Looking for 18" or 20" Barrel Advice in 6.5 Creedmoor

[olszta]

DPMS LR AR 10 version originally had a .338 Federal fairlyh lightweight barrel on it. It presently has a 24" BCA SS Straight Fluted Heavy Barrel that shoots accurately. Gas bloock is Superlative Arms. Stock is PRS Gen 3, trigger is a CMC 3.5 single stage type, and presently I'm using a 6x fixed SWFA scope. That's 14.4 pounds. Add magazine with 10 rounds of 140 grain ammo and it weighs 15.2 pounds. Btw, it had cycling problems when I tried using a carbine length buffer tube with Magpul PRS Lite stock. I switched back to the original rifle length tube and stock and have not had a problem since.

What I'd like to do is maintain the action as is and swap out the 24" barrel for an 18" to 20" barrel. The stock would also need to be changed to a lighter one (Not the PRS Lite - see above) as well as having a very light scope to make this into an 8-9 pound carry rifle for various move and shoot possibilities. Presently open to iron sights, fixed power prisms, or maybe even that ultra-light scope from SWFA although I'd prefer a similar sized scope in 1st focal plane.

Any suggestions?

 

[bfoosh006]

What is your budget for the barrel ?
IMHO, buy the best barrel you can afford, otherwise you'll just spend the money on ammo, trying to make a cheaper barrel shoot to your expectations.
Looking online, it appears your barrel might weigh around 82ish oz's ( 5.13 lbs ) ... so a Criterion barrel weighs ...
And I have had very good results with Criterion barrels.

https://criterionbarrels.com/produc...5-creedmoor-ar-barrel-nitride/?v=7516fd43adaa

Weight	16" 2.60 lbs. 18" 2.75 lbs. 20" 2.95 lbs.

 

[rlsmith1]

I went 18" and would suggest that particularly if you already have a 24" barrel. If you intend to suppress it, the shorter barrel will really help keep the extra weight closer to the receiver. I have a Criterion barrel and it's great, and if you are looking at suppressing I'd go rifle +1 gas.

Grab an adjustable gas block and you will be able to make any buffer system work

 

[JS8588]

Why not just chop the barrel?

 

[olszta]

What is your budget for the barrel ?
IMHO, buy the best barrel you can afford, otherwise you'll just spend the money on ammo, trying to make a cheaper barrel shoot to your expectations.
Looking online, it appears your barrel might weigh around 82ish oz's ( 5.13 lbs ) ... so a Criterion barrel weighs ...
And I have had very good results with Criterion barrels.

https://criterionbarrels.com/produc...5-creedmoor-ar-barrel-nitride/?v=7516fd43adaa

Weight	16" 2.60 lbs. 18" 2.75 lbs. 20" 2.95 lbs.

No real budget. Thanks for the Criterion suggestion. It looks interesting.

 

[olszta]

I went 18" and would suggest that particularly if you already have a 24" barrel. If you intend to suppress it, the shorter barrel will really help keep the extra weight closer to the receiver. I have a Criterion barrel and it's great, and if you are looking at suppressing I'd go rifle +1 gas.

Grab an adjustable gas block and you will be able to make any buffer system work

That's 2 for Criterion. I appreciate the unified response. And yes, definitely a gas block. I use the Superlative on the 24", the stainless steel ,936 block. It works great. Since we're on that subject, does anyone use the Riflespeed gas blocks that are toolless and outside of the handguard? If so, aside from price considerations, would you consider that a worthwhile purchase?

 

[olszta]

Why not just chop the barrel?

I thought about it BUT I want both the shorty for running (walking) and gunning and the 24" for bench or prone work.

 

[JS8588]

I thought about it BUT I want both the shorty for running (walking) and gunning and the 24" for bench or prone work.

Fair enough.

 

[JS8588]

https://www.failzero.com/product/2a-bbl-20-6-5-creed-lightweight-blk/

 

[45-90]

Your builds seem awfully heavy..
There are many ways to lighten them up
338 Fed, I went to the 338 RCM with a 18" light fluted barrel, so even with a big 25 power scope its 10 lb 12 oz. Or a 338 RCM AR 10, 7 lbs 11 oz , with whatever sights you want. The magnum rd with 18" barrel will do better than a 24" 338 Frderal plus take 250 gr GS hunting bullets to 2575 fps for heavy game. Capable of excellent accuracy and up to 3700 ft lbs of energy .

Or go completely ultra light with 6 lb AR 10, 16" fluted barrel, titanium bolt carrier, & muzzle brake, magnesium upper, carbon fiber handguard. But this will cost more for the light weight components, to get a 7 lb 12 oz AR 10 with Leupold Mark 4 M3
3-10X with calibrated turrent to 1200 yds, and bubble level. A delight to carry, and accurate.
So your weight goals can be absolutely met, with power and accuracy...some options just cost more, to get the weight down.

 

[KYAggie]

That's 2 for Criterion. I appreciate the unified response. And yes, definitely a gas block. I use the Superlative on the 24", the stainless steel ,936 block. It works great. Since we're on that subject, does anyone use the Riflespeed gas blocks that are toolless and outside of the handguard? If so, aside from price considerations, would you consider that a worthwhile purchase?

I have the Riflespeed on three guns now and I love the tooless design. I highly recommend them. They are a little heavier than the Superlatives, which I have had in the past, but it’s worth it to not need a tool.