Sleepswithdogs Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 (edited) Truth is, I haven't got a clue! I have been putting together a solid 3gun ar and moving along quite well until I hit a snag, the barrel. Ok, 2 snags, money and the barrel. Now I have my opinion on lots of stuff, and lots of parts, scopes for instance, solid, misinformed, ill-conceived, but still quite sure I know what I want. But when it comes to barrels, I'm out in the cold. I think it likely will be stainless, think 410 has the edge over 416, but all I really know is the hype I read. Length, profile, chamber, I think an 18" will suit me, and think a 1:8 twist so I can shoot heavier ammo for occasional longer shot. Not sure about the gas port location, perhaps rifle length to smooth out the impulses? Midway has an 18 with 1/8 twist, Teflon black for $165 I think it is. Most times you get what you pay for so I don't think it will be hand lapped, and they likely use a new reamer every 10K barrels or so. I'm lost, how much barrel do I really need for 3 gun? Any advice on profile, twist, length, Wylde chamber or 5.56, gas port location, hand lapping, Lothar-Walther, Kreiger, or White Oak??? Or perhaps the $165 special from Midway is all I really need??? I just don't have a clue here and any input, any help for a newb, is more than greatly appreciated. Sleeps with dogs (Hunts with women) Edited May 1, 2012 by Sleepswithdogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmc0326 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 The first consideration I would have is budget. Second is your skill. If you can't shoot / are new to rifle shooting I would say the barrel matters less. Personally I have a 16 inch noveske recon barrel for my three gun rifle. But in my area the distance targets aren't 400 yards away like some of the east coast matches. A white oak, Noveske, pac nor, krieger (not that you really have to have a kreiger for three gun but they are usually my go to barrels) or similar stainless steel barrel will be fine. I can't say I would buy a rack barrel from midway. 1:7 is the twist I would start with. It gives you the most flexibility of the bullets you can use (at that weight you can use any bullet that I know of ie 77 grain bullets for the long stages). Mid length gas seems to be the way to go at 16 -18 inch. But everyone will have their opinion on that. Whatever you get, make sure if you have an M4 feed ramp upper receiver you have a M4 feed ramp barrel. Overall white oak makes good sticks for the bucks, unless you want to step up to a Noveske, but at almost 2x the price it is probably not worth it in the end. The biggest thing I like about the noveske is the pinned gas block It won't come off till I want it to lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mscott Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Midway has an 18 with 1/8 twist, Teflon black for $165 I think it is. Most times you get what you pay for so I don't think it will be hand lapped, and they likely use a new reamer every 10K barrels or so. I just bought one of those barrels if it's the DPMS you are talking about and I'm happy with it. I sighted it in Friday and it does shoot very well with my 69gr load of H335. My loads with Armscor 55gr fmj bullets are around and inch at best, but those are for closer cardboard anyway. If you want a 20" look at the Wilson air gauged barrels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepswithdogs Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 (edited) Thanks USMC and MScott. USMC, budget. I think of this as an investment. Don't want to over spend where I don't need to, but don't want to put together something that lacks in accuracy either. Made that mistake when I started shooting pistol, and was not fun being lapped by the field until I could get the gun sorted out. I shot 3 position rifle in High school. Our team lost to West Point but defeated Annapolis and nearly every other College team we shot that year, so, I'm capable (or was) of being quite accurate and appreciate an accurate rifle. I'm using a Vltor upper, so I guess that is an M4 feed ramp? I think an 18 barrel would be about right for me, but don't have a clue as to "profile", (and a bunch of other stuff). Gas block, I'm just getting ready to order a Syrac, perhaps I should wait until I get a barrel? I'm thinking it's going to be .750 at the gas block anyway, so I might as well go and order one? Sounds like White Oak would be a good place to start, or maybe even the Midway, but I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to answer newb questions, Sleeps with Dogs, (hunts with women ) Edited May 1, 2012 by Sleepswithdogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9X23Guy Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 This is my second year in three gun and my third competing and I've had these same questions. The short answer is shoot what you got or buy in your budget. Its better to shoot ten matches with ok equipment than two with the best stuff. I spent a great deal of money on my optics this year which blew my new rifle budget but it was the right choice. I was able to clear the long range rifle at Larue, out to 507 yards, with a 16" chrome lined barrel. Whatever keeps you banging on targets man. With your rifle background you should be able to do a lot with whatever you have. My rifle only holds 1 moa with my handloads and it works just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MstngLX50 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 The DPMS Mark 12 barrel or the Nordic 18" barrel would be my two suggestions for getting started. The Nordic barrel is lighter, and a little more accurate in my experience. I use Nordic for practice and a JP lightweight for matches. I've built a couple of rifles with the Nordic barrels and am really impressed. The Syrac gas block is awesome, I'm finally confident my setting won't change without resorting to safety wire. Now I need one for a .936 barrel and I'll be all set. I would say a Krieger is definitely not needed for 3-gun, use the savings on ammo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latech15 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 The Nordic barrel is from Wilson if it is the same one I got from them. It is an awesome barrel. Mine holds .375 with good ammo. It really likes the 77grainers with tac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MstngLX50 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 The Nordic barrel is from Wilson if it is the same one I got from them. It is an awesome barrel. Mine holds .375 with good ammo. It really likes the 77grainers with tac. That's the one, great barrel. On the last one the first five shots adjusting the gas block went under an inch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepswithdogs Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 The Nordic barrel is from Wilson if it is the same one I got from them. It is an awesome barrel. Mine holds .375 with good ammo. It really likes the 77grainers with tac. Oh ya... That Nordic looks awsome! Even has the 416ss at a fair price too. Thanks for the suggestions guys, exactly what I was hoping for, a couple of barrels I didn't know about and it looks like any of them would be just fine to get going with. Much Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 The Nordic's are very good. Don't really need adjustable gas with them since the gas port diameter is smaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assaulter Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I just got the Nordic barrel yesterday. Its already on an upper and ready for the range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepswithdogs Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 White Oak is selling a lot of barrels, so many that they are 12-14 weeks behind a delivery date. Guess if I want to shoot this year I better look else where. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepswithdogs Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 I just got the Nordic barrel yesterday. Its already on an upper and ready for the range. So how'd it shoot??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdknotts1 Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 I just got the Nordic barrel yesterday. Its already on an upper and ready for the range. So how'd it shoot??? Yes, let us know how it shoots. I'm going to need a new barrel at the end of this year and I've had Nordic in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskapopo Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 This is my second year in three gun and my third competing and I've had these same questions. The short answer is shoot what you got or buy in your budget. Its better to shoot ten matches with ok equipment than two with the best stuff. I spent a great deal of money on my optics this year which blew my new rifle budget but it was the right choice. I was able to clear the long range rifle at Larue, out to 507 yards, with a 16" chrome lined barrel. Whatever keeps you banging on targets man. With your rifle background you should be able to do a lot with whatever you have. My rifle only holds 1 moa with my handloads and it works just fine. 507 yards so you did range the target? Its funny I ask my two buds to bring a wind meter and a good range finder to the match and on the day we need it they leave them both in the car. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ortho Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Noveske 18" lightweight profile. Pricey, but handles much better than any medium contour barrel out there. Good for quick target transitions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assaulter Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 First trip to the range was this morning. I didn't get to shoot a lot, so this is a preliminary assessment. Accuracy was ok for now. With a Burris MTAC I put my 55 grain handloads at just under 2" at 100 yards and my Hornady 75 grain loads at just over an inch. I really won't make a final judgement on accuracy until I can shoot it to at least 400 yards and after I've put several hundred rounds through it. I'm pretty confident I can tighten up those groups a little bit. I will say I was impressed with the recoil impulse. The smaller gas port made a difference. I even surprised myself at how steady it stayed when shooting at a bank of steel poppers at 25 yards. This was with a Young N/M bolt carrier, standard buffer and Titan brake/comp. I'm looking forward to seeing how it does with the JP LMOS! For the price, you can't go wrong with this barrel. Thanks for talking me into it Ken. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepswithdogs Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 Thanks for the report Dave, I'm going down the same road right now, and considering some of the same parts, low m bolt carrier, barrel, adjustable gas block, etc, so anything I can learn from your input is GREATLY appreciated. JL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 The Nordic barrel, depending on load, nullifies the need for adjustable gas. In most cases, folks are running the gas full open. Reduces cost and eliminates a potential failure mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepswithdogs Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 (edited) The Nordic barrel, depending on load, nullifies the need for adjustable gas. In most cases, folks are running the gas full open. Reduces cost and eliminates a potential failure mode. Thanks Mark, being a bit of a contrarian, (sleeps with dogs, hunts with women ) I was actually considering drilling the gas port to full size so I could run the adjustable block. Thinking being able to adjust for ammo, buffer/spring and bolt group weight might be nice to be able to do. Thinking I'd use a Gyse(sp) block safety wired so I it won't be able to come loose. Being a former race mechanic a piece of safety wire is like jewelry to me and they work just fine. (This probably sounds like over kill??)Do you think a Fire bird barrel nut would work well with a composite forward grip? JL Edited May 5, 2012 by Sleepswithdogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I try running your load before drilling it out. Yes, we make a Long carbon Fiber tube specifically for the Firebird barrel nut. It is what James and I have been running for almost 2 years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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