123gr SST not grouping well

[LRRPF52]

Ok I'm curious, cause I understand Odin works to be of good quality and is what I have(their upper). So far CFE223 and 8028 XBR don't shoot 123 sst's well in mine. Atleast not what I'm wanting. I'can get them 1-1/4 give or take. Is their barrels considered quality? I'm sure Lilja and such are a step above to some degree.

I don't have any firsthand experience with Odin Works. I've seen some of their stuff at SHOT and they looked like they knew what they were doing.

My first questions would be about the chamber and if the upper was built with an accuracy checklist:

Square face
Bedded or unitized extension to the upper
Concentricity across the barrel, bore, threads
Gas block mounting method tight, secure, no gas leakage

I have taken rifles with JP and Krieger barrels that simply would not group below 1.7" at 100yds, and turned them into .4"-.6" guns with an accuracy checklist, 5rd groups, not 3rd. Every time, the barrels were not bedded into the upper.

I've also tested high-end barrels that didn't have a SAAMI chamber, and had a hard time getting them to shoot. They would cover around MOA, but nothing like the SAAMI-chambered ones. Throats ended up being too long for magazine-fed AR15 work, require single-loading to maximize their accuracy potential, which doesn't really interest me in a gas gun.

The barrels that have cost me the least in the long run have all been more expensive initially than the cheaper ones, and none of them have let me down. To the contrary, they usually end up making me very happy and other guys see me smiling as I recover my TGTs, while they hand their heads and try to hide their TGTs. I don't really care about 100yd groups, because I mainly like to hear steel ring at distance, but it doesn't hurt my feelings when I see ragged holes at 100yds.

[shooter80]

I had ok groups with sst at 26 gr at 2.26 with 8208 then i lowers my c.o.l to 2.245 and bump the powder to 27.6 xbr with no pressure signs now i get .75 inch groups.

[Growler]

For the OP, please see this a positive way; it is intended to help. Unless you are chomping at the bit excited to get into reloading...don't.

You will spend far, far less on a $600-700 barrel and be more satisfied.

If that sounds like a lot, think about it in terms of the rack grade $300 barrel
+ your time
+ ? expensive boxes of match ammo
+ hourly range time to reach copper equilibrium and reamer burr break in.

Only after all this, you may discover your barrel has a lousy chamber and can’t engrave a round consistently.

Or you could just be lucky and get 1 (of 50?) of these commodity barrels that shoots?

Kreiger, Lilja, Bartlein and those who want to talk to you about what specific projectile you shoot will likely give you results like LR described. They can afford to talk to you because they make a reasonable profit margin. A shop that charges $200-300 for a barrel has to push productivity to make payroll. I think we all know what that means in terms of work environment. Happy machinist=good chamber, eventually. I fully expect PF and AA to be good as well, but I cannot speak from experience on those..subject to change

I hope you arrive at a rewarding solution with a minimal overall cost and time.