Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles LaRue sale barrel "build"

First, y'all remember the barrel sale back around the end of June. I gave $199 for this barrel, it's a 1/8 twist 16" PredatAR which is a light weight match barrel made from some undisclosed steel. It looks like a coated SS but the machine cuts have a mirrored finish. The thing may be a tomato stake but it looks better than any barrel I've seen bar none. Even the bore has a mirrored look.

The barrel extension is SS but the barrel you can see there and chamber is coated black.

another machined cut.

Now as much as I love LaRue Mounts and every other part I've tried of theirs, their gas block sucks!

I didn't like the looks of the bulky thing so I was gonna use a normal low profile block but they drilled 3 set screw holes made for their gas block.

I decided to try the overpriced turd but then I got it here it was too heavy for a light weight build, it weighed 2/10th's of a pound on my UPS scales! So I cut it off and whittled it down, then parkerized it. It doesn't register on the scales now.

to be continued

I also decided to try BCM's Keymod rail. It's lighter than anything else I've seen yet has an anti-rotation feature and get's pretty good reviews, I can't fault it. Assembly was easy and well thought out. It's very comfortable but dang this thing is lighter than my Troy rails. I used Rainier Arms' forged upper with no forward assist and a semi bolt carrier to save even more weight.

Parts gathered

I stuck the finished upper on my Noveske SPR lower complete with SOPMOD stock and H buffer, the gun weighs 6 lbs. even bare and 8 lbs. with the 10X Super Chicken scope in a LaRue mount.


I am completely at a loss at how to scope it, I have a 6x Super Chicken that would be most useful but I hate to stick 2 lbs. on a light weight gun, so it might get my ACOG or just a simple 1-5 but for now, I'll test the accuracy with the Hubble on it.

Here's a look at how BCM keeps the rail from rotating or coming loose, both designs are simple yet impressive.


I'll try to get it out this weekend and see if it'll shoot and report back.

Nice! Looks like you just ground or hacksawed the front sleeve off the gas block? I like those KMR rails!

Looks good. The KMR is probably my favorite rail. I wish it was just a tad bit bigger in diameter but overall is an excellent rail. I really like the mounting system, seems like a very good design. Similar to the geissele but I prefer the "shape" of the octagon rail vs. the cross style.

If looks had anything to do with accuracy I'd say that would easily shoot 1/2 MOA.

I now just about hate that DD Lite rail after the KMR.

now if it don't shoot you can blame it on the modified gas block

Who makes a good low profile gas block without modifying it? Yankee Hill? I have no need for a front sight.

BCM, Noveske, Vltor, Daniel Defense.... Syrac and SLR make good asjustable ones.

Very nice looking build! I'll be interested in how it shoots. I do hope it will shoot very good for you. As mentioned, it certainly looks like it will.

I just got a notification that a package is on it'w way to me with one or two of those pretty barrels, too. I ordered two, one of each design on sale. Package of 4 pounds so around the 19th we'll see how much of that is barrel and how much is box.

It's mostly rocks to keep the Reardon steel from floating away.


I realized I need another scope mount so if any of the LaRue guys are following this, I'm good on T-shirts but a 30mm LT 104 would be nice...

I hate this place ...if you shoot a 1 inch 10 shot group with that featherweight I am going to have to go and find $500....

For 500 bucks you can pick any known name barrel brand, and have it set up correctly and chambered, well pretty close... 350 buck range for good known barrel brands. Likely 200 or so to chamber etc.. I have not bought one in years, so I might be off.. but pretty close I suspect.

And I suspect you'll easily shooot a 1 inch group with TWRs new tube.

WOP, 495 Krieger, set up and ready to roll. At the worst price.

I"ve never had a Krieger that would not shoot well, the worst one was about .75 moa as I recall and that for 10 shot groups as those were the smallest number of rounds we would shoot for group ever.

Featherweight is simply a matter of contouring the barrel correctly.

Not sure what that would cost then, if anything extra.

Which means that for 500 bucks, the La Rue tube should be shooting as well as any top line name, Krieger, Rock, Bartlein etc...

Most companies we spoke with would not contour a match barrel down that much if any and those that would wouldn't guarantee anything. I'm pretty sure we checked with WOA but not WOP.

Even my Noveske light weight is closer to an hbar than a pencil barrel.

LaRue sent me an email to rate their gas block but I messed around and deleted it. Up here at the hospital, daughter had surgery this morning and it got very hectic. She's doing good and if all goes well, I'm gonna try and shoot in the morning.

glad your daughter is doing well!

Hey, hope all turns out well with the daughter. If there is anything we can do, other than say a prayer, let us know!

I coudl see WOA not doing it, thats not the custom side. I could see WOP not doing it because their main goal is competition guns.

Either post or pm me dimensions on the La Rue barrel, I may just buy a blank and contour it down and chamber it and see what happens. Wont' happen soon, but might be fun to play with to see how something like a cheap shilen works with a light gun.

We had a guy do some Shilen barrels against their advice and they turned out fine. Though no one shot 20 shot groups with them.

Made it to the range today and at first I was highly disappointed. Best groups of 5 were going 3-5" at 100 yards with the 10x super chicken. I decided to try the scope on my 16" Noveske and it shot well enough to dismiss the bad scope idea.

I looked the gun over and couldn't see anything obvious so I decided to take off the A1 flash hider and it started showing promise.

It is rather windy here and the top left group of 10 was mostly my fault and they were all back to back but it will do 5 in 1.5 MOA and probably better with a better shooter and maybe another bullet. I'm just out of time to do much more tinkering for now but I think I'll like the barrel.

77 grain? Odd about the flash hider!