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Posted: 12/14/2008 7:19:34 AM EDT
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I just cant decide what kind of barrel for my all purpose carbine.
lightweight handles much better, but the operator is more accurate. too bad I cant buy a noeveske N4 seperately, cause they are asking way too much for uppers. |
| I have (what I believe) is the government profile on my RRA Elite Comp 16". Very nice and solid. I've read that lighter weight barrels suffer from heat buildup and vibration harmonics; however, if weight is the absolute issue for daily carry use, go for it as an option. |
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I have always used heavy barrels until recently I aquired a lightweight upper. Much prefer the lightweight. Can tell no real difference in accuracy. Am going to have a few more of mine turned down. That being said with ammunition costing what it does, there are very few spray and pray magazine dumps happening with mine. So I really don't think it matters.
I can possibly see it making a slight difference if you were shooting with a can because of the added weight at the very end of the barrel. But I have no experience to back this up. |
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I have lite weight, mid weight and a sdm heavy weight. Of the 3 I like the lite weight for feel but the little extra weight of the mid is no big deal.
You really need to define what you want to do with your "all purpose" carbine. Are you going to run and gun or shoot mostly from a bench. Are you looking for little groups or will you be happy with 2 to 3 moa. Scoped or irons? Irons and 2 to 3 = lite weight Scoped I would lean to the mid weight. |
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Quoted:
I have lite weight, mid weight and a sdm heavy weight. Of the 3 I like the lite weight for feel but the little extra weight of the mid is no big deal. You really need to define what you want to do with your "all purpose" carbine. Are you going to run and gun or shoot mostly from a bench. Are you looking for little groups or will you be happy with 2 to 3 moa. Scoped or irons? Irons and 2 to 3 = lite weight Scoped I would lean to the mid weight. good point, but I will probably end up with a low power scope. how much more accurate do you think the operator will be, when both are free floated. I can never really get a straight answer on the quantified difference. its a good bit heavier isnt it? |
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An Operator is heavier than a govt profile which is heavier than a lightweight. An Operator is not light... heck its only lighter than an HBAR really.
You cant quanify differences in accuracy. You could get a 1 MOA crappy Model 1 sales barrel... you might get a horrible Operator than does 2 MOA. Its all on a sliding scale. You are far more likely to get a 1 MOA Operator than a Model 1 sales crap o matic barrel but noting is guaranteed. You are very likely to have a very accurate Operator if you get one. |
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I have both a Colt 6520 that I made into a flat-top and a GTS Operator build. Both are free floated with Larue. To be honest my go to SHTF rifle is the Operator. My Operator is easily sub-moa which is incredibly impressive for Chrome Lining. The 6520 is not.
YMMV. |
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Quoted:
I have both a Colt 6520 that I made into a flat-top and a GTS Operator build. Both are free floated with Larue. To be honest my go to SHTF rifle is the Operator. My Operator is easily sub-moa which is incredibly impressive for Chrome Lining. The 6520 is not. YMMV. how much heavier is the operator? |
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I bought one of those inexpensive Model 1 Sales pencil barrel lightweight 16 inch uppers. It has standard CAR handguards on it, so not even freefloated. It will shoot 1.2 inches at 100 yards (thats an average of four 5 shot groups) and will stay on a LaRue (11.5x20 inches) at 500 yards. Extremely light and handy it handles great. Accuracy wise I couldn't ask for more out of a lightweight carbine. Heat doesn't seem to bother this particular barrel either, I have not seen it effect practical accuracy at 300 or 500 yards.
Hope this is of interest to anyone looking at different weight barrels. |
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Quoted:
I bought one of those inexpensive Model 1 Sales pencil barrel lightweight 16 inch uppers. It has standard CAR handguards on it, so not even freefloated. It will shoot 1.2 inches at 100 yards (thats an average of four 5 shot groups) and will stay on a LaRue (11.5x20 inches) at 500 yards. Extremely light and handy it handles great. Accuracy wise I couldn't ask for more out of a lightweight carbine. Heat doesn't seem to bother this particular barrel either, I have not seen it effect practical accuracy at 300 or 500 yards. Hope this is of interest to anyone looking at different weight barrels. Some rare barrels defy logic like the one you have there. I had one early 6520 barrel (that I since shot out) that was like that, especially the not affected by heat part. What I have found is that they are few and far between. I haven't found another that performed as well. Treasure that barrel. |
. It was a friend's gun.) was from a Wilson blank. In any case, it's an air gauged barrel, an will suit any application well.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I have both a Colt 6520 that I made into a flat-top and a GTS Operator build. Both are free floated with Larue. To be honest my go to SHTF rifle is the Operator. My Operator is easily sub-moa which is incredibly impressive for Chrome Lining. The 6520 is not. YMMV. how much heavier is the operator? Doesn't feel much heavier. But, It is some. I just don't know how much. Probably less than 1/2 a pound. But I don't have a scale other than my powder / reloading scale and it doesn't go anywhere near that high. |
| Operator is 2 pounds 3 ounces with no FSB a 16" M4 is 2 pounds 2 ounces WITH a FSB. So figure out what a full FSB weighs, add an ounce and you have the additional weight of the Operator 16" over a government 16". I dont know what a FSB with sling mount and bayo lug weighs but it several ounces. |
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Operator is 2 pounds 3 ounces with no FSB a 16" M4 is 2 pounds 2 ounces WITH a FSB. So figure out what a full FSB weighs, add an ounce and you have the additional weight of the Operator 16" over a government 16". I dont know what a FSB with sling mount and bayo lug weighs but it several ounces. fromt he EE operator thread, the operator barrel weighs 2lbs 7 oz's with FSB. so basically its 5 oz's heavier than a government. but I am talking about a true lightweight, not a government profile. the government profile gets thicker near the end, which makes no sense in terms of accuracy improvment. how much heavier is the government profile than a lightweight? |
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