AR barrel

It is a lot cheaper to have the muzzle device pinned and welded than to buy a new barrel.

mbogo

What kind of upper is it?

Olympic Arms upper

I'm wondering why your friends panned DPMS so quickly. Oly & DPMS are equal companies. Both Oly & DPMS barrels are from the same two barrel manufacturers. Wilson and Shaw make probably 90% of the AR barrels out there. Everyone uses them. I wonder what your friends were thinking. Or do they know what they're thinking?

To get a handle on real world pricing, go to Gunbroker and click on Firearms Parts & Accessories (don't click on Rifle yet, just the major category Firearms Parts & Acc). Across the top you'll see subcategories, including For AR-15, click that one. Now find the Search box in the upper right hand corner and type 'barrel'. Make sure the box Search Only In AR-15 is checked.

That should bring up 6 or 7 pages of barrels. Go have fun.



Note: Determine whether your receiver has the previous commercial style feed ramps, or the newer M4 style. Your new barrel has to match the receiver.

Alternate: You can buy a 5.5" fake suppressor and have it pinned on your barrel. Last one I bought was $12.

Alternate:
List your upper on this forum in the 'BuySellTrade' section, offer a trade straight across for an upper in CT configuration. The uppers are legal to ship from person to person. No ffl required. And you don't have to worry about matching feed ramp style.

"Your new barrel has to match the receiver."

Not necessarily true; you can install an M4 style barrel on a commercial receiver-- but not the reverse.

A barrel for you must cost 400 to 600?

I'm wondering if your friend the 'gunsmith' is doing you a favor with that advice.
For your use, that sounds like baloney to me.
A couple million other AR owners may agree.
Keep him as a friend, we all need friends.
But unless he's going to finance his own advice to you,
just smile and nod your head.

The barrel you linked looks good. Similar manufacturers are DPMS, Olympic Arms, Model 1, Double Star, CMMG, AR Stoner, Rock River, and others. Also, check out gun parts suppliers that have good prices like Brownell's, MidwayUSA, CDNN Sports, Numrich, and others. Go see what you can find.

One of the fine design elements of the AR rifle is the use of a barrel extension between the barrel and upper receiver. If the barrel extension is installed correctly (get your barrel from a good source like the manufacturers listed above) and the receiver and bolt carrier group are properly assembled, the headspace is generally good.

But you MUST go through the normal safety checks after reassembly. If you don't already have books or honest online resources, go find them. They will explain the procedure clearly.

If you change your barrel, it's up to you to figure out how to do that safely.
It isn't like tying your shoes. Full and complete responsibility for safety is in your hands.

Im new to THR, but I have been into AR's for a while. Here is a barrel from sportsmens guide. Just have a brake permanently attached and your good to go.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/16-inch-m4-style-barrel.aspx?a=606333

QuadKid -
Your question about welding a washer.
You can also put off road tires on an Indy car and call it a truck.
The tires fit, no question about that. But the utility just isn't there.
Flash hiders, compensators, muzzle brakes, and barrel crowns are carefully designed to maximize accuracy by minimizing the way the hot exhaust gas affects the base of the bullet as it leaves the muzzle. The washer welded in a flash hider may fit the Federal definition and be legal, but undoubtedly screws up accuracy.



Barrel listed at Sportsman's Guide-
I notice the twist rate is 1/7.
Much has been made of twist rate in these barrels, most of it is overblown. There is a slight accuracy difference with a fast twist (1/7 means 1 full turn of the rifling for every 7" of barrel) which makes it better for heavy bullets, not so much better for light bullets. That 1/7 twist will work for your plinking needs, but it would be better to get 1/9 for all-around satisfaction. 1/9 is the most common twist rate in commercial AR barrels. (Note: 1/7 is the US military standard, because their current ammo is steel core 62 grain, with heavier bullets for special uses. Sportsmans Guide is probably offering these barrels for those AR owners who want to be exactly like the Army.) 1/7 certainly works for plinking, but 1/9 twist works somewhat better over the whole range of available bullet weights. You can use either, it's up to you.

You could always take a file and do away with the threads on the muzzle. Touch it up with some cold blue afterward.
EDIT: Doh. Just realized you have a length issue too.

Hi, I'm new to this site. I'm recently put together a new upper and I wanna look into getting a new barrel for it. I'm looking for an 18" 1:8 to 1:9 twist black non flutted post ban barrel at a decent price. I've been looking around and really haven't found anything. A lot have the threaded end which I can't have in this state and most are flutted. Any one with any help I much appriciate it.