"Pencil" Profile AR Barrels

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  • dreadpirate

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 7, 2010
    5,521
    Cuba on the Chesapeake
    Any love for these? My mid gas tube 16" pencil free-floated AR is light and handy; at least 2 MOA and fun to shoot. I will admit that my M4 beefy barrel sure does look better. But I don't think it is any more accurate. I will know better as time goes on since I just got both of these this year.

    I know my (back in the day) Army M16A1 was just fine with a 20" pencil barrel.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    I wanted to get a pencil barrel upper, nobody had any in stock so I ended up with an M4 profile barrel. However, I do have a 189 series Mini-14, so that's actually taken care of.
     

    trbon8r

    Ultimate Member
    I love them. They swing better and transition from target to target faster than your average M4, while firing the same projectile at a higher velocity from a 20" barrel. There are trade offs with everything, but there will always be a place in my safe for a pencil barrel AR.
     

    Bertfish

    Throw bread on me
    Mar 13, 2013
    17,606
    White Marsh, MD
    I was just looking at building an upper with one of these. the 20" pencil barrel on my Dad's SP1 is remarkably light.

    Course it doesn't help that my arms are twigs either :sad20:
     

    Boom Boom

    Hold my beer. Watch this.
    Jul 16, 2010
    16,834
    Carroll
    I just ordered a BCM 16" pencil-barreled upper. I've got govt profile already. All about tradeoffs. Great for reducing arm fatigue. Not great for long-range precision. Uppers swap in 30 seconds to configure the rifle however desired, so nothing to sweat over.
     

    OLM-Medic

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    May 5, 2010
    6,588
    I LOVE my BCM lightweight upper. It is so light and easy to hold up. I go shooting withmy friend now and then and we always joke that you have to work out just to stay fit to carry his Colt 6920, because it feels like a ton compared to mine. OTOH, I do have the 14.5"...but still.

    Definitely worth it for a lighter AR.
     

    ObsceneJesster

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 31, 2011
    2,958
    I prefer light weight barrels for a fighting rifle/SHTF build. Unless you are worried about 1 MOA after the barrel heats up, there is no point in going with a M4 profile. The M4 profile is no better at hitting man sized targets at 200+ yards. There's more upside to a pencil barrel than downside.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    I prefer light weight barrels for a fighting rifle/SHTF build. Unless you are worried about 1 MOA after the barrel heats up, there is no point in going with a M4 profile. The M4 profile is no better at hitting man sized targets at 200+ yards. There's more upside to a pencil barrel than downside.

    Ah, that depends. Skinny barrels heat up quickly, and if they are not properly made, zero tends to wander. A lot of people got their Mini-14 barrels cryo treated because of this. Run three standard capacity mags back to back to back and see if the zero moves. It may surprise you.
     

    ObsceneJesster

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 31, 2011
    2,958
    Ah, that depends. Skinny barrels heat up quickly, and if they are not properly made, zero tends to wander. A lot of people got their Mini-14 barrels cryo treated because of this. Run three standard capacity mags back to back to back and see if the zero moves. It may surprise you.

    I more than trust BCM for all my light weight barrels.
     

    Boom Boom

    Hold my beer. Watch this.
    Jul 16, 2010
    16,834
    Carroll
    Wasting 4.5 boxes of ammo with three mag dumps demonstrates foolishness more than anything else.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    Wasting 4.5 boxes of ammo with three mag dumps demonstrates foolishness more than anything else.

    He did say it's a SHTF rifle. If it can't take three mag dumps, it should be taken off that list. As for the foolishness of this exercise, I just look at it as a way to get more brass for reloading :D
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    Try holding an HBAR in a defensive stand for 15 minutes. :)

    That makes less sense than my mag dump. I have two complete ARs now, both with SPR profile barrels. I have another upper being made right now that will have a 13.5" M4 profile barrel, carry handle receiver, Magpul carbine length handguard, Flaming Pig flash suppressor, and a standard FSB. I believe it will be lighter than Dread Pirate's current upper, and if I can ever get the idiots in Canadia to ship me the HK style stock, it will definitely be lighter overall than his rifle.
     

    amoebicmagician

    Samopal Goblin
    Dec 26, 2012
    4,174
    Columbia, MD
    pencil barrels have their place, but with the accuracy of an AR, why waste that potential with a pencil barrel?

    I've got an older mini-14 that ruger made special for the DOC to shoot at prisoners from the wall, a GB model with a few special features.

    Anyways, inside of 100 yards it's as accurate as I could ever want, and so light and handy it's ridiculous- without a doubt the handiest rifle I own.

    I can get 2 MOA out of her, 3-3.5 once the barrel heats up, and that's all I'm going to need an much more inside of the distance I'm going to need a handy carbine in.

    That said, the original bushmasters, from before they changed the logo, the ones that made the reputation of that company?

    Those 16 inch HBARS will shoot sub 1 MOA. I can attest to this from personal experience.

    Why would you waste that accuracy potential to save an extra pound or so?
     

    dreadpirate

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 7, 2010
    5,521
    Cuba on the Chesapeake
    pencil barrels have their place, but with the accuracy of an AR, why waste that potential with a pencil barrel?

    I've got an older mini-14 that ruger made special for the DOC to shoot at prisoners from the wall, a GB model with a few special features.

    Anyways, inside of 100 yards it's as accurate as I could ever want, and so light and handy it's ridiculous- without a doubt the handiest rifle I own.

    I can get 2 MOA out of her, 3-3.5 once the barrel heats up, and that's all I'm going to need an much more inside of the distance I'm going to need a handy carbine in.

    That said, the original bushmasters, from before they changed the logo, the ones that made the reputation of that company?

    Those 16 inch HBARS will shoot sub 1 MOA. I can attest to this from personal experience.

    Why would you waste that accuracy potential to save an extra pound or so?


    I hear you. I am not so sure that the Mini 14's are as accurate as even a pencil barrel AR though.
     

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