Barrel replacement?

Donster 125

Donster 125

CGN frequent flyer
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
59   0   0
Location
Toronto
Hello all!

Quick question:

Should I replace my DD m4v5 barrel with a custom one from ATRS? Like a 1:8 .223 wylde chambering?

I plan on putting an ACOG on my rifle and I want to maximize accuracy. I plan on shooting predominantly 55gr, and I've been reading a lot on over-spinning of bullets from a 1:7 twist and ideal bullet weight vs. barrel twist.

Your thoughts are appreciated!

D
 
What sort of current performance are you getting with it?
If you have not yet shot it, I would say to wait a bit until you get a feel for the rifle, that way you'll definitely know what upgrades, if any, are important and how they're affecting the rifle's performance.
At this point, probably a Giselle trigger would do more for less than the cost of a custom ATRS barrel. $550 for longer than 14" or somesuch?
 
Last edited:
Stevebot-7 said:
What sort of current performance are you getting with it?
If you have not yet shot it, I would say to wait a bit until you get a feel for the rifle, that way you'll definitely know what upgrades, if any, are important and how they're affecting the rifle's performance.
At this point, probably a Giselle trigger would do more for less than the cost of a custom ATRS barrel. $550 for longer than 14" or somesuch?
Click to expand...

I'd say even the trigger may not be necessary. The DD triggers aren't too bad to begin with, and an ACOG is hardly a precision optic. That said, the rifle should eassily shoot between 1 and 2 MOA with the ACOG and decent ammo. More than acceptable for a carbine that likely won't be shot further than 200 yards.

Also the idea of wanting to maximize accuracy, but using 55gr ammo and an ACOG, hardly adds up. If you want maximum accuracy, something based of a 20" Stag would be a far better starting point, free floated match barrel, match trigger, 3.5-10x40 or similar optic. High quality ammunition is also important, and will make the largest difference, far more than the increase in accuracy you'll see with a new barrel and match trigger on the DD.
 
Over spinning bullets is a load of hooey. One of my most accurate varmint rifles has a very fast twist barrel and shoots lightweight bullets into a single hole. At the very extremes of accuracy, bullet length and spin rate will make a difference but I can assure you no tactical style AR will ever be able to take advantage of that. Shoot your rifle as is. Practice is going to make 100 times more difference to your accuracy than a new barrel.
 
Donster 125 said:
Hello all!

Quick question:

Should I replace my DD m4v5 barrel with a custom one from ATRS? Like a 1:8 .223 wylde chambering?

I plan on putting an ACOG on my rifle and I want to maximize accuracy. I plan on shooting predominantly 55gr, and I've been reading a lot on over-spinning of bullets from a 1:7 twist and ideal bullet weight vs. barrel twist.

Your thoughts are appreciated!

D
Click to expand...


Perhaps one of the most accurate rifles I've ever owned was a .222 M-700 with a 1:7 Gaillard barrel. If the fast twist was not supposed to shoot light bullets well, no one bothered to tell this rifle, which would shoot quarter minute groups with 52 gr MK's all day long. What a fast twist barrel does do for you though is stabilize longer bullets then the slower twist barrel will. The fast twist also improves terminal performance, should that matter, in that the faster spinning thin skinned varmint bullet is more explosive on impact then one which spins slower and in the case of a heavy jacketed game bullet, it penetrates deeper as a result of reducing yaw at impact. If there was a disadvantage to the fast twist barrel on my rifle, it was that I had to stop using thin jacketed bullets like the various Hornet bullets or the Sierria Blitz, which would frequently go to pieces on the way to the target. Conversely, I've found myself frustrated when observing heavy for caliber bullets not stabilizing in flight when fired from standard or slow twist barrels.
 
55 grain FMJ is what I mostly shoot through my Daniel Defense AR. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these barrels for almost any bullet that doesn't have an overly thin jacket. I suggest trying match type bullets if you want to improve accuracy before entertaining a barrel swap.

The Geissele trigger would be a reasonable upgrade if you want to do a lot of precision type shooting.

Also, have you considered one of the 1-4x optics? These give you the functionality of the ACOG, but the ability to turn down the magnification gives you more versatility.
 
Suputin said:
Over spinning bullets is a load of hooey. One of my most accurate varmint rifles has a very fast twist barrel and shoots lightweight bullets into a single hole. At the very extremes of accuracy, bullet length and spin rate will make a difference but I can assure you no tactical style AR will ever be able to take advantage of that. Shoot your rifle as is. Practice is going to make 100 times more difference to your accuracy than a new barrel.
Click to expand...


:agree:

I've read from a few different sources that you can't over-stabilize a bullet. The only thing you have to worry about is spinning the bullet faster than it was designed to spin and having it come apart as it leaves the muzzle. You won't have to worry about that with 55gr FMJ though, maybe with some soft jacketed varmint rounds but even then I doubt it would be a problem.
Try it and if your barrel likes it great, if not try different ammo. You will need to experiment to find what your barrel shoots the best. My 1:7 may not shoot American Eagle 55gr as well as your 1:7 barrel. If it doesn't like 55gr then try 62gr or even 75gr. Chances are the ammo it shoots best isn't going to be cheap surplus and you will be better off shooting the 55gr surplus for general plinking and then pull out the good stuff when you want to shoot for accuracy.

If you want accuracy you need good shooting form from a solid rest, quality optics, and quality ammo. If you feed it Norinco surplus using an eBay knock-off scope you probably aren't going to get the accuracy your rifle is capable of, putting a $600 barrel on it won't change that.
 
cr5 said:
:agree:

I've read from a few different sources that you can't over-stabilize a bullet. The only thing you have to worry about is spinning the bullet faster than it was designed to spin and having it come apart as it leaves the muzzle. You won't have to worry about that with 55gr FMJ though, maybe with some soft jacketed varmint rounds but even then I doubt it would be a problem.
Try it and if your barrel likes it great, if not try different ammo. You will need to experiment to find what your barrel shoots the best. My 1:7 may not shoot American Eagle 55gr as well as your 1:7 barrel. If it doesn't like 55gr then try 62gr or even 75gr. Chances are the ammo it shoots best isn't going to be cheap surplus and you will be better off shooting the 55gr surplus for general plinking and then pull out the good stuff when you want to shoot for accuracy.

If you want accuracy you need good shooting form from a solid rest, quality optics, and quality ammo. If you feed it Norinco surplus using an eBay knock-off scope you probably aren't going to get the accuracy your rifle is capable of, putting a $600 barrel on it won't change that.
Click to expand...

where do you find that heavy grain stuff? anywhere in bulk?
 
Donster 125 said:
where do you find that heavy grain stuff? anywhere in bulk?
Click to expand...

62gr is the heaviest I've seen in bulk.
Precision shooting doesn't usually require bulk purchases. That's why I suggested you buy bulk for plinking and when you want to do serious shooting you pull out the good stuff that you have found works well in your particular rifle. A few boxes of good stuff each trip out with a few more boxes of bulk will probably be a good afternoon if you are trying to hit what you are aiming at.

Try a few different types of 55gr that you can get in bulk, you may just find a round that works well in your barrel. Don't fall for all the internet expert advice about different weights for different twists, those are generalizations and while longer heavier bullets do require tighter twists that same tight twist barrel can still shoot lighter bullets.
If you look into it it isn't even weight that is how you judge your optimum twist rate by, it is bullet length but longer usually goes along with heavier.
http://kwk.us/twist.html
http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi

http://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistics/calculators/calculators.shtml
 
Last edited:
I've got one of those ATRS barrels that your thinking of but I was using it to shoot at 1000 yards yesterday with 77gr bullets. Bulk 55gr works fine with it and is more accurate than I can shoot while standing at 100 yards and under.
 
alphaq227 said:
I've got one of those ATRS barrels that your thinking of but I was using it to shoot at 1000 yards yesterday with 77gr bullets. Bulk 55gr works fine with it and is more accurate than I can shoot while standing at 100 yards and under.
Click to expand...

thanks! what twist rate did you go with? 1:7?
 
You can buy bulk reloading heavy bullets.

What previous posters have said about the mugged are true and some fast twist barrels do like light bullets. And yes certain varmint bullets have thin jackets that do not take fast twist/high velocity that well.

Just shoot the 55 grain and see where you are at first.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom