Aircooled6racer Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 Hello: I was wondering what barrels people are using for their AR 9mm builds? So far I have a KAW Valley 16" that needed throating so I could use reloads loaded to 1.150" OAL. I have a JP 16" barrel that is ready to go as is. I have on order a stainless 16" Wilson Arms barrel that I will check when it gets here. The KAW Valley has been accurate out to 50 yards with my C-More mounted on it. I will check the other two barrels when I get the uppers built for them. Thanks, Eric Link to comment
noexcuses Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 Eric, I have a 16" Wilson stainless 9mm barrel and can run 124gr MG JHP's out to 1.15 and still pass the plunk test. I am waiting on parts for this rifle so have no had a chance to fire it yet. This barrel is pretty thick compared to the KAW Valley that I have on the girlfriends rifle. I wish it was a bit thinner but had trouble finding a SS 9mm 16" barrel. Have thought about having it milled down a bit. Link to comment
Flatland Shooter Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 I don't know who the true manufacturer of the barrel is, but I have a Palmetto State Armory barrel that will definitely require a throater before it is really usable. The longest over all bullet length I can run with 147 gr X-treme RN bullets is 1.108". Also its nitride coated so that may add to my problems. As long as I keep the bullets short, it runs well. I have not really tested the accuracy since I know my current reloads will not be used when I start shooting PCC matches. I plan on buying a Manson throat reamer after the holidays to open it up. Link to comment
MickB Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 Ballistic Advantage or Faxon. I have a Ballistic Advantage 8.5" that I run with 1.15" OAL loads... Mick Link to comment
MikeRush Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 1 hour ago, MickB said: Ballistic Advantage or Faxon. I have a Ballistic Advantage 8.5" that I run with 1.15" OAL loads... Mick Are they recent purchases? I have a Ballistic Advantage 11" and had a 16" Faxon and bullets loaded to 1.11 would hit the rifling in both. I might just have to buy a stainless barrel and have it chopped, threaded, and turned to what I want. Link to comment
MickB Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 (edited) 2 hours ago, MikeRush said: Are they recent purchases? I have a Ballistic Advantage 11" and had a 16" Faxon and bullets loaded to 1.11 would hit the rifling in both. I might just have to buy a stainless barrel and have it chopped, threaded, and turned to what I want. I have one of the first run of the 8.5" barrels. I am loading to 1.15" OAL using Precision Delta 124gr FMJ and have never had an issue. Are you using hollow points by chance? Had a buddy that loaded to same OAL as his FMJ loads and he was getting his rounds hit the rifling in his JP PCC barrel. Edited December 19, 2016 by MickB Link to comment
MikeRush Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 1 hour ago, MickB said: I have one of the first run of the 8.5" barrels. I am loading to 1.15" OAL using Precision Delta 124gr FMJ and have never had an issue. Are you using hollow points by chance? Had a buddy that loaded to same OAL as his FMJ loads and he was getting his rounds hit the rifling in his JP PCC barrel. Thanks! That makes sense. FMJs work in both of my barrels out to as long as will fit the magazine but I think most of us having throat contact issues are using lead, coated lead or plated. It definitely is going to be bullet profile dependent. I like the cost savings of coated lead vs FMJ. In 2k projectiles the savings would pay for a throating reamer, or alternately, having a smith chop and thread a JP for me. Link to comment
Aircooled6racer Posted December 19, 2016 Author Share Posted December 19, 2016 Hello: Wilson Arms make shorter barrels than 16". They have stainless and chrome moly ones as well. Wilson Arms is not Wilson Combat if you were wondering. Thanks, Eric Link to comment
mksm2016 Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Anybody using a JP barrel? They are about the same price as most AR-9 barrels out there. Link to comment
Aircooled6racer Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 Hello: I have a JP I bought when they had a sale. I have not shot it yet but hopefully this week. It will take long loaded coated bullets out to 1.150" OAL and looks like maybe a little longer. It is not as light as my KAW Valley barrel since the JP has a weighted end area. Barrel pricing seem to be in the under $100 to over $200 range. Thanks, Eric Link to comment
Southpaw Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 I have a JP barrel and it has a very deep throat. When I got it I tested all the different types of bullets I had on hand, coated lead, plated, and FMJ; they all plunked to over 1.2". Link to comment
Aircooled6racer Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 (edited) Hello: The Wilson Arms barrel arrived today. It is throated as deep as the JP barrel I have. The Wilson barrel was a little on the heavy side so I put it on a diet. Here are the before and slim fast pics. Thanks, Eric Edited December 22, 2016 by Aircooled6racer Link to comment
Philip Dedmon Posted December 24, 2016 Share Posted December 24, 2016 On 12/21/2016 at 7:31 PM, Aircooled6racer said: Hello: The Wilson Arms barrel arrived today. It is throated as deep as the JP barrel I have. The Wilson barrel was a little on the heavy side so I put it on a diet. Here are the before and slim fast pics. Thanks, Eric What where the before and after weights? Link to comment
Aircooled6racer Posted December 24, 2016 Author Share Posted December 24, 2016 Hello: I was so excited to get the project going I forgot to weight it before. After I was done it weights 23.7152ozs which is lighter than a 16" JP barrel but heavier than a 16" KAW Valley barrel. I will shoot it this week to see how it does. Thanks, Eric Link to comment
mksm2016 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 How did it go Eric compared to KAW Valley? Link to comment
wgj3 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) I'm running the 16" Faxon and it has been great so far. It will take RN bullets loaded as long as the Glock mags will feed, 1.15" or so. And, the Faxon comes without all the extra bulk of many of the other barrels available. I don't understand why so many of the AR9 barrels have gasblock seat areas and the shoulders with them, etc. The barrel doesnt need to be any heavier than a pistol barrel... I also have a JP and its a great barrel, but I think that it can benefit from the work like Eric did above. No issues with having to load shorter in it either. As others have mentioned, OAL is HIGHLY dependent on bullet profile. Any of the "truncated cone, flat point" bullets are likely going to have to be loaded shorter than something with a standard "FMJ" profile. Edited January 12, 2017 by wgj3 Spelling Link to comment
Aircooled6racer Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 Hello: All three of the barrels I have tried are doing great. The KAW, stainless Wilson Arms and stainless JP. I am not a bench rest guy so 30 yard A zone head shots off hand all day long works just fine for me. I think some of the barrel makers make the barrel with gas block bosses and AR15 profiles since most guys that buy them are trying for that retro look. Most USPSA guys are looking for lightness since weight is a killer of speed. I shot a friends JP 9mm this week. It was a nice rifle but for me just a little too heavy. Transitions were slower for me but the recoil was light feeling. Could be the weight or buffer setup. I think as more people start shooting AR 9mm rifles the barrel makers will start making lighter profile barrels. Or just talk to your local machinist or gunsmith and turn the barrel down. I would pick a barrel you can load all types of bullet profiles that you will be using and the overall length you like to run. Hope this helps. Thanks, Eric Link to comment
noexcuses Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 On 12/21/2016 at 4:31 PM, Aircooled6racer said: Hello: The Wilson Arms barrel arrived today. It is throated as deep as the JP barrel I have. The Wilson barrel was a little on the heavy side so I put it on a diet. Here are the before and slim fast pics. Thanks, Eric Erick, what did you turn it down too? I have the same barrel and am thinking of doing the same. thanks stan Link to comment
Aircooled6racer Posted January 13, 2017 Author Share Posted January 13, 2017 Hello: If I can remember I turned the barrel down to 0.680". I left the front 6" with the writing on it at the 0.740" or so diameter which is close to the JP profile. Thanks, Eric Link to comment
mksm2016 Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Is the lightest AR barrel from KAW? Link to comment
wgj3 Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 34 minutes ago, mksm2016 said: Is the lightest AR barrel from KAW? Don't think so. I think that the ones that Faxon is selling are the lightest for a given length at this point. Link to comment
11287 Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Not sure but I think Faxon makes the KAW barrels Link to comment
Southpaw Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 6 minutes ago, 11287 said: Not sure but I think Faxon makes the KAW barrels They do Link to comment
Aircooled6racer Posted January 13, 2017 Author Share Posted January 13, 2017 (edited) Hello: Faxon does make the KAW barrels. I think it would be the lightest since it is steel and not stainless steel. The setup I have is crazy light and looks pretty cool I think. Thanks, Eric Edited January 13, 2017 by Aircooled6racer Link to comment
Flatland Shooter Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Since wgj3 is able to run bullets long in his Faxon barrel, are the barrels they make for KAW chambered differently with less leade? Or am I missing something? Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now