Dusty Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Does anybody know what the 18" SPR contour bbl. weighs? How does it compare to a midweight JP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Knight Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 (edited) Contact White Oak Armament. They make SPR contour barrels. www.whireoakarmament.com They have it listed at 41 ounces. Edited July 7, 2006 by theknightoflight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdmoore Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Contact White Oak Armament. They make SPR contour barrels.www.whireoakarmament.com They have it listed at 41 ounces. My experience is that SPR (special purpose rifle?) designation doesn't quite have exact spec's with it. I saw a 24 in SPR set up on AR15.com (I know, owners words). I've heard debate on what twist an SPR is (1:7.7?), it's likely the exact diameters in the diff positions (under handguards, at gas block, after gas block), chamber can be 5.56, wylde, etc., and even the muzzle device all have a little latitude. But I'd think the 41 figure is close enough. If the military has a spec on "spr" configurations, I'd be curious to know. Not that it makes much difference, just settle my curiosity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Knight Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 SPR originally came from a Knight Armament design for a short range(under 300 yards) scoped rifle that is for Spec Ops guys. I have seen several different version in Afghanistan. They are built by the USAMU, and they usually have an 18 inch barrel with a medium profile. They also have suppressor attachments. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Navy_Mark_...l_Purpose_Rifle This is the configuration I saw. The two others were dessert cammo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paule Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 The first drawings of SPR barrels I have are from a 1998 prototype done by a then future, and now former, AMU member. The contour then was for a barrel 17.9" long, .875" under handguards, and .725" forward of the gas block. The area under the handguards had eight fluted and the weight came in at 42.5 oz. This was spec'ed as a 5140 barrel, 6-groove, 7-twist bore, with MIL-STD-171 hardchromed chamber and bore. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first ancestor of the MK12 series of "SPR's". The original was too heavy and not accurate enough, and gave way to a 416SS tube, same length, no flutes, and a smaller diameter aft, which shaved 4 oz. off the total, down to the current 38.5 oz weight. Knights Armament had no role in development of the platform. Their 12" FF RAS forend and their 600 meter rear, rail folding front backup sight combo was chosen by Crane as the configuration for the Navy version (the MK12 Mod1), but it was never a very popular setup for the SEALS. DevGroup was much happier with the 16" RECCE carbine that they had designed and felt it served their particular set of needs better. The Army still liked the SPR, but primarily in the MK12 Mod1 configuration, with PRI components, including their carbon fiber forend, flip-up front sight and gasblock combo, and ARMS #40 rear sight. Most of the SPRs built for both the Army and the Navy came from a private contractor, (not us). They are still building them to the specs that were available in 2001, which is that last time barrel dimensions were changed. The SPR contour was designed to handle sustained, aimed fire without POI shift, hence the relatively heavy contour for a carry rifle. They were designed to provide acceptable accuracy out to 800 yards for man-sized targets and to be deployed in a DMR role. The Army still uses them for this purpose. The Marines, true to their marksman roots, decided that the nominal 18" barrel gave up too much velocity and came up with their own "Squad Augmented Marksman", or SAM contour. These are 20", similar to a Service Rifle Match contour in weight (about an ounce lighter), na dare all built on Krieger 7-twist blanks. The SAMs shoot better on average, not surprisingly, but they are a lot to hump around. The biggest mystik surrounding the SPRs was/is the OPSinc muzzle brake and barrel collar that were standard on every SPR. These were mated to the OPSinc 12th model can, a 40db reduction marvel that is still nearly impossible to obtain without a 4-6 year commitment to Uncle Sugar. Time marches on however, and new players are coming on the scene all the time. We've built several hundred SPR "Perfect Clones" in the last five years, many of them are in the sandbox, doing what they were meant to do. Many others are standing watch in safes around the country. They are still favorites of many, but not really a 3-gun contour, per se. Too heavy for most current tastes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Knight Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 well there you go. Thanks for setting me straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Weidhaas Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Great little history lesson on the SPR Paule. Thanks for taking the time. Nick- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdmoore Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 Agreed, that was worth the price of admission right there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paule Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 Thanks for the kind words, guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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