After years back I build a lightweight 16" 5.56 to keep in a smaller case in the truck. I used a BHW 3 groove 8 twist light weight and I had it shooting 1/2 moa with reloaded 75g Hornady BTHPs but after only a few hundred rounds something went and I've never been able to get it to shoot that well since. I've swapped scopes and tried other things but think it's just the barrel. It's a carbine length gas tube.

I want to put together a new one and start over. I have an aero M4e1 upper and lower set and aero 15" handguard, a faxon bcg, and a triggertech adjustable ready to go. I just need to find a good 16" preferably wilde chambered mid gas this time, lightweight, preferably nitride ss, or just SS barrel capable of 1/2 moa after load development. Any ideas where to find such a barrel? The last few I tried were ballistic advantage and I've not been impressed with those.

Bb

Noveske makes a SS light weight barrel that shoots pretty well but it’s not a true pencil barrel. It’s probably your best bet. A true pencil barrel is gonna be more finicky unless you’re talking 3 shot groups every now and then.

Even the Noveske is more of a sub MOA barrel and not what I’d call a 1/2 MOA barrel.


I’ve shot “3 shot groups” under MOA from several pencil barrels including Bushmaster, Colt, Sionics and Faxon. I’ve heard good reports from Criterion and a few others but have never shot them myself. But I consider them 1.5 MOA barrels when 10 shots are done.

Man, I think there's a lot of 'em out there.

Personally, I've had good luck with LaRue PredatAR https://www.larue.com/products/5-56-predatar-barrel-k/

And, Ranier Arms Match .223 Wylde Lightweight - https://www.rainierarms.com/rainier-arms-match-223-wylde-lightweight-barrel/

I forgot about the LaRue, the one I had shot pretty well too.

What's the definition of lightweight & what is your target barrel weight?.....................LaRue is not exactly lightweight at all, IMO, & even though Noveske calls some of their barrels lightweight, they're not really.

Or are you looking for a pencil barrel?

And unless you want to step up to a Bartlein barrel or equivalent level, & are a helluva shooter to go with it, you are not going to find many that are really & truly 1/2 MOA................. a lightweight 16" barrel that will keep 10 shots under an inch is a very good barrel.

To me, other than a pencil barrel with a .625" GB journal, anything under about 27 oz is lightweight, anything between 27-32 oz is midweight & anything over that is heavy.

Wilson Combat makes a lightweight fluted SS Recce barrel that is 27 oz at a fair $$$ if that interests you; I just used one, but haven't shot it much but so far it makes me happy. It's also an intermediate gas barrel, so it shoot quite soft.

Just be aware that Wilson sets the headspace to minimum or even .001" below minimum, so you will have to fit bolt to it to get some factory ammo to chamber.

Ranier also has some barrels in their ultra match & match lines that go about 30 oz that are outstanding but more $$$$; the one I have does under an inch easily.

MM

Not looking for a pencil but definitely under 2 pounds. I'm just looking for lighter weight like M4 profile weight range or a bit lighter but not an actual m4 profile. Prefer 7 twist but would consider an 8. And 1/2 for 3 shots is ok but I'd prefer 1/2 for 5 shots if possible after serious development.

Bb

For an off the shelf barrel, that is usually in stock w/o a long weight, buy the 16" Ranier Ultra-Match.

If you are not happy with it they will take it back within 90 days; I'd be shocked if you aren't happy, their UM barrels just flat shoot and are reputed to be Criterion blanks.

Or take the WC, it's a very nicely done barrel, absent dealing with the headspace issue.

Pretty much any custom from any of the major names is going to be a 6 month wait right now.

WOA is not a bad wait, usually less than a month, but they are not really into 16" light / medium barrels although they do have an 18" 3-Gun barrel that comes in at at just under 31 oz..................their barrels are top notch for accuracy.

MM

MM, have you had any green mountain tubes? A buddy from my club has one and it shoots better than his 18" barrel. He shoots 9 shot groups for some odd reason, but has no choice in our AR shoots to shoot 10 shots. His has often really impressed me with sub moa 9 shot groups. He likes running 75gr Hornady HPBT match bullets too. I'd be happy if I could get my 20" barrels to shoot as consistently as his does with that bullet. My rifles seem to prefer Sierra for some reason.. I believe he said his 16" barrel is right around 26 oz's..

No, I don't have any Green Mountain barrels.

My very best barrels are Rock Creek blanks , machined by Craddock precision; my Ranier & WOA's are also very good. The only Krieger that I own is also excellent.

MM

Sounds like you'd dig a faxon pencil.
They're pretty sweet for a walk about AR.

I had one Green Mt. It was a good barrel.

I've put 2 faxon light barrels on for friends. Both were acceptable shooters. I can't recall how good exactly but they even would have likely kept me happy.
If I was after a light barrel I'd be willing to try a faxon again.

Can't say more because we don't really own a light gun to speak of. We don't often walk more than a mile with the ARs so no big deal to us on a bit extra weight

BTW have you played with the one that died? Its rare for a barrel to die like that. Its often the optics, mounts, bad lot of bullets (Hornady we never could trust totally for match shooting but they would replace bad lots of bullets... to the tune of 5000 amax for us once). Different lot of powder, primers etc...

Did you chrono the load? Are you still same speed. IF not did you run up and down a grain or two of powder total, just to see.

Again unless its 3000 rounds or more depending, some of our cut tubes went to 12K, or maybe the crown got dinged, hard to think it would just die.

UNLESS the .5 moa groups were flukes and you didn't shoot enough 10 shot groups or such to verify.

BHW makes good barrels, and are known for longer life spans. Unless he has 3K+ rounds through it, I suspect the problem is something other than the barrel.

Every Wilson Combat barrel, I have 4, is accurate.

MontanaMan,
Where did you get the Wilson Combat fluted SS Recce barrel? I couldn't find it listed on their web site.
Thanks,
rookie

I have never put it to the test on a 100 yard target but I have a DelTon light weight carbine 16" barrel that is nicely accurate and is a pleasure to shoot with iron sights. Looking in the barrel with my bore scope it has very few machining flaws and the rifling is very consistently smooth. I have heard some bad things about the "new" DelTon barrels and that they are not as nice and consistent shooters as their older barrels are. Mine is not chrome lined and is a 1 in 9 twist. https://www.del-ton.com/Del-Ton-Barrel-Kit-p/kt1005.htm

That's too bad they have lost their previous great reputation for having accurate and affordable barrels. If I were looking now I would go with a company that has a long time great reputation and be willing to pay a little more. Get a cheap bore scope and as soon as the barrel arrives take a look inside and check out the workmanship. If the rifling is rough and it shows a lot of machining marks send it back. I have 2 DelTon barrels and one looks really nice with the bore scope and one "sketchy". You can probably guess which one is an OK shooter and which one is nicely accurate.

kwg

They actually call it a Recon in their description & it's a 5.56 chamber, not a Wylde.........& it's on sale & in stock at what I paid for it a few months ago.

If you buy it, it takes an intermediate length gas tube which Wilson also carries.

MM

WC Fluted 16" barrel

rost is making some good points. as per usual..

Thanks, appreciate the info!
One ordered!
rookie

Just be aware of the caveats on the headspace being tight that I mentioned...........................

They do it that way intentionally.

MM

A barrel not yet mentioned is X-Caliber, They make a lightweight and I have been impressed with their quality.
They can be a bit spendy but they have a sale a couple times a year. Love my WOA's but none of them are lightweights

I have had four ARP barrels and they have all shot well. My 16 inch scout is 28 ounces and shoots several loads of great.

Ballistic advantage has been great for my builds

Also like faxon

Montanaman.

Im confused about Wilson headspace and your info. Not doubting or calling you out. But do you mind to clarify

This is from their FAQ’s section

“Our AR barrels are individually headspaced to a master USGI bolt to .002-003” tolerance. They will work with any quality USGI “Mil-Spec” parkerized bolt without headspacing. Plating or other finishes may add tolerances that decrease headspace. To check headspace properly you must follow the manufacturers recommendations on gauge use. With a clean chamber remove the ejector and extractor from your bolt. Do not slam headspace gauges in your chamber using spring tension or excessive force. Use only gravity or hand pressure to gauge check your chambers.”

There's nothing to be confused about.

Two different WC barrels & 6 different bolts from Radian, Faxon, RCA, RTB, Geiselle & AO..............all "mil-spec" bolts from very reputable sources, with either a phosphate or nitrided surface. ( I actually bought 2 additional bolts hoping one would fit)

None of the bolts would close on a 1.4636" Forster Go gauge; this is a minimum HS gauge & measure at "zero" with an RCBS 223/5.56 gauge.

This means that in practice, they are not exactly delivering barrels that they say they are delivering with .002-.003" of HS.

However, there are manufacturing tolerances on bolts that can, & do, affect HS, but given the bolts tested & measured as being within spec for bolt dimensions, my conclusion is that Wilson barrels at very tight on their barrel / extension HS dimensions.

If a bolt in a given barrel / extension will not close on a Go gauge, it is also very likely that it will not close on all brands of new factory ammo & that is a problem, IMO. YMMV

Various brands of ammo will typically measure from around minus .003-4", max to as little as zero, as measured in reference to a 1.4636 HS dimension. (However, having said that, as an AR bolt slams closed it will generally crush fit rounds that are around .002" too long, if that situation is OK with you; it is not OK with me as a steady diet routine. (I have ammo from 7 or 8 manufacturers & some would close, some would not.)

So I selected the phosphate bolt that was the closest to closing on the Go gauge, (would not close on a minus .001" gauge, but would close on a minus .002" gauge), & stoned & measured each bolt lug to get the bolt to close on the Go gauge.

I have built probably 25+ guns, with a variety of barrels & I have never had any other barrel from any other manufacturer that I could not get a bolt to fit, almost all w/o sorting bolts.

With 2 WC barrels, both were tight on HS to the point that I would not use them as is & WC will not provide a matched bolt...................I called & offered to buy one, they said they don't sell matched bolts & barrels.

The barrels are fine otherwise & once HS'ed correctly, shoot just fine.

MM

Thanks for the clarification!

Guess I won’t be buying that barrel and dealing with that lol

Lots of other high quality barrels without that to deal with

Ya know, that's what I like about White Oak - I've never had a barrel from them that wasn't dead-nuts on headspace. And what seems to be a perfect compromise between tightness and reliability. I've had a lot of barrels from other smiths that were finicky, some so finicky that I ended up running a reamer into them.

FWIW Rock River has been very uniform in their match barrel headspace too, but they are looser than WOA chambers.

I agree completely on WOA, also on the barrels I've gotten from Paul Craddock (who used to work for Holliger at WOA).

And in addition, they will both provide a fitted bolt, if you choose to buy one from them.

Both also are easy to talk to & very helpful & accomodating; WC's customer service & attitude leave a lot to be desired in comparison.

MM

+1 for AR15Performance.com I have numerous barrels by H and they are all shooters and light weight.

Take a look at Black River Tactical barrels. They do a very nice job!

I run a 18 inch 1-7 twist GM barrel on my service rifle. Been running it since 2018 last year I ran a 224 Valkyrie most of the season for AR tactical class. But shot my service rifle handful of time in xtc matches. The barrel still shooting fine, the 3 bullets it will not shoot are 68gr hornady bthp, 69gr nosler bthp and 75gr hornady bthp. It will shoot 55gr nosler ballistic tips, 69gr smk, 77gr smk and 75gr eld-m (single load)

He makes a phenomenal barrel. I have two of his 224 Valkyrie barrels and run the red rocket in them. My daughter got her master designation using one of his barrel in a 224 Valkyrie and the red rocket load.

I picked up one their barrels 18inch 5.56 chamber holt chit that thing shoots 77smk very well. As long as the shooter knows how to read wind it will hold the 10ring at 600yds all day long.

Haven't read all the replies, because I don't really have time. But here is what I have and I love it. I have not shot it for groups, but I'm sure it would do very well. The Ballistic Advantage barrels are typically spoken highly of.

https://www.ballisticadvantage.com/...r-15-barrel-w-lo-pro-premium-series.html

Ballistic Advantage is playing barrel roulette................win some, lose some, IMO.

Depends on how picky you are & what your expectations are, I guess.

MM

I've had great luck with the Faxon Gunner 16" barrel its a lightweight profile and the quality for me has been topnotch. I actually have 4 of the Faxon lightweight barrel. 3 -18" and a 16". All are 1:8 twist. seem to shoot a variety of loads well.
Let me know if you need some pictures of it. I can always send you some.
Jerod

Compass lake Engineering, WOA or Criterion in about that order. If you want a chrome lined barrel than Criterion.

Go remeasure the OAL and measure Ogive on some those loaded 75gr BTHP. Guarantee most will be off .010 from others. I never seen are more inconsistent bullet in my life. You will literally have two piles of bullets after you measure the ogive. Save yourself alot of heartache and spring for some 69gr smk and give that barrel another try. Anyhow after you measure those 75’s You probably see why your accuracy went to chit. One of the chittiest bullet I ever tried were the 68gr hornady bthp. Followed by nosler 77gr bthp the ppu 75gr bthp is better than that and they are very inconsistent when it comes oal as well..