.223 Wylde barrel worth the swap?

jcm055 · Jan 14, 2018

So a little backstory, I built my first (and only so far) AR using budget stuff, including a Radical Firearms complete 5.56 upper with carbine length gas system and 1:7 twist 16" barrel. It's done well, running a couple hundred rounds through it without issue, but I think it's overgassed as it's kicking shells out about 2 O'clock. My thought was switch to a mid-length gas system and try a .223 Wylde barrel when I do, or try an adjustable gas block. The perk to the former is I'd give my spare parts to my wife's grandfather who is piecing together an AR build.

TL;DR Would a cheap .223 Wylde barrel be better than my cheap 5.56 barrel? Probably be a Bear Creek, PSA or something. It's not a precision rifle but if it's a better barrel for not really much money is it worth a try?

Magdump · Jan 14, 2018

Try Anderson arms for the .223 Wylde HBAR. Last one I bought from them was $121 to my door. You will be pleased. They are fluted and have a 1:8 twist.

100 yards, first shot was 3/4” left. 4 clicks right then 9 more rounds. They like the heavy ammo 75-77 gr of course but I had good results with 855 nato a well.

jcm055 · Jan 14, 2018

Did you go for the RF85 treatment? They've got a lightweight mid length barrel that looks promising and very affordable.

Magdump · Jan 14, 2018

jcm055 said:
Did you go for the RF85 treatment? They've got a lightweight mid length barrel that looks promising and very affordable.

I have a little carbine I built from there with all of the treated parts but not this one.
I can’t speak for the barrel you mentioned but their products have done me right.
I’ve built 4 rifles with that HBAR for family/friends and they are all tack drivers. Not sure about the weight difference between the two barrels but it shouldn’t be very noticeable

jcm055 · Jan 15, 2018

Magdump said:
I have a little carbine I built from there with all of the treated parts but not this one.
I can’t speak for the barrel you mentioned but their products have done me right.
I’ve built 4 rifles with that HBAR for family/friends and they are all tack drivers. Not sure about the weight difference between the two barrels but it shouldn’t be very noticeable

Great to hear. I browsed through Anderson's offerings and the only mid length i see is the lightweight barrel. I guess I could get the HBAR and run an adjustable gas block. The lightweight is appealing as my current upper is a lightweight unit. Wonder how the weight impacts accuracy?

Magdump · Jan 15, 2018

jcm055 said:
Great to hear. I browsed through Anderson's offerings and the only mid length i see is the lightweight barrel. I guess I could get the HBAR and run an adjustable gas block. The lightweight is appealing as my current upper is a lightweight unit. Wonder how the weight impacts accuracy?

yeah, mine is carbine gassed. Only tweaks for accuracy are the linear comp and trigger. I know that total gun weight affects perceived recoil but accuracy might be affected more by a lighter barrel simply because of the barrel. Although both of my old Colt SP rifles with that long skinny barrel are both pretty accurate.

thperez1972 · Jan 15, 2018

What are the practical advantages of the .223 Wylde over a .223/5.56? I won the below barrel from Bayou Gun Runner. I don't have any builds in progress but I've thought about switching out the barrels on an existing build. Does it really make any difference?

BCA AR-15 16" BLACK NITRIDE 416R STAINLESS STEEL HEAVY BARREL, .223 WYLDE, BLACK WOLF FLUTES, CARBINE LENGTH GAS SYSTEM W/ 1:8 TWIST

jcm055 · Jan 15, 2018

My understanding is it uses a mix of .223 chamber and 5.56 as kind of a best of both worlds (can take pressures of 5.56 with accuracy of .223). Basically more accurate, I think...want to sell that one? Haha

thperez1972 · Jan 15, 2018

jcm055 said:
My understanding is it uses a mix of .223 chamber and 5.56 as kind of a best of both worlds (can take pressures of 5.56 with accuracy of .223). Basically more accurate, I think...want to sell that one? Haha

I did think about offering it for sale but I may give it a try. I have to look through my rifles to see where it could go first.

troy_mclure · Jan 16, 2018

cabellas still has that $149 anderson parts kit.

leadslinger972 · Jan 16, 2018

You can pick up a Ballistic Advantage Hanson Series Barrel with a pinned gas block for $170.

There is no reason to buy anything cheaper than that.

ballistic-advantage-performance-series-hanson-5-56mm-4150-chrome-moly-barrel-mid-w-lo-pro-gas-block-16-babl556013f-by-ballistic-advantage-1ca.jpg

shrxfn · Jan 16, 2018

Magdump said:
yeah, mine is carbine gassed. Only tweaks for accuracy are the linear comp and trigger. I know that total gun weight affects perceived recoil but accuracy might be affected more by a lighter barrel simply because of the barrel. Although both of my old Colt SP rifles with that long skinny barrel are both pretty accurate.

If you really want to reduce recoil then I would get a adjustable gas block. I went that route because of suppression but even without the suppressor they shoot very soft when the gas is adjusted correctly.

jcm055 · Jan 16, 2018

shrxfn said:
If you really want to reduce recoil then I would get a adjustable gas block. I went that route because of suppression but even without the suppressor they shoot very soft when the gas is adjusted correctly.

Yeah I may pair the barrel with an adjustable gas block. A friend gave me a decent muzzle break that helped with rise, but it obviously didn't help with ejecting shells forward.

leadslinger972 · Jan 16, 2018

jcm055 said:
So a little backstory, I built my first (and only so far) AR using budget stuff, including a Radical Firearms complete 5.56 upper with carbine length gas system and 1:7 twist 16" barrel. It's done well, running a couple hundred rounds through it without issue, but I think it's overgassed as it's kicking shells out about 2 O'clock. My thought was switch to a mid-length gas system and try a .223 Wylde barrel when I do, or try an adjustable gas block. The perk to the former is I'd give my spare parts to my wife's grandfather who is piecing together an AR build.

TL;DR Would a cheap .223 Wylde barrel be better than my cheap 5.56 barrel? Probably be a Bear Creek, PSA or something. It's not a precision rifle but if it's a better barrel for not really much money is it worth a try?

Would a cheap .223 Wylde Barrel be better? Not necessarily.

A quality barrel with ammunition tailored to the chamber will outperform any quality barrel with a poor fit.

.223 Wylde chambers were designed to tighten up chamber specs, but still be able to handle the higher pressure most 5.56 rounds create.

Ballistic Advantage offers quality barrels that include a pinned low pro gas block that can be bought for around $170. Ballistic Advantage has been making quality barrels for a while, guarantees 1/2 MOA accuracy, and all have a NiB barrel extension.

You will not see much of a difference between a 5.56 barrel and .223 Wyle barrel at short distance.

AZ2VET · Jan 16, 2018

My 18" DD 5.56 barrel with mid length gas system was kicking the shells to 2 o'clock with a standard buffer. Put in an H2 buffer and problem solved.

John_ · Jan 16, 2018

leadslinger972 said:
Ballistic Advantage offers quality barrels that include a pinned low pro gas block that can be bought for around $170. Ballistic Advantage has been making quality barrels for a while, guarantees 1/2 MOA accuracy, and all have a NiB barrel extension.

You will not see much of a difference between a 5.56 barrel and .223 Wyle barrel at short distance.

Show me where BA guarantees 1/2 MOA on their website. Post a link to that specific page. BA produces fine AR barrels but I've never seen or read of a 1/2 MOA guarantee by them.

thperez1972 · Jan 16, 2018

John_ said:
Show me where BA guarantees 1/2 MOA on their website. Post a link to that specific page. BA produces fine AR barrels but I've never seen or read of a 1/2 MOA guarantee by them.

It doesn't seem to be listed on their site.
If you listen to the last few seconds of the first video, you will hear an MOA guarantee. If you jump to 3:23 in the second video from Shot Show 2016, you will hear the BA rep say "and just like always, we still have our sub MOA guarantee."

John_ · Jan 16, 2018

BA does specify on their website "accuracy of 1 MOA or less".

http://ballisticadvantage.com/18-inch-556-hanson-mid-cmv-performance-barrel.html

From that page:

"We also stand behind our commitment to performance. All Ballistic Advantage barrels are guaranteed to give sub Minute of Angle (MOA) accuracy with match grade ammunition.1

If you are not completely satisfied with the form, finish, and fit of any of our barrels, please call one of our customer service reps at 407-347-4584 to discuss your concerns. If you find your BA barrel is not performing at the high standard of sub MOA accuracy, please first consult our Troubleshooting Guide on our website. If you need further assistance give us a call at 407-347-4584. Usually, our armorers are able to resolve any issues over the phone. If the issues are not resolved we will ask that the barrel be sent to us for inspection.2 We will either correct the problem or replace the barrel, or if the customer prefers, we will reimburse the purchase price of the barrel.

1 We define sub MOA as a group size of 1 inch or under at 100 yards with a 3 shot magazine fed group, or 5 shot single loaded group."

jcm055 · Jan 16, 2018

leadslinger972 said:
Would a cheap .223 Wylde Barrel be better? Not necessarily.

A quality barrel with ammunition tailored to the chamber will outperform any quality barrel with a poor fit.

.223 Wylde chambers were designed to tighten up chamber specs, but still be able to handle the higher pressure most 5.56 rounds create.

Ballistic Advantage offers quality barrels that include a pinned low pro gas block that can be bought for around $170. Ballistic Advantage has been making quality barrels for a while, guarantees 1/2 MOA accuracy, and all have a NiB barrel extension.

You will not see much of a difference between a 5.56 barrel and .223 Wyle barrel at short distance.

Ok kind of what I was looking for. My current barrel is definitely cheap but I was getting 1.5" 3 shot groups at 100yds with some Norma Tac .223 from a prone position.

AZ2VET said:
My 18" DD 5.56 barrel with mid length gas system was kicking the shells to 2 o'clock with a standard buffer. Put in an H2 buffer and problem solved.

I hadn't thought about buffer tube. I'm not sure what buffer is in my lower, it came from a friend.

shrxfn · Jan 16, 2018

Putting a heavier buffer weight in will change the ejection pattern but does not soften the recoil. The heavier weight just slows down the ejection cycle so that it throws it out better. For softer recoil and pattern change a adjustable gas block would be best.

.223 Wylde barrel worth the swap?

The Best online firearms community in Louisiana.

Member Benefits:

Well-Known Member

Don’t troll me bro!

Well-Known Member

Don’t troll me bro!

Well-Known Member

Don’t troll me bro!

ESSAYONS

Well-Known Member

ESSAYONS

Well-Known Member

*Banned*

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

*Banned*

Well-Known Member

Shooter

ESSAYONS

Shooter

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Log in

Forum statistics

Banned

Banned