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Posted: 11/10/2010 8:13:32 PM EDT
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I am gonna re-post this here in hopes that it will get a few more replies:
I am looking for a replacement barrel for my RRA 20" HBAR. I want a 20" bull/varmint barrel with a low profile gas block and a non-threaded, target crown. Accuracy is my main focus. Old barrel will do about 1-1.5 inches at 100 yards. I am looking for sub 1/2 MOA out to at least 300 yards. I am mostly a bolt gun guy, so I am not really familiar with AR barrel makers. I will be shooting 55gr or lighter bullets, so I am thinking 1 in 9 twist rate or slower. It is entirely for ground squirrel and rockchuck control. These are the barrels that I am currently looking at. I would appreciate your input on them, as well as other good options. DPMS Bull barrel, stainless, 1 in 9 twist $199 from Midway White Oak Armament .223 varmint barrel with 1 in 12 twist $325 with headspaced bolt (is the bolt really going to give me any more improvement?) Olympic Arms .223 Ultramatch with a 1 in 10 twist for $345 + $42 for the gas block I am really trying to keep this under $400 as Christmas time is coming up. My gunsmith is going to swap the barrels out for me for $40, which is cheaper than me having to buy the tools to do the job once. Thanks in advance for any guidance that you will be able to give a poor noob. |
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Very good, thanks for that recommendation! I also just found on Midway, Shilen drop in barrels with headspaced bolt with a 1 in 8 twist for $399. That seems like a smoking deal to me. Would it be worth the extra money to get that one over the White Oak? Hoping to make a decision and get one ordered soon.
Thank you to all the veterans who have served our country!! We lives the lives we choose because of the sacrifices you have made. You have my deepest respect. |
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If you want to shoot the heavier bullets get the WOA 7" or 8" twist varmint barrel....getting a headspaced bolt will help a little
in accuracy if it is minimally headspaced. You will lose a little over stabilizing light bullets.......but if you want to shoot distance you'll probably want to go heavier. Most of the time you use a go and no-go guage to check the AR bolt headspce....but you can also use specific length guages to get a tighter headspace. You have to try different bolts or barrel extensions to find tighter fits..... There's always a chance that an existing bolt won't headspace on a new barrel so a new bolt is pretty cheap insurance and probably a bit better accuracy. |
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Man, I'm a big fan of $400+ barrels, but I've heard good things about the bull barrels that J&T Distributing sells. Air gauged Wilson, I believe. For $200, it's hard to beat, I guess. If 55s are what you want to shoot, going with a faster twist isn't going to hurt anything and you won't be sacrificing anything in terms of accuracy. My 1:7 barrel from Superior Barrels shoots 52s and 55s very well. You just have to use good bullets.
From what I understand, WOA barrels are supposed to be a good bang for the buck, but I've heard and seen enough reports of sub par accuracy that I wound up not trying one. These barrels seem to be pretty picky about the loads they like. |
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No barrel will shoot fmj's well. If you use premium bullets you may get better groups from your current rifle. I'd try this first before buying a better barrel.
Bull barrels are over rated. They weigh too much and are a pain because of it. The heaviest barrel I would ever recommend is a CMP/DCM service rifle barrel. 18" SPR barrels are almost perfect in my experience. 1/7 twist will allow you to shoot any .223 ammo. A 1/9 or slower will not. Performance from 50 and 52 grain match bullets won't notice a difference. WOA makes a great value barrel. They use air gauged Wilson blanks most of the time, occasionally Criterian or even Shilen blanks are used. The end result is always the same, a quality barrel at a reasonable price. I say buy. WOA's DMR barrel has heavy flutes under the handguard reducing weight and improving cooling. Whatever you do, make sure you free float the barrel. I have a slew of WOA barrels, I had every 24" or 26" bull barrel turned down to more reasonable dimensions (it costs extra) to make them easier to deal with in the field. They measure .850" under the handguards and .810" from the gas block to the muzzle. They shoot every bit as well as the bull barrels, they just won't give you a hernia. |
| I don't shoot fmj's at all. I mainly shoot Hornady SPSX and V-max's in the 55 gr weight. A bull barrel isn't a problem because most of my shooting is done from a portable shooting bench. I have narrowed it down to the Shillen with the 1 in 8 or the WOA with the 1 in 12. Decisions.... |
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