In the process of building a new AR15, and need to choose a barrel. I went the cheap route before and never found a barrel I was happy with, rough chambers, poor finishing, chatter in the rifling ect. So pretty much I'm ready to buy something higher end. Not going to go crazy like a lilja or shilen, but I am prepared to spend in the $300 range which seems to get me some pretty good options.
My basic requirements are:
-223 Wylde chamber
-16" w/ mid or 18" with intermediate or rifle gas
-Looking for something weight wise b/w HBAR and M4 (preferably toward the lighter end)
-MUST have a target crown, no threads (due to state law)
-1:8 twist
Desired use is defense, short range target, and possibly predator hunting in the future. My club only has a 200yd range, and I already have a 223 bolt gun for more serious target work.
The closest in stock barrel I've found is the WOA Predator 16" or 18". Either are a touch heavier than I'd like, but doable. The other option is a custom X-Caliber in a SPR profile, probably a little lighter (have an email in asking if they can give me an estimate), but a 10-12 week wait. Other option is buy an 18" Faxon SOCOM and have it cut and crowned to 16", that would get me closest to the profile and configuation I want, but by the time I do that I'm within a few bucks of the White Oak considering the WOA comes with the gas block and I'm not sure the Faxon is anywhere near the quality of the WOA.
Any other options I should consider? Lots of options out there with threaded barrels, but without threads not so much. Legally I could do a thread protector pinned and welded in place, but that is a huge turnoff for me to the point that it's not really even a consideration.
My basic requirements are:
-223 Wylde chamber
-16" w/ mid or 18" with intermediate or rifle gas
-Looking for something weight wise b/w HBAR and M4 (preferably toward the lighter end)
-MUST have a target crown, no threads (due to state law)
-1:8 twist
Desired use is defense, short range target, and possibly predator hunting in the future. My club only has a 200yd range, and I already have a 223 bolt gun for more serious target work.
The closest in stock barrel I've found is the WOA Predator 16" or 18". Either are a touch heavier than I'd like, but doable. The other option is a custom X-Caliber in a SPR profile, probably a little lighter (have an email in asking if they can give me an estimate), but a 10-12 week wait. Other option is buy an 18" Faxon SOCOM and have it cut and crowned to 16", that would get me closest to the profile and configuation I want, but by the time I do that I'm within a few bucks of the White Oak considering the WOA comes with the gas block and I'm not sure the Faxon is anywhere near the quality of the WOA.
Any other options I should consider? Lots of options out there with threaded barrels, but without threads not so much. Legally I could do a thread protector pinned and welded in place, but that is a huge turnoff for me to the point that it's not really even a consideration.
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