Which barrel and why?

[thegrandpoohbah]

I'm eyeing up a new build for 3-gun and the upcoming complete 16" uppers from Maple Ridge Armoury caught my eye. The Guardian series uses a 4140 steel barrel with a 1:7 twist chambered in 5.56. The Match series is 416R stainless steel with a 1:8 twist chambered in 223 Wylde. If I am typically shooting bulk 55gr and the occasional box of 62gr ammo which is going to be the better option and why?

 

[Trinimon]

If you're going to be shooting a lot of matches or practicing, I'd say go the 4140. The SS match barrel might be a hair more accurate but you're not shooting precision and also you'll also wear down your SS barrel before the 4140. A 1:8 twist can handle your 55gr to 80gr perfectly fine. If you're going to feed the rifle bulk ammo, you're not going to gain anything much from the more expensive barrel.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[thegrandpoohbah]

Just heard back from a dealer who got a reply from MRA. Apparently all the Guardian barrels are being switched to 4150 steel and all will be chambered in 223 Wylde. So I guess the Guardian upper it is just for the longer barrel life.