Good morning folks,
I have built a new upper my Rock River Arms rifle to be more of a DMR/Predator rifle while keeping it somewhat light and pack-able. I wanted a little longer barrel and handguard for it and running it suppressed. The factory 16" upper would shoot factory ammo and reloads around 1/2" or better if I did my part, but that now has a dedicated night vision on it.
Gun is a Rock River Upper/Lower/BCG, Timney Calvin Elite trigger, Luth AR MBA1, 17" MLOK Handguad, Luth AR gas block, and Wilson gas tube.
So I ordered a Ballistic Advantage 18" 223 Wylde Fluted SPR barrel, got a whole new upper and bcg from Rock River. Put it all together and temporarily put on a Primary Arms 3-18 and since I've put on a 5-25 Strike Eagle from Vortex. I've double checked that the scopes are good. I could not get the first barrel to shoot maybe 1.5" at best over the past year, and that was using every sort of factory ammo I could get my hands on and a couple hundred reloads with different powders, bullets, brass, primers, etc trying to find a "descent node" to work from but no luck. I will add I tried different rests, suppressor on or off, flash hiders, brakes, thread protectors etc just to test everything that "could" be making things go wild.
1 year later I get BA to take the barrel back and send me a new one, I clean it up, install it, get the rifle roughly zeroed and put a 5 shot group down range that is a rough 3/4" and I'm finally getting excited about it. I pack up and put it off to shoot again during the weekend, I take it out that weekend, same rests, ammo, somewhat same conditions and it's shooting a 2" pattern at best. I am now currently out of different factory ammo except for a couple more boxes of Fiocchi 77gr BTHP. On top of all of this I had 2 different very competent shooters and handlaoders shoot and help load for it with no avail with both the old and new barrel.
I'm maybe 150 rounds into the new barrel and a bit fed up with it again, given "barrel break-in" could still be happening.... But my question is what do you folks think, should I keep shooting it, send it back again, or try and get a refund and order a different new barrel??? If new barrel what would you run for a 18" somewhat lighter profile for packing in SW Montana mountains during winter for predators.
Thanks in advance,
Alex
Picture for referance. Of 1 of the configurations.
I have built a new upper my Rock River Arms rifle to be more of a DMR/Predator rifle while keeping it somewhat light and pack-able. I wanted a little longer barrel and handguard for it and running it suppressed. The factory 16" upper would shoot factory ammo and reloads around 1/2" or better if I did my part, but that now has a dedicated night vision on it.
Gun is a Rock River Upper/Lower/BCG, Timney Calvin Elite trigger, Luth AR MBA1, 17" MLOK Handguad, Luth AR gas block, and Wilson gas tube.
So I ordered a Ballistic Advantage 18" 223 Wylde Fluted SPR barrel, got a whole new upper and bcg from Rock River. Put it all together and temporarily put on a Primary Arms 3-18 and since I've put on a 5-25 Strike Eagle from Vortex. I've double checked that the scopes are good. I could not get the first barrel to shoot maybe 1.5" at best over the past year, and that was using every sort of factory ammo I could get my hands on and a couple hundred reloads with different powders, bullets, brass, primers, etc trying to find a "descent node" to work from but no luck. I will add I tried different rests, suppressor on or off, flash hiders, brakes, thread protectors etc just to test everything that "could" be making things go wild.
1 year later I get BA to take the barrel back and send me a new one, I clean it up, install it, get the rifle roughly zeroed and put a 5 shot group down range that is a rough 3/4" and I'm finally getting excited about it. I pack up and put it off to shoot again during the weekend, I take it out that weekend, same rests, ammo, somewhat same conditions and it's shooting a 2" pattern at best. I am now currently out of different factory ammo except for a couple more boxes of Fiocchi 77gr BTHP. On top of all of this I had 2 different very competent shooters and handlaoders shoot and help load for it with no avail with both the old and new barrel.
I'm maybe 150 rounds into the new barrel and a bit fed up with it again, given "barrel break-in" could still be happening.... But my question is what do you folks think, should I keep shooting it, send it back again, or try and get a refund and order a different new barrel??? If new barrel what would you run for a 18" somewhat lighter profile for packing in SW Montana mountains during winter for predators.
Thanks in advance,
Alex
Picture for referance. Of 1 of the configurations.