I’m buying a 5.56 mid-length upper than I’m dedicating to hunting, so accuracy is important to me, and I haven’t decided what brand, yet, but I’m leaning toward DD. I was eyeing the LW barrels.
Anyhow. I’ve read it heats up faster/cools down faster which makes it less accurate and kills the barrel life. Can anyone confirm that for 100%? I’ve read conflicting info on it, on a few other firearms sights with no real clarification.
I haven’t tested the accuracy in regards to temperature. But, I can tell you my BCM LW midlength becomes uncomfortably hot after ~80 rounds shooting at a relaxed pace (roughly 1 shot per second).
If you are dedicating to hunting, why are you concerned with barrel life and overheating?
The FN SCAR Mk16 has a lightweight barrel, and it has a barrel life of 20,000 rds. That’s alot of game, and alot of hunting ammunition.
I personally prefer lighter barrels, and I was once a heavy barrel fan. But over time I have found that there arent many benefiets to a heavy barrel. Especially when compared to a “quality” lightweight cold-hammer forged chrome lined barrel.
What game are you planning on hunting? And at what distances?
I think Trident did some long range shooting with a DD LW barrel. It did pretty well.
Found it.
How many rounds do you plan on firing in a given time period while hunting? Will the barrel temp even be a factor?
First, you have to understand heat. There are two ways to measure heat in an object-
One unit used to measure how much heat an object contains is the BTU (British Thermal Units). It tells us how much heat an object contains but not the temperature. You can have the same amount of BTUs in two different objects and they can be different temperatures.
Temperature will tell us how much heat the object is radiating or is trying to radiate. Two objects of the same temperature may not have the same amount of heat (BTUs) in them.
So, if you fire 20 rounds of ammo through a 3 lbs barrel and 20 rounds through a 2 lbs barrel, they will have the same amount of heat (BTUs) but because the 2 lbs barrel has less mass to store that heat, it will be hotter (higher temperature). The barrel with less radiating surface will take longer to cool down to ambient temperatures
If you fire both barrels until both are at the same temperature, the 2 lbs barrel will reach that temperature with fewer rounds although it now holds less heat (BTUs). In this case, the 2 lbs barrel will cool faster (depending on radiating surface) than the 3 lbs barrel because it contains less heat.
The 3 lbs barrel will be more resistant to erosion caused by heat because it’s operating at lower temperatures when exposed to the same amount of heat.
A lighter barrel will work fine as long as the shooter manages the rate of fire to manage heat. I’ve been using light weight barrels in a variety of rifles for years with no trouble
This certainly answers any questions I may have had about lightweight barrel accuracy.
I would really like to know details about the ammo used in this test. Very impressive.
The shooter put on a fine display of accuracy himself.
Imagine what he could have done if he replaced the AU cap with a UA cap. RTR
Just kidding. Wish I could shoot like that.
I think the LW barrel makes a lot of sense for hunting (and most general use purposes). They are accurate and provide a noticeable difference when carrying them all day long on the range or in the field.
While a heavy barrel shot side-by-side to a LW barrel will probably experience less deviation during rapid fire (as rapid as predator hunting can be), I don’t think many shooters are going to see a measurable distance under real world conditions.
My DD LW barrels shoot damn near MOA with match ammo slow fire, and always stay under 2MOA regardless of round count or my cadence of fire.
2 MOA at 250 yards is still plenty for coyote and you’ll likely never come close to shooting fast enough in the field for it to make a difference.
I smoked a yote at about 200 a few years back with Wolf 55 grain, 4moa Aimpoint and a 14.5" DD LW barrel. You don’t need anything fancy.
If accuracy is your biggest concern You might wanna check out something in SS. BCM makes a good SS barrel, you could also check out Lothar Walther, they make a pretty accurate barrel.
Thanks for the help.
I plan on using it for fun at the range also so that’s why I’m concerned about the life and accuracy, but I’m no rapid shooter. I shoot a shot every 6-8 seconds if not more with 10 rounds in the magazine only.
The coyote/wolf I saw was roughly 200 yards away. From where I was he was massive so I’m not sure what it was. But the coyotes I’ve seen are anywhere from 80 up to 150 yards away. A friend also got a bobcat that was prowling around my horses a few months ago.
It’s getting out of control, so I’ve got to get it taken care as soon as I can. I already have a Trijicon TR24 for the upper and a PSA lower. I’m placing the order tonight.
Your uses are very similar to mine. Go LW, you won’t be disappointed.
I consider my AR’s in general to be 250yd rifles. With a TR24 under field conditions the required accuracy for predators is easily obtainable.
Thanks for the acknowledgement brother 
Thanks for the kinds words, and I won’t hold being an Alabama fan against you
The ammo used IIrc was Hornady TAP 5.56 75gr. T2.
You can read more about the barrel here…