LensWork Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 I found your website while searching for information about .308 barrels. I am a former Marine, LEO and a retired photojournalist - mainly shooting sports, the last 13 years before I retired working as a contractor for Daytona International Speedway. I am in the process of building a .308 AR; I have all of the parts except for the BCG and the barrel. I had planned on using a Ballistic Advantage .308 Fluted Premium Series 18” Heavy Barrel. Unfortunately it appears that BA has discontinued this model. I was on the waitlist at BA and at least a half-dozen BA dealers for the barrel, but BA has removed it from their website recently indicating that they are no longer offering this model. I chose this model because I have a 14.5” version of the same one on my custom Aero Precision M4E1 in .223 Wylde and I have been very pleased with it. So the search for a new barrel is on. I want an 18” barrel as a compromise between a 16” and a 20”. The 18” will give me higher velocity than a 16”, while being lighter in weight and more portable than a 20”. This AR .308 will be an all-purpose rifle for both hunting and long(ish) target range use. I have considered a carbon fiber barrel, but they seem to suffer from vertical stringing when shooting multiple rounds at a relatively quick pace, the same issue that plagues slim barrels. I am also not really excited about spending $600-$900 on a barrel. I am considering the Wilson Combat Tactical Hunter, 18", 1-11.25 Twist, Stainless, Fluted barrel. It appears to have the features that I am wanting, namely a heavy profile but weighing less than 3 lb. Any other suggestions that the group would have will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for allowing me to join the group. I am looking forward to learning more about the .308 AR platform from the group and at some point being able to contribute my experience to the group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtallen83 Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Welcome from Iowa! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armed Eye Doc Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Welcome to the forum. What is your prospective range? A 16 inch rifle will easily reach 600yds+ on a target. Responsible hunting distance is a different story. Your skill plays into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARTrooper Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 What type of hunting? Spot and talk or something more like little walking to a stand or blind and wait for an animal to walk by? my 260 rem with a 16” hbar barrel is far from light at over 12 pounds with optic. If I would have done it again I would have gone with a lighter 16” barrel. So when you want a 18” heavy barrel, just realize that is going to be a gun most people are not going to want to walk around with. Welcome to the forum, hope you get the advice you are looking for and don’t make the same mistakes we have made. 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rsquared Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Welcome aboard from Maryland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unforgiven Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Welcome from Indiana brother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpshooter Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Welcome from Arkansas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooterrex Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Welcome from KY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LensWork Posted February 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Thank you very much for all of your kind welcome to the group. I landed on an 18” barrel as there seems to be a precipitous drop-off in velocity (~-50 FPS/inch) with the .308 Winchester (150-175 gr. loads) on barrel lengths any shorter, while there is minimal velocity gains (~+20 FPS/inch) with longer barrel lengths, so 18” seems to be the “sweet spot” of velocity vs. weight/length. There are a couple of facilities within a short drive of me that have 1000 yd. ranges, so that would be the maximum distance I would be able to shoot. With an 18” barrel loads like the M118LR and the Federal GMM 175 gr. SMK remain supersonic to 1,000 yards, while with a 16” barrel the same loads drop below supersonic at less than 950 yards. With regards to hunting, here in Florida the most common game is deer and feral hogs, both of which are usually taken from stands at distances less than 100 yards (actually less than 50 yds.), but I have family in Texas and Wyoming that have land where the hunting is usually spot and stalk where the range, in the case of Wyoming, be several hundred yards for elk. I intend to put a Trijicon 2.5-15X56 scope on the .308; such an optic should offer excellent versatility for both close-in hunting at twilight and reaching out to ring steel at 1,000 yards. As a sports photographer my race-day equipment load was 40+ lbs. for an event like the Daytona 500. I would carry this load for 12+ hours and walk several miles over the course of the day, so a 10-15 lb. rifle would be substantially less than what I was used to. That being said, I was forced into retirement due to health issues including a heart attack, 3 knee surgeries, surgery on my neck and both shoulders (carrying all that gear took its toll), so the lighter the rifle the better, without sacrificing any performance. The Wilson barrel that I mentioned in my first post weighs 38.4 oz, which is almost a half-pound less than the BA barrel that I originally planned on, so BA discontinuing it may be a blessing in disguise. The reviews for the Wilson AR barrels are very positive and report sub-MOA accuracy. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for other options. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooterrex Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 (edited) My Wilson 16" 6.5 creedmoor barrel shoots less than MOA But w/American Gunner sub 1/2 MOA. They make great barrels. Edited February 23, 2021 by shooterrex add pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LensWork Posted February 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 I started another thread in the member build category with my list of parts. It seemed more appropriate to continue the discussion of the specifics of my build there than here in the introductions category. I would greatly appreciate it if those of you that have queried my purpose/expectations of this, my first AR. .308 build, could review my parts list and make any suggestions in the new thread located here: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unforgiven Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 14 hours ago, shooterrex said: My Wilson 16" 6.5 creedmoor barrel shoots less than MOA But w/American Gunner sub 1/2 MOA. They make great barrels. Good shooting brother 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrade Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 welcome from eastern Nebraska. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagebrush Posted February 24, 2021 Report Share Posted February 24, 2021 welcome from oregon. thank you for serving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cunuckgaucho Posted February 24, 2021 Report Share Posted February 24, 2021 Welcome from BC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted February 24, 2021 Report Share Posted February 24, 2021 On 2/22/2021 at 7:59 PM, LensWork said: So the search for a new barrel is on. I want an 18” barrel as a compromise between a 16” and a 20”. The 18” will give me higher velocity than a 16”, while being lighter in weight and more portable than a 20”. This AR .308 will be an all-purpose rifle for both hunting and long(ish) target range use. I 20 hours ago, LensWork said: I landed on an 18” barrel as there seems to be a precipitous drop-off in velocity (~-50 FPS/inch) with the .308 Winchester (150-175 gr. loads) on barrel lengths any shorter, while there is minimal velocity gains (~+20 FPS/inch) with longer barrel lengths, so 18” seems to be the “sweet spot” of velocity vs. weight/length. There are a couple of facilities within a short drive of me that have 1000 yd. ranges, so that would be the maximum distance I would be able to shoot. With an 18” barrel loads like the M118LR and the Federal GMM 175 gr. SMK remain supersonic to 1,000 yards, while with a 16” barrel the same loads drop below supersonic at less than 950 yards. Welcome aboard. Buy this barrel, and you'll never, ever look back. It's 18'5", but it's the best barrel you can get for decent money, for what you want to do. 2 of us here have this barrel, and we love it. At distance, it gets the job done. https://www.fulton-armory.com/barrelfatitan185nmmedss1x10936gasblock.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpete Posted February 24, 2021 Report Share Posted February 24, 2021 ^^^^ What he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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