I cast the chamber +1" of the bore on the m4 profile I got from classic. I do not see a compound throat. The neck is .300. The bore runs .264 from the neck out the full 1". I have not cast the 18" barrel yet. Maybe tomorrow.
School Me on Super Cheap 65G Barrels
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When we were making barrels, a 16 inch Mil-B (4350 CMV) 1 3/8 barrel blank was between 9.60 and 13.00 per blank. The real expense was the people time necessary to process the barrel. Barrel drills and reamers last a very long time if you take care of them and sharpen them on a regular schedule - which is primarily determined by how slick one wants the barrel to be after the reaming process. If the barrel is honed before it is rifled, that is additional machine and labor. Cut rifle barrels are done one groove at a time, so the time to groove a cut barrel over a broached barrel is considerable.
The turning of the barrel can greatly affect the price depending on how many times the barrel is handled and positioneed in the turning centers.
Stress relieving a barrel can vary in cost by the barrel being vertical or horizontal, vacuum or normal atmosphere, the gas environment in which the stress relieving occurs, etc.
We air-guaged every barrel, checked for straightness and runout.
The price of a barrel is more than just a profit margin on parts and labor, it is more of perceived value.
We pulled about 3% of the barrels at random and actually shot them for accuracy. All in and all done, we had about 106 invested in a complete M16A4 barrel group (barrel blank, barrel extension, front sight, foregrip, barrel nut, foregrip springs and attachment points.
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Kevperro, this is what a $245 barrel with a near optimized (but too hot) handload can do. My eyes were fuzzing out by the end of this 10 shot string so I'm calling operator fliers on the top and bottom most shots. The dot is 1".
I don't think it's three times better than your groups, so I'd say ya done good.Attached FilesI'll be yer Huckleberry.
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Originally posted by lesbaer45 View PostOnce upon a time they used to be known as Moore Machine Co., in fact I still think BCA (because there is a place called Bear Creek nearby) is just a 'trade name' for MMC. MMC had some issues in the past but that was during one of the great "panics" and they may have been pushing too hard to get product out the door.
In any event, as I've reported elsewhere here, I am very pleased with my BCA upper. I haven't shot for groups past approximately 150 yds, but it is certainly a MOA shooter at those distances without any tinkering, barrel bedding, etc. on my part. From the other reviews I've read here it seems like dissatisfaction with BCA barrels is becoming a smaller and smaller exception to the high value, good shooting rule.
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I have had a few and shot a few more BCA barrels and have always loved them and gotten good results with them. But I just put a 20" BCA 6.5 on an AR and I was having hell with what I thought was a tight chamber. To make a 2 week story short, it has a very short throat on it. I was driving the bullet into the lands. That was with 120 and 123 ELDM and 123 SST all set at 2.245 which is what the book calls for. Yesterday I set my OAL at 2.2 for the 123 ELDM and at 2.173 for the 120 ELDM. Im out of 123 SST so I dont know what I have to do to get that one off the lands. Just fyi.
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Originally posted by Splatt View PostGet an oal length gauge....
Measure, and you will know.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/479704/hornady-lock-n-load-headspace-gauge-5-bushing-set-with-comparator
Sticks
Catchy sig line here.
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No.
An oal gauge.
A dummy case with a threaded primer hole for the part that pushes the bullet.
Take a bullet your going to load with, stick in the case, with the center section of the screw in tube, pulled back.
Stick casing into chamber, make sure it's seated well, and push bullet in til it touches the rifling.
Lock plastic shaft, remove and measure.
There is a accessory part that clamps onto your caliper, that will measure to the office, instead of to the tips.
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Hi guys, 1st time post, noob as of yesterday. I read this thread with interest, as it appears that I got one of the BCA BBLs from the back of the shelf, from when they were Moore... I got the stainless M4 from Classic, several months ago, and have been troubleshooting terrible groups ever since. It's back at BCA for the 2nd time as of now. This time there are marks on it so I can tell if they send the same one back. I get 3-4 MOA with handloads, 4 different bullets. 123G SSTs, 129 gr SPs, 90 gr varmint and 100 gr Nosler BT. As well as commercial Horn Black 123s. The Nosler gave me the best groups at about 1.5, but everything else was way worse. I can't even do workups until I can get groups rather than patterns, so I've been loading everything about 1 grain under max as an arbitrary load... Still I should be getting better groups than this, especially with the commercial stuff. Apparently they agree as they have been right on top of honoring their warranty. I have to give them props for service. Early on I found that my muzzle brake was contributing to problems, so that went away, and groups slightly improved. I'm hoping when I get it back my borescope won't show the chatter marks in the bore any more. And it might even show groups. Otherwise I;ll be putting the 5.56 barrel back on and waiting till I can afford a better 6.5G.
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Welcome to the board bro!
Sounds like you have your own situation well in hand. It will be interesting if you can't see significant changes this time around. Keep us posted. You might consider posting about your warranty experience in other threads where folks are asking about BCA's reputation.
Just because we buy a cheap barrel, and on sale, doesn't mean we can't expect acceptable results. Glad they seem to be taking care of you.Nothing kills the incentive of men faster than a healthy sense of entitlement. Nothing kills entitlement faster than a healthy sense of achievement.
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Originally posted by brockkl View PostHi guys, 1st time post, noob as of yesterday. I read this thread with interest, as it appears that I got one of the BCA BBLs from the back of the shelf, from when they were Moore... I got the stainless M4 from Classic, several months ago, and have been troubleshooting terrible groups ever since. It's back at BCA for the 2nd time as of now. This time there are marks on it so I can tell if they send the same one back. I get 3-4 MOA with handloads, 4 different bullets. 123G SSTs, 129 gr SPs, 90 gr varmint and 100 gr Nosler BT. As well as commercial Horn Black 123s. The Nosler gave me the best groups at about 1.5, but everything else was way worse. I can't even do workups until I can get groups rather than patterns, so I've been loading everything about 1 grain under max as an arbitrary load... Still I should be getting better groups than this, especially with the commercial stuff. Apparently they agree as they have been right on top of honoring their warranty. I have to give them props for service. Early on I found that my muzzle brake was contributing to problems, so that went away, and groups slightly improved. I'm hoping when I get it back my borescope won't show the chatter marks in the bore any more. And it might even show groups. Otherwise I;ll be putting the 5.56 barrel back on and waiting till I can afford a better 6.5G.
I am not contradicting your "bad barrel" conclusion. My BCA shoots well with black and ok with SST (both sub MOA). If you are getting 3-4 inch groups with black, I agree, there is a problem. I am just wondering about your approach to hand-loading.
SeanLast edited by Sean Boburk; 01-26-2018, 03:26 PM.
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