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Ar-15 Which Barrel?

R

RecShooterDave

Private
Minuteman
Jul 25, 2012
10
0
34
Los Angeles, California
#1
So i want to change barrels on my S&W ar, but i don't know which one will be a better choice. Anybody have knowledge or experience with any of these. I know that Noveske barrels are one of the best but im not sure if im willing to pay $600 for a barrel because i still need a good scope. So which barrel do you guys think is a better choice out of the 2.
Olympic arms ultramatch bull 24"
Or white oak armament bull 24"
I was also thinking about changing calibers from 5.56 to 7.62x39
I was reading up on it and people said all you need is to change barrels and thats it, others said you might also need to change bolts and something about the magazines i didn't quite understand that one.
Forgot to mention im gonna be shooting 500yards and up.
Anyways any advice and knowledge given will be greatly appreciated
thanks guys.
 
#3
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

Yeah, ive heard good and bad things about the 7.62 everyone tells me just to stick with the. 223/5.56. My range maxes out at 500yards but ive heard there's a range that's 1000yards but its quite a drive from my house. Im just gonna end up sticking with the standard. 223 round
 
#4
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

Layton, what do you think about a scope for it. I want a fixed 10x power either 50mm or 40mm don't know which to go with. Ive been looking at Millet,Bushnell,and Super Sniper. Right now i have a 3-9x40 and its super crisp i love it glass is super clear and has great fov so im not sure about the big 50mm lens. What do u have on your rifle and how far do you shoot?
 
#5
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

I don't think an underpowered .30/30 is going to be of much use trying to go 500 yards and beyond. You need a barrel, bolt, and different mags, this is true.

I would go WOA over Olympic these days if that matters. If you want to shoot long range with an AR15 receiver and you don't want .223, I think you're looking for 6.5 Grendel or .264 LBC. But again, now you're looking at barrel, bolt, and mags. You could also look into 6mmAR or turbo version of same.

Do you reload or are you just independently wealthy? .223 is a lot cheaper if you don't reload, just saying.
 
#6
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

Fngmike, i don't reload my own ammo and shooting. 223 is cheaper compared to 6.8 and all those bigger rounds. I don't shoot quite as often as i used to so i was thinking of changing calibers but now that i know i need a new bolt to change to the 7.62 round im gonna stick with the. 223 round. Its to much money to throw away just to change to a 7.62 maybe if it was a 6.8 or a. 50 beowulf it be worth it i was just testing waters with the idea.
So you think WOA is better compared to OA
 
#7
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

I have always had great success with WOA barrels. I would never even think of going to 762x39 for long range. If you already don't know how to shoot long range keep the barrel on your gun and set it aside while you build a bolt rifle. Long range with a gas gun is much harder to learn on.
 
#8
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

Within 1000 yards, a .223 will do just fine. Not superb, but it'll do the job. It's a very underrated cartridge when it comes to longer range shooting. As for barrels, WOA is very good. Rainier Match barrels are practically the same (Wilson blank chambered by WOA), but I have had excellent experiences with their CS, so I have to recommend them. Also, whoever was trying to sell you a Noveske barrel for $600 needs to be sucker punched.

http://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/detail&product_id=956
 
#9
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

I already shoot long range with my bolt action savage 7mm rem mag. So i wanted to get my ar to do the same thing since i saw a guy last week at the range shooting his ar-15. 223 at 500yards.
Why is it harder to learn on a gas gun shooting long range?
 
#12
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RecShooterDave</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Fngmike, i don't reload my own ammo and shooting. 223 is cheaper compared to 6.8 and all those bigger rounds. I don't shoot quite as often as i used to so i was thinking of changing calibers but now that i know i need a new bolt to change to the 7.62 round im gonna stick with the. 223 round. Its to much money to throw away just to change to a 7.62 maybe if it was a 6.8 or a. 50 beowulf it be worth it i was just testing waters with the idea.
So you think WOA is better compared to OA </div></div>

I could see changing calibers if you want to use the rifle for hunting also, but yeah, you're putting out a lot of $ just to punch paper. I believe you'll see less and less of 7.62x39 surplus in the future and it's not match quality.

Yes, I'd go WOA if it was me. IMO, the bargain barrel they sell is their 20" service rifle model.
 
#13
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

223 accurate to 1000 yards??
crazy.gif
It will get there but its REAL effective range is about 500 to 600 yards.(really about 400) Same with the 7.62x39. Most rounds will fly out quite far but they start to run out of gas and wind starts to really mess with them. Im not saying you cant hit a target out that far, but it gets iffy. I mean Ive heard people say that 308 is only good to 800yds and that has been proven wrong how many times?
grin.gif
If you want to go out to 1000, you would be happier with a 308. Just a suggestion.
 
#14
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

.308 Win, 175gr SMK, @2700fps gives 2.1mils wind at 1K.

.223 Rem, 77gr SMK, @2900fps gives 3.0mils wind at 1K.

.223 Rem, 80gr AMAX, @2850fps gives 2.1mils wind at 1K.

.223 is capable of matching a .308 with the right loads. That said, it's much easier to load up a .308 for long range than a .223 Rem. The 80gr load listed is loaded past mag length and must be single loaded. Mag length ammo (the 77gr SMK) for the .308 has about 30% less drift than the .223, so again, .223 will do the job, you just have to be that much better at calling wind. Also remember that 5.56 AR barrels tend to be shorter, which will cause you to lose a fair amount of velocity. Those loads above are all calculated/researched with a 24" barrel.

As for the scope, it depends on your budget. Get a good one, or you'll end up upgrading later, though. I'd recommend the Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50/6-24x50 if your budget goes that high.
 
#15
Re: Ar-15 Which Barrel?

One thing to keep in mind, if you upgrade to a heavy barrel you will also need a free float rail/tube of some sort, you did not say if you have a standard AR but there is more to it than just a barrel in some cases.
 
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