SPR 2020; which barrel?? [Archive] - M4Carbine.net Forums

turnburglar

01-11-20, 15:10

Hey forum mates;

I might be building an SPR upper soon, and having trouble deciding on what brand of barrel to get. To start I am looking at the following brands; Wilson Combat, Larue, SOLGW, and TriArc. They are all in the $250 - $300 range. Does anyone have first hand experience with any of these tubes?

https://sonsoflibertygw.com/18-match-grade-barrel-rifle-length-gas-system-223-wylde-1-8-416r-qpq-hpt-mpi/

https://shopwilsoncombat.com/Match-Grade-Barrel-556-NATO-SPR-18-1-8-Stainless-Fluted/productinfo/TR%2D556SPRRG18FT8/

https://www.larue.com/products/5-56-stealth-barrel-k/

https://triarcsystems.com/product/17-3-track-2-0-barrel/

Right now Im leaning towards Triarc and SOLGW.

Firefly

01-11-20, 15:53

No idea but I want a Lilja unless someone can seriously talk me out of one

JediGuy

01-11-20, 16:03

I’d at least put this on your radar:

http://www.blackrivertactical.com/concrete5/store/#!/BRT-16-OPTIMUM-RECCE-STAINLESS-Barrel/p/79720046/category=1852006

everready73

01-11-20, 16:36

There are lots of good options.

I have seen some mixed feedback on the larue stealth barrels but more good than bad.

Sage Dynamics just did a review of SOLGW gun and the barrel wasnt spr profile or length but it was very accurate do the spr probably is too. Another advantage to SOLGW is they will replace it if you ever shoot it out

Some other good options

BRT that jediguy recommended above. Gas system length and gas port size are on point

White oak SPR barrel- this is my go to recommendation. They are really good barrels and shoot awesome. Brownells had on sale for $239 frequently

Compass lake criterion barrel. A little above $300, if you can swing in the $360 range they have Douglas barrels that shoot lights out

Keystone Accuracy- these guys are very good and have several blanks they can spin a barrel from. They make very accurate barrels in your price range

As you can see lots of good options

Rainier arms ultra match- these shoot lights out as well

dpb1776

01-11-20, 16:42

I have a WOA 20 inch 1/7 twist that has worked really well. I can bang 5 inch plates at 500 yards if I do my part

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Stickman

01-11-20, 16:45

I have a WOA 20 inch 1/7 twist that has worked really well. I can bang 5 inch plates at 500 yards if I do my part

I had a 16" WOA that was a wonderful shooter, I gave the upper to a buddy (GW), but from what I understand its still shooting solid.

Stickman

01-11-20, 16:48

Hey forum mates;

I might be building an SPR upper soon, and having trouble deciding on what brand of barrel to get.

Rainier Arms is pretty particular about the barrels they have made, they are worth a look as well.

dpb1776

01-11-20, 17:02

I had a 16" WOA that was a wonderful shooter, I gave the upper to a buddy (GW), but from what I understand its still shooting solid.

Mines been great. Have a 16 inch bcm stainless that started shooting well after a very long break in period. As like 300 rounds thing drove me nuts for a bit

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6933

01-11-20, 17:36

Douglas barrels.

Thread/

titsonritz

01-11-20, 17:45

https://www.centurionarms.com/mk12-barrel-p/mk12-pn-mk12b.htm

Fatorangecat

01-11-20, 17:51

I have an 18" WOA and it will shoot anything I feed it very well.

vicious_cb

01-11-20, 19:37

The SPR concept is pretty dated, esp in 2020. I would steer you more towards a 16" barrel if you want a more practical package.

turnburglar

01-11-20, 21:51

The SPR concept is pretty dated, esp in 2020. I would steer you more towards a 16" barrel if you want a more practical package.

Yea I don't mind an 18" because I already own a 16" gun, and this upper might be used to shoot a precision match near me that has targets in the 625 - 700 yards. Some guys are using 224 valk; but I'm trying to keep it standard 556. I figure I want the extra little oomph that a longer barrel will give me.

dpb1776

01-11-20, 23:03

I shoot local matches out to 550 yards plus I belong to a range that goes out to 1250. So I do a lot at 600 and 700 yards. 16 inch will get out there but really falls off at 600. 20 inch gets out further a little easier

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BillyJack2012

01-12-20, 06:06

I'm in the process of building an 18" SPR and after researching barrels for a few weeks, decided on Ballistic Advantage. Everything mentioned so far have great reviews and BA did as well. Almost a coin toss after it came down to the top 4. Like the OP, I have a few 16" ARs that could do the job but wanted to change it up.

calicojack

01-21-20, 03:12

I'd like to throw out two other options

Radical firearms 223 wylde (been getting hella good reviews on YouTube). The one primary arms has for $460ish says it has a match grade barrel. This is the same one getting moa groups on youtube

Strike industries has a fluted barrel that I've been looking at. It runs $260ish

Renegade04

01-21-20, 07:14

Quite frankly, since you are looking to do match shooting, I would seriously consider upping your budget for a really good quality barrel designed for such a purpose. For a real SPR barrel, I would recommend looking at the Criterion SS 17.9″ SPR/MK-12 barrels from Compass lake Engineering.

https://compasslake.com/?product=spr-mk-12-barrels-17-9-douglas-ss-mid-length-gas-system

thatsugit

01-21-20, 09:23

I have an spr with 18" WOA, love it.

G.B.

01-21-20, 14:03

While not an spr setup I have a ballistic advantage Hanson barrel that will do sub moa all day long if I do my part.

SeriousStudent

01-21-20, 17:08

I have a bunch of Centurion parts ratholed, and decided to go with this:

https://compasslake.com/?product=recon-with-mid-gas-system-bartlein-ss-4-groove

It's just a couple of inches shorter than the SPR. But they do offer an SPR length with a Bartlein option as well.

gunnerblue

01-21-20, 18:22

pointblank4445

01-21-20, 18:42

SeriousStudent

01-21-20, 20:48

Ratholed. See also: stashed for future purposes. :cool:

I'm guessing it's an old saying. We used it back in the Legion days, a Centurion named Flavius taught it to me. Yeah, I'm that old.

Leftie

01-21-20, 21:28

I’m waiting on a 16” Krieger 1-7.7” twist from Compass Lake cut with their CLE chamber paired with a NF ATACR 4-16x42. I’ve debated going with a 20” but in the end I’m happy with the performance from 16” barrels- especially since I only only shoot suppressed and the shorter length helps keep OAL down.

Gunnerblue, That's a hell of a combination. I'm really interested in hearing how that works out, as I'm getting the itch to build another 16 or 18" upper. The idea of a 1-7.7" intrigues me. What are you planning on feeding that beast?

pointblank4445

01-21-20, 22:11

Ratholed. See also: stashed for future purposes. :cool:

I'm guessing it's an old saying. We used it back in the Legion days, a Centurion named Flavius taught it to me. Yeah, I'm that old.

Just get a Bartlein from Centurion directly...

gunnerblue

01-22-20, 12:24

Gunnerblue, That's a hell of a combination. I'm really interested in hearing how that works out, as I'm getting the itch to build another 16 or 18" upper. The idea of a 1-7.7" intrigues me. What are you planning on feeding that beast?

77 grain SMK’s exclusively. From what I understand, from better shooters than I, this is the optimal twist rate for that particular projectile. If I were to single load longer bullets, e.g. 80 grain Berger, I would’ve gone with the 1-7”

hotrodder636

01-22-20, 13:20

I second the Rainier barrels. I have an UltraMatch in 223 Wylde. It is shooting 0.5” groups with handloads (@100 yards), no problem.

Rainier Arms is pretty particular about the barrels they have made, they are worth a look as well.

Leftie

01-22-20, 14:15

77 grain SMK’s exclusively. From what I understand, from better shooters than I, this is the optimal twist rate for that particular projectile. If I were to single load longer bullets, e.g. 80 grain Berger, I would’ve gone with the 1-7”

My 18" really likes 77 grain SMKs, and it's a 1-7" (Noveske) (1/2-3/4 MOA consistently when I do my part). It also will shoot MOA with XM193, so color me impressed.

You're convincing me that a 1-7.7" barrel may be in my future, however...

6933

01-22-20, 14:46

My 18" KAC LPR loves 77gr. SMK's.

If going to be out past around 400, I prefer 18" KAC to 16" KAC. We have long ranges out west so the extra 2" can definitely make a diff.

Vegas

01-23-20, 01:34

Another vote for the 18" White Oak SPR barrel. Hasn't disappointed out to 875.

6933

01-23-20, 12:05

... out to 875.

Nice!

dpb1776

01-23-20, 12:12

Another vote for the 18" White Oak SPR barrel. Hasn't disappointed out to 875.

That’s awesome. I’m looking forward to stretching mine out, next time I get to Tennessee.

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WS6

01-24-20, 02:26

Bartlein blank cut by Craddock, CLE, or WO.

dpb1776

02-04-20, 00:06

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200204/876f5c5290e96428d16d89dfb85f1f08.jpg

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dpb1776

02-04-20, 00:09

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200204/0ef245e922985727d0a239e20ded2c4a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200204/0271f44c0246feee1d380119fc6249ee.jpg This 5 shot group was done at 600 yards at Strategic Edge in Tennessee. 20 inch white oak barrel with 75 grain ppu ammo. The ammo really surprised me

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turnburglar

02-04-20, 12:27

Excellent shooting!

dpb1776

02-04-20, 13:06

Excellent shooting!

Thank you

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Life's a Hillary

02-07-20, 08:26

White oak is my barrel of choice for these types of builds. Great price to performance ratio there.

Leftie

02-07-20, 16:59

20 inch white oak barrel with 75 grain ppu ammo. The ammo really surprised me
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PPU is actually pretty high-quality ammunition for the price-point. Nice shooting!

dpb1776

02-08-20, 00:38

PPU is actually pretty high-quality ammunition for the price-point. Nice shooting!

Thank you. It surprised me that is for sure. I liked the Magtech 77 grain OTM it had great velocity but accuracy did not seem that great. I have some IMI razorcore 77 grain OTM I have chronographed but have not really done any accuracy testing