Htx barrels? Anyone shooting one

FUNCTIONAL said:

Thinking about doing something dumb and getting a htx mk11 barrel and having dwilson convert it for my mws as an easy button.

Has anyone used one? How's it shooting? Particularly thinking about the mk11 in 6.5creed.

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Id be interested in knowing as well. On operation parts website it says they are using Rock Creek blanks.

.505gibbs said:

Id be interested in knowing as well. On operation parts website it says they are using Rock Creek blanks.

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It also states they are button rifled and cut rifled. I’d like to know if they are cut or buttoned before dropping that kind of coin on one…

Black max said:

It also states they are button rifled and cut rifled. I’d like to know if they are cut or buttoned before dropping that kind of coin on one…

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Craddock will also make you one on a Bartlien blank. They offer the MK11, the M110, and one they call the CC. The later being a SR25 EC contour. They will also do it on a 400modbb blank. I emailed back and forth with a few questions about the Craddock CC barrel and it sounds like a direct replacement for the emc, ecc, ec line. Suppressor works with the original gas block, and it sounds like they maintain the interference fit between the barrel extension and upper.
I’d be a bit more comfortable handling my money to Craddock until there is some reports on how the htx barrels actually shoot.
Rainer arms also makes a 110, and mk11 barrel. Don’t know anything about them other than they make them.

I’ll be the Guinea pig here. Thoroughbred has them back in stock. I said fuck it and ordered a K1 in .308. Should have everything I need to put it together. I’ll likely have it dimpled by Templar if it shoots well.

FUNCTIONAL said:

Really looking forward to see what you can do with it.

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For sure. Give me a month or so and I’ll report back.

Got this in the mail a couple day ago but hadn’t got a chance to really look it over until today. Initial impressions; buy it. If you are on the fence about quality or workmanship don’t be.

The machining is excellent. No chatter marks inside or out. Their markings are tasteful and in no way over the top. It looks to be a cut rifled bore or a very well done broach cut. It truly is an exact copy of the KAC e-series barrels right down to the way the crown is cut. Except for being made from stainless and the twist rate.

Things I don’t like about it; the way the twist rate is marked, it’s way bigger than it needs to be and just behind the gb. It will be covered by the handguard but it could have easily been put near the breech. I also don’t like that it is dimpled for a GB, personal preference there. The only other minor gripe I have is the gas port is drilled right through a land. I personally have never had this cause a problem from the standpoint of precision but I know it’s something people concern themselves with.

I already have it on its way to d. Wilson to be converted to work with an LMT and have the gas block installed. I have little doubt it will shoot very well.

I likely will purchase a second to install on an actual sr25 and have Templar dimple it to replicate an ecc or ecm barrel.

FUNCTIONAL said:

Looks good @.505gibbs really curious to see how she shoots!

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Hopefully I’ll get it back in a couple of weeks and can provide a range report.

So, for anyone who is still interested in this project I have a couple of pictures of the work done so far. I got it back from d. Wilson, his work is excellent. I then sent it straight to Dana at Templar Precision for dimples. His work is also excellent.

I have an older SL8 upper that I do not intend to use for this barrels final place. I pulled the LMT barrel and slid the SR25 Cartel barrel in. It hangs up on the gas tube and will not fully seat with it. Confirmed by removing the gas tube and re-installing. Barrel slid in freely. This was with a standard rifle length gas tube. Not to say that it could not be made to work with some re-shaping of the tube, I decided to just order a NM rifle length tube. If you are not familiar with them the bend is more toward the gas block to clear the free float tube under the NM A2 hand guards.

Im fairly anxious to get it out and do some shooting but I'm still waiting on the upper, a quad railed version, to get back from cerakote. I will post results when it all comes together and the weather cooperates.

That does look very cool, I'll give it that.

FUNCTIONAL said:

No groups!? This must be what edging is like....

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Believe me; it’s killing me too.

Made it out to shoot today with the LMT/HTX combo. Things look fairly promising. I will preface this with I’m rusty from the lack of shooting over the winter.

No “break in” was preformed with the new barrel. Loaded it and shot.

I brought two rifles; an SR25 EC as a baseline and the LMT. The SR25 is dependably a .75/.875 shooter. (5 round groups) The HTX falls right in that range with what I saw today. It definitely shows a preference for fgmm 175 grain over the hand load that runs well in all my other large frame ar’s. It consists of Starline or Lapua brass, a CCI #34, 43.7 grains of Staball match, and a 175 smk seated at 2.81” O.A.L. All shooting was done at 100 yards.


This pic is 7 rounds of gmm out of the LMT. That low left shot may have been me. Still a .993”.


A 5 rounder of gmm measuring 1.025. The shots to the right are of the hand load that I did not bother to measure.


Here is my hand load,5 rounds in the LMT. Like I said, not great.


This is 5 rounds of my hand load out of the SR25


Another SR 25 hand load, 5 shots. 1.082”


Obligatory pic of them in the wild.

I say the HTX is right in range with the SR25. The KAC is a solid 3/4-7/8” gun but my shooting was not up to it today. The LMT/HTX gun did have several ftf’s with the gmm. None with the hand loads. I attribute this to running a SR25 carbine spring with an h3 buffer. Or my shade tree gas tube bending skills. (Still waiting on the White Oak tube.) The KAC carbine springs are quite stiff. With the LMT barrel; a 16 inch cut down from a 20 inch I’ve never had a malfunction with any ammo. I think this shows the HTX barrel is gassed appropriately. The port is the same .09375”as the SR25.

Overall I’m happy.

I want to thank the guys at HTX concepts for putting these out. It gives people who are unwilling or unable to spend 7-15k on a KAC gun the opportunity to get 90% there. Also @unclemoak for the exceptional work he and his crew performed, and Dana at Templar Precision for the beautiful dimples.