Accuracy expectations from chrome lined barrel

[mi223]

The barrel in question is a spikes 14.5 made by fn. I am pinning a tbac brake and running my ultra 7.

This will be my go to rifle that will be used to shoot wood Chucks or coyote out to a few hundred yards, civil unrest, home Intruders. You know the normal stuff.

I an going with a lpvo so not sure if worrying about accuracy is even an issue as the barrel may not be the week link in the rifle system.

Do you think this barrel will be good for my use or should I be looking elsewhere. I would like to see 1-1.5 moa

Thanks

 

[...]

going to depend largely on ammo

i would expect anywhere between 1.5-2.5 MOA consistently depending on ammo.

for anything you are going to use it for, realistically, it will serve you just fine.

 

[8up]

I say it depends on the barrel itself with delivering precision. I don't have that particular barrel or done any research on it. I do have 16" Noveseke double chrome lined, and a recent Stag 20" chrome lined, and they both stack 55 FMJ super tight. I would not worry about chrome lining as a accuracy issue.

More on ammo and your skill being main factors. I would not hesitate in getting what you want and put it to use to be honest.

 

[hafejd30]

My DDM4V11 had a chrome line barrel and would do easy 1 MOA with several types of ammo

My SBR has a 10.5 FN barrel and does 1 MOA with decent ammo

My FN SPR has a chrome line barrel and drives tacks

FN knows what they’re doing. Shoot the barrel and let it tell you how it shoots

FYI if you shoot shit ammo like wolf etc it will shoot like shit in anything

Mine liked Fiocchi 55 fmj

 

[hypno02]

You have a free float handguard?
If yes expect ~1moa with match ammo.
If no ~1.5moa

 

[Steel head]

I have a windham chrome lined carbine barrel that did moa consistently with 69 FGMM and 55 grain ballistic tips reloads.
It depends on the quality of the barrel and ammo.

 

[mi223]

Thanks guys. I will probably go with this barrel. I will definitely run cheap ammo through it but I will also load some 69-77 grain ammo. I just wanted to be confident 1moa is doable with handloads

 

[Jigstick]

I’ve had some Chrome lined barrels shoot lights out. And SS barrels that were duds. It just depends on getting lucky or not.

 

[Molon]

Colt 6920 Accuracy

If you were given the task of designing an AR-15 barrel profile with an eye towards accuracy, handling characteristics and heat tolerance, along with a length requirement of 16 inches and a weight restriction of 1 pound 12 ounces, the odds are that the last idea that you would come up with would be the ubiquitous 16” government profile barrel with M203 cutouts that is found on the Colt 6920. (How’s that for a run-on sentence?) The profile of the 6920 barrel has more to do with accommodating an M203 grenade launcher than the attributes listed above.



The Colt 16” government profile barrel has a NATO chamber, M4 feed-ramps and is chrome-lined. The barrel employs a carbine length gas system. The stripped weight of this barrel is 1 pound, 12 ounces.

These barrels are typically found with a 1:7” twist but were also produced with a 1:9” twist (AR6920DC).

The 6920 barrels that I have owned have had an “O” stamp at the chamber end of the barrel and some form of a date code stamped just proximal to the gas block journal.

The government profile barrels found on the Colt 6920 tend to show more variation in accuracy/precision from barrel to barrel than heavier profile barrels. The test results shown below were obtained with free-floated barrels.



One Colt 6920 barrel tested from my bench-rest set-up at a distance of 100 yards using match-grade hand-loads produced three 10-shot groups fired in a row that had extreme spreads of:



1.42”

1.19”

1.56”



for a 10-shot group average extreme spread of 1.39”. The mean radius for the 30-shot composite group was 0.44”.







The smallest 10-shot group . . .

The 30-shot composite group . . .

Another Colt 6920 barrel tested under the same conditions as described above produced three 10-shot groups fired in a row that had extreme spreads of:



1.59”

1.55”

1.73”



for a 10-shot group average extreme spread of 1.62”. The mean radius of the 30-shot composite group was 0.54”.







…

 

[Molon]

Colt M4A1 SOCOM Barrel Accuracy: Another Look

In 2010, I posted one of the first publicly available, in-depth accuracy evaluations of a Colt M4A1 SOCOM barrel. At that time, the Colt SOCOM barrel was relatively new to the civilian market. Many people, including myself, were pleasantly surprised by the level of accuracy/precision that I obtained with the SOCOM barrel; particularly since it is a chrome-lined, NATO chambered “military-grade” barrel. Since that time, the Colt M4A1 SOCOM barrel has developed a significant appreciation amongst AR-15 enthusiasts.


The M4A1 SOCOM barrel

Recently, I assembled another upper receiver group based on the Colt M4A1 SOCOM barrel. This new build features a Colt cage-code marked M4 upper receiver, a Colt “C” marked bolt carrier group and a 13” Geissele MK14 M-LOK free-float hand-guard.

A genuine Colt M4A1 SOCOM barrel is 14.5” long and has a medium contour; it is not an HBAR. The barrel has a 5.56mm NATO chamber and a 1:7” twist.

Colt SOCOM barrel

Colt HBAR

A genuine SOCOM barrel has the typical M4 circumferential cut-out located approximately 1.4” forward of the gas block for the attachment of an M203, as well as rectangular shaped cut-outs underneath the hand-guards on the port and starboard sides of the barrel, located approximately 1.4” aft of the gas block, for the same reason. The gas port on a genuine SOCOM barrel has a diameter of 0.062” and the barrel employs a carbine-length gas system.


The SOCOM barrel has a stripped weight of 1 pound, 14 ounces. That is only 2 ounces heavier than the ubiquitous 16” government profile barrel found on the Colt 6920.

Colt SOCOM barrel

Colt 6920 barrel

The stripped weight of the SOCOM barrel is 5 ounces heavier than the stripped weight of the standard Colt 14.5” M4 barrel. The pic below shows the difference between the standard M4 barrel and the SOCOM barrel. From the gas block journal forward, the two barrels are identical


SOCOM barrel on top, standard barrel on bottom

The next pic is a close-up comparing the two barrels in the area between the chamber and the gas block journal, showing you were the extra weight is added.

The date-code on my original SOCOM barrel was “11/03” and the date-code on my newer SOCOM barrel is “02/18”

My original SOCOM barrel hand an “F-marked” front sight base. Colt no longer stamps an “F” on their front sight bases, but their newer front sight bases maintain the length of 1.98” from the top of the barrel to the shelf for the front sight post.

My original SOCOM barrel was stamped:

“C MP 5.56 NATO 1/7”

The newer SOCOM barrel is stamped with Colt’s cage code.

“13629 M P 5.56 NATO 1/7”

Both of these SOCOM barrels have the “O” stamp near the chamber portion of the barrel, indicating the barrel has a chrome-lined chamber and bore. Naturally, the M4A1 SOCOM barrel has M4 feed ramps.

Accuracy Is Final


In 2010, my original SOCOM barrel with the “11/03” date-code produced a 10-shot group fired from a distance of 100 yards that had an extreme spread of 0.90”. That group was fired from my bench-rest set-up using match-grade hand-loads and a high magnification scope.

My newer SOCOM barrel with the “02/18” date-code produced a 10-shot group fired from a distance of 100 yards that had an extreme spread of 0.93”. This group was fired off of sand-bags using match-grade hand-loads and a high magnification scope.

. . . .

 

[Molon]

Colt 6721 Accuracy

I’m frequently asked, “What’s the most accurate chrome-lined AR-15 barrel that you’ve tested?” The answer that immediately comes to mind is the Colt 16” HBAR found on the Colt AR-15A3 TACTICAL CARBINE (6721).

This 16” HBAR has a stripped weight of 2 pounds 3.4 ounces. Naturally the bore and NATO chamber are chrome-lined. The barrel employs a carbine-length gas system and has a 1:9” twist. The barrel stamp reads:



C MP 5.56 NATO 1/9 HBAR

With a free-float hand-guard, this barrel has repeatedly produced sub-MOA 10-shot groups at 100 yards when using match-grade ammunition. The 10-shot group pictured below was fired using one of my match-grade hand-loads topped with the Sierra 55 grain BlitzKing. The group has an extreme spread of 0.89”

 

[Molon]

Noveske 16” N4 Barrel Accuracy Evaluation

I’ve posted short reviews of Noveske N4 Light barrels in the past, so for this article we’re going to take a more in-depth look at the Noveske 16” N4 Light barrel. For starters, Noveske’s nomenclature of “Light” for this barrel is somewhat misleading/confusing. When most shooters hear the term “light- weight” in regard to AR-15 barrels, they think of the “pencil” barrel profile of the original Colt M16/M16A1 and also the same light-weight profile of the Colt 16” carbine barrel found on the Colt 6520 and 6720. However, this is not the profile of the Noveske N4 Light barrel.




Colt M16/M16A1 barrel . . .

Colt 6520 16” light-weight barrel . . .

The stripped-weight (no flash hider, no front sight base/gas block, just the barrel and barrel extension) of the Colt 16” light-weight barrel is 1 pound, 6 ounces. The stripped-weight of the Noveske 16” N4 Light barrel is 1 pound, 12 ounces; which is the same stripped-weight of the Colt 16” government profile barrel found on the ubiquitous Colt 6920.


Colt 6920 government profile barrel . . .

Noveske 16” N4 Light barrel . . .

As you can see in the pics above, for the N4 Light barrel, Noveske has done away with the next-to-useless M203 (grenade launcher) cut-out found on the Colt government profile barrel. The N4 profile also has a more evenly distributed barrel diameter (and thus weight) fore and aft of the gas block journal, which moves the center of gravity of the barrel farther aft compared to a government profile barrel. This all makes for a superbly handling 16” barrel.

The reason that Noveske uses the “Light” nomenclature for their N4 barrels is simply because the N4 barrels are lighter than Noveske’s original medium contour stainless steel barrels. For comparison, the Noveske 16” medium contour Recon barrel has a stripped-weight of 2 pounds, 2 ounces and as mentioned above, the 16” N4 Light barrel has a stripped-weight of 1 pound, 12 ounces.


The Noveske 16” Recon barrel . . .

The Noveske 16” N4 Light barrel is a cold hammer forged barrel. It has a mid-length gas system, “M4” feed-ramps and a chrome-lined chamber and bore. The barrel has a 5.56mm NATO chamber and a 1:7” twist and has been high-pressure/magnetic particle tested; as the barrel stamp indicates. Contrary to erroneous Internet reports, the N4 barrel does not have polygonal rifling.


The barrel stamp . . .

The mid-length gas system . . .

For this evaluation, I used one of my standard match-grade hand-loads topped with Sierra 55 grain BlitzKings. When fired from my Krieger barreled AR-15s, this load has produced ½ MOA 10-shot groups at 100 yards.

Three, 10-shot groups were fired in a row from the Noveske 16” N4 Light barrel from a distance of 100 yards with the resulting extreme spreads:

1.29”
1.18”
1.31”

for a 10-shot group average extreme spread of 1.26”. The three, 10-shot groups were over-layed on each other using RSI Shooting Lab to form a 30-shot composite group. The mean radius of the 30-shot composite group was 0.37”.

After firing the above three groups, I fired an additional five, 10-shot groups in a row for a total of eight, 10-shot groups fired in a row. The average extreme spread for all eight of the 10-shot groups was 1.24”. I over-layed all eight of the 10-shot groups on each other using RSI Shooting Lab to form an 80-shot composite group. The mean radius for the 80-shot composite group was 0.39”.





....





Noveske 14.5” CHF Barrel Accuracy

The 14.5” N4 barrel was tested in the same manner as described above. Three 10-shot groups fired from 100 yards using match grade hand-loads had extreme spreads of:

1.029”
1.360”
1.275”

for a 10-shot group average extreme spread of 1.22”. As above, I over-layed the three 10-shot groups on each other using RSI Shooting lab to form a 30-shot composite group. The mean radius for that composite group was 0.37”.



...

 

[Molon]

Bravo Company 14.5” ELW Accuracy: A Quick Look


ELW stands for enhanced light-weight. This barrel is from Bravo Company’s cold-hammer forged series of barrels. The barrel has a “continuous taper” design with a smooth shoulder at the gas block journal, which reportedly improves barrel harmonics. This barrel has a mid-length gas system and a 0.625” gas block journal.

According to Bravo Company, this barrel has a stripped weight of 1 pound, 5 ounces. For comparison, a Colt 14.5” M4 barrel has a stripped weight of 1 pound, 9 ounces.

BCM 14.5” ELW

Colt 14.5” M4 barrel. (not stripped)

I purchased this barrel as part of a BCM factory assembled upper receiver group with the MCMR 13” free-float hand guard. The barrel has BCM’s pinned and welded A2X flash hider.

Shooting off-the-bench at a distance of 100 yards (using a high magnification scope), this barrel produced a 10-shot group that has an extreme spread of 0.946” with a mean radius of 0.33”.

….



Hodge Defense 14.5” Barrel Accuracy: A Quick Look

For decades after the AR-15 was first introduced to the “civilian” market, shooters basically had three choices for barrel contours/profiles in factory-built AR-15s: government profile, HBAR (heavy barrel) and the original “pencil” profile. (Not even John Wick slayed as many bad guys “with a pencil” as our soldiers did with the pencil profile Colt AR-15 barrel).



government profile

HBAR

John Wick profile

In the early 2000s, innovators such as John Noveske began offering alternative contours/profiles for their AR-15 barrels. These new contours were designed to offer improved weight distribution, with the attendant benefits, compared to the previously mentioned three profiles. For example, the Noveske medium-contour stainless-steel barrels offer reduced weight compared to an HBAR profile, while maintaining much of the accuracy of the HBAR profile.



Noveske 16” medium contour

Noveske’s N4 “light” contour barrels maintain the same weight as a government profile barrel of equal length, but with an improved contour. As an example, the 16” Noveske N4 light barrel has a stripped weight of 1 pound 12 ounces, the same weight as a stripped 16” Colt government profile barrel (6920).



Noveske 16” N4 light profile

Colt 16” government profile

In keeping with the approach to barrel contours of maintaining the same weight as a government profile barrel, while improving the weight distribution and in conjunction with additional improvements, Hodge Defense developed their own vision of such barrels and is now offering these barrels for sale to the general public. The stripped weight of the 14.5” Hodge Defense barrel is 1 pound, 8.5 ounces. For comparison, the stripped weight of a standard Colt 14.5” M4 barrel is 1 pound, 9 ounces.


14.5” Hodge defense

Colt M4 barrel (not stripped)

The 14.5” Hodge Defense barrel is manufactured by Fabrique Nationale, to secret-squirrel specifications, for Hodge Defense. This barrel is cold-hammer-forged and has a 1:7” twist. The barrel employs a mid-length gas system and has a 0.75“ gas block journal. The gas port on my barrel gauged at 0.075”.

A rather unique aspect of this barrel is found in the chamber. Located in the neck section of the chamber, is a ring of six triangular shaped “flutes“. The base of the triangle faces towards the breech end of the barrel.

I assembled the Hodge Defense barrel in a Bravo Company upper receiver and BCM MCMR 13” free-float hand-guard. I rounded-out this build with a JP Enterprises bolt, a Young Manufacturing bolt carrier and a BCM charging handle.

Shooting off of sandbags at a distance of 100 yards using match-grade hand-loads and a high-magnification scope, the Hodge Defense barrel produced a 10-shot group that had an extreme spread of 1.24”.

…..

 

[r.tenorio671]

Molon, thank you for these VERY informative posts on the various barrels available! Please keep on posting. Question: Have you ever done reviews on the Ballistic Advantage, Criterion, Satern or other commonly available barrels?

 

[MK20]

Criterion is excellent. Ballistic Advantage is also good, but has more lemons than someone like Criterion will.

I have no info on the others.

Also, PSA CHF barrels are made by FN, so they are excellent. BCM barrels are very good but Criterion will probably beat them out by a hair on accuracy.

 

[Molon]

Molon, thank you for these VERY informative posts on the various barrels available! Please keep on posting. Question: Have you ever done reviews on the Ballistic Advantage, Criterion, Satern or other commonly available barrels?

No. After bore-scoping a brand new Ballistic Advantage barrel I decided I wasn't going to waste my time doing a build with it.

I've been wanting to do an accuracy evaluation of a 16" Criterion CORE barrel, but their website is now saying that there is a 4-6 month wait.





No.



....

 

[mi223]

Thanks for the replies. I ended up ordering the spikes barrel. I only had a few options so hopefully it shoots ok.

Now the next question is adjustable gas block or not? If I do go adjustable i want a set it and forget system.

 

[hafejd30]

Thanks for the replies. I ended up ordering the spikes barrel. I only had a few options so hopefully it shoots ok.

Now the next question is adjustable gas block or not? If I do go adjustable i want a set it and forget system.

Go adjustable

Especially if suppressing

Even if not you can tune the gun with a lightweight carrier/block/buffer/muzzle device etc to run very smooth

SLR/Superlative arms are decent ones

 

[bfoosh006]

FWIW... A PSA PA10 complete upper, Gen II, w/ FN CHF CL .308 18" barrel already installed.

I did R&R the barrel, and lap the upper receiver face "true" and Loctited the FN barrel back into the PSA upper.

100yds, benched, scoped, 10 rapidish ( no cool down ) fired rounds of Horn. .308 155gr AG... I flubbed the flier... I get too giddy and do this to myself frequently, Lol

Pretty darned happy with that PSA purchase.

 

[hypno02]

Thanks for the replies. I ended up ordering the spikes barrel. I only had a few options so hopefully it shoots ok.

Now the next question is adjustable gas block or not? If I do go adjustable i want a set it and forget system.

An adjustable gas block is just one more failure point and one more thing (no offense) the end user can fuck up.

 

[snarkscarbine]

Thanks for the replies. I ended up ordering the spikes barrel. I only had a few options so hopefully it shoots ok.

Now the next question is adjustable gas block or not? If I do go adjustable i want a set it and forget system.

Yeah get the adjustable gas block. Seekins makes a great one. If you’re going to suppress the rifle maybe spend the extra coin on the superlative. Allows the rifle to run cooler/cleaner/more reliably, and most quality ones are really easy to tune.

 

[Molon]

I ended up ordering the spikes barrel.

At least you found a barrel in stock. Criterion is now saying the 16" CORE barrels are 4-6 months away.

 

[mi223]

At least you found a barrel in stock. Criterion is now saying the 16" CORE barrels are 4-6 months away.

Yeah. Availability is spotty at best.

 

[Thorbeast]

I think you will be happy with the spikes... I think chrome lined barrels are more accurate than people give them credit for. I'm not saying all ammo will shoot 1.5 moa or less, but I bet if you try a few different loads with quality ammo (or handloaded). You will find something under 1.5 moa. I think most people who complain about accuracy of chrome lined barrels shoot 3 moa ammo and blame it on the barrel.

 

[thehun]

My FN 18” .223 1/8 wylde CHF CL barrel is one of the best I have ever had...