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Thread: Problem child barrel

  1. #1
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    Problem child barrel

    I have a barrel on a 6.8 build that just absolutely refuses to group anything I feed it, the best I can seem to get are groups anywhere from 2" at 100 yards and those are rare with the more common sizes being around 5" or 6", or worse, and always, always have these wild flyers (usually several) that will impact nowhere near where the rest are hitting.

    I've really tightened up my reloading technique and even tried a different brand of dies. I've tried 6 different powders, 5 different bullets and weights, different brass and about the only constant is the CCI41 primers which is basically all I have.

    I had shot about 400 rounds through this thing trying to get it to perform( not looking for sub MOA groups) with any degree of consistency and had not given it a thorough cleaning so I did that with hope. My hope was dashed when it continued to shoot very erratically, 2 or 3 shots looking like they might make a decent group and then 2 shots 6 or 7 inches away, every damn time, or they're all just all over the place. Another 2 or 3 hundred rounds and I took off the muzzel device, easy since it's just a Vortex FH and looked in the bore at the muzzel, the tops of the lands were covered with copper so I used some CR-10 and decoppered it. Off to the range, first group was 28.8gr of LT-30 under a 90gr Gold Dot, my best load from the last trip, and it was decent but still nothing to be proud of and then everything afterward was crap again.

    Tonight I took off the FH again and all of the copper is back, just like before. Now, if copper deposits in any rough spots, and it's all over the tops and edges of the lands that means the rifling seems to be in pretty rough shape no? Also, there are sections of some of the lands which are not coated with copper and then there is long sections that are, like there are really deep defects in the surface of the lands. Is this what is or could be causing the ever present flyers and very poor accuracy?

    There is no copper wash in the grooves or along the edges of the lands like I normally see in barrels, just all down the tops of the lands as far as the flashlight will light and as far as I can see.

    Please, any thoughts on this? This barrel has done this since day one and I'm tired of wasting powder, primers and bullets trying to get this thing to shoot. Honestly, I'd be ok with 2" at 100 yards if I could get it to shoot 2" groups at 100 yards every time, or even most of the time.
    RealeyesRealizeRealLies

    BCM 16" RECCE MK2 DkBrz, Custom Mk12 Mod1 built by Monty LeClair, 16" Middy w/ HCS RECCE barrel, A5, Young NM BCG, SSP, Geissele NM rail, Ops Inc., Super CH. 14.5" middy Noveske Afghan X3, 10.3" pistol DD barrell, Benelli M4, Ruger 10/22 w/Victor stock, GLOCK 17 Gen 4, Dan Wesson Valor Duty Coat, Dan Wesson Valor Blue, Dan Wesson Silverback 10mm, S&W 27 4"

    B Co 4th502nd Inf Reg. '86-'90. 11b
    B Co 3rd187th InfReg. '90-'94. 11b
    Iron Rakkasans

  2. #2
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    Care to mention the manufacturer? Do they make a claim or guarantee on accuracy? Do they have good customer service?

    Also is the rest of the build to spec like upper, barrel nut torque etc? That’s a basic question and it sounds like you’re miles beyond that but something to check if you didn’t build it yourself.

  3. #3
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    Good borescopes are not that expensive.

    I don't personally try to get all the copper out of my 'good' barrels. Copper Equilibrium is real and for me that accuracy tends to stick around for a while before degrading and some copper needs cleaned out.

  4. #4
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    I’d ditch the barrel and move on. Good 6.8 barrels can be had for about $200. It sounds like you’ve given that one a fair chance.
    “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” – Thomas Jefferson.

  5. #5
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    There are things which can be done to help improve an average to good barrel. There is nothing that can be done to improve a trash barrel.

    Buying a bore scope to find out why your barrel is bad would be an academic exercise in the truest sense in that ;it would cost money, you might learn something, and you would still be no closer to solving the problem.

    AR Performance still has 6.8SPC barrels in stock.

    https://ar15performance.com/6_8_barrels

  6. #6
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    No claims to accuracy but they do state that they perform as good as so called match barrels for less money. The bore is melonited in vase I forgot to mention and it makes any difference. No, I dont want to disclose the maker but I've heard they do have good customer service but when I'm on the 6 8 forum and have laid out the troubles I've had with it they're kinda like a pack of wolves and they all pile on saying it has to be something Im doing wrong because it just couldn't be the barrel. Well, I dont know what else to try and with ammo and reloading supplies being how they are right now I just dont want to continue to waste what I have.

    I built the rifle myself and like every other AR I've built, it functions 100 just without the fun of it being accurate. With the barrel I also got a matched bolt, though the headspace measures outside the specified range for the spec2 chambers. I just have to set up my resizing die s to allow for the overage. I do not buy low budget components when building rifles either, I know all the correct torque specs, where and when to stake, and I do it, gas blocks pinned. Components used come from BCM, Geissele, Vltor, Sprinco, Forward Cintrols Designs, B E Meyers, Centurion Arms....... like that and I never deviate from these trusted ( by me) brands because theyve yet to let me down.

    Honestly, I've never encountered anything like this and I'm gonna try to post a pic or 3 of what I see, its gonna be tough to do. and see what some other think may be the goings on but if copper deposits in any rough areas in a bore then the lands of this barrel are junked.

    And no, I have not talked to the maker yet, that's why no name, and tell him what's going on, even though he is probably fully aware already of the issues I'm having, he follows the forum pretty closely I think. I'll see what he says or what hes willing to do. I've heard the guy is pretty abrasive though.
    Last edited by BillB; 09-10-20 at 13:48.
    RealeyesRealizeRealLies

    BCM 16" RECCE MK2 DkBrz, Custom Mk12 Mod1 built by Monty LeClair, 16" Middy w/ HCS RECCE barrel, A5, Young NM BCG, SSP, Geissele NM rail, Ops Inc., Super CH. 14.5" middy Noveske Afghan X3, 10.3" pistol DD barrell, Benelli M4, Ruger 10/22 w/Victor stock, GLOCK 17 Gen 4, Dan Wesson Valor Duty Coat, Dan Wesson Valor Blue, Dan Wesson Silverback 10mm, S&W 27 4"

    B Co 4th502nd Inf Reg. '86-'90. 11b
    B Co 3rd187th InfReg. '90-'94. 11b
    Iron Rakkasans

  7. #7
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    If it’s who I think it is, I’d imagine you’ll be taken care of. He’s a member of this forum as well.
    “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” – Thomas Jefferson.

  8. #8
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    To rule out your reloads, is there the equivalent of FGMM for 6.8? It seems universally accepted for 5.56 and 7.62, if it doesn't shoot well with FGMM, it's basically a bad barrel. What's the standard for accurate ammo in 6.8?

  9. #9
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    It sure sounds like an AR Performance Barrel, given that they sell bolts to match and are super popular with 6.8 SPC shooters. I have one of their barrels on my main AR and it has been great. But...

    Welcome to the world of having trouble with a product that other people like. I remember buying a bolt action rifle that shot a dozen different loads 3-4 moa. One person told me I shouldn't be complaining without chronographing it first and another person said that I should be happy because it shoots literally one bullet well. But I digress...

    If the bore is nitrided, you aren't going to be reconditioning it in any meaningful way. It is what it is.

    Talk to the maker and see what they can do, or move in a different direction. Continuing to experiment a barrel that throws bullets completely off the target is "throwing good money at bad money".

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by crosseyedshooter View Post
    To rule out your reloads, is there the equivalent of FGMM for 6.8? It seems universally accepted for 5.56 and 7.62, if it doesn't shoot well with FGMM, it's basically a bad barrel. What's the standard for accurate ammo in 6.8?
    How much does that really help a reloader?

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