Criterion vs FN CHF Barrels

[GoldnBullet]

Looking for Opinions on Both:

Criterion Barrels vs FN CHF ( taking the profile differences out). Which would be preferable? I have been told by gunsmiths and barrel makers CHF is only a cheap way to pump out barrels. ( The Criterion does have an advantage with the Wylde chamber)

Criterion Test:
https://criterionbarrels.com/media/c...-forged-video/

[Leuthas]

Cold hammer forging (+CMV with chrome lining) is a long proven method for rifling durable and accurate barrels. It is not the cheap way.

[gaijin]

I’m running a couple Criterion barrels; 16” Wylde 5.56 and a 16” .308.
The 5.56 barrel has been exceptionally accurate.

[gunnerblue]

What are your goals?

CHF was indeed originally created to efficiently and economically produce barrels. It is not necessarily “cheap” as far as low quality goes however. My Noveske 12.5” will put ten rounds of my 77 grain match ammo into ~1.25” at 100 yards. I expect my 16” Centurion medium-profile to do the same based on what I’ve read about this particular barrel (both the Noveske and Centurion are FN-made).

In contrast, my 16” Criterion will put the same ten rounds into 0.6 MOA. Unless extreme accuracy is the concern, I’d say either will work for you. If that level of precision is what you’re after, I’d say skip both and get a Bartlein or Krieger from Compass Lake.

[MorphCross]

This is a case of "it depends." You will have Cold hammer forged barrels that are produced out of steel that lasts longer than CMV, is hammered out on mandrels that get changed more frequently, and that go through straightness tolerance checks more stringent than other cold hammer forged barrels.

You will run into button rifling barrel companies that use precision lapping equipment, that use a more precise and expensive process of chrome-lining, and that independently verify their barrels to a standard for accuracy before they ship them out.

Every one of these steps increase cost.

This does not mean that you are getting a bad barrel when you go for something lower priced, just that there was less diligence in the picking and choosing.

Criterion or Colt for button rifled chrome. Hodge, Centurion Arms, Daniel Defense, and probably Noveske for Cold Hammer forged chrome lined.

[Short_barrel_daddy]

What are your thoughts on the 308 barrel? Was looking at it for my maten build

[pinzgauer]

I have been told by gunsmiths and barrel makers CHF is only a cheap way to pump out barrels.

Any smith or mfg who tells you that is at best severely misinformed and at worst intentionally being deceptive.

It certainly was faster when first developed, but not necessarily cheaper, especially when capital equipment costs are factored in.

Many detailed threads on this including gov test white papers, etc.

[MistWolf]

I have been told by gunsmiths and barrel makers CHF is only a cheap way to pump out barrels.

Cold hammer forging was a barrel making process developed during WWII to rapidly turn out barrels economically, once the machinery was amortized. It was the opinion that the process introduced stresses in the steel that would warp the bore as the barrel heated up and cause shot groups to open up. This opinion was so strongly held that Remington kept from becoming public knowledge that the barrels of the Model 700, which has enjoyed a reputation for superior precision going back several decades, for many years used a CHF manufactured barrel.

Today, CHF AR barrels demand a premium price based on their reputation for longer barrel life. There is some debate whether or not that reputation is well deserved or not. But as CHF is meant to rapidly produce barrels economically, I question whether or not they are worth the premium. With the current state of modern barrel making, getting a bad barrel from a reputable company is almost unheard of. There will be little practical difference between the Criterion and FN barrels for the uses the majority of ARs will be put to.

[HelloLarry]

I put a chrome lined Criterion on an AR and shot two shots at 50 yards to get zeroed, then put 3 shots into 1/4" at 100 yds. They DO shoot.

[scooter22]

I have never seen a test/report/experiment that shows CHF is more accurate than a comparable buttoned barrel.

More durable? Maybe. I'd rather spend the money on ammo.