LMT Lightweight 308 barrel - Chrome v. Stainless accuracy

[TacosGigante]

Thinking about ordering a lightweight 16" 308 barrel for an LMT. The chrome barrel is less expensive and probably available more quickly than the stainless but I was wondering if people had experience as to any differences in accuracy. While I would expect the stainless barrel to be more accurate I don't know if it is a little more accurate or a lot more. Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[GH41]

What do you want the barrel to do besides being lighter?

 

[TacosGigante]

What do you want the barrel to do besides being lighter?

Paper (mostly 100 yards but maybe up to 300) and steel out to 600 or so.

 

[GH41]

If precision is your game You probably want to stay away from chromed barrels. On the other hand just because a barrel is stainless doesn't make it a good barrel. Good barrels cost good $$$.

 

[TacosGigante]

If precision is your game You probably want to stay away from chromed barrels. On the other hand just because a barrel is stainless doesn't make it a good barrel. Good barrels cost good $$$.

Yeah. I don’t expect a chrome barrel to hang with a stainless, or a light barrel to deliver sustained precision. I’m more wondering what the delta between them is. For example, if the stainless is a 1 MOA and the chrome a 1.5 MOA that is one thing, if the chrome is a 3 MOA that is another.

 

[J15]

I’ll let you know how my lightweight chrome barrel shoots if it ever gets here.

 

[TacosGigante]

I’ll let you know how my lightweight chrome barrel shoots if it ever gets here.

Thanks, and yeah, the delays are obnoxious.
Honestly I vacillate between wanting to buy a bunch of barrels for the LMT or just binning it and buying a KAC ACC.

 

[bllistc]

I’ve got a chrome .308 and a stainless 6.5CM barrel for my LMT MWS. The .308 shoots 1 MOA or better consistently with 175gr SMKs. Seems to like those and 155gr A-max best. The 6.5CM stainless shoots pretty much everything I load sub 0.5MOA. Not an apples to apples comparison but that’s been my comparison. I believe they use rock creek blanks for all their barrels.

 

[Wizard1183]

Yeah. I don’t expect a chrome barrel to hang with a stainless, or a light barrel to deliver sustained precision. I’m more wondering what the delta between them is. For example, if the stainless is a 1 MOA and the chrome a 1.5 MOA that is one thing, if the chrome is a 3 MOA that is another.

How many rounds in a group are you calling 3MOA?

 

[TacosGigante]

How many rounds in a group are you calling 3MOA?

5

 

[Wizard1183]

I’ve got a chrome .308 and a stainless 6.5CM barrel for my LMT MWS. The .308 shoots 1 MOA or better consistently with 175gr SMKs. Seems to like those and 155gr A-max best. The 6.5CM stainless shoots pretty much everything I load sub 0.5MOA. Not an apples to apples comparison but that’s been my comparison. I believe they use rock creek blanks for all their barrels.

Yea that’s apples to oranges. Might as well say 308 vs 338lapua. 6.5cm is way different than 308. Might be same brass except for neck diameter, but trajectory is way off. 308 max effective range is 800 while 6.5cm is 1200+

 

[Wizard1183]

5

Chrome lined 5shot group is sub moa

 

[Wizard1183]

Chrome lined 5shot group is sub moa

You can’t get matchgrade precision with chrome lined. Accurate? Yes. Match grade? No. But chrome lined will out shoot stainless anyday, everyday if you’re going round count.

 

[HogsLife]

Thanks, and yeah, the delays are obnoxious.
Honestly I vacillate between wanting to buy a bunch of barrels for the LMT or just binning it and buying a KAC ACC.

Gross. Take that back..

 

[HogsLife]

That chromemoly will shoot fine, but choose the barrel that going perform the best for how you plan on using it the majority of the time.

if this is the one do all RECCE rifle then go with a 16” SS barrel. The MK12 Mod H did great with that same 16 SS barrel .good well rounded do all banger.

 

[theLBC]

all cl barrels are not equal. fn makes very accurate chrome lined barrels.
you can probably get crappy stainless barrels too, but the potential is there for better, by most accounts.

 

[Wizard1183]

You can’t get matchgrade precision with chrome lined. Accurate? Yes. Match grade? No. But chrome lined will out shoot stainless anyday, everyday if you’re going round count.

I agree. Def not match grade. But accurate enough right? I mean if you know what you’re doing? Someone standing 600yrds is taken out lol