Opinions on Stainless BCM barrel for AR Upper

[RT13]

Going to get a 16 inch barrelled midlength upper for my other AR lower, and am contemplating which one to get, the BCM stainless, stainless ionized black finish, light barrel w/ Chrome lining, or standard cold hammer forged chrome line barrel. I researched the accuracy of the stainless barrel and even read a thorough torture test performed by someone at ar15.com. Just want your opinions and feedbacks on the pros n consof these barrels. It will be for plinking or shtf but when o buy something, I want it to outlast me and my intended use.

[till44]

I have one of their SS410 16" 1:8 barrels. It's great for accuracy and does perform slightly better than my BCM 16" 1:7 chrome lined AR. I'm sure you have seen the reviews of people taking these barrels out past 400 yards and getting consistent shots/groups. I haven't taken mine out that far, but around 150-175 it shot very well.

[Jpach]

What kind of groups are you guys getting with match ammo? And howabout everybody else?

[vta]

For a 16 inch barrel, i would go with the chrome lined hammer forged barrel. SS410 barrels are best in a 18+ inch config with rifle length gas for best accuracy.

[esskay]

My 2cents -- I wouldn't really hinge the decision based on barrel length. Barrel length doesn't necessarily affect accuracy, you'll get more velocity out of the longer barrels. This will begin to help you more as you reach out to longer distances.

Rifle-length (vs mid-length or carbine-length) gas system also doesn't really affect accuracy but will give you a softer shooting gun with a nicer recoil impulse -- helps with your recovery & shot-to-shot times.

If your intended use is plinking & SHTF, I'd look first at the chrome lined hammer forged, prioritizing longevity/maintenance over precision. Also for that purpose, I'd lean toward shorter & lighter (e.g. 16" mid-length in a light or medium contour).

If you were shooting 3-gun with it, I'd say 18" rifle length gas. If you liked the Recce type of concept for more precision, the 16" stainless would come into play.

ETA - where available I prefer 1:8 twist.

[till44]

What kind of groups are you guys getting with match ammo? And howabout everybody else?

Here's a few reviews from BCM's site. My results are pretty similar, I'm not much of a precision shooter so I never took the time to really check my results.

As Accurate as they come!!! March 18, 2010
Reviewer: Rob H from Las Vegas, NV United States
Just got back from the Las Vegas Desert after pinning my new BCM SS410 Upper to my Tactical Innovations Billet Lower. The results were nothing short of astonishing!! With the BCM/Troy up front, and the Matech flip up in back, I was shooting 1.5 MOA groups @100M standing. This weapon is much better than I am. The Scope arrives soon, then we'll see what she'll do off the Bags/Bench. I could hear the Desert Varmints quaking in their Fur. Soon the 40gn Hornady Vmax custom Varmint loads will be dispatching these Critters to the great beyond. BCM has created an awesome combination, and gets it quickly to your door. Highly Recommended !!


Accurate & Good Looking August 25, 2009
Reviewer: Long Rifle from Northern California
Capable of 12-shot 2" groups @ 100 yds with run-of-the-mill 55gr FMJ M193 ammo. I haven't tried heavier match ammo yet, but I'm sure it will be one MOA or smaller. Any Joe Blow can pull off sub MOA 3-shot groups. But it takes an upper like this to maintain a tight 12-shot group.


Awesome July 28, 2009
Reviewer: Pat M from Waupaca, WI United States
This upper runs like a dream. Accuracy is unequaled! This gun is out of the box pounding better groups down range than my bull barrel bench gun. You can't hear it enough, Bravo rocks!

[mydogsmonkey]

i got one, mounted with a ta11f it shoots out to 500 yards and 600 yard steel plates pretty easily once you get the windage and all, i love the barrel profile as well, i have the bare stainless one btw, i figured the metal wouldn't rust for what i'm using it for and its not like i'm some special forces op or anything so if it does become my SHTF gun, i'll just spray paint the whole gun some camo,

[killshot44]

Well, you read it on the internet so it must be true...

[ar15barrels]

Well, you read it on the internet so it must be true...

This.

[RT13]

Well gee, thanks for your input on the topic and question....

Well, you read it on the internet so it must be true...

[cmace22]

Is there any real advantage to a Stainless barrel over a standard or CHF barrel. Looking to get an 18" but Bravo only has the 18" in SS.

Ive heard the stainless will wear out quicker and may offer a slight accuracy improvement given the shooter knows what he's doing.

Does anyone make a 18" CHF 1/8" barrel/

[mydogsmonkey]

Is there any real advantage to a Stainless barrel over a standard or CHF barrel. Looking to get an 18" but Bravo only has the 18" in SS.

Ive heard the stainless will wear out quicker and may offer a slight accuracy improvement given the shooter knows what he's doing.

Does anyone make a 18" CHF 1/8" barrel/

i like that the SS410 barrels have a nicer profile, more suited towards what i was looking for in a barrel, so that ultimately made my decision between the SS, BFH, and standard

[esskay]

Is there any real advantage to a Stainless barrel over a standard or CHF barrel. Looking to get an 18" but Bravo only has the 18" in SS.

Ive heard the stainless will wear out quicker and may offer a slight accuracy improvement given the shooter knows what he's doing.

Does anyone make a 18" CHF 1/8" barrel/

Accuracy differential can be much more than slight. Let's say your chrome lined barrel is capable of 2 MOA or 3 MOA. At 200 yds that's a 4-6" inch spread assuming you are perfect. At 300 yds, 8-12"! Compare to a really good stainless barrel capable of 0.5-1 MOA. At 300 yds, that's 1.5-3"

If your target is typically a 6 foot tall humanoid, that's one thing. If your target is typically a 10" round steel flasher, that's another!