Current Production Lightweight 11.5 or 12.5 Barrels?

**Jmacken37** · 03-31-20, 16:17

Hard to beat the Spikes Tactical CHF BBL...

https://www.spikestactical.com/collections/barrels/5-56-barrel-chf-lightweight-11-5/

**xanderzuk** · 04-01-20, 01:24

Originally Posted by Biggy

Does it matter to you if it has a .223 Wylde chamber or a true 5.
56 NATO Mil-Spec chamber ? It seems to matter to some people.

Admittedly, I don’t know the difference. Would you share that with me as well as your thoughts and suggestion?

**NYH1** · 04-01-20, 01:31

I have a 11.5" Sonics lightweight barrel. Couldn't be happier with it.

NYH1.

**1168** · 04-01-20, 06:28

Originally Posted by Jmacken37

Hard to beat the Spikes Tactical CHF BBL...

https://www.spikestactical.com/colle...htweight-11-5/

I looked for reviews on that barrel a while back and only found negative ones.

BA Hanson 11.3” has been working well for me both suppressed and not. I use the can with it like 90%.

Edit: since we’re also talking about 12.5” barrels, I’ll point out that I am equally happy with my BA Hanson 12.3”. I shoot it mostly without a suppressor, and its one of very few SBRs I’ve actually enjoyed shooting without a can. Its super handy, and the barrel profile makes it feel lighter than 12.5” Gov barrels. 11.3” also feels lighter than it is.

Originally Posted by Biggy

Does it matter to you if it has a .223 Wylde chamber or a true 5.56 NATO Mil-Spec chamber ? It seems to matter to some people.

Personally, it only bothers me if the chamber does not match what is stamped on the barrel. I don’t understand why “manufacturers” do that.

Originally Posted by xanderzuk

Admittedly, I don’t know the difference. Would you share that with me as well as your thoughts and suggestion?

.223 Wylde exists because 5.56 NATO and .223 Rem chambers are nominally different. A true-to-spec .223 Rem chamber will produce higher pressures than a true-to-spec 5.56 chamber, with the same ammo. Given that 5.56 max loads produce more pressure than .223 allows already, this can be a problem. A 5.56 chamber can be used with either 5.56 or .223 ammo.

.223 Wylde is meant to combine attributes of the two in order to be more accurate than a 5.56 chamber, and to produce less pressure than a .223 Rem chamber. It is supposed to be safe to use with 5.56 ammo, unlike a .223 Rem chamber, which should be only used with .223 ammo. Noveske 5.56 Match chamber is similar to Wylde, both dimensionally and in intent. I’ve put piles of military 5.56 through these chambers and not died.

There are three things that blur everything I wrote above:

1) many barrel makers play fast and loose with matching chambers to listed specs

2) ammo makers do the same. Much ammo labeled 5.56 is in .223 territory, and some .223 ammo is close to 5.56 territory. There’s quite a bit of overlap, and much of what exists on the commercial market is .223 regardless of labeling.

3) Wylde is only more accurate than 5.56 in theory. There are plenty of guns chambered in 5.56 that are more accurate than their users, and approach the practical limit of lightweight semiautos.

Lucky Gunner has an article from a test they conducted that makes the case that it doesn’t matter. If you don’t shoot a lot of .mil ammo or max pressure stuff, it probably doesn’t. Your milage (and bolt life) may vary.

**opngrnd** · 04-01-20, 06:30

Originally Posted by NYH1

I have a 11.5" Sonics lightweight barrel. Couldn't be happier with it.

NYH1.

I'm very happy with my Sionics 11.5", but it is not a LW barrel.

**Furbyballer** · 04-01-20, 07:32

Originally Posted by taekwondopreacher

Just ordered a 12.5 Criterion Core barrel. I'll let you guys know how it shoots.

Let us know your impressions. They are very high at the top of my list for new barrels for any new builds I do. The price is right, the pedigree is righ, and so far the accuracy is on par with criterion's quality reputation. I got a 12.5 as well and its going head to head in a t&e against centurion arms 12.5 mid barrel I just got, and my 12.5 hodge.

**opngrnd** · 04-01-20, 08:03

Originally Posted by Furbyballer

Let us know your impressions. They are very high at the top of my list for new barrels for any new builds I do. The price is right, the pedigree is righ, and so far the accuracy is on par with criterion's quality reputation. I got a 12.5 as well and its going head to head in a t&e against centurion arms 12.5 mid barrel I just got, and my 12.5 hodge.

I specifically like that you can get a matching bolt with it. Since service type matches are canceled for a good while, it's time for me to run rigs a bit more optimized. (I have looked at CA barrels several times, and it's always been a very minor reason that I have not ended up with one.)

**Clint** · 04-01-20, 14:58

We are working on lighter weight 11.5 and 12.5 barrels.

The 11.5 are ~20.5 oz, while the 12.5 are ~21.9 oz.

Originally Posted by taekwondopreacher

I know a guy with the Ballistic Advantage .625 11.3 barrel. It seems properly gassed and it shoots well. BRT may or may not be releasing a lighter 11.5" barrel with their polygonal rifling, which would be worth the wait, IMHO. Beyond that, I generally stick to Sionics since they gas their barrels approximately, but they are not LW.