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Thread: ballistic advantage barrels

  1. #21
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    I started with a 10.5" BA barrel in 5.56 from their Modern line. I put a few thousand rounds through it, and never had an issue with the barrel. I'm running red dots so can't comment on accuracy, except to say that the one time I was trying to shoot precisely at 50 yards to zero it, it shot right at about MOA. I only shot it out to about 200 on steel, but it never let me down. What surprised me was how well it shot when it got hot. It never did anything that had me scratching my head.

    Since then, I've replaced the 10.5 with an 11.3" Hanson barrel. Same deal. Good barrel, but I wish I had started out with the 11.3 in the first place. The Hanson profile is the way to go and the pinned gas block just makes life a bit easier. It balances really well and points very quickly. When I first got it, I was overshooting my transitions.

  2. #22
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    Have 3 of their barrels, and been pleased with all 3.

  3. #23
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    I have a few high-quality CHF barrels and one nitrided barrel from BA (Aero Precision branded, 5.56 chamber). BA barrel is the most accurate.

    I think BA barrels punch well above their weight in price-performance ratio. Hanson profile barrel is very nice as other people have mentioned. Customer service is great.

    Two things which keeps me away from buying higher tier offerings BA barrels instead of something else. Both are purely a matter of a personal preference and not a scientific fact:
    - 223 Wilde chamber. I prefer a standard NATO 5.56 chamber.
    - NIB barrel extension. After personally trying NIB on AR parts - I don't see a good reason for it.

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by mosin46 View Post
    looking at a build with one on it. have looked and asked all over,so trying here. what do people have in the way of direct knowledge or experience? i have heard everything from "MOA for sure and if not they correct it" to horrible machining and no CS. i am not asking what you think i should put on a gun or what is a better barrel. i know better barrels. i am asking specifically about experience with BA barrels. the build is mostly aero and gissele parts and a linked barrel add for $160,so at least rather suspect.
    I've built a bunch of AR's with BA barrels, both for myself and for others. I've never experienced an accuracy or fit and finish issue with any of them. I've personally zeroed every rifle I've built and checked it for accuracy (along with everything else) and with good ammo, every one of those AR's accuracy-wise performed as advertised. Of that "bunch of AR's" at least 10 have been with either a 14.5 BA Hanson (5.56) or their Pencil profile, and every single one of those guns shot sub-moa. I've built 300BLK's with their 8.3 Hanson profile and 9" Performance barrels, and even with subsonic ammo, they performed exceptionally. My all-time favorite barrels is the 10.3 Hanson. I'd put that barrel up against any 10.3 made by anyone. It's the smoothest shooting, accurate short barrel rifle I've built or shot, including other folks AR's. Their 12.5 is another outstanding barrel, and I just WISH I could find one. I've also built a few AR's with their 416R SS barrels. My first 308 had an 18" rifle gassed SS barrel and even at 250-300 yards, it shot sub-moa.

    I've had some experience with their customer service and it's been hit or miss. USUALLY, it's a hit. I've called them and had them pull a barrel that was boxed and ready to ship, so they could pin the GB for me. (I forgot a couple of times to add that to the cart...) I have also emailed and called them with questions, which I've usually gotten through or received an answer within a couple of days, but I've also waited 4-5 days to hear back. It wasn't urgent, but that's still a long time to wait for a question to be answered, so if there's one area I would say BA should improve in, it would be customer service. It wouldn't surprise me though that with COVID affecting so many businesses that they are slower to respond these days because I've had commo issues with several reputable businesses that have taken upwards to a week and longer to get a response from. Some companies like DSG Arms hasn't missed a beat though. But bottom line, BA could be more responsive on the CS side.

    As I mentioned, I have never had an issue with a BA barrel, but I would guess that there may be some people who have had problems, but with the AR platform, there are a few factors that can affect the accuracy of a rifle, and so there's a possibility that their barrel was fine, but there were other underlying issues they either could not or did not investigate or mitigate. For context, of the close to 50 AR's I have built, I think about 80% have been with Ballistic Advantage barrels. Daniel Defense comes in second, followed by Centurion Arms, and the rest would be Noveske, Rainier. Faxon, and even BCM. I'd never pass up a good deal on a DD CHF, Noveske CHF, or a Rainier SS barrel, but pretty much, when I'm tasked to build an AR for someone, the barrel I will use will be a BA, unless they ask otherwise and they never have. I've had specific applications where I wanted another barrel like a DD CHF, but I would not hesitate for a second to buy a BA.
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  5. #25
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    this has been very helpful. i see a number of builds using BA. unfortunately the one i was interested in has been a no reply to PMs. that happens a lot on the FL FS board. people post then never follow up. anyway learned some stuff.

  6. #26
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    I have an 11.3” Hanson profile on my AR pistol. I haven’t had a chance to shoot it but the fit and finish seems very good. One of my agency armorers is recommending their barrels for builds.

  7. #27
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    I’ve had three BA barrels with pinned gas blocks. All were fantastic shooters but two had canted gas blocks, which was irritating. Not canted enough to affect gas drive but definitely visible.

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by rockapede View Post
    I’ve had three BA barrels with pinned gas blocks. All were fantastic shooters but two had canted gas blocks, which was irritating. Not canted enough to affect gas drive but definitely visible.
    If you are referring to barrels that come from BA with a pinned gas block, like the Hanson barrels, the pin is intended to keep the gas from sliding, not shifting side to side. That is what the set screws are for. If you loosen the set screws you can tap the gas block straight with the pin installed to straighten it. I found a BA video on youtube showing this. Apparently BA’s pin job is not like it is on front sight towers using tapered pins.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by TonyAngel View Post
    If you are referring to barrels that come from BA with a pinned gas block, like the Hanson barrels, the pin is intended to keep the gas from sliding, not shifting side to side. That is what the set screws are for. If you loosen the set screws you can tap the gas block straight with the pin installed to straighten it. I found a BA video on youtube showing this. Apparently BA’s pin job is not like it is on front sight towers using tapered pins.
    I hadn’t heard this when I owned the first barrel (which I no longer own so can’t test this on) but did by the time I bought the second one. No go for me; gas block does not budge in any direction when the pin is in. It’s just canted.

    If that is in fact the way the pins are designed to work (pin just controls fore/aft movement), dimpling the barrels for the rear set screw would be beneficial for alignment. None of mine have been dimpled.
    Last edited by rockapede; 07-08-20 at 12:46.

  10. #30
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    I have a SS Ballistic Advantage barrel. Accuracy has been excellent, sub moa with the right ammo and a LPVO (1X6). Haven’t had to use their CS. I would definitely buy again.

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