favorite AR barrel that's not Hodge

[PRSDietitian]

I'm going to preface this by saying I actually love Hodge Defense barrels. I think they're extremely well made and are in my top tier for AR barrels.

That being said, I am building a 12.5 AR intended to be suppressed(Waiting on Allen Engineering to release the AEM3 they're prototyping) and as well all know, most hodge stuff is more or less unobtanium.

What would be your go to "duty grade" barrel. I am considered a "LARPer" now but do have a defense background so I want something that'll get the job done and then some.

What I have so far

GGP billet upp/lower set
geissele ultra duty LPK
triggertech VTAC trigger
BCM mk2 buffer system with an H2 buffer
B5 furniture
waiting for a Type A Mk1-11.875" quad rail
radian raptor charging handle
debating between any company microbest will OEM for, or something like a JP or geissele BCG

 

[Trigger Monkey]

Is "duty grade" the new "hard use"? Criterion, Centurion Arms, Daniel Defense all had options in stock it looked like.

 

[PRSDietitian]

Is "duty grade" the new "hard use"? Criterion, Centurion Arms, Daniel Defense all had options in stock it looked like.

I've been out of the AR scene for like 8 years so i don't know what terms are what anymore haha.

I've been looking hard at the Criterion Core series of barrels and I love all of Monty's products at Centurion.

What's the consensus on Geissele and BRT? I assume geissele is like Noveske and is good but overpriced for what it is.

 

[Trigger Monkey]

What are your expectations out of the set up?

 

[PRSDietitian]

What are your expectations out of the set up?

acceptable accuracy(1 moa or sub 1.5 moa with good ammo) past 20k rounds(i do shoot enough to reach that). Reliable suppressor usage without much tuning since i dont like fiddling with an adjustable gas block. Basically ergos of a match rifle with the reliability of something intended for hard use. I don't have the coin for an LMT or KAC, otherwise I'd get one of those.

 

[MontanaMan]

FN, BCM (CFH)

MM

 

[Molon]

Since you said "duty grade" I'll presume you're referring to a chrome-lined barrel.


Black River Tactical 16” Cold Hammer Forged Optimum Barrel Accuracy Evaluation

Black River Tactical has sold at least three differently constructed versions of their 16” Optimum barrel. This article showcases the cold hammer forged version that’s constructed of 4150 CrMoV steel. This barrel has a chrome-lined bore and chamber and a manganese phosphate exterior finish. The BRT CHF Optimum barrels have a 1:7” twist and a 5.56mm NATO chamber. The barrel has laser engraved markings that read:

BRT 5.56 1/7 HF CL-22J

I used a Colt reference bolt to check the headspace of the chamber on this Optimum barrel. The bolt closed on a 1.4646” headspace gauge. The bolt did not close on a 1.4696” gauge. Fired brass had a measured nominal headspace of 1.469”. A dummy round that meets SAAMI specifications easily seated completely into the chamber and dropped easily out of the chamber.

A 15” x 0.217” straightness gauge passed smoothly through the bore of the barrel. The land-to-land diameter at the muzzle gauged at 0.2191”.

The barrel extension has M4-type feed-ramps, although the extension is not marked as such like Colt barrels.

The muzzle has a slightly recessed crown. The barrel does not have a recess cut between the base of the muzzle threads and the shoulder of the barrel.

The following picture shows a borescope image of a CHF Hodge Defense barrel, which is manufactured by Fabrique Nationale. There’s nothing unusual about the appearance of the bore of this barrel as it has the typical bright pewter-ish appearance of a chrome-lined AR-15 barrel.

The next borescope view shows the throat of the BRT CHF Optimum barrel. Both the chamber and the bore of this barrel have a dark grey “coated” appearance to them. BRT claims that these barrels are “finished with an advanced hard chrome lining process”. The owner of BRT has refused to answer questions about any of this.

The 16” BRT Optimum barrel weighs approximately 1 pound, 11 ounces. For comparison, the 16” government profile barrel found on the Colt 6920 weighs 1 pound, 12 ounces.


The Optimum barrel has a pseudo-tapered profile. The barrel tapers from just forward of the chamber to just aft of the gas block journal, but unfortunately, at that point the barrel diameter swells for a 0.750” gas block journal. The shoulder for the handguard end-cap has a diameter of approximately 0.845”. The picture below compares the gas block journal of the Optimum barrel to the 0.625” gas block journal of a 16” Criterion CORE barrel (which weighs 1 pound, 12 ounces).

On the positive side, the gas block journal of the Optimum barrel mic’d at 0.7497”. The bore of the BRT low profile gas block that I used for this build had a gauged diameter of 0.7499” creating an excellent fit between the gas block and gas block journal. Another feature of the BRT low profile gas block is the diameter of the gas tube channel. It gauged at 0.1801” giving it a good fit with the 0.1798” BRT gas tube. These attributes contribute to an efficient gas system.



With a new AR-15, it's not at all uncommon to see a fair amount of fouling coming from the juncture of the gas tube and gas block due to gas leakage at this location. The carbon fouling will usually seal this leakage after several hundred rounds have been fired. Due to the close fit of the BRT components, there was hardly any fouling noted at this location.

The BRT gas block . . .

After 300 rounds had been fired through the barrel . . .

The gas block journal on the Optimum barrel is intended for use with low profile gas blocks only. It’s approximately 1” in length, so you won’t be able to use an A2 front sight base with this barrel. The gas block journal of the Optimum barrel comes with a single dimple contralateral to the gas port for positioning and fastening the gas block.

The most notable feature of the 16” CHF Optimum barrel is its intermediate-type gas system; meaning the length of the gas system is in between that of a standard mid-length gas system and a standard length rifle gas system.

BRT has referred to their intermediate-type gas system as both an extended length system and an intermediate length system in their description of this barrel. For the ease of discussion for the rest of the article I’ll be referring to the BRT gas system on this barrel as an intermediate length system. Be aware that there are multiple intermediate-type gas systems on the market with varying lengths. As an example, the BRT intermediate gas system is slightly shorter than the Noveske intermediate gas system found on Noveske’s 18” SPR barrels.

The next two pictures will give you an idea of how the BRT intermediate gas system compares in length to other common AR-15 gas system lengths.

The next picture demonstrates the dwell time (technically dwell length) of the 16” BRT Optimum intermediate gas system compared to other common gas systems found on the AR-15.

BRT refuses to provide prospective customers with the diameters of the gas ports on the CHF Optimum barrels so that they might make informed purchasing decisions. The diameter of the gas port on this 16” Optimum barrel gauged at 0.081”.

BRT recommends using the A5H0 buffer for shooting unsuppressed with this barrel. I’ve found the A5H1 to be more suitable for shooting with a mix of 5.56mm loads and quality 223 Remington loads

I installed the BRT Optimum barrel in a Bravo Company upper receiver. For those of you who might not be familiar with the BCM upper receivers, they are intentionally made under-sized in the section of the bore that accepts the barrel extension. This requires a thermal fitting with the barrel extension and creates such a tight fit that it’s not possible to pull the components apart by hand and eliminates any play between the barrel extension and upper receiver.


The Optimum barrel was free-floated in a Bravo Company 13” MCMR M-LOK handguard with a V Seven titanium barrel nut. I rounded out the upper receiver group with a BCM Mod 4B charging handle, a Forward Controls Design flash hider and a Geissele bolt carrier group.


On a side note, the Geissele bolt carrier group has some interesting dimensions. The diameter of the bolt tail fails to meet the US mil-spec, but in a good way. The mil-spec for the bolt tail calls for a diameter of 0.2503” plus or minus 0.0002”. The diameter of the Geissle bolt tail is 0.2507”. This bolt tail forms an exemplary gas seal with the bolt tail channel inside the bolt carrier (0.2514” on the Geissele carrier) contributing to the efficiency of the gas system.

continued in the next post . . . .

 

[Molon]

I conducted the accuracy (technically, precision) evaluation of the 16” BRT cold hammer forged Optimum barrel after performing a 200 round break-in of the rifle and then a thorough cleaning of the barrel and operating components. There were no malfunctions of any kind during the break-in period nor during the accuracy evaluation.

This accuracy evaluation used statistically significant shot-group sizes and every single shot in a fired group was included in the measurements. There was absolutely no use of any Group Reduction Techniques (e.g. fliers, target movement, Butterfly Shots). Pictures of shot-groups are included for documentation.

The shooting set-up will be described in detail below. As many of the significant variables as was practicable were controlled for.

All shooting was conducted from a concrete bench-rest from a distance of 100 yards (confirmed with a laser rangefinder.) A fore-end adaptor attached to the free-float handguard rested in a Sinclair Windage Benchrest, while the stock of the rifle rested in a Protektor bunny-ear rear bag. Sighting was accomplished via a Leupold VARI-X III set at 25X magnification and adjusted to be parallax-free at 100 yards. A mirage shade was used. Wind conditions on the shooting range were continuously monitored using a Wind Probe. The set-up was very similar to that pictured below.

The Wind Probe . . .

The first 10-shot group of record was fired using IMI M193. Prior to shooting this group several fouling rounds were fired with this ammunition. The 10-shot group had an extreme spread of 2.4” with a mean radius of 0.78”

The next group was fired using factory loaded Nosler 77 grain Custom Competition ammunition. Several seasoning shots were fired with this load prior to shooting the group of record. This 10-shot group had an extreme spread of 1.56” with a mean radius of 0.44”.

The final load used in this accuracy evaluation was one of my standard match-grade hand-loads topped with the Sierra 55 grain BlitzKing. This hand-load has produced ½ MOA 10-shot groups at 100 yards when fired from my Krieger barreled AR-15s. I’ve been using this load as a baseline in accuracy evaluations for decades and it has shot well in almost every AR-15 barrel that I’ve tested with it.

Prior to shooting the following groups, the barrel was given a light cleaning. As before, several fouling rounds were fired prior to shooting the groups of record.

Three 10-shot groups of the 55 grain BlitzKing load were fired in a row from the BRT 16” Optimum barrel at a distance of 100 yards with the resulting extreme spreads:

1.250”

1.232”

1.204”

for an average 10-shot group extreme spread of 1.229”. These three 10-shot groups were overlayed on each other using the software program RSI Shooting Lab to form a 30-shot composite group. The mean radius for the 30-shot composite group was 0.35”.

The smallest 10-shot group . . .

The 30-shot composite group . . .

After shooting the three 10-shot groups listed above, I fired an additional five, 10-shot groups, for a total of eight 10-shot groups. The average 10-shot group extreme spread for all eight groups was 1.227”. I overlayed all eight of the 10-shot groups in RSI Shooting Lab to form an 80-shot composite group The mean radius for the 80-shot composite group was 0.37”.



The 80-shot composite group . . .

Lastly, for any Internet Commandos in our viewing audience toady, here’s a pic of a sub-½ MOA group fired from the BRT Optimum barrel at a distance of 100 yards. The group has an extreme spread of 0.35”.

.....

 

[Molon]

Criterion 16” CORE Barrel Accuracy Evaluation

Well over a decade ago, the late John Noveske was the impetus for bringing modern AR-15 barrel profiles to the civilian market. His 16" CHF N4 barrel profile has the same weight as a government profile barrel of the same length, but it has a more intelligently designed contour that places more of the weight of the barrel from the chamber to the gas block journal and does away with the M203 cut-outs.

Over the last several years we’ve seen the emergence of barrels produced by multiple manufacturers with the specific objectives of balancing weight distribution, heat absorption and handling characteristics while at the same time endeavoring to improve upon the accuracy/precision of old school barrel profiles of similar weight. Criterion Barrels CORE series of barrels is a prime example of this modern approach to profiles for AR-15 barrels.


The Criterion 16” CORE barrel reviewed for this article has a stripped weight of exactly 1 pound, 12.0 ounces. This is the same weight as a Colt 16” government profile barrel. As with the Noveske CHF N4 barrel, the CORE barrel profile has done away with the useless M203 cutouts. More of the barrel material has been shifted to the aft of the barrel for a “continuous taper” profile. The gas block journal for the CORE barrel is 0.625”.


The 16” CORE barrel . . .

The barrel stamp reads: CRITERION 223 WYLDE 1-8

The date code on this barrel reads: 08/21.

The CORE barrel is button-rifled and the bore is hand-lapped. The bore and chamber are chrome-lined. As pictured above, the barrel has a 223 Wylde chamber, a 1:8” twist and utilizes a mid-length gas system. The gas port diameter gauged at 0.078”.

The gas block journal has a single dimple contralateral to the gas port.

The barrel extension has M4 feed-ramps, although it is not marked as such like a Colt barrel extension.

The crown . . .

I installed the Criterion 16” CORE barrel in a new Colt cage-code M4 upper receiver and free-floated the barrel with a Geissele MK16 rail. A new JP Enterprises EnhancedBolt closed on a 1.4646” headspace gauge and did not close on a 1.4666” headspace gauge.

I conducted an accuracy (technically, precision) evaluation of the Criterion 16” CORE barrel from my bench-rest set-up following my usual protocol. This accuracy evaluation used statistically significant shot-group sizes and every single shot in a fired group was included in the measurements. There was absolutely no use of any group reduction techniques (e.g. fliers, target movement, Butterfly Shots).

The shooting set-up will be described in detail below. As many of the significant variables as was practicable were controlled for. Pictures of shot-groups are posted for documentation.

All shooting was conducted from a concrete bench-rest from a distance of 100 yards (confirmed with a laser rangefinder.) The free-float hand-guard of the rifle rested in a Sinclair Windage Benchrest, while the stock of the rifle rested in a Protektor bunny-ear rear bag. Sighting was accomplished via a Leupold VARI-X III set at 25X magnification and adjusted to be parallax-free at 100 yards. A mirage shade was used. Wind conditions on the shooting range were continuously monitored using a Wind Probe. The set-up was very similar to that pictured below.

The Wind Probe . . .

The accuracy evaluation of this barrel began with factory loaded Federal 77 grain Gold Medal Match ammunition. One of the first groups fired from this barrel had an extreme spread of 0.18”. That group is pictured below.

The very next group fired from this barrel had an extreme spread of 1.5”. That 10-shot group is pictured below.

A 10-shot group with an extreme spread of 1.5” is perfectly acceptable for a 16” chrome-lined AR-15 barrel with a weight of 1 pound, 12 ounces. However, this barrel isn’t broken-in yet. The bore-scope image shown below was taken prior to any shots being fired. It shows the tooling marks on the lands in the leade, which run perpendicular to the direction of bullet travel.

For the barrel to shoot to it’s potential, the sharp edges of these tool marks need to be “burnished” out. So, I continued shooting 10-shot groups using a variety of factory loads and hand-loads.

For comparison, the bore scope view shown below is from the leade of a Colt M4A1 SOCOM barrel that's been fully broken-in.

As the fired round-count for the CORE barrel approached 150, the size of the groups shrank and became more consistent. At this point, I fired the three 10-shot groups “of record” using 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.

The three, 10-shot groups fired in a row from the Criterion 16” CORE barrel from a distance of 100 yards had the following extreme spreads:

1.15”

1.09”

1.13”

for an average 10-shot group extreme spread of 1.12”. 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 0.39”.



The smallest 10-shot group . . .

The 30-shot composite group . . .

…

 

[GhostFace]

I'm more precision oriented hence being on the hide. For precision I lean toward Lothar Walther for finished barrels. For everything else well take your pick from anyone that makes a decent chrome lined barrel....

 

[PRSDietitian]

Criterion 16” CORE Barrel Accuracy Evaluation

Well over a decade ago, the late John Noveske was the impetus for bringing modern AR-15 barrel profiles to the civilian market. His 16" CHF N4 barrel profile has the same weight as a government profile barrel of the same length, but it has a more intelligently designed contour that places more of the weight of the barrel from the chamber to the gas block journal and does away with the M203 cut-outs.

Over the last several years we’ve seen the emergence of barrels produced by multiple manufacturers with the specific objectives of balancing weight distribution, heat absorption and handling characteristics while at the same time endeavoring to improve upon the accuracy/precision of old school barrel profiles of similar weight. Criterion Barrels CORE series of barrels is a prime example of this modern approach to profiles for AR-15 barrels.


The Criterion 16” CORE barrel reviewed for this article has a stripped weight of exactly 1 pound, 12.0 ounces. This is the same weight as a Colt 16” government profile barrel. As with the Noveske CHF N4 barrel, the CORE barrel profile has done away with the useless M203 cutouts. More of the barrel material has been shifted to the aft of the barrel for a “continuous taper” profile. The gas block journal for the CORE barrel is 0.625”.


The 16” CORE barrel . . .

The barrel stamp reads: CRITERION 223 WYLDE 1-8

The date code on this barrel reads: 08/21.

The CORE barrel is button-rifled and the bore is hand-lapped. The bore and chamber are chrome-lined. As pictured above, the barrel has a 223 Wylde chamber, a 1:8” twist and utilizes a mid-length gas system. The gas port diameter gauged at 0.078”.

The gas block journal has a single dimple contralateral to the gas port.

The barrel extension has M4 feed-ramps, although it is not marked as such like a Colt barrel extension.

The crown . . .

I installed the Criterion 16” CORE barrel in a new Colt cage-code M4 upper receiver and free-floated the barrel with a Geissele MK16 rail. A new JP Enterprises EnhancedBolt closed on a 1.4646” headspace gauge and did not close on a 1.4666” headspace gauge.

I conducted an accuracy (technically, precision) evaluation of the Criterion 16” CORE barrel from my bench-rest set-up following my usual protocol. This accuracy evaluation used statistically significant shot-group sizes and every single shot in a fired group was included in the measurements. There was absolutely no use of any group reduction techniques (e.g. fliers, target movement, Butterfly Shots).

The shooting set-up will be described in detail below. As many of the significant variables as was practicable were controlled for. Pictures of shot-groups are posted for documentation.

All shooting was conducted from a concrete bench-rest from a distance of 100 yards (confirmed with a laser rangefinder.) The free-float hand-guard of the rifle rested in a Sinclair Windage Benchrest, while the stock of the rifle rested in a Protektor bunny-ear rear bag. Sighting was accomplished via a Leupold VARI-X III set at 25X magnification and adjusted to be parallax-free at 100 yards. A mirage shade was used. Wind conditions on the shooting range were continuously monitored using a Wind Probe. The set-up was very similar to that pictured below.

The Wind Probe . . .

The accuracy evaluation of this barrel began with factory loaded Federal 77 grain Gold Medal Match ammunition. One of the first groups fired from this barrel had an extreme spread of 0.18”. That group is pictured below.

The very next group fired from this barrel had an extreme spread of 1.5”. That 10-shot group is pictured below.

A 10-shot group with an extreme spread of 1.5” is perfectly acceptable for a 16” chrome-lined AR-15 barrel with a weight of 1 pound, 12 ounces. However, this barrel isn’t broken-in yet. The bore-scope image shown below was taken prior to any shots being fired. It shows the tooling marks on the lands in the leade, which run perpendicular to the direction of bullet travel.

For the barrel to shoot to it’s potential, the sharp edges of these tool marks need to be “burnished” out. So, I continued shooting 10-shot groups using a variety of factory loads and hand-loads.

For comparison, the bore scope view shown below is from the leade of a Colt M4A1 SOCOM barrel that's been fully broken-in.

As the fired round-count for the CORE barrel approached 150, the size of the groups shrank and became more consistent. At this point, I fired the three 10-shot groups “of record” using 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.

The three, 10-shot groups fired in a row from the Criterion 16” CORE barrel from a distance of 100 yards had the following extreme spreads:

1.15”

1.09”

1.13”

for an average 10-shot group extreme spread of 1.12”. 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 0.39”.



The smallest 10-shot group . . .

The 30-shot composite group . . .

…

I was hoping you would pop in. I have gone through a lot of your posts regarding quality chrome lined barrels

Obviously, I know that in some ways you do get what you pay for. Like a good criterion or Daniel defense barrel is probably going to have better overall fit and finish and better accuracy compared to a similar ballistic advantage barrel. In the past, I probably would have gone with rainier arms, but I don’t trust him anymore after all the crap that came out about them in the past year.

And, like I said, I would probably say my favorite, A.R. 15 barrels would be the Hodge defense barrels. And a couple of friends of mine have rifles they built on those barrels, and one of them had consistent 1-1.5 moa accuracy past 20, thousand rounds with MK 262 and he always ran it suppressed.

That kind of performance is basically what I’m hoping to find

 

[n2ishun]

You should have known Molon would overwhelm the thread with useless images and a self induced absolutism of proof with a sample size of 1.
Himself and that 1 barrel he got from where ever.

The short response I'll throw out there is this.
FN CHF
I've had experience with hundreds of them and have never seen a bad one.
I have, however, seen bad Criterion (and almost all other aftermarket) barrels.

No matter what though....
Use common sense in your choice, read lots....then read some more.
Choose wisely.

 

[PRSDietitian]

You should have known Molon would overwhelm the thread with useless images and a self induced absolutism of proof with a sample size of 1.
Himself and that 1 barrel he got from where ever.

The short response I'll throw out there is this.
FN CHF
I've had experience with hundreds of them and have never seen a bad one.
I have, however, seen bad Criterion (and almost all other aftermarket) barrels.

No matter what though....
Use common sense in your choice, read lots....then read some more.
Choose wisely.

And that is partially why I was gravitating towards Hodge before I realized I couldn’t find a 12.5 in stock. I know that FN makes their barrels as well, and I have never heard a bad thing about an FN barrel

The main times, I hear people having really good experiences with a palmetto state armory rifle is when it uses an FN

 

[bfoosh006]

You should have known Molon would overwhelm the thread with useless images and a self induced absolutism of proof with a sample size of 1.
Himself and that 1 barrel he got from where ever.

The short response I'll throw out there is this.
FN CHF
I've had experience with hundreds of them and have never seen a bad one.
I have, however, seen bad Criterion (and almost all other aftermarket) barrels.

No matter what though....
Use common sense in your choice, read lots....then read some more.
Choose wisely.

So Molon sharing his personal results offends you ?
Care to share your results from those hundreds of FN barrels ?
Or how about some post ( any ) reflecting your results that are helpful.... instead of bashing others posts with their real world results.

I have never seen Molon claim his results will guarantee the same for others experiences.

Your needless snarky comment about another member, just shows your Bear Pit preoccupation.

If you had just left out your bias against Molon... the rest of your post does reflect a helpful personal opinion.

And I agree about FN, their barrels are a good choice.

 

[346ci]

Hodge wouldn't even be on my radar. Use this; https://www.blackstonearms.com/AR-Performance-5-56-CLE-12-5-SBR-Pistol-Barrel-p/arp556125.htm

 

[tucaz]

FN, BCM (CFH)

MM

i’ll give a nod to the FN. i took a 16” m4 profile barrel midlength (non-CHF) and cut it back to 12.5

it’s seen 5000 rounds easy. some suppressed. it groups 77gr IMI and gold dots right at 1-1.5moa and best of all nearly all 55gr and 62gr shoots to nearly the same POA.

their CHF barrels should get to 20k easy.

 

[RUTGERS95]

Centurion Arms, you're welcome

 

[PRSDietitian]

Centurion Arms, you're welcome

Actually been looking into those since they also have the same gas port size as the currently available hodge and their bcgs tested well from SOTAR

 

[Molon]

FN, BCM (CFH)

MM

I own 14.5” and 16” BCM ELW barrels and they handle great. The 14.5” ELW weighs almost a quarter of a pound less than the 14.5” Hodge barrel and the ELW is more accurate than my Hodge barrel.


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.

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’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).

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”.

.....

 

[Molon]

Use this; https://www.blackstonearms.com/AR-Performance-5-56-CLE-12-5-SBR-Pistol-Barrel-p/arp556125.htm

I'm thinking about doing an evaluation of their AR Performance 5.56 14.5" 5R 8 twist HLW Barrel. The owner seems like a decent guy and he was forth coming when I asked him for some info about this barrel.

......

 

[PRSDietitian]

I'm thinking about doing an evaluation of their AR Performance 5.56 14.5" 5R 8 twist HLW Barrel. The owner seems like a decent guy and he was forth coming when I asked him for some info about this barrel.

......

I’d definitely appreciate seeing those results

 

[346ci]

I'm thinking about doing an evaluation of their AR Performance 5.56 14.5" 5R 8 twist HLW Barrel. The owner seems like a decent guy and he was forth coming when I asked him for some info about this barrel.

......

They are great for the money, other than missing the big name not sure why they are not talked about more. H has retired and Blackstone took over the barrel sales, Eric is good people also.

 

[JS8588]

I'm thinking about doing an evaluation of their AR Performance 5.56 14.5" 5R 8 twist HLW Barrel. The owner seems like a decent guy and he was forth coming when I asked him for some info about this barrel.

......

Please do

 

[BCP]

MidwayUSA has the stainless noveske 12.5 on sale for 380$. Or take your pick from a whole bunch of the hammer forged 12.5 ones out there (Daniel Defense, FN make some for PSA I think, Geissele has a few probably FN OEM too, tons of choices).

 

[Molon]

They are great for the money, other than missing the big name not sure why they are not talked about more. H has retired and Blackstone took over the barrel sales, Eric is good people also.

That's who I was referring to.

..

 

[ZA206]

@Molon …. Did you ever evaluate a Centurion HF lightweight barrel?

 

[db2000]

If you’re shooting that much, especially if often suppressed, I’d consider this over Radian. I switched from Radians to these and there’s a noticeable difference in blowback. I shoot 99% suppressed.

EDIT 10/17/23:
I called SiCo and the reported the Gen1 did have latch problems and they have moved on to Gen2 and the issues is resolved. Also here is the part number for a 3 ft piece of the o-ring that’s used. It’s easily replaceable it seems on mine. McMaster-Carr 7643K71
I bought 3 Ft of this and can mail anyone some that needs a little. Just reach out.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

SilencerCo Gas Defeating Charging Handle (GDCH)

The GDCH has a proprietary design that incorporates an O-ring seal to prevent gas from escaping from the most prominent point of egress.

silencerco.com

 

[Molon]

@Molon …. Did you ever evaluate a Centurion HF lightweight barrel?

Yes and those barrels are not "lightweight" barrels.

....

 

[ZA206]

Yes and those barrels are not "lightweight" barrels.

....

can you post the report?

 

[PRSDietitian]

Yes and those barrels are not "lightweight" barrels.

....

Definitely post it. I’m leaning towards a CA barrel especially after seeing how well their stuff specs out on SOTAR

Probably getting a forged receiver set from them too

 

[JS8588]

I've always had great luck with Ballistic Advantage barrels. Here's the latest I just tested today after some break in:
18" Fluted SPR. Pretty lightweight.
20rnds group:
View attachment 8248921
15rnd group:
View attachment 8248922
15rnd group:
View attachment 8248923
Kinda out of left field here, but my favorite Faxon 16” 15rnds. (This is the barrel that got me called a liar & fraud! )
View attachment 8248933

You should buy a lottery ticket.

 

[MarshallDodge]

I've always had great luck with Ballistic Advantage barrels. Here's the latest I just tested today after some break in:
18" Fluted SPR. Pretty lightweight.
20rnds group:
View attachment 8248921
15rnd group:
View attachment 8248922
15rnd group:
View attachment 8248923
Kinda out of left field here, but my favorite Faxon 16” 15rnds. (This is the barrel that got me called a liar & fraud! )
View attachment 8248933

I've seen some decent groups out of BA barrels , but nothing stellar. Yours is definitely a good one.

My 18" Faxon Gunner barrel is a great shooter, but the 14.5" on another upper is a typical cheap barrel, averaging 1.2" with good handloads.

 

[db2000]

I've always had great luck with Ballistic Advantage barrels. Here's the latest I just tested today after some break in:
18" Fluted SPR. Pretty lightweight.
20rnds group:
View attachment 8248921
15rnd group:
View attachment 8248922
15rnd group:
View attachment 8248923
Kinda out of left field here, but my favorite Faxon 16” 15rnds. (This is the barrel that got me called a liar & fraud! )
View attachment 8248933

You got a good one. Mine are decent. There’s a lot of inconsistency. Not in mine, but certainly in a lot of others as they’ve reported.

 

[PRSDietitian]

Is there much difference between a centurion arms CHF barrel vs a 4150 CMV barrel from the same company? Both are chrome lined

 

[TheOE800]

Is there much difference between a centurion arms CHF barrel vs a 4150 CMV barrel from the same company? Both are chrome lined

CHF is a production method, 4150 CMV is a material.

 

[PRSDietitian]

CHF is a production method, 4150 CMV is a material.

That I am aware of but on their website they section off CHF and Mil-Spec CMV barrels. I guess the others are button rifled

 

[PRSDietitian]

 

[bfoosh006]

I've always had great luck with Ballistic Advantage barrels. Here's the latest I just tested today after some break in:
18" Fluted SPR. Pretty lightweight.
20rnds group:
View attachment 8248921
15rnd group:
View attachment 8248922
15rnd group:
View attachment 8248923
Kinda out of left field here, but my favorite Faxon 16” 15rnds. (This is the barrel that got me called a liar & fraud! )
View attachment 8248933

Those groups might be the best I have ever seen from a Ballistic Advantage barrel.
Not doubting you in any way.

Most groups I have seen with a BA barrel, via the internet, have been lack luster at best, and even those typically have been 5rd groups.

And your Faxon shoots like that ?
Again, surprising group.

How are you firing those groups ? Bagged ? ... details.. details !

Rifle build details ?

And... I assume you don't smoke or drink to much coffee.... Lol, only a steady hand could produce those groups.

 

[bfoosh006]

Thank you for all your honest , straight forward answers.

As for the last answer... Lol, that would cause me the jitters for sure !

 

[bfoosh006]

Well, I have to spit it out after a few minutes of chewing or a get massive squirrel brain. I wish they would make 1mg tablets.

Massive squirrel brain... good one.

 

[Molon]

Nor, a 100yd group fag that can take great gear queer pictures and then claim to be some superior online gun forum authority of testing ammo & shooting.

Now I remember where I’ve seen your BS before, making claims of 0.25 MOA 5.56 AR-15s using cheap ass barrels. I didn't remember at first because you've been using two different user names on this website. I wonder why someone would use two different user names on the same website?

You failed to back up your claims, refused to give the name of your “business” that you’ve built “300” of these 0.25 MOA 5.56 AR-15 uppers for sale for, refused to provide a link where someone could buy one of these 0.25 5.56 MOA uppers that you build, refused to build an upper for a member that wanted to test and post results from your builds, couldn’t keep your own BS stories straight, back-pedaled when other members called you out on your BS, deleted your own posts in the thread when other members called you out on your BS and the staff deleted a bunch of your other BS posts in the thread.

https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/white-oak-armament-accuracy.7170846/page-2

 

[Tokay444]

You should buy a lottery ticket.

Why? That’s as lucky as he’s ever gonna get, statistically.

 

[AngryKoala]

If you’re shooting that much, especially if often suppressed, I’d consider this over Radian. I switched from Radians to these and there’s a noticeable difference in blowback. I shoot 99% suppressed.

SilencerCo Gas Defeating Charging Handle (GDCH)

The GDCH has a proprietary design that incorporates an O-ring seal to prevent gas from escaping from the most prominent point of egress.

silencerco.com

How long does that o-ring last?

 

[Tokay444]

Do you have statistics?

I have a statistical calculator.

 

[PRSDietitian]

After talking to a few folks I went from wanting a 12.5 to a 14.5 and a more light weight contour to a socom contour. Looking at a centurion arms CHF enhanced socom barrel with a CA bolt and gas block

 

[db2000]

How long does that o-ring last?

Good question. I haven’t shot with enough to burn one out. My first one I’ve had for a couple years since they came out. It’s still in good shape. The I ring is U shaped and easily replaceable, IF SiCo will send a replacement. I need to ask

 

[AngryKoala]

Good question. I haven’t shot with enough to burn one out. My first one I’ve had for a couple years since they came out. It’s still in good shape. The I ring is U shaped and easily replaceable, IF SiCo will send a replacement. I need to ask

I'll have to try this out. I was grabbing the Geissele ach for most of the builds but it's always nice to tinker with new things.

 

[PRSDietitian]

Good question. I haven’t shot with enough to burn one out. My first one I’ve had for a couple years since they came out. It’s still in good shape. The I ring is U shaped and easily replaceable, IF SiCo will send a replacement. I need to ask

Did they fix the latches coming off?

 

[db2000]

Did they fix the latches coming off?

I don’t work for them
I haven’t had any trouble outta them. I hope they did! I had a Seekins DNA latch break once. Looked like potted metal but not positive. They replaced it no questions asked.

 

[PRSDietitian]

I don’t work for them
I haven’t had any trouble outta them. I hope they did! I had a Seekins DNA latch break once. Looked like potted metal but not positive. They replaced it no questions asked.

I just saw it mentioned a lot in reviews on Brownells