AR Stoner Barrel Question

It says right on that web page:
Gas Block Diameter: 0.750"

That is the standard AR-15 gas block measurement, and the front sight is attached to the gas block.

rc

Anyone know about the quality of the AR stoner barrels? The price is very nice, but are they accurate? Will they last?

I know nothing about them other then AR Stoner is one of Midways house brand trade names like Caldwell, Wheeler Engeneering, etc..

Apparently, they are trying to make a catchy word connection with Eugene Stoner, the designer of the original Armalite AR-15/M16, who had nothing to do with Midway, or it's barrels.

I imagine they are made for Midway by one of the companies that make AR barrels in that price range for other companies.

I wouldn't expect it to be a tack-driver, but I would expect it to work just fine.

rc

There are much better barrels out there in 6.8SPC for less money.
Here they are:
http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Match-Grade-Barrel-68-SPC-Recon-18-Stainless/productinfo/TR-68RC18/

This one includes the super bolt:
http://www.ar15performance.com/inc/sdetail/1063

Shaw makes the stoner barrels.

They are also the ones that "borrowed" the design of the barrel (and the 5R buttoner to make the rifiling) from AR15performance

see the thread from 68 forums http://www.68forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12443



I am taking the plunge and trying out the 20" AR-stoner barrel on a new build (converting an older 6.8 Sammi spec chambered 16" gun over to the 20 stoner barrel

Looks like a decent barrel. There are others cheaper with the same specs. I'd shop it further.

Use of the "Stoner" name puts me off. If the family licensed it, whatever, but a good barrel will stand on it's specs and the makers rep. It won't need a historic link to embellish it.

Wilson, ARPerformance, and Bison are serious 6.8 suppliers, rather than a general gun parts reseller. If anything, it's hard to choose.

Since you asked, I just got through returning the 2nd 1 in 7 M4 (.223) style Stoner barrel back to Midway. Both had a huge burr where the gas port was drilled into the bore. The burr was so large that I could not get a .22 patch through the barrel. The barrels were both dirty and required cleaning before firing. I returned both for credit and bought a Beaver Creek Armory barrel (1 in 9) 16" medium profile from Brownell's. Bore is clean, and there is no burr at the gas port. YMMV-

DougW said:

Since you asked, I just got through returning the 2nd 1 in 7 M4 style Stoner barrel back to Midway. Both had a huge burr where the gas port was drilled into the bore. The burr was so large that I could not get a .22 patch through the barrel. The barrels were both dirty and required cleaning before firing. I returned both for credit and bought a Beaver Creek Armory barrel (1 in 9) 16" medium profile from Brownell's. Bore is clean, and there is no burr at the gas port. YMMV-

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I have heard other manufacturers specifically mention this burr in their break-in info that comes with their barrels. The gas port is the last step for the barrel and can leave the burr. One barrel maker I know states that the best way to remove it is with a bullet. The 1st shot of the barrel will remove it and not harm anything. Not my words, but a very credible source.

I have always been concerned with firing 1st shots of a new gun in a dirty bore, but then again, unless we clean before every round, we always shoot dirty bores (especially "working" guns).

68wj, if you want to shoot the first shot through a bore coated with cutting oils and grime, knock your lights out. You must know more about this subject than I do.

BTW, the burr was a ring that involved the entire diameter of the gas port. I am not talking about a little chip.

DougW said:

68wj, if you want to shoot the first shot through a bore coated with cutting oils and grime, knock your lights out. You must know more about this subject than I do.

BTW, the burr was a ring that involved the entire diameter of the gas port. I am not talking about a little chip.

Click to expand...

Not sure how much you know, so I can't compare. And again, I was not claiming that this is an end all solution, just passing something based on your noted problem. A ring around the entire diameter does sound substantial enough to warrant the return and was not clear in post #9.

If you couldn't knock it out with a cleaning jag, it must have had a good root. Being a specific caliber like the 6.8 reduces the chance a burr like that would exist. The major 6.8 makers aren't swamped putting out hundreds of barrels a week for a commodity market. Their reputation is right out there, unlike the unnamed shop cranking out tubes for someone else.

I haven't read any of them suggesting a dirty new barrel be shot uncleaned, but the initial breakin for a lot of them suggest the typical burr will be shot out very quickly. The Army does NOT have a special procedure for shooting in new bores, they just go to the range on that day, sight in, and shoot for record. I've done it with a new M16A2 from FN and saw no noticeable difference in score. Just another day at the range.

with any new barrel you should clean it (just like a dirty barrel) before shooting. every set of instructions I have ever read for a new firearm (or a barrel makers instructions) state to clean it before shooting. This is to remove and debris that might be left over from the machining process and also to remove the anti-rust / preservative coatings on the barrel (and the gun). This is what most folks fail to do with a new weapon (and they wonder why their trigger sucks or why they have FTE's or FTF's ) .... If your burr is substantial and is not removed by the simple process or running a brush down the bore then send it back to the factory.

and again the AR-Stoner 6.8 barrels are made by ER Shaw. It doesn't mean that you will get a top rate match barrel like shaw makes for small/single orders, it means that Shaw made a large run of barrels for AR-Stoner. and yes, Shaw is not the only barrel maker to do large runs for other companies. So, the typical meticulous manufacturing of a top quality match barrel is not what you will get from a large batch run for another maker,but you will get a good barrel.

heck i just bought a 6.8 barrel from black hole weaponry (another top barrel maker in the semi-auto AR type rifle scene) and it was an overrun he had from a large batch he made for a major rifle maker so the specs on it were a little different than what he normally sells (he uses poly rifling and a 1:11 twist or higher, and this barrel was enfield/5R rifled and had a 1:10 twist, but the price was also about $100 lower than his regular barrels that you have to custom order). This is just the business of the gun (and other) industries to farm out work if they either are back logged or do not have the machinery or expertise to make that particular item.

Just to be clear on my post (and I DO appreciate any input) the barrels in question are .223 (actually 5.56X45) not 6.8 (I have edited my post #9 to reflect this). I was only comparing with the OP because they are the AR Stoner brand marketed by MidwayUSA. Midway has done the right thing and credited me back on both barrels with shipping charges.

so, who the heck knows who made the 5.56 barrels.

ER Shaw made the 6.8 barrels..

next time start your own thread if it pertains to a different product. It got a lot of folks confused on this.

alright, venting over with. if you want a good 5.56 barrel get one of the various major name brand makers barrels.

Universal, thanks for realigning my thinking. I thought we were talking about AR Stoner. Sorry if my 5.56 barrels offended you.

Universal Frost, have you shot the AR Stoner 6.8 x 43 barrel yet? Performance?

i ended up going with a custom spec'd barrel (built to my spec's) from black hole weaponry.