Flabbergasted Posted August 4, 2016 Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 I'm going to start my first AR 308 build in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to decide on which American Defense barrel (made by Criterion) to go with. I've narrowed it down to a 16" stainless steel barrel nitride finish with rifle length gas. The only thing I'm debating is whether to go with the heavy profile or hybrid contour. The heavy weighs 3 lbs 1 oz and the hybrid weighs 2 lbs 6 oz. Would the heavy barrel be too damn heavy? Or would it be fine? I'm leaning heavy, but I don't have experience shooting an AR 308 with that type of barrel. I know the SR25 EMC has a heavy profile barrel but it has dimples to lighten it up. Link to ADM https://www.americandefensemanufacturing.com/view/product/1232/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted August 4, 2016 Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 Welcome to the forum feel free to post in the intro section Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtallen83 Posted August 4, 2016 Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 What are your plans for the rifle, bench gun, hunting......? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flabbergasted Posted August 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 I mostly plan on shooting steel targets at longer ranges, but in the future I will do a little hunting with it. I want it to be a multipurpose gun. I'm kind of leaning towards the heavy profile barrel just because it will be more accurate when the barrel starts to heat up, at least in theory. However, I don't have experience shooting a heavy barrel or hybrid contour barrel in 308 so I don't know how well the hybrid barrel will do once it heats up. I think I might be over thinking this, but if I do go with the heavy barrel I'm not sure it it will feel too heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flabbergasted Posted August 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 2 hours ago, shepp said: Welcome to the forum feel free to post in the intro section Thank you, will do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
survivalshop Posted August 4, 2016 Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 (edited) I have an early Kreiger Criterion Barrel from Futon Armory & its S/S HB with a rifle length gas system , but my Gas Block is 0.936" so its got to heavier then the ones from ADM , if I were to get another on in 16" I would go with the Hybrid , every ounce makes a difference in these 308AR's . Mine shoots very well , but as said its a much different barrel . I have an 18" Hybrid that's Nitrated I got last year from Criterion & it is 1/2 MOA if I do my part with hand loads . I like their Barrels , I have a 20"HB from Fulton , Kreiger Criterion also . Edited August 4, 2016 by survivalshop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flabbergasted Posted August 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 19 minutes ago, survivalshop said: I have an early Kreiger Criterion Barrel from Futon Armory & its S/S HB with a rifle length gas system , but my Gas Block is 0.936" so its got to heavier then the ones from ADM , if I were to get another on in 16" I would go with the Hybrid , every ounce makes a difference in these 308AR's . Mine shoots very well , but as said its a much different barrel . I have an 18" Hybrid that's Nitrated I got last year from Criterion & it is 1/2 MOA if I do my part with hand loads . I like their Barrels , I have a 20"HB from Fulton , Kreiger Criterion also . How does the 18" hybrid shoot when it gets a little hot? Is it still accurate? I plan on saving ounces every where else on the build, even it I don't go with the heavy barrel. I can imagine though that the gun could get heavy real quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue109 Posted August 4, 2016 Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 I havnt had a chance to do any accuracy work on my 16" hybrid...but it's not light by any means. I certainly wouldn't want the heavy on a gun I was going to carry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
survivalshop Posted August 4, 2016 Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 And the Barrel is where most of the weight is . The 18" is still a strong profile & in my testing shot well , hot or cold . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flabbergasted Posted August 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 1 hour ago, blue109 said: I havnt had a chance to do any accuracy work on my 16" hybrid...but it's not light by any means. I certainly wouldn't want the heavy on a gun I was going to carry. I'm interested to know how it does. 1 hour ago, survivalshop said: And the Barrel is where most of the weight is . The 18" is still a strong profile & in my testing shot well , hot or cold . Thanks, good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washguy Posted August 4, 2016 Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 (edited) Flab heres some more choices.. http://www.jsesurplus.com/308.aspx if you want heavy and accurate go find you a DPMS SASS barrel I had a SASS once Wash Edited August 4, 2016 by washguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flabbergasted Posted August 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2016 1 hour ago, washguy said: Flab heres some more choices.. http://www.jsesurplus.com/308.aspx if you want heavy and accurate go find you a DPMS SASS barrel I had a SASS once Wash Thanks for the link! I might go with a Mega Arms barrel, I've heard good things about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
criterionbarrels Posted August 9, 2016 Report Share Posted August 9, 2016 The Hybrid contour design was introduced as a good general purpose option. Unless you're planning on running a half dozen magazine dumps and then need to shoot .5 MOA groups at extended ranges, it should have enough material thickness to keep your groups pretty tight. I've been running a few different Hybrid contour barrels on my personal builds, and have noticed no significant change in group size after a couple magazines emptied with a sustained rate of fire. Feel free to shoot me an email at contact@criterionbarrels.com if you have any other questions. I'd be more than happy to help answer them! -Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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