTM. Do you have Marks SMK H322 load ? I know MOA is always the goal, but 1.5 moa gets you out to 600. Work that barrel hard to find before you dump it. It might take 250 rounds before it settles in, so don’t give up too early.
My bet is on Colt to shoot MOA. with a bit of work.
PB
No I don’t have his recipe. I was going to make sure I has tried every aspect first. The colt I had was accurate. If this rifle doesn’t make the accuracy I need, that’s fine, I will keep the upper and use as a defensive weapon.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
I currently have a Colt M4 profile, chrome lined, 1/7 that shoots freakishly accurate. I have SEVERAL SPR/DMR type rifles. This one is a 100% frankengun that I put together out of parts I mostly had. It’s a very high quality build, just a hodgepodge of different parts. Anyway, back to barrels: this one was a donor barrel that I had because it was given to me when the original owner replaced it. This thing will shoot Speer 62gr Dold Dots into 5 shot groups at 100 yds of 1.03 MOA. Now, believe me, I know that’s not mind blowing groups, but for a chrome lined, M4 barrel, shooting 62gr Bonded ammo, I think it’s damn fine. Point is, you never know what a barrel will shoot or what it will like until you go try it. Try different loads too. Mine, for whatever reason, likes 62 better than 75 gr Gold Dots. Go figure.
Yes. If you just change the barrel with a good barrel you will have an MOA rifle.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
To test if your barrel is accurate or not, get some quality factory match ammo with Hornady 68, 75 or Sierra 69,77 bullets. These usually shoot very well.
Then ask yourself, barrel, optic and trigger…are they a matched set for the accuracy you want? Then ask, rest, stock and hand guard. Is this combo stable enough on target to hit within 1” at 100 yds.
As for barrels, most will shoot 1 mos or better, if there aren’t other contributing factors making it shoot poor.
My recommended barrels would be Larue Stealth, White Oak or Campass Lake with a 223 Wylde or CLE match chambering.
I have a couple White Oak barrels(one is a Wilson blank and the other a Shilen) a couple DPMS 223 rem chambered barrels an AR Stoner, Lother Walther, Krieger that can all shoot moa or better. I also have a Bushmaster and a PSA that aren’t really up to that level of accuracy.