Cheap Barrel

Harold2689

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Last year I decided to build an AR. For no other reason than to get to say, "I built it myself." I bought a matched stripped upper and lower at a gun show, and over time, at each gun show we attended, bought more parts for it. I bought all mil spec parts kits, read manuals, watched YouTube videos, and put it all together.

My biggest problem was the barrel. I wanted an 18", black 1:8 or 1:9 twist barrel, chambered in .223 wylde. I figured I'd get the best of both worlds, and be able to shoot either .223 or 5.56 nato with the most accuracy. I realize that .223 wylde is not mil spec, but as long as everything else was, no biggie.

At the Greenville SC gun show, a vendor offered to sell me an 18" .223 wylde barrel for $80.00. I figured that was a great price, so I bought the barrel and everything else I needed to complete the upper from him: the barrel, gas block, gas tube, muzzle brake, Magpul handguard and all associated mounting hardware. All the rest of the furnature was all Magpul.

I completed the build, and I think it turned out well for my first attempt...

SAM_1781a.jpg


Before I fired it, I wanted to have it checked out by those who know more than me. I volunteer for our county Sheriff's Office, so I know many of the deputies. I asked the head firearms officer if he could get one of the guys on the SWAT team to look it over for me. It's what these guys live for, so there was no problem there... I brought it out to the range and when I took it out of the case, they both remarked that it was a nice looking build. Then they tore it apart. Everything in the lower was good to go. They loved the custom charging handle and the BCG. When they pulled the handguard off, that's where the red flags and bells started going off!

They took one look at the now exposed barrel, and the first thing they condemned was the aluminum gas block. They said I needed a STEEL gas block, and the mounting screws needed to be dimpled with a punch. Then they looked at the barrel, and asked me where I got it. I told them from a guy at a gun show. They strongly advised me to get rid of the barrel. When I asked how they could tell it was not good just by looking at it, they said that any reputable barrel manufacturer will ALWAYS, at minimum, stamp their name and the caliber in which it is chambered on it. This barrel has NO markings, and NOTHING stamped into it. He asked how can I be certain it's chambered in .223 without checking it with the proper gauges? He said if any particular barrel has actually been high-pressure tested, It should have "HP" stamped on it, and "MP" if it has been magnetically impulse tested. Since this barrel has NOTHING stamped ANYWHERE on it, they said they wouldn't trust firing it.

Other than that, they said it looked like a decent build. And if I change out the gas block and barrel, I could still salvage it. I haven't tried contacting the guy who sold me the barrel yet, but he was not at the last Greenville gun show. I suppose I could ask if he'll refund my money for the barrel and gas block, and if he won't, then I'll be out a little over $100. Although it bites, it's not the end of the world.

So now I have to get a new barrel and gas block. I'm debating with myself whether to dump the .223 wylde and just go for the 5.56 nato chamber. I just want the rifle for plinking and target shooting, will most likely shoot .223 ammo in it- but will still have the option of 5.56...
 
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My very first privately-acquired AR (non-mil/non-issue) was an utter POS with a POS barrel. I got it for a song on a trade. Caveat emptor and all, right? I didn't know what I didn't know; it was a stupid tax, and I moved on. A bad or out-of-spec barrel can kill you or someone else. That's the one place you do not want to skimp. Thankfully there are a billion barrels today that are inexpensive and decent quality.
 
It is highly unlikely that you will get a refund on a barrel that has been installed.

Me, if I was skeptical at all, I'd find a gunsmith or other local with a set of gauges to check the chamber and shoot it if it passed, if the accuracy was ok I'd get a gasblock for it.

If you feel replacement is the only option then Primary Arms has very affordable Bear Creek barrels that spec as you want, I have no experience with them. They don't say anything about pressure testing, I don't think individual testing is very common on low end barrels.
 
You were given great advice! Glad you sought it out.
 
It is highly unlikely that you will get a refund on a barrel that has been installed.

I'd be really surprised to get a refund. It's never been fired, but it has been installed. If I don't get anything back on it, I'll just chalk it up to experience and move on.

Question: When I remove the muzzle brake, do I have to get a new crush ring, or can the old one be reused?
 
I agree you got good advice. I wouldn’t waste any more money on this barrel having a smith look at it. Put the money toward a decent replacement and move on. Also, do not re-use a crush washer.
 
Right to Bear had their Ballistic Advantage barrels for $100 often. So for $20 more you could have gotten a stellar barrel.
 
Personally I’d have an armor check the chamber and head space and it if checks out, buy as much cheap steel cased ammo you can afford and shoot the crap out of it.

You paid the “doh” tax like many of us have done at one point or another so I see no reason to add insult to injury by eating the cost of the barrel, chances are you’re going to need some trigger time with the platform and I see no better way to do that than a cheap barrel and a few cans of wolf/tula.

I 100% agree with all of the advice already mentioned above my post “but”, if a qualified gun smith says it’s safe to shoot, I’d shoot it until I want more out of the gun and then replace the barrel with something better.
 
Personally I’d have an armor check the chamber and head space and it if checks out, buy as much cheap steel cased ammo you can afford and shoot the crap out of it.

You paid the “doh” tax like many of us have done at one point or another so I see no reason to add insult to injury by eating the cost of the barrel, chances are you’re going to need some trigger time with the platform and I see no better way to do that than a cheap barrel and a few cans of wolf/tula.

I 100% agree with all of the advice already mentioned above my post “but”, if a qualified gun smith says it’s safe to shoot, I’d shoot it until I want more out of the gun and then replace the barrel with something better.
And how much is he going to pay a gunsmith to inspect the barrel? I'd move on personally.
 
Personally I’d have an armor check the chamber and head space and it if checks out, buy as much cheap steel cased ammo you can afford and shoot the crap out of it.


I 100% agree with all of the advice already mentioned above my post “but”, if a qualified gun smith says it’s safe to shoot, I’d shoot it until I want more out of the gun and then replace the barrel with something better.

For as little as I paid for the barrel, I don't want to invest any more into it. I'll just get a better barrel and move on, and keep this one around as a reminder to buy quality instead of "cheap."



You paid the “doh” tax like many of us have done at one point or another so I see no reason to add insult to injury by eating the cost of the barrel, chances are you’re going to need some trigger time with the platform and I see no better way to do that than a cheap barrel and a few cans of wolf/tula.

I really don't want to throw more money at a mistake I already made. You're right: I definitely want more "trigger" time with the platform, but I want it to be "quality" time with a safe and accurate instrument. The fastest way to "turn me off" on this platform is to spend it with a flawed gun. Besides, I want my first build to be something I can be proud of. I made a mistake buying that barrel. I'm not ashamed to admit that, but I think it would be a BIGGER mistake to disregard it, and attempt to fire it with that barrel. The SWAT team guy who gave the barrel a thumbs down asked me if I was willing to take a chance with the extremely high chamber pressures, literally inches from my face in a questionable barrel? Nah, I think I'll chalk it up to a learning experience, and finish the build with a different barrel of documented safety.

Safety is my No. 1 priority with this build; "pretty" comes after that.
 
Lots of Ballistic Advantage barrels to be had right around $100 that will serve you very well. Smart move to move on from the cheap barrel.
 
They took one look at the now exposed barrel, and the first thing they condemned was the aluminum gas block.

What type and/or brand of gas block is it?

A well-made aluminum GB will serve you every bit as well as steel, and you can install gas blocks that don't require dimples or set screws if your barrel doesn't have dimples.

Just a heads up that may save you unnecessary money expenditures and headaches.
 
I have never staked set screws on gas blocks. The barrel is dimpled so there is a point for the set screws to prevent the gas block moving. Loctite is added to the set screws.

CD
 
Sorry I haven't been back in a while...

What type and/or brand of gas block is it?

A well-made aluminum GB will serve you every bit as well as steel, and you can install gas blocks that don't require dimples or set screws if your barrel doesn't have dimples.

I had no idea, so I pulled the invoice to look...

It's listed as:
"Gas Block UTG PRO 4/15 4-RAIL GS BLCK .75 BBL " and priced at $34.97.

This barrel doesn't have dimples for the setscrews. Since this is my first attempt at building an AR, and learning as I go, once I mounted the gas block, before I tightened the mounting screws down, I actually attached a short length of "fish tank" air hose to the end of the gas tube, and BLEW through it to make sure I heard air coming out of the barrel. Go ahead and laugh, but I figured it'd be a way to positively verify that I had the gas block aligned over the hole in the barrel. I did hear air in the barrel, so I tightened everything down. I figured that after I fired it, and if all was ok, I would use red Loc-Tite to secure the setscrews. I never made it that far...


I have never staked set screws on gas blocks. The barrel is dimpled so there is a point for the set screws to prevent the gas block moving. Loctite is added to the set screws.

CD

Have you ever used aluminum gas blocks? This barrel isn't dimpled, so I was going to use Loc-Tite on the setscrews after I knew everything else was ok.

Should it be a "deal-breaker" if a barrel does not have dimples for the gas block setscrews, or is that just considered a "luxury?"
 
Sorry I haven't been back in a while...



I had no idea, so I pulled the invoice to look...

It's listed as:
"Gas Block UTG PRO 4/15 4-RAIL GS BLCK .75 BBL " and priced at $34.97.

This barrel doesn't have dimples for the setscrews. Since this is my first attempt at building an AR, and learning as I go, once I mounted the gas block, before I tightened the mounting screws down, I actually attached a short length of "fish tank" air hose to the end of the gas tube, and BLEW through it to make sure I heard air coming out of the barrel. Go ahead and laugh, but I figured it'd be a way to positively verify that I had the gas block aligned over the hole in the barrel. I did hear air in the barrel, so I tightened everything down. I figured that after I fired it, and if all was ok, I would use red Loc-Tite to secure the setscrews. I never made it that far...




Have you ever used aluminum gas blocks? This barrel isn't dimpled, so I was going to use Loc-Tite on the setscrews after I knew everything else was ok.

Should it be a "deal-breaker" if a barrel does not have dimples for the gas block setscrews, or is that just considered a "luxury?"

I would only consider it necessary if a serious fighting rifle, range/hunting rifle not so much. I've got 3ea 18" .223 Wylde chambered barrels (each different twist) that don't have dimples for the gas block. I use a out of spec gas block (gas tube pin hole and gas port both on the same side) as a guide for a drill to dimple the barrel. 242 Blue Loctite is what the TM calls for use in service.

Here's another on going thread over on ARFCOM, I'm the same log in.
https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Gas-Block-Set-Screws/118-735752/

CD
 
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