Rainier Arms Select 5.56MM Barrel

[UWone77]

I recently had the opportunity to shoot Rainier Arms' newest line of barrels. These are priced at $189.99 which in itself is a bargain for a stainless steel mid-length gas system. For those that are looking to put together a budget recce type rifle, or a precision plinker, this looks like an appealing option. I also like the fact this is a 1:8 twist barrel as it will shoot 55gr practice ammo that I'm used to as well as the heavier 75 and 77gr match ammo. A few friends were interested as soon as they saw it on the website, so naturally I wanted to test it out.

Here are the specs taken from the Rainier Arms website:

Rainier Arms Select 16” Barrel in Black Oxide
Stainless Steel
Gas Block Seat .750
M4 Feed ramps
Mid-length gas system
1:8 twist
5.56 Chamber
MP Tested

John at Rainier Arms told me he was getting 1 MOA out of this barrel at 100 yards. Knowing this, I wanted to see what it could do at longer distances. I will preface this review by saying I'm not a marksman by any means. I'm an LEO that likes to shoot, but normally shoot targets at 50 to 100 yards. We don't normally engage targets at longer distances than this, because our department does not authorize magnified optics for patrol use. Shooting at distances of 200 and longer is a newer experience for me.

Equipment used:
Rainier Arms Lower (as seen in a previous review)
Rainier Arms Gen 1 Forged Upper
Rainier Arms X11 Rails
Rainier Arms Match low profile gas block
AR15 Bolt Carrier Group

Optic: Trijicon ACOG TA01 on a Larue mount

Ammo: Hornady Match 75gr BTHP

Weather: Clear, 39 degrees, calm winds.

First I ran this barrel through 200 rounds on the 50 yard range to test out the build. I was also seeing how much heat I could feel through the X11 Rails (coming review down the road) Between several mag dumps and slow shooting standing, there were no malfunctions. Remington 55gr UMC ammuntion was used.

Originally I wanted to do 10 shot groups, but 20 rounds is all I had on hand after zeroing the sight. I wanted 100, 200, and 300 yard distances. 5 shot groups was a compromise. When I have more time and ammo, I will either repeat these distances or go to 400 and 500 yards.



100 yards



200 yards



300 yards

At 100 yards the groupings were 1.492 inches.
At 200 yards the groupings were 2.932 inches = 1.466 MOA
At 300 yards the groupings were 3.325 inches = 1.108 MOA

I have no doubt people that maybe reading this have far better skills as a marksman and may have better results than shown here. Based on my own abilities, the performance of this barrel, and price point, I would recommend this barrel for those wanting this type of build & rifle. I plan to shoot this barrel further and will update this as needed.

[zero7one]

Great review and a 3.3" grouping at 300 yards is very well done.

[Paulo_Santos]

Very nice shooting.

[Eric]

Nice indeed. The ACOG TA01 isn't exactly a benchrest optic.

[UWone77]

No, it isn't, but sometimes you have to use what you have!

[UDT]

Well done.

[UWone77]

A quick update to this barrel. So far it's eaten up all kinds of ammo to the tune of 1575 rounds. I haven't been able to shoot it as much as I would have liked, due to our lovely weather. However, I have zero complaints about this barrel. It's accurate and priced right. Dare I say it's on par with the Noveske Afghan?

[Stickman]

I still haven't had a chance to lay my hands on one, but I continue to hear good things about those barrels.

[tac40]

sweet

[UWone77]

There isn't much new to report on this barrel. It hasn't been shot much since the last update. It surpassed 1600 rounds and still holds 1.5 MOA at 300 yards with match ammo. The barrel was taken off my upper and donated to a coworker. He's now using it on a varmit rifle and hunts small game with it. So far he's been very satisfied with the accuracy of the barrel.

I can't say enough about what a great barrel this was and especially at the price point. Eventually, I'll build another one around a Select barrel for personal use.

Happy Shooting.

[ExTester]

I believe these barrels are manufactured by Black Hole Weaponry. They mentioned on their forums that they produce M4 5.56 chamber barrels for Rainier Arms, and 1:8 is their typical twist. Would not be surprised to see that it had a 3 or 5 grove poly rifling.

[84K5]

Its nice to find this review as I just purchased one for my next, and according to my wife, final build. It is 5 groove poly rifled.

[UWone77]

Wives... so out of touch with reality when it comes to AR builds!

[tac40]

Nice, I have to get my hands on one of these.

[SwissyJim]

I have their UltraMatch .308 20" barrel and I love it... coupled with Battlecomp BABC, it's a fun gun to shoot