I have an upper I’m converting from target configuration to carbine. I’m taking off the barrel, which I was told when I got it was a Krieger - later to find out its probably a Douglas XX - that supposedly has a matching bolt that was picked because it was the “perfect” headspace for a serious target gun. I asked both the Krieger and Douglas shops for info on their barrel markings to see if I could help a potential buyer be sure what he’s buying, but both demurred. Very serious BS flag alerts now when I dispose of the barrel.
Do I sell the barrel and bolt as a bargain-basement set priced based on generic Brownell’s parts, with a “buyer beware” warning that what I was told may be true or may be BS - or just dump the barrel as a lightly used medium profile 20" 5.56/XX marked barrel from an unknown maker and keep the bolt in the bcg with the new barrel I’m putting on the upper?
How does the 20" Douglas/Krieger/Junky barrel shoot?
If it shoots well, I would go with option C: Buy new barrel/bolt and keep 20" barrel/bolt for future build/upper.
Sounds like you bought the barrel (rifle?) used, do you know the round count? While it’s not universal law, it’s often considered best practice to use a new bolt with a new barrel, especially if the used bolt has high or unknown round count.
No bore scope available, but I do have high def images of bolt face, barrel stampings, and barrel profile. I took the upper as a trade on a 1911 as part of 3-way deal, so I never got a chance to deal with the original builder. There was a lot of hearsay involved, so trying to sort it out now to avoid misrepresenting the barrel to a new buyer. I have no idea how well the barrel shoots. It was supposedly a very low round count barrel, and bolt face and FH wear seem consistent with that claim.
Looks like a Douglas to me. DB is Double Button and some say the XX signifies Premium line, while some argue that it’s a proof mark that the barrel tested in spec. To me, it sounds like the same thing. haha
If you don’t want to keep the barrel/bolt I’d do some math. You might find out that you could sell the upper complete and get within a chip shot of what a new BCM upper would cost you.
