Pop Quiz: What barrel is this?

[biodsl]

Okay, Horde, pop quiz. This is a Gunbroker find. Does anyone recognize or know the origin of this barrel?

Barrel_1_sm.jpg

[LRRPF52]

It’s one of the old Satern fluted barrels with the flash hider machined from the barrel to bring it to 16” overall length.

You can slip over the gas block without needing to mess with the muzzle device.

They did some 14.5” barrels like that, but I can’t tell from the pic if that’s what it is.

It appears to be MLGS though.

[biodsl]

It’s one of the old Satern fluted barrels with the flash hider machined from the barrel to bring it to 16” overall length.

LOL! I should have excluded you from the 'contest'. In 3 minutes the fun was over!

Yes, this is an deep fluted barrel made my Satern for Alexander Arms in the late aughts. It was sold as an Ultra Light model. By the 2011-2012 catalog this 14.5" version with the integral flash hider was replace by a 16 and 18 inch versions. By the 2012 catalog, they were gone and a new 'Light' series introduced.

Here's the entry from the 2010 catalog. The description says 1:8 twist. My barrel is labeled 1:7.5.

Catalog Entry.jpg

The late, great Jeff Quinn reviewed the rifle for Gunblast.com here. Alexander Arms Ultra-Light 6.5mm Grendel AAR-15 Semi-Auto Rifle

[LRRPF52]

Sorry. I thought you were trying to figure out what it was.

Those are cool. Stokes had one and posted results hunting Whitetail with it using the 123gr SST.

[A5Blaster Number 2]

I know the 16 inch AA barrel I had like that was a straight half moa all day barrel.

Just was a bit to heavy in weight for what I was doing with it, so I let it go. Now looking back I wish I would have keep it in storage.

[biodsl]

When I found the upper on Gunbroker, I was a little mystified as to why anyone would replace that nice, AA G10 composite handguard with a Hogue Overmold. It seems strange, but people have their reasons. Regardless, the price point was such I was willing to pay that just for the barrel, let alone an AA upper with chrome bolt carrier. I made the purchase.

Hogue.jpg

The first thing I did was lightly clean the barrel and head out to the range. The load is my go-to, 31.2 grains of CFE under a 123 bullet, in this case a Nosler CC. I have to say shooting a 5 pound rifle off a back pack at the bench is a different. I'm used to something heavier, prone, off a bipod. I shot 3 five shot groups. Very consistently 2.5 inches at 100 yards.

Group1.jpg

I decided it was time to swap out the Hogue for a handguard of my choosing. The Hogue barrel nut is new to me. It's round and is timed for the gas tube. The only tool I could think of for this was a strap wrench. I couldn't budge the thing. Heat. I couldn't budge the thing at all. I took a closer look at things. Does this looked glued to you?

Glue.jpg

[tdbru]

dumb question BioD. I assume you took the gas tube out before you tried to unscrew the barrel nut?? can you get the front of the handguard off and use a wrench with pins on the face that fit the holes in the barrel nut. a spanner wrench of some kind? also see if you can soak the threads in Kroil for a day or two and try again. also, is the barrel nut steel or aluminum? if steel, you might try and throw the upper in a deep freezer over night as see if the differences in thermal coefficient of expansion can crack it loose?
best to you,
tdbru

[biodsl]

It's a mess. Yes, I did remove the GB and tube. Good idea about the freezer, but the nut appears to be aluminum. I'll email Hogue and see if they reply. In the mean time, I'll shoot it a bit as it! I'll research a wrench. There are a couple designs that use this time of nut. I'm surprised Hogue doesn't offer a wrench on their website. Brownells has this Spike's Tactical unit.

Wrench.jpg

[LRRPF52]

The handguard usually threads onto the nut. The nut is installed first, then the tube threads onto it. The seam might be hard to see.

A standard AR armorer wrench with the pegs fits the holes.

[A5Blaster Number 2]

It's a mess. Yes, I did remove the GB and tube. Good idea about the freezer, but the nut appears to be aluminum. I'll email Hogue and see if they reply. In the mean time, I'll shoot it a bit as it! I'll research a wrench. There are a couple designs that use this time of nut. I'm surprised Hogue doesn't offer a wrench on their website. Brownells has this Spike's Tactical unit.

Wrench.jpg

That tool, some applied heat and a three foot bar and the nut will come right off.

[biodsl]

The handguard usually threads onto the nut. The nut is installed first, then the tube threads onto it. The seam might be hard to see.

A standard AR armorer wrench with the pegs fits the holes.

That tool, some applied heat and a three foot bar and the nut will come right off.

Thanks to you both. You were right. More heat and a three foot bar and the nut did indeed come right off!

'Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.' ~ Archimedes:

[biodsl]

First but not final iteration. The Hogue handguard is replaced with a ALG Defense and placed on a KE Arms polymer lower. The upper actually gained a couple of ounces due to the longer handguard. Weigh as seen is 5 pounds, 2 ounces.

FirstIteration_sm.jpg