What’s important here is called “moment of inertia,” which is how a physicist says that it’s easier to rotate a 10 pound dumbbell in your hand than a 10 pound barbell. All of the M4 family of rifles have a 14.5 inch barrel length with a carbine length gas port system. For our purposes, a gas block or muzzle brake further out on a 20″ or 24″ barrel will feel heavier than the same device on a 16″ or 14.5″ barrel. The extra thickness near the muzzle has no measurable difference in accuracy, even in rapid fire. At the request of the Marines the M16A2 was given a chromed bore and a heavier barrel profile forward of the gas block, mainly to minimize the chance of bending (one of the A1’s most common failures in close combat). Chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO used the 62gr SS109/M855 cartridge with a 1:7 barrel twist with a government profile barrel. Honestly looking for some opinions. The military standard is 4 MOA, and that’s pretty much good enough to hit a man-sized target at 100 yards if you take the time to aim properly. Colt M4A1 SOCOM Barrel Accuracy: Another Look. There is also the “Government” profile found on the M16A2, M4 carbine, and many civilian rifles. This is important for precision shooting – but less important for short-range or casual gunnery. The stripped weight of the SOCOM barrel is 5 ounces heavier than the stripped weight of the standard Colt 14.5” M4 barrel. The fact is that a great deal depends on the depth and width of the flutes, since deeper flutes create more surface area. Barrel Contours: Tale of the Tape. Im building a AR-15 with a 16 inch barrel my question is what is a better choice as far as barrel profile The standard A2 Government profile or the M4 style. Im looking to get a 14.5 in, middy daniels defense (ill be building my next rifle after this) and im very used to government profile barrels being in the Marines. blakeforeal New Member. JavaScript is disabled. Your articles are always much appreciated. Hey guys! Of course, that makes it slightly heavier, but the difference is minimal. The idea is long-range accuracy rather than a combat rifle. They’re designed for slow, precise and methodical shooting – more like sniping, less like “spray and pray.”. Click here to snag a copy. Your email address will not be published. The theory is that you’re shooting prairie dogs and coyotes on your ranch (or similar shooting), or informal competition. This profile is now commonly called “A2”. The government profile barrel is also compatible with the current M203 mounting systems. We carry QPQ treated barrels, Nitride Barrels and standard mil spec chrome lined barrels. If there’s anyone that knows the AR-15 platform, it’s the US military. Fluted barrels are simple in concept, but seem to be the source of a lot of misunderstanding and controversy. Unfortunately, I no longer own that barrel. DS Arms manufactures our AR15 M4 M16 barrels from the premium 4150-11595E steel in a number of different barrel length, profiles and configurations. AR-15 Barrel Profile: A2 Government vs M4 style? The one big drawback to pinned and welded flash-hiders is that you're basically stuck with that configuration once it's pinned and welded. Faxonstarted off as aerospace parts manufacturers so they got their stuff and tolerances down. If you’re going to be carrying a rifle for extended periods, lightweight barrels can be your friend. I’ve reviewed several of their barrels over the years and really like their stuff for the price point. You must log in or register to reply here. The pic below shows the difference between the standard M4 barrel and the SOCOM barrel. That’s why a lighter barrel might cost more than a heavier one — you’re not buying steel by the pound. To demonstrate a variety of options, we obtained four identical standard 16-inch mid-length gas system barrels with government profiles (and 0.750-inch gas block) from Bravo Company USA. There’s a reason most service personnel opt for the light M4 for general patrol work. Let’s wrap up this section with a couple of practical thoughts on barrel profiles. Great article. A visual comparison of a 16" Government Profile barrel (on top) and a 16" Lightweight Profile barrel on the bottom. 2) The quick handling of single-point slings has made them the popular style on patrol in combat zones these days. Some people like flutes because they look cool. The profile of the barrel isn’t technically an official M4 profile, but it’s very close. Original-style “pencil” or “A1” barrels are still available, though usually sold with a 1:7 twist and a chromed bore. Required fields are marked *. This 10.5" barrel chambered in 9MM has a beautiful government profile and is milled from 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium Steel. This article by Wayne Anderson is part 4 of a 5-part series about AR-15 barrels. The date-code on my original SOCOM barrel was “11/03” and the date-code on my newer SOCOM barrel is “02/18”. So I am currently on the market for a barrel to finish up my first AR build and I am torn between the SOCOM and Standard M4 gov profile barrels. Thanks! Sniper’s Hide is a community of Snipers of all kinds, focusing on long range shooting, accuracy, and ballistics. The ELW barrel is available with fluting as an option for further lightening. Discussion in 'AR-15 Discussion' started by blakeforeal, Oct 7, 2014. But first, some notes from your physics class: 1) Heat is the enemy of accuracy. Some will tell you it improves barrel cooling. Similar mission demands have otherwise made these very similar. Maybe it didn’t feel light to a recruit doing exercises with it, but it was a whole lot lighter than an M14 or M1 Garand. Two pounds at the end of a 1-foot bar exert the same 2 foot-pounds as one pound at the end of a two-foot bar. In 2010, my original SOCOM barrel with the “11/03” date-code produced a 10-shot group fired from a distance of 100 yards that had an extreme spread of 0.90”. After the gas port it gets heavier, out to the muzzle. 4 0 0. Magpul Industries AR-15 Parts & Accessories, Part 1: Intro, Fundamentals, and Manufacturing of AR Barrels, Part 2: Barrel Length, Gas Systems, and Rifling, Part 3: Caliber, Chamber, and Steel Types, Part 5: Surface Treatments and Muzzle Types, The Best Budget AR15s – Optics Ready and High Value, Top Picks: Best AR-15 Scopes for Your Money, 3 Ways to Correct Cross Eye Dominance When Shooting. We should say we think that both guns are just about the same. What heat they do absorb affects them less, enabling them to remain acceptably accurate at extended ranges. The main categories, however, are the so-called government profile (standard) and then the lightweight version. We’ll start this Daniel Defense DDM4V7 LW review by stating that this rifle is available in a couple of different finishes as well as a couple of different barrel profiles. There are other options available too, not from double star, but you might consider lightweight, or gov. Uses the 30 round standard magazine. A 16" mid-length gas barrel has the proper spacing to mount a bayonet. We have AR15 and M4 MELONITE barrels including pencil profile barrels, mid-length barrels, carbine barrels and pistol barrels for the .223 cartridge and the 5.56 NATO cartridge. In a survival scenario it’s more likely that your rifle will spend most of its time slung on your back, where the lighter weapon will produce less fatigue, and will be used only occasionally. Barrel has 5.56 Nato chamber, 1/7 twist rate, M4 barrel extension, rifle length gas system, threaded ½ x 28 muzzle and Mil-Spec phosphate coated. These barrels are meaty, big cylinders of steel devoid of any lightening in their profiles. Barrel life was something in excess of 9,000 rounds (keep in mind that's a 1:7 twist, shooting full auto=lots of heat buildup). From the gas block journal forward, the two barrels are identical, SOCOM barrel on top, standard barrel on bottom. Of course, the more rigid barrels resist “whip” far better than the slim lightweight barrels, another reason to choose them when high accuracy is your main criterion. Naturally, the M4A1 SOCOM barrel has M4 feed ramps. In Barrett’s defense, they didn’t sell it that way; it was fluted by an aftermarket gunsmith.). 16″ Pencil Barrel [Review] 2. It’s also worth noting that the profiles listed above aren’t the only ones available in AR barrels, just the most commonly available ones, and within those descriptions some include a number of variations. There’s another thing to think about — the barrel’s mass acts as a heat sink. Colt no longer stamps an “F” on their front sight bases, but their newer front sight bases maintain the length of 1.98” from the top of the barrel to the shelf for the front sight post. The most popular barrel profile now is the M4 style, sometimes a direct copy of the 14.5″ military M4 barrel, but more often slightly extended to 16″ for legal civilian use. {"cart_token":"","hash":"","cart_data":""}, AR-15 Barrels: Caliber, Chamber, & the Best Steel Type for Your AR Barrel (Part 3), AR-15 Barrels – Surface Treatments & Muzzle Types (Part 5), AR15 Barrels: Profiles, Fluting, and Dimpling (Part 4). Does your original barrel still shoot pretty well after all this time? Once relaxed into the sling, the shooter adjusts his body until the rifle is on target. In summary: Lighter barrels are less fatiguing to carry; longer barrels are good for long-range shooting, and heavy barrels are best for bench shooting or extremely long range. Molon you're a wealth of knowledge and brought the understanding of accuracy on Arfcom up about 10,000 degrees. This leads to decorative embellishments like spiral fluting, or, further yet, diamond fluting, created by cutting spiral flutes first clockwise around the barrel, then counterclockwise. That group was fired from my bench-rest set-up using match-grade hand-loads and a high magnification scope. If a barrel contains unresolved stresses from manufacturing it can expand unevenly or warp, which also affects point of impact (POI) as well as group size. But… how many magazines are they planning to carry? 2) Weight can be your enemy or your friend, and where the weight is located matters. In 2010, I posted one of the first publicly available, in-depth. The government's heavy-handed tactics threaten to undermine the legitimacy of the election. Part 2: Barrel Length, Gas Systems, and Rifling Barrel and chamber are chrome lined to a specification that is almost double the thickness of a standard M4/M16 Mil-Spec barrel and are stamped with the FN oval Everyone agrees that it makes them lighter. The rest of the series can be found at the links below: Part 1: Intro, Fundamentals, and Manufacturing of AR Barrels This allows extended relaxed stability, and followup shots are quick because the rifle returns to target on its own. Varmint rifles tend to use very heavy barrels, usually 20-24″ long, and are generally made in stainless steel with a target crown. Yes, lightweight barrels heat up faster, and the groups will open up, but usually we’re talking about a change on the order of 1.5-2 MOA accuracy opening up to 3 or maybe 4 MOA. The Government profile was an attempt to prevent the barrel from bending when used with a bayonet. The 20" barrel gives you 5.5" more sight radius (14.5" vs 20"), which is a 40% increase. You want this barrel, really, if you want a barrel that you can take anywhere, this is the one. There is no benefit for an AR-15 to have an M4 profile barrel aside from historical accuracy (but even then, it needs to be a 14.5" barrel). Continuous taper designed for optimal weight, balance, and performance. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I learned so much on the type of barrel I’m looking for to upgrade my AR platform . Flutes create more surface area precision shooting – more like sniping, less like spray! In a number of different barrel length, profiles and configurations probably easily handle the four to magazines. Weight, balance, and many civilian rifles prevent the barrel untouched informal... 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