Never seen many ARs that wouldn't do 1 inch. IMHO probably spend 300ish bucks on a good barrel, that would/should put it to under an inch, and often chasing half inch.
The barrel is a MAJOR IMPORTANT part of the formula. The rest of the parts just ain't gonna make as much difference, IMHO, as a top line barrel.
I'd take the best barrel with the cheapest set of parts rather than the other way around any day.
