AR Barrels

Cyperry

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Say you were going to re-barrel your AR with the intent of shooting 77 TMKs around 2700-2800 fps into tinny little groups up to 500 yards. What would you spend your money on?
 

Inshore duck

Eight Pointer
Douglas (if wanting mk 12 clone) Noveske, Larue, DD, BCM. I have mk 12 Daniel defense I built to crane specs otherwise that shoots 0.4 MOA to 800 yds with 77 TMK.
 

kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
A cheap savage bolt gun.

1-9 twist with a 22” barrel chambered .223
Which I like to think of as a match 5.56 barrel.

my buddies stag arms gun heavy 24” 1-8 twist shoots them well but my savage bolt guns print them tighter. It’s going to be tough to get an accurate AR platform barrel IMO. Green mountain makes a good one.
It’s all about chamber dimensions IMO
If an 1” at 100 is good enough you shouldn’t have a problem.
the custom m4 seal sniper rifles don’t hardly print them under an 1”

cheers

I’m no expert but I have spent a lot of time behind the mk262 mod 1 round

my best groups are .5 moa at 500yds with it. 2.5” or so.
 
Last edited:

Cyperry

Ten Pointer
Contributor
A cheap savage bolt gun.

1-9 twist with a 22” barrel chambered .223
Which I like to think of as a match 5.56 barrel.

my buddies stag arms gun heavy 24” 1-8 twist shoots them well but my savage bolt guns print them tighter. It’s going to be tough to get an accurate AR platform barrel IMO. Green mountain makes a good one.
It’s all about chamber dimensions IMO
If an 1” at 100 is good enough you shouldn’t have a problem.
the custom m4 seal sniper rifles don’t hardly print them under an 1”

cheers

I’m no expert but I have spent a lot of time behind the mk262 mod 1 round

my best groups are .5 moa at 500yds with it. 2.5” or so.
I understand, but I’d like my AR to shoot them. Slightly under MOA consistently would be acceptable to me.
 

Cyperry

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Anybody shooting a LaRue Stealth? Is the 1:8 enough to stabilize the 77s out of a 16 or 18 inch?
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
Anybody shooting a LaRue Stealth? Is the 1:8 enough to stabilize the 77s out of a 16 or 18 inch?

Absolutely.

1/8 or 1/7 twist

Sierra even recommends 1/8 or faster

This bullet requires a barrel twist rate of 1×8” or faster.

 
Last edited:

TobyScreams

Twelve Pointer
Satern cut rifled. Ranier arms ultra match. McGowen. Ranier arms match. White oak.

This addresses most budget concerns. It is almost the most expensive to least(ish) but more so is in the order of my preference.
Personal experience with all the above. Get what the budget allows but don’t fret too much. Heck I’ve got two er shaw barreled guns that are absolute shooters. That being said my shaw barrels and the mcgowen were turned by a shade tree machinist/gunsmith. He’s an a$$hole to deal with and works very, very slow but I could afford him. He don’t do much gun work anymore though just a bunch of knives………………
 

dc bigdaddy

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor

Cyperry

Ten Pointer
Contributor
A cheap savage bolt gun.

1-9 twist with a 22” barrel chambered .223
Which I like to think of as a match 5.56 barrel.

my buddies stag arms gun heavy 24” 1-8 twist shoots them well but my savage bolt guns print them tighter. It’s going to be tough to get an accurate AR platform barrel IMO. Green mountain makes a good one.
It’s all about chamber dimensions IMO
If an 1” at 100 is good enough you shouldn’t have a problem.
the custom m4 seal sniper rifles don’t hardly print them under an 1”

cheers

I’m no expert but I have spent a lot of time behind the mk262 mod 1 round

my best groups are .5 moa at 500yds with it. 2.5” or so.
Have you ever had trouble getting the 77 TMKs to stabilize in a 9 twist? I came into a gift certificate for Christmas and may be looking into a bolt 223.
 

Blackwater

Twelve Pointer
Satern cut rifled. Ranier arms ultra match. McGowen. Ranier arms match. White oak.

This addresses most budget concerns. It is almost the most expensive to least(ish) but more so is in the order of my preference.
Personal experience with all the above. Get what the budget allows but don’t fret too much. Heck I’ve got two er shaw barreled guns that are absolute shooters. That being said my shaw barrels and the mcgowen were turned by a shade tree machinist/gunsmith. He’s an a$$hole to deal with and works very, very slow but I could afford him. He don’t do much gun work anymore though just a bunch of knives………………
Someone you know intimately? :)
 

Triggernosis

Ten Pointer
I'm a master level Service Rifle competitor. All I've ever used is 1:7 twist Wilson barrels with a Wylde clambering from White Oak Armament. I shoot 77"s at 200 and 300 yds and 80's at 600. Some8i will shoot the 77's at 600 if I'm running low on 80's. Those barrels will shoot the hell out of 52's and 68's also.
I go through a barrel a year and switch out for a new White Oak Wilson barrel at the beginning of each season.

Edit: FWIW, the majority of the barrels you will find on the firing line each year at the National Matches at Camp Perry will be Wilson, followed by Krieger. I would guess those two manufacturers make up 75% or more of the barrels there. The rest would include Bartlein, Satern, and one other I can't think of right now.
 
Last edited:

Triggernosis

Ten Pointer
Have you ever had trouble getting the 77 TMKs to stabilize in a 9 twist? I came into a gift certificate for Christmas and may be looking into a bolt 223.
A 1:9 won't work well with the 77's. Even a 1:8 is questionable, but depends on the specific barrel manufacturer - some 1:8's will shoot 'em just fine, some won't.
 

Bperry

Six Pointer
Cyperry

Ill assume I’m stating the obvious and if so just disregard.

AR/AR10 true accuracy is a rare creature. Unlike stable bolt gun platforms with a few parts, AR systems are a bag of moving parts, aka a bag of cats. Accuracy equates to constancy and its hard to get that accuracy unless you have a lot of knowledge and skill. A new barrel on a bolt gun can change accuracy significantly. Putting a great barrel on an AR doesn’t normally get you that same level of improvement. You might get lucky though. I’ll second others advice. If you want a truly accurate AR type rifle look at some of the reputable builders above and purchase a complete rifle or at a minimum a high quality upper. I knew and purchased from John Noveske when he first starting out in his garage. I have an ar10 he built in 260 rem and it will shoot with any bolt gun I’ve ever owned. The accuracy will come from the knowledge to get all those parts to mesh and that gets you back to the knowledge and $

Good luck
 

Cyperry

Ten Pointer
Contributor
18 inch Larue stealth in route. We shall see. Not looking for a one hole gun per say, I just want it to shoot well enough to kill coyotes at 500 yards. A roughly MOA gun should get that done. The stock barrel was a 1:9 and shot 1.5 or a little better but just wouldn’t run the 77s. Doesn’t seem like folks are having trouble with the stealths and getting 77s to shoot well enough. We shall see.
 

Cyperry

Ten Pointer
Contributor
That would definitely be changing the subject. I thought about it. It’s an interesting cartridge, but I don’t thing the juice is worth the squeeze for me. Maybe later on… for no good reason.
 
Top