You bought an ER Shaw, didn't you?
ER Shaw makes barrels for a LOT of companies. The company provides the specs (and sometimes the tooling to go with it) and ER Shaw makes the barrels to those specs (It appears, from strictly Anecdotal evidence...that ER Shaw may pay more / less attention to detail based on WHO the barrels are for...then of course the company who receives the barrels has its own individual Q/C measures, which may be good...or not.) It's a similar model to how Criterion operates, except Criterion does it better.
The problem with ER Shaw is consistency. This is why I said they're a crapshoot earlier. It doesn't take a long time in the precision rifle community to understand and acknowledge this. Just because a bunch of dudes on a website might jump in and say "My ER Shaw shoots 1/2 MOA Groups" or "ER Shaw has made barrels for Colt" doesn't mean anything. They were fortunate with their sample, made for THAT PARTICULAR CLIENT of ER Shaw. Many people haven't been. As a whole, there are issues with ER Shaw barrels.
Common problems:
- Threads not concentric to the bore.
- "Terrain features," tool marks, rough spots in the bores leading to early and excessive fouling.
- Burs on the gas ports.
-Inconsistent rate of twist throughout the length of the bore (common problem for low grade button rifled barrels).
I understand that people who own these barrels may get butthurt. Their particular examples may work fine. Good for them. The point is that the next guy who buys one may not be able to get it under 3 MOA despite every attempt.
The OP has quality options available from FN, BCM, and other companies known for their consistent quality.
OP already stated those are not options that are readily available for a build. I simply told the OP where a barrel fitting his stated need was in stock and ready to ship.
I've explained why I consider ER Shaw to be "shit parts," commonly found on abortions like Model 1 Sales rifles and Red Jacket Shoot Wrong Katanas.
Now you explain why the OP should buy a barrel (The AR Stoner / ER Shaw that you recommended) that may or may not perform when these other options are available. AR-Stoner is basically Midway's sister / house company. They source all kinds of shit quality components from shit quality manufacturers, and then sell it by using Eugene Stoner's name. I don't like that. Do you think that this company, who profits off of selling junk, is going to have a Q/C process in place to deal with the inconsistencies that their barrel source (ER Shaw) produces? The answer is no, and that's why a lot of people have had to send back AR-Stoner / Shaw barrels multiple times before getting one that works.
Midway sells many items from Noveske,Hart, Troy, Daniel Defense etc, etc , etc. Is ER shaw on par with a Hart or Shilen barrel? Obviously not but not every rifle needs a hart or Shilen barrel.
Judging from the large number of user reviews submitted at Midway for the AR Stoner barrels, people who actually purchased and use the barrels are quite satisfied with them. The overall satisfaction rating seem to be just slightly less than that given for Daniel Defense barrels. However the AR stoner/ER Shaw barrels are offered in a much wider variety such as 20 inch govt profile as the OP was searching for.
This is the internet, but your words still carry weight. What you say has consequences. Somebody might go buy the POS you recommended because they assume you know what you're talking about.
Someone may also pass on a good shooting barrel based on the assumption that you know what you are talking about.
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