Accuracy of Noveske Stainless Steel Barrel vs Chromed Barrel

[M4Fundi]

I have both. It really depends on the mission and how you are running the gun. If it is going to have a T1 on it and you are shooting "minute of badguy" then the CL is the way to go. If you are putting a quality magnified optic and shooting 400+ and want to make head shots or be competitive in 3Gun then SS is the way to go. What kind of hits you want at how far? The SS will help at distance and some of us need all the help we can get. When you do the math on a 500yd shot the .5 moa makes a difference in 3Gun. The SS bbls are heavier unless you get one of the lighter profiles that may only be offered thru the NST list of guns (IIRC)

[jimmyp]

I reload, first noveske replaced my first chrome barrel, good company with great service. Secondly with a 4x scope and "on average" the barrel does 1.5 MOA, 65 grain Sierra game kings over varget do better.

[500grains]

If you are building a precision long range rifle, go with the SS barrel.

If you are building a rifle for shooting a lot of shots close range (hot barrel), get the CL barrel.

[samnev]

I had it figured out after the first few posts but wanted to wait until I had some empirical evidence from those that had shot and evaluated both types of barrel.
Yes the profile of the Noveske N4 Afghan with the monolithic upper seems to be much thicker. I seen both side buy side and there is a noticeable difference. I am still doing due diligence and am going to get the N4 with the monolithic upper 14.5" in what ever type barrel is available.
I plan on using a Nightforce NXS 2.5-10X32, ZS with tactical turrets.I haven't decided on the reticle yet.
By the way I do reload and have been for 40 years. I have a load that's very accurate in my AR's and Remy PSS in 223 using Sierra SMK's
Thanks to all, it's been educational.

[markm]

I plan on using a Nightforce NXS 2.5-10X32, ZS with tactical turrets.I haven't decided on the reticle yet.
By the way I do reload and have been for 40 years. I have a load that's very accurate in my AR's and Remy PSS in 223 using Sierra SMK's
Thanks to all, it's been educational.

That screams White Oak Armament to me.

[Ironman8]

Run some tactical courses, paper punching , self defense and I just like collecting the various quality AR's since my main obsession of collecting minty examples of US and foreign military rifles has been impossible over the last 5-10 years.

Putting a 2.5-10x on a rifle for the above application??

[M4Fundi]

Agree with Ironman...???

Atleast get a 16" bbl gun for that optic. If you are set on that optic I would get an 18SS bbl rifle. If you are worried about weight get a NST NSR gun with a light profile 18". You can prone out and push the limits of the optic and still pick up the rifle and shoot CQB, classes, or 3Gun (with angle mounted irons or RDS secondary)

[MistWolf]

I don't see how you can say both will get the job done if the job hasn't been defined...

I can say either barrel will get the job done because in the real world, both do. The chrome lined barrel may not have as much accuracy as a non-lined bore, but it will still get the job done. Look at how effective a scoped Mosin Nagant is, even with low powered optics and without a stainless steel barrel. A non-lined bore may not last as long as a lined bore, but a quality barrel will still give good service life.

If you want an edge in accuracy, get a non-lined quality stainless steel barrel. It will last a long time. If you want durability, get a quality barrel chrome lined bore and know your AR will still be accurate enough to do what you can reasonably ask it to.

What I'm trying to say is that sometimes it's pointless to agonize over the minutiae of our choices. Man up, make a choice, get a barrel and shoot it. If, for some reason you don't like it, pull it off, sell it and get something else. I put a stainless steel barrel on my carbine because I was too impatient to wait for the 4150 CMV barrels to come back into to stock. I got to shoot several hundred rounds by the time the CMV barrels were available again. I learned shooting is more educational (and satisfying) than waiting and agonizing over which barrel to use

[Pappabear]

That screams White Oak Armament to me.

Mark and I shot similar gun this week:

NF scope with MIL/MIL
Went with WOA barrel 18inch SPR rifle SS

13.2 mils at 1,000 yards , went two for two.
Made hits at 300 then 500 then 1,000

Your looking at a great combo. NF and Noveske

We shot a Noveske Afghan 14.5 SS, I shot it for shit with it. Mark shot sub moa with 3.5X ACOG. 69 and 77grain smk's

We could ring the bell at 500 at will.

You gunna like that gun

[a0cake]

Here's my reasoning process to determine if you should buy a chrome-lined or a stainless steel barrel. It was originally posted in the context of a thread asking whether a SS barrel was a good choice for a duty weapon:

- Are you in a position to be able to feed it exclusively match grade ammunition? There's no point in going stainless if you're shooting M855. The best barrel in the world won't make inaccurate ammunition shoot straight. If you can't afford or can't use match ammunition for whatever reason...go chrome.

- If the answer to above is YES, then you are either pretty well off financially or your unit or organization is in a place to provide it. In either of these cases, the monetary cost and practical difficulty of a replacement barrel will be absolutely trivial in comparison to the cost and availability of ammunition. In other words, if you can afford 10K rounds of match ammunition, you can afford a new barrel. If your unit or organization can get that much match ammunition, it can get you a new barrel. In either case, barrel life is a non-issue.

- Corrosion problems and sudden catastrophic failures from high volumes of fire are in my experience not relevant or warranted fears. I'm not trying to tell war stories here but I've asked a lot out of stainless barrels in the valleys and mountains. Having been in such situations with a stainless barrel I have to doubt people who claim that SS barrels are not durable enough for "combat." You have to wonder what they're basing that off. Rest assured that a good stainless barrel is more than durable enough for combat conditions. Deliberately doing 10 mag dumps in a row on the range for YouTube is another story. That's not real life. As far as corrosion, it's a non-issue unless you plan on not being around a decent CLP for weeks at a time. That's not real life either. While important for somebody's end of the world fantasy, not being able to get CLP on and in the barrel is not a real world consideration.

So, my position is that if you can take an honest look at yourself and determine that A) you can shoot to the potential of a match type barrel and B) you can afford to feed it a high quality diet and C) You don't mind the extra weight from the SS and beefier contour and D) you will not neglect to maintain your equipment...that you in fact should choose a stainless barrel for the edge in accuracy.

If the answer to any of these or the above questions is NO, then a chrome-lined barrel might be a better choice.