Another barrel question (Rainier Arms vs Noveske)

[niner]

I am looking at an 18" barrel and thought I wanted a Rainier Arms 18" midlength .223Wylde Ratchet rifling,1/8twist, etc. (it is on their site which I cannot post a link at the moment)

Then I started thinking the same barrel with a rifle length would be something different (I am building my wife a 16"midlength).

But when I started reading about what length gas system to use for an 18" barrel people are saying to go with Noveske 18" with an intermediate length. The Noveske SPR (from memory so I might get something wrong) is a 5.56mm 1/7twist (also at Rainier Arms).

I wanted this gun to be an accurate prairie dog dispatcher for up to or surpassing 400yrds and I've read the .223Wylde is a good accurate chambering for both .223Rem and 5.56, and that the 1/8 twist is good for more bullet weights than 1/7 (which is typically better for the heavier/longer bullets).

I know I am reading too much into this, and if/when I do choose, I will more than likely be ordering from Rainier Arms and there is only a $50 difference in the two barrels (which is almost negligible).

So can y'all please set me straight, personal experiences would be preferred, online rumors are accepted :D. If the guys at Rainier Arms care to chime in, I would love to hear their opinions also.

Thanks.

[Paulo_Santos]

You can't go wrong with either one. For the 18" barrel, the Midlength, Intermediate, and Rifle length gas systems are all good so I wouldn't worry about it. I actually prefer the 1:8" twist for the 556 as it will stabilize everything from 45-80 GR bullets.

[niner]

I was thinking the same thing about the 1:8 twist, especially for the light varmint bullets I plan on using. I will probably end up getting the 18" rifle length barrel, I decided on that one long ago and feel it is still a pretty good choice for what I want.

[niner]

I pulled this from the other thread (http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1669) since this refers to this thread specifically


That is pretty much the golden rule, but not set in stone. You can have the Rifle length gas system with an 18" barrel, but you will have a larger gas port than you would have with a Midlength gas system. With an 18" barrel, you can use a Rifle, Intermediate or Midlength Gas system. They will all work fine if they are gassed properly.

How would I know if they gas port is sufficiently large enough for it to be gassed properly in the 18" rifle length bbl? I know typical SPRs use suppressors and I am not even considering putting one on mine. Am I reading too much into this again?

Thanks again.

[Paulo_Santos]

I pulled this from the other thread (http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1669) since this refers to this thread specifically



How would I know if they gas port is sufficiently large enough for it to be gassed properly in the 18" rifle length bbl? I know typical SPRs use suppressors and I am not even considering putting one on mine. Am I reading too much into this again?

Thanks again.

Definitely reading too much into it. Most barrel manufacturers know what they are doing. Especially guys like Noveske and Rainier Arms.

Ideally, yu want the brass to eject at the 3-4 o'clock position. I always start with the regular carbine buffer and take it from there. If the brass is ejecting at the 1-3 o'clock position, I just switch to a heavier buffer until it ejects at the 3-4 o'clock position. I recently had a barrel that was so overgassed that even with the H3 buffer, Superior Shooting Buffer Spring, and the Enhaned Carrier, it still ejected at the 1-2 o'clock position. The only way to fix that is to use an adjustable gas block or send your barrel to ADCO Firearms and have them plug and re-drill the gas port. That was my only option.

[chase102798]

Hey niner,

I have the 18" mid-length barrel from rainier. I purchased one of their ultra match uppers last year or so. I was in the same boat as you for this rifle. Just interested in accuracy for groundhog dispatch out to 300 yards, etc. I can tell you first off that with black hills ammo or my handloads, this upper regularly produces 1/4-1/2 MOA. 200 yard target shooting just makes me giddy. It shoots nice and soft with a little extra weight under the handguard and that mid-gas. Never shot with a noveske barrel, but these are a purchase that you make and never look back.