ARC Barloc VS WTO Switch Lug

[bug_eyedmonster]

Howdy!

Does anyone have any experience with either option? My action is in, barrels are in, waiting on the stock although my guess is it should be relatively soon. The initial plan was to run the WTO, but my rifle builder thinks the ARC Barloc would be a better option in terms of repeatability and holding zero.

Jerry

[DDRH]

I'm going the Barloc route. I dunno about the WTO. That said, ARC has possibly suspended Barloc sales, due to POI Shifts if the barrel's been "hit" "good enough". this is just what's been reported, and i have no experience with it.

I'm still waiting the long wait from PVA for my Barloc Barreled action.
Snipershide has a thread on this. One member did a test. took a shot, hit the barrel, 2nd shot was off. 3rd and 4th shot seems to line back up to POI. theory is the conical interface helped to recenter the barrel/threads.

If there's a fix from ARC, i hope it doesn't cost me more $$. right after they announced their ARchimedes, i put in a pre-order and a set of Barloc (ordered through ARC). about 2 weeks later the POI shift thread comes up.

[ar15barrels]

Neither are necessary.
Just torque the barrel in to around 50-80 ft-lbs like any other standard bolt action rifle.

[bug_eyedmonster]

I'm going the Barloc route. I dunno about the WTO. That said, ARC has possibly suspended Barloc sales, due to POI Shifts if the barrel's been "hit" "good enough". this is just what's been reported, and i have no experience with it.

I'm still waiting the long wait from PVA for my Barloc Barreled action.
Snipershide has a thread on this. One member did a test. took a shot, hit the barrel, 2nd shot was off. 3rd and 4th shot seems to line back up to POI. theory is the conical interface helped to recenter the barrel/threads.

If there's a fix from ARC, i hope it doesn't cost me more $$. right after they announced their ARchimedes, i put in a pre-order and a set of Barloc (ordered through ARC). about 2 weeks later the POI shift thread comes up.

Do you happen to have a link to that thread? I've not heard of any real firsthand experiences, other than initial testing.

Neither are necessary.
Just torque the barrel in to around 50-80 ft-lbs like any other standard bolt action rifle.

I don't plan to carry a barrel vise and torque wrench with me in the field.

[ar15barrels]

I don't plan to carry a barrel vise and torque wrench with me in the field.

I wouldn't either.
I would do the swaps in the shop.

The whole premise of swapping barrels in the field is very impractical even with the fancy barrel "quick change" devices and is why most people with "switch barrel" guns have them for the idea but don't really do much actual swapping.

[DDRH]

Link to the thread

https://forum.snipershide.com/threads/why-did-arc-suspend-barloc-sales.6926814/

Oh and coo vise for the field

https://forum.snipershide.com/threads/for-those-interested-in-field-swapping-barrels-the-ross-vise.6898393/

https://youtu.be/Xc2DX2W7D_E

For me it's the ease of switching the barrel, pretty much using either one Allen or torque wrench.

Although, I'd like to learn how to do a normal barrel swap, just not sure which vises I need, action wrench too? and a quality ft/lb torque wrench.

Short Action Customs seem to have a nice barrel vise

[OzzieF]

Howdy!

Does anyone have any experience with either option? My action is in, barrels are in, waiting on the stock although my guess is it should be relatively soon. The initial plan was to run the WTO, but my rifle builder thinks the ARC Barloc would be a better option in terms of repeatability and holding zero.

Jerry

I've been running my Barloc for about 600 rounds on my Nucleus. It was pretty easy and quick to spin the barrel on. Hardest part was getting the barloc square on top with the pic rail of the action. I'd say 15 min to spin on with a couple tries to align the top.
I'm not sure about holding zero after swapping the barrel, as I didn't do it to be a switch barrel rifle. Just wanted an easy way to spin a barrel on myself without a vice. But I haven't had an issue with holding zero with the 600 rounds I've shot.


DDRH,

In regards to Patriot Valley, make sure you stay on top of them. I don't like bothering gunsmiths about orders as I know they are busy. But because I didn't, I waited an extra 4 months and had to contact Josh a few times before I actually got my barreled action. He admitted to putting other peoples orders in front of mine because they complained and I didn't. Hopefully he's fixed that with moving of the shop to a bigger spot.

With ARC providing a fix that won't cost you anymore $$. I'm going to go out on a limb and say good luck with that. There has been an issue with the Nucleus actions and light strikes of CCI 450 primers. After contacting them , all I got was "buy one of our heavier firing pin springs". Customer service is not their strong suit.

[diver160651]

Neither are necessary.
Just torque the barrel in to around 50-80 ft-lbs like any other standard bolt action rifle.

I have to agree on this one..

The trick is to buy a couple barrels at the same time.. I do in the same caliber, but your standard 308 bolt face can be an entire host of other SA calibers. 6.5/6/243/308 bla bla bla.

Anyway, these are in some ways, assuming you have a integrated or pinned recoil lug it is much easier than the barrel nut things because you do not need to go thru the go/no go adjustment process and your brass will tend to be more consistent when you go back to a caliber or even switch barrels in the same caliber.. assuming the barrels are spun buy someone good.

[triggs75]

My last two rifles were the nucleus with the ARC system and the origin with a prefit barrel. I much prefer the prefit barrel and was easier to install than the arc system, was just screw on and torque and done. I won’t change out in the field, bought the arc to swap easy at home.

[BillyGoatMachine]

Neither are necessary.
Just torque the barrel in to around 50-80 ft-lbs like any other standard bolt action rifle.

I second this. As cool as some of the new switch barrel systems are, there is no substitute for a shouldered barrel torqued to the action. I put a small indexing mark at top dead center so no torque wrench needed. Just tighten until the mark lines up at 12 o'clock. Just a $50 action wrench and a $75 Viper vise from Brownell's gets you going.

[bug_eyedmonster]

The purpose of this build is to swap out barrels in the field. While I understand there's a easier way to change out barrels in my garage with a vise, that's not an option. I'm pretty sure bolting the vise to a tree isn't going to work either. While I agree that the BEST method is to use a vise with a torque wrench, that's not what I'm asking.

[LynnJr]

I have my action vise mounted on my receiver hitch and the torque wrench stays behind the seat because I need it in case of a flat tire.

It sounds like you are packing a spare barrel out in the woods and changing without any tools?

[DDRH]

I have my action vise mounted on my receiver hitch and the torque wrench stays behind the seat because I need it in case of a flat tire.

It sounds like you are packing a spare barrel out in the woods and changing without any tools?

With a Barloc, he only needs the correct size allen wrench to switch barrels in the field. No vises needed.

Not sure how the WTO works.

[NorCalFocus]

I don't understand why anyone would want to carry two barrels and two different types of ammo into the field for the purpose of switching barrels.

[bug_eyedmonster]

I have my action vise mounted on my receiver hitch and the torque wrench stays behind the seat because I need it in case of a flat tire.

It sounds like you are packing a spare barrel out in the woods and changing without any tools?

The only tools needed for the WTO are allen wrenches and Fix-It sticks. For the ARC version, the tools are the same, plus head space/go gauge.

With a Barloc, he only needs the correct size allen wrench to switch barrels in the field. No vises needed.

Not sure how the WTO works.

I don't understand why anyone would want to carry two barrels and two different types of ammo into the field for the purpose of switching barrels.

Because it's easier to carry two barrels and two types of ammo with one rifle, vs two rifles and to types of ammo.