Need Barrel Recommendation for AR15

G19Jeeper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2022
Messages
1,643
Location
Pennsylvania
Looking for a 20" Rifle Length heavier taper AR15 barrel in 223 Wylde. Experiences and photos welcome.

I am currently looking at a Wilson combat Super Sniper with target crown. Was going to go with a non threaded variant but not partial either way. Rifle will be used with a magnified optic to shoot 55 gr varmint bullets and heavier stuff as well so 1:8 Twist prefered.
 
Last edited:
Last edited:
I have a 20 in. bull barrel 1 in 8 inch twist Shaw barrel set up on a varmint hunting AR that will shoot under 1 inch 5 shot groups at 100 yds with bullet weights from 53 grs to 75 grs on any given day and I have shot a few half inch groups with it. This is with a 3 to 9 hunting style. 223 scope mounted on it. I have one other AR with a Shaw barrel that shoots very well also.
 

Attachments

  • 0115151318.jpg
    0115151318.jpg
    153.1 KB · Views: 37
  • 0115151317.jpg
    0115151317.jpg
    196.6 KB · Views: 36
All of these are solid suggestions over a fairly large budget range. I'll add one more, Satern. I have one of the .308W large frame barrels that they made for Brownells to sell as a 'house brand barrel' and it is an "inherently accurate." Which is to say that it simply hits what I've pointed at regardless of range.
 
Bartlein 1:7.7 or 1:7" from Craddock Precision...send them your bolt for headspacing (no charge). https://craddockprecision.com/223-wylde-bartlein-barrel/ Read about the 400MODBB steel option on Bartlein's site. Another option is McGowen Precision Barrels https://mcgowenbarrel.com/shop/custom-ar-barrel/ they currently have a 15% off sale with code "SUMMER24"

Very bad idea. The poster said 55 grain varmint. I bought a 20 inch barrel PSA 1:7. 55 grain loaded to only 3200 fps would fly sideways and odd angles though paper at 100 yards. 62 grain didn't even make a round hole. Only when you dumbed it down to sub 2750 fps like 16 or less inch barrels did it even group. I was ****ed that I took someones poor advice.

all my AR's are 20 inch SS and 1:9 predominantly and a couple of 1:8. The max 223 bullet is kind of 75 grains because of 2.26 inch limitations.

So the correct answer is 1:7 for only 8 to 16 inch barrels or something that you are only going to be shooting 69 gr and up only.

To the poster one of my competition 3 gun ar's is a Ballistic advantage SS with QPQ barrel coating 9:1 because its made for high useage and 62 gr HPBT for relatively cheap shooting. I was buying bulk 5000 and 10,000 boxes for for under 8 cents years ago. But anyway I had them make it non threaded and fluted for a 34 oz barrel

I did install a 2.5 pound drop in single stage trigger. The scope is a 8X32 with 60mm objective to get on the PD's fast. June wyoming hunt I went through 300 HP rounds the first day. It gets the 62's going 3200 fps with leverrevolution or CFE 223 :)

20 inch non thread QPQ.jpg



this is my light weight 20 inch SS 1:9 wylde with a .625 gas block piston rifle. titanium brake. 2.5 pound trigger

20220129 piston.jpg



 
Last edited:
Very bad idea. The poster said 55 grain varmint. I bought a 20 inch barrel PSA 1:7. 55 grain loaded to only 3200 fps would fly sideways and odd angles though paper at 100 yards. 62 grain didn't even make a round hole. Only when you dumbed it down to sub 2750 fps like 16 or less inch barrels did it even group. I was ****ed that I took someones poor advice.

That wasn't a twist issue that was something else.

I have 2 ARs and a bolt gun chambered in 5.56 and twisted 1:7 and they shoot everything from 55s to 88s just fine.
 
Very bad idea. The poster said 55 grain varmint. I bought a 20 inch barrel PSA 1:7. 55 grain loaded to only 3200 fps would fly sideways and odd angles though paper at 100 yards. 62 grain didn't even make a round hole. Only when you dumbed it down to sub 2750 fps like 16 or less inch barrels did it even group. I was ****ed that I took someones poor advice.

all my AR's are 20 inch SS and 1:9 predominantly and a couple of 1:8. The max 223 bullet is kind of 75 grains because of 2.26 inch limitations.

So the correct answer is 1:7 for only 8 to 16 inch barrels or something that you are only going to be shooting 69 gr and up only.

To the poster one of my competition 3 gun ar's is a Ballistic advantage SS with QPQ barrel coating 9:1 because its made for high useage and 62 gr HPBT for relatively cheap shooting. I was buying bulk 5000 and 10,000 boxes for for under 8 cents years ago. But anyway I had them make it non threaded and fluted for a 34 oz barrel

I did install a 2.5 pound drop in single stage trigger. The scope is a 8X32 with 60mm objective to get on the PD's fast. June wyoming hunt I went through 300 HP rounds the first day. It gets the 62's going 3200 fps with leverrevolution or CFE 223 :)

View attachment 594966


this is my light weight 20 inch SS 1:9 wylde with a .625 gas block piston rifle. titanium brake. 2.5 pound trigger

View attachment 594960


I wouldn't say "a bad idea"...You must have had a bad barrel, or poor loads. I've shot 62gr out of a Colt SP1 in 1:9 twist all day long with no keyhole issues and great accuracy for an old warhorse.

Note Berger's twist rate calculator comes in AOK at 70 Gr. and 2800 fps in a 1:7.7. Personally, I prefer a 1:7 but the gentleman had mentioned he was desiring 1:8 and was going for 55Gr and up... Note calc results from Berger reflect stability at 2700 at 73 and 75 gr at a comfortable 2700 fps. It's at 80 grains where the shift happens to "Marginally Stable" at 2700 fps...

Happy shooting...
 
Larue Stealth has been the most consistently accurate for me. 1 in 8 twist. It's a nice profile that's pretty heavy but not ridiculous. Also chambered in 223 Wylde. Price is higher than it used to be, but isn't that true of everything these days. When they were $225, it was a no brainer.

Notice what you see repeatedly in the top of the list

Larue Stealth
Lothar Walther (get the LW50 SS)
Something machined from a quality blank by somebody like White Oak

Ballistic advantage is kinda sucky in my experience. I have several of their barrels because they're cheap (like $60), but the accuracy has always been pretty mediocre at best.
 
Top