Need good accurate Barrel for AR15 that'll give me maybe 0.5 to 1 m.o.a.

[Linstrum]

I need a good accurate AR15 barrel, who all makes good ones? I don't need stainless steel because the rest of the rifle isn't stainless and I don't do all THAT much shooting, maybe 500 rounds a year. Besides being a long time caster (50 years this last summer), I'm starting to know what I'm doing when it comes to shooting. Last summer I inherited a new Palmetto State Armory PA15, their version of the AR15 with a 16 inch barrel. Earlier I was whining and complaining about 8 inch groups, which is BAD. I had been using cheap store bought 55 grain ammo I had bought with the rifle to sight it in because I was too lazy to load some up that day, and to make a long story short, when I eventually got around to using my own GOOD processed brass with 62 grain red coats with 25.1 grains of TAC powder, I got my groups down to 4 inches at 100 yards. Right around four inches at 100 yards is all these rifles are guaranteed good for even though I have heard of other Palmetto State Armory PA15s that do under an inch out of the box, so it has lived up to its end of the deal. I have two other 5.56x45 rifles, a Harrington Richardson Ultra Varmint that gives me 1/2" groups at 200 yards with my same TAC loads, and a recent manufacture Ruger Mini-14 that gives me 1" at 100 yards with my same good TAC loads, so instead of fooling around beating a dead horse by trying to work up loads that will give me what I want out of a sick barrel, I think I'm better off putting a GOOD barrel in my Palmetto State Armory PA15 that is something more akin to what is in my Harrington Richardson Ultra Varmint that does 1/4-inch at 100 yards.


I don't mind an 18" or even 20" barrel in my AR15, just aslong as it shoots okay. I've heard of White Oak barrels plus I did a little research with the Palmetto State Armory PA15 and found out it is built from good components made by FN, among others, so is probably okay to just swap barrels without worrying too much about the quality of the rest of the rifle. Who else makes good barrels? I already do smithing on my own Garands, Mosin-Nagants, Model 98 Mausers and have changed out barrels and have set head-spacing on them (I know it is different on AR15s, I have the barrel tools, good torque wrench, and got several videos and watched them already). Thanks!

rl 1,222

[Rick459]

http://ak47ar15barrels.com/

[Remiel]

brownells has been having sales on ar components, barrels too

[pacomdiver]

white oak or shilen, walther also makes barrels for ar's

[country gent]

When I shot high power it was Krieger or Lilja although colt H bar barrels did okay to. One plus to AR barrels is there arnt any splines to time in like garands or M14/M1As barrels making a standard blank easier to countour for an AR. Git the gas hole at the right place then everything else to it in time. First thing to do is decide what rate of twist you need for what you want to do. 22 cal barrels are available from 1-14 to 1-7 rates of twist. Another is to decide what chamber you want ( there are several diffrent throats for 223 / 5.56 ) in it.

[kweidner]

I like the wylde chamber and the fastest twist available. I have a RRA that is truly a 1/4 moa gun. It is a stainless. My thoughts are stay away from chromed bbls as they just aren't as accurate YRMV. The barrel and chamber in all platforms is where 90 percent of the accuracy comes from. I have a new shorty upper on the way for a 300 bo. Although very inexpensive it totes a nitrided AAC bbl. We will see. I have lilja and hart bbls on all my precision rigs. When shooting BR all I would consider is lilja.

[Linstrum]

Hey, guys, thanks for the suggestions.

Because Brownell's has the 18-inch Wylde chamber barrels on sale and it is pretty much what I am looking for, I ordered one with the intermediate gas tube length and got an intermediate gas tube to go with it. In the future I intend to get an adjustable gas block to adjust dwell time to accommodate my hand loads since I don't always load to maximum velocity and I don't want to have problems with possible short-stroking if I experiment with loads and of necessity have to work my loads up.

My next question is what kind of adjustable gas block to get. Here is a photo of my rifle as it is right now with its current 16" barrel and current gas block. I don't want to put a scope on it but I will if I have no other choice. What is the name of the type of gas block that is on it right now?

rl 1,223

[country gent]

On your rifle the gas block is in the base of the front sight. If you want to maintain iron sight there are 2 ways. one is a gas block with a rail on it for removable front sights. second is a clamp on for the muzzle. The adjistables work better with hot loads throttling back as the ports are normally standard size. For load testing and slow fire sages ( single loaded only) I use a mag with a single shot follower. These allow the round to be dropped inthe ejection port on the follower the bolt closing chambers the round when fired it is ejected and the bolt locks back. I really dont know what blocks to recomend as I made my own when I was working. They were clamp on with a thru tube clamped tight and a thread with needle screw for adjusting action. My match rifles have the ports moved forward but are 26" barrels.

[Linstrum]

country gent Hey, thanks for your info and ideas. This is my first AR15, so I am in the process of getting up to speed on the names of all the parts and the finer points of how it functions. I have done a little bit of work with Garand rifle gas systems and they are a different critter.
I used to be into making everything for my guns, including making a few guns and a falling block universal receiver, so what I may do is build a front sight for near the muzzle to increase my sight radius as well as build a blow-through adjustable needle valve gas block and see how it works. I can always put things back if it doesn't work and just buy the stuff I need!

rl 1,224

[zomby woof]

What is a 62 grain red coat bullet?

I prefer a Compass Lake chambered Kreiger barrel. I have a service rifle with 6000 rounds through it and I can still shoot master scores with it on the short range.

[Linstrum]

RED COATS? Just like "BOOLITS" are what we pour out of lead alloy, "RED COATS" are those red-colored copper-jacketed things everybody else shoots. A 62 grain red coat bullet is what the military shoots in their M4 rifles with one in 7-inch twist barrels.

rl 1,225

[country gent]

I made one front sight the used the flashider threads (1/2 28 if I remeber correctly) and a back support it worked good but was a pain as the threads had to be timed. This was made at a hieght for a globe front sight instead of the post. In the devolopment of the AR match rifle alot was tried and theroies proven and disproven. Its amazing what a well built Match AR is capable of. On my 26 barrels I moved the gas port in the barrel forward 4" to keep timing closer to factory configuration also. It was a pain making gas tubes but not that hard. It also allowed for a longer tube for the handgaurd forend. The Ladder front sight were a big plus on the ARs and long range guns as they allowed the front to be adjusted for extended ranges and the rear kept lower for better cheek weld position on the stock. If you can go to a NRA High power rifle match and look around the line ( pick a regional where service and match are both shot) you will get alot of ideas.

[RJH]

My stock DPMS holds 3/4MOA, and I have over 4000 rounds through it.

[jameslovesjammie]

AR15 Performance 18" 3-Gun barrel, rifle length gas. 1/8" Twist.

$195 plus shipping.

http://www.ar15performance.com/barrels


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