Stretch 16 barrel info please

[lumberjack149]

My two cents... I have owned the battlecomp and the BCM comp and sold them both (for me, they were bad at everything). I found them to be louder than my competition brakes, they didn't perform as well, and they still had flash depending on the situation. I went back to an A2 flashhider on that rifle.

As far as competition guns, +1 on what MarkCO said. - I tried a Miculek brake and sold it since it was way too loud for me and the people I shot with. I currently own the Dynamic Resistance, Gas Hog, and Seekins ATC on different rifles. The Dynamic Resistance is slightly louder than the Gas Hog and ATC but I like how compact it is. The rifles I shoot the most have the Gas Hog and Seekins.

[mwinter501]

Nope, I live in Texas so there's no restriction. I'm on a tac team and need a device that directs as much of the blast and concussion forward. I could put one on if I wanted to but don't want the guy shooting next to me to be hindered in any way. I swear some of those brakes have rattled some of my fillings loose having to shoot so close to them.

Consider a Battlecomp or the Noveske KX-5 Pig. The pig will definitely push the concusion forward but will look a little ugly on the end of a 16" barrel. I've had great results with my Battlecomp and its not nearly as abrasive as a typical muzzle brake.

I had a battle comp on a previous rifle and didn't really like it. It wasn't really bad, but didn't really seem to do either job (recoil reduction/flash suppression) all that well. Now, that was awhile ago so it might be worth a second look. There's a guy on our team who has one and I haven't noticed anything noteworthy from it, but half of our team are shooting HK416s which are insanely loud so I'm probably splitting hairs. I wasn't really wanting to run the pig due to the length, flash, and back pressure. So far I've been pretty happy with the KAW break, but I'm always looking for improvements.

Nope, I live in Texas so there's no restriction. I'm on a tac team and need a device that directs as much of the blast and concussion forward. I could put one on if I wanted to but don't want the guy shooting next to me to be hindered in any way. I swear some of those brakes have rattled some of my fillings loose having to shoot so close to them.

There are three brakes that have very little concussion, in fact sound no different than a flash hider, yet run circles around the Battlecomp and Pig for effectiveness. They are the Dynamic Resistance, the Gas Hog and the Seekins ATC. They are not typical as all were designed with CFD packages. Take a look at those three if you want a flat shooting rifle and want to keep your fillings in place.

Thanks, I'll take a look at those. I'm hoping the team will buy whatever if find that seems to work best.

Got mine installed about a week ago and shot it today. It was a very soft shooting combination of parts (Stretch barrel, JP LMOS, JPSCS with 80% spring), but I can't take full advantage because I can't use a comp/brake. I can't imagine how little sight movement there would be with a well designed brake on there.

I'm assuming you live in a state that has some sort of restrictions? Where would that be? I thought flash hiders were the big issue in places like CA and the like, not muzzle brakes.

Nope, I live in Texas so there's no restriction. I'm on a tac team and need a device that directs as much of the blast and concussion forward. I could put one on if I wanted to but don't want the guy shooting next to me to be hindered in any way. I swear some of those brakes have rattled some of my fillings loose having to shoot so close to them.

Ferfran Muzzle Device has a removable shroud. From a tactical side a must if you are running a brake... There are some other companies running similar devices the VG6, Kinecti-Tech, and I am sure there are more.

Speaking from experience, solely from a tactical you don't want them. They do reduce over pressure for teammates right next to you. But they don't reduce flash(the Noveske KX3make light of this fact with the fire breathing pig). They don't reduce the noise common to MB's. Which in a confined space still sucks. Both of these issues, break the cardinal rule of "never draw undue attention to yourself, in a fire fight"!(why machine gunners have a short life expectancy in combat).

Now a solution are the hybrid devices. The first one is the Surefire Warcomp. A flash hider with some compensation. This is my favorite tactical choice, mainly because my teammates aren't telling me they hate me anymore;)

I have not tried the SF warden, but I like the Warden. I would give it a chance, because they are not only re-directing the gas, but diffusing it too. And it will work on the Warcomp.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I tried a brake shield for my AAC break when I didn't have my suppressor on. My experience was the similar: the concussion was slightly reduced, but it severely reduced the effectiveness of the brake and the flame it produced was a definite no-go. I saw the new warden, but also want to keep weight down up front as much as possible.

Thanks everyone for all of the responses, but I don't want to derail the thread anymore than I already have. I'll post a new thread when I test a few more to keep everyone up to date.

To help bring things back on topic, I have put close to 1,500 rounds through my stretch so far and really love it. Everyone on the team who has shot the rifle has really liked it. I believe I'm running the lightest spring on my JPSCS and haven't had any reliability issues, but I keep the rifle pretty clean. The most I've shot without cleaning was around 400 rounds.

Edited February 1, 2016 by mwinter501

[fedupflyer]

Is there any recommended break in for this barrel?

[mikeor70]

Run a couple patches through it then shoot the hell out of it. That was all I did and it's without a doubt the most accurate barrel I own. I may even clean it every 700-800 rounds out of guilt, but I really don't notice and accuracy changes post cleaning.

[fedupflyer]

So far my accuracy with this barrel has been so-so.

I did the shot once, clean for the first five rnds and then shoot 5 and clean 5 more times for a total of 30 rnds and now have around 100 rnds through it.

With FGMM 77-SMK, I am getting just above MOA at 100yds, while my BCM-ELW does .67 MOA with the same load and broke in with the same procedure.

I am gonna break it apart in a couple of weeks when my new handguard come in and see if the barrel extension is loose in the receiver.

I am relatively new to building ARs, so I am assuming its me and not the tool.

[mikeor70]

You may just have to find the load your barrel plays well with. FGMM is great ammo, but mine is stacking holes at 100 using 55gr Hornadys on BLC-2 going 2680-2700.

[fedupflyer]

What powder and load are you using with those 55 gr pills?

Just finishing up testing those with my BCM and getting about .65-.85 MOA with the Newberry test resilant load.

[Bullittmcqueen]

Is there any recommended break in for this barrel?

No break in period required. The barrels are hand-lapped. Just assemble, lube, and shoot.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Bullittmcqueen

[mikeor70]

What powder and load are you using with those 55 gr pills?

Just finishing up testing those with my BCM and getting about .65-.85 MOA with the Newberry test resilant load.

Hornady 55gr fmj with cannelure. CCI primers. 26.3 gr of BLC-2 powder. Seating to mid cannelure.

[TDH]

Anyone running into short OAL issues with their Stretch16? I just put my rifle together and am getting a very short OAL compared to my other rifles. Using the Hornady OAL gauge, I'm getting 1.835" to the ogive, which puts me at a max OAL of 2.160" using Hornady 55gr SPs. That would put the cannelure inside the case neck.

For comparison.

Barrel To ogive -> Max OAL (for H55gr SP)

Stretch Wylde 1.835" -> 2.160"

Seekins Wylde 1.920" -> 2.245"

Troy 556 1.980" -> 2.305"

I normally run my reloads to 2.200 which is right at the start of the cannelure. I loaded one in the chamber and you can see the marks on the bullet. Knowing you should back off the max, I'd be looking at loading around 2.145" which seems awfully short.

Edited February 21, 2016 by TDH

[CJW]

Anyone running into short OAL issues with their Stretch16? I just put my rifle together and am getting a very short OAL compared to my other rifles. Using the Hornady OAL gauge, I'm getting 1.835" to the ogive, which puts me at a max OAL of 2.160" using Hornady 55gr SPs. That would put the cannelure inside the case neck.

I had one brand of reman ammo, which ran well in a bunch of other rifles, cause some misfire and lockup issues in my Stretch 16. I case gauged the ammo and found it was a hair—I mean almost unnoticeably—too long. Again, ran in everything else, but the Stretch was definitely too tight for it. I didn't measure the OAL on those problem cases, though, just gauged the case.

[adamge]

TDH, 2.145 would be super short. I am loading my bulk 55gr cannelure FMJ BT bullets to 2.245. Though admittedly I know my bolt is a bit out of spec and has about 10 thou extra headspace, so that would translate to 2.235 OAL. I agree that going down to 2.145 would be very short. Seems like either your bullets have an especially forward ogive or your barrel is different (missing freebore?).

[TDH]

I contacted Stretch. They agreed that was unusual and are going to take care of it.

[nms187]

I just received my Stretch16 and i'm debating whether or not its worth getting an adjustable gas block.

I will be running a JP LMOS, lightweight buffer, and a JP buffer spring. Is it worth it to buy an adjustable SLR gas block or should I just use the gas block that came with the barrel?

I'm running the SLR gas block with the stretch, JP LMOS, and the JPSCS with reduced power spring and haven't had an issue so far. I'm in day two of a week-long class and am at close to 500 rounds so far and haven't had an issue. I don't know the exact gas setting, but I know it isn't wide open and it's a pleasure to shoot. I never think it's a bad idea to tune a system to optimal performance, however minimal the gain may seem.

I'm building rifles for my wife and myself and am planning on using the JP LMOS and JP SCS as well. How much of a benefit is there with using an adjustable gas block instead of the supplied gas block? I'm trying to decide if it is worth getting an adjustable one right now, or see how it shoots and possibly switching it out later.

[IntenseImage]

JP LMOS, gutted carbine buffer, fixed block

With AE223

https://youtu.be/8-jH5l3hktU

With FM 55g reman

https://youtu.be/Y41cZonb644

Edited February 29, 2016 by IntenseImage

[DBTN]

I am going to have to try a gutted carbine buffer and she how it works. Looks flat shooting.

[IntenseImage]

I am going to have to try a gutted carbine buffer and she how it works. Looks flat shooting.

Stretch barrel ... VDI low mass carrier ...

Stock carbine buffer

https://youtu.be/fR8w8-2TMxI

Gutted buffer

https://youtu.be/7aTncUnINvI

[MarkCO]

I do not run adjustable blocks if I can avoid them.

I run a gutted carbine buffer, JP LMOS carrier. Been running that set-up for about 4 years and it is what I prefer with the Stretch16 and Nordic barrels. I'd rather have that $200 (for an SCS and adjustable block) as they don't give me anything in performance with my set-ups.

[usmc1094]

So would it be a gutted rifle buffer for a full stock, or still use a carbine one. Would a hydraulic carbine buffer be any different? I have one laying around.

[MarkCO]

So would it be a gutted rifle buffer for a full stock, or still use a carbine one. Would a hydraulic carbine buffer be any different? I have one laying around.

For a full stock, I use a gutted carbine buffer with a spacer. Hydraulics stretch out the recoil impulse, exactly the opposite of what we want for speed.

[usmc1094]

Ok thanks!

[dlightning]

I am not getting very good accuracy out of this barrel with freedom munition 55gr fmj. I'll give it another try with Hornady. Using a Spitfire 1x so that could be the problem. I'll put on a t2 to see the difference. My bcm 14.5 with t2 is .5 moa.

[mwinter501]

I just received my Stretch16 and i'm debating whether or not its worth getting an adjustable gas block.

I will be running a JP LMOS, lightweight buffer, and a JP buffer spring. Is it worth it to buy an adjustable SLR gas block or should I just use the gas block that came with the barrel?

I'm running the SLR gas block with the stretch, JP LMOS, and the JPSCS with reduced power spring and haven't had an issue so far. I'm in day two of a week-long class and am at close to 500 rounds so far and haven't had an issue. I don't know the exact gas setting, but I know it isn't wide open and it's a pleasure to shoot. I never think it's a bad idea to tune a system to optimal performance, however minimal the gain may seem.

I'm building rifles for my wife and myself and am planning on using the JP LMOS and JP SCS as well. How much of a benefit is there with using an adjustable gas block instead of the supplied gas block? I'm trying to decide if it is worth getting an adjustable one right now, or see how it shoots and possibly switching it out later.

I'm not sure what exact setting mine is on, but I know it's not wide open. If I had to guess I'd say it's probably 60%-75% open. I haven't shot it without the adjustable gas block so I can't say exactly the felt difference.

[XtReMe90]

Has anyone "stretched" out their stretch 16 yet? I'm curious how it is at 300-600yards and what ammo you are using for those distances. Thanks

[TonytheTiger]

I've gone to 500 on a 14" plate with my light hoser loads with excellent results in good weather. 600+ or a light breeze requires more suitable ammo, just like any other barrel.