I hear what you are saying. You have been around long enough to know that people are just trying to steer you into something better.
Why support mediocre manufacturers when there are good ones on the market?
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The majority of 1X7 barrels are actually 1X7.7. The 1X7 vs. 1X9 debate is old and tiresome.
1X9 for 45-62gn.
1X7 for 62gn and up
This is a general rule of thumb. Remember, the 1X7 was adopted when the military started using the M856 tracer round and it's weight is 63.something. The weight forced the adoption of the faster twist barrel. Original AR's were 1X12.
It's the length not weight of the M856 round that required the military to adopt the 1\7 twist. HP shooters use a 1\8 twist to stabilize 80gr bullets, so anything you can stuff into a magazine will shoot well out of a 1\8. I think the 1\7 twist made it's way into the market because if you're going to build a mil spec barrel, you use the mil spec specs.