Breaking Down the Barrel
What’s The Best Choice?
Blindly picking an AR-15 barrel can be mind-boggling. If you’ve ever visited your local gun shop or scrolled down the pages of your favorite online retailer, you’ll know what we mean. So, let's get down to the meat and potatoes. We’re bringing you important barrel wisdom that will let you make more informed decisions.
While it’s helpful to know some of the most common AR-15 barrels, for this blog post we’ll focus on the different types of standard treatments and some of their upgrades. Coming Soon: The low down on barrel steel.
We will NOT answer the question: What’s the best AR-15 barrel? Nor will we include information pertaining to precision-oriented AR barrels. And that’s final.
Let’s Get to the Bottom of the Barrel.
QPQ (Quench Polish Quench): QPQ, corrosion-resistant barrels go through a process that leaves a distinct coating—called nitrocarburizing case hardening—on the inside and outside of the barrel to protect, add strength, and prolong its life. Mike, from the gun manufacturer Sons of Liberty Gunworks, talks about the ways in which they extensively test their barrels, and for the great majority of gun owners, we believe QPQs offer the best value. Sons of Liberty Gunworks stand behind their creations so much that they offer a lifetime warranty on their barrels, many of which are QPQ.
Chrome-Lined Barrel: For years, chrome-lined barrels were the standard. They include a layer of chrome applied to the inside of the bore that protects and prolongs the life of the barrel. If you shoot more than average, the chrome lining will likely last longer than a QPQ or similar tube. However, if you are the type of shooter who has never worn out a barrel, it’s unlikely you will ever wear out a chrome-lined or QPQ barrel.
Hammer Forged Barrels: The structure, rifling, and bores of hammer forged barrels are formed by pounding them into shape. This makes the metal denser, and stronger which prevents wear even longer. Most, but not all, AR-15 hammer forged barrels are chrome-lined. Nearly all Daniel Defense AR-15s, such as their popular DDM4 V7, come with hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels. Bravo Company Manufacturing offers barrels, barreled uppers, and full guns with both standard chrome-lined and chrome-lined, hammer forged barrels.
Hammer Forged, Chrome-Lined Barrels with Machinegun Barrel Steel: These are some of the strongest and most expensive barrels of their type. Machine gun barrel steel is stronger and longer lasting than other barrels. Guns that are shot very regularly with high round counts benefit from them the most. Many Knights Armament, Centurion Arms and Novekse non-stainless barrels cold hammer forged.
"The differences between these barrels can affect the AR-15 rifle price substantially. Investing your money into features that serve your needs helps you get the most out of your gun."
