I heard KAK and thought KAC then heard the words "affordable" and almost dropped a brick out of my ass

Criterion, DD, Noveske, FN some of the consistent ones I have heard of

I own 9 of the Ballistic Advantage Hanson Barrels 4 of the 11.3”, 4 of the 16” and 1 of the 12.3”. I absolutely love them. Never had a malfunction with any of those rifles. Lightweight, accurate, reliable and are always on sale for between $150-$170. Awesome video.

Criterion barrels are button rifled, not cold hammer forged.

Another benefit of Criterion is that, because they OEM quite a bit, you can usually find an oddball profile you like, even if they don't have BA levels of options. That said, based on accuracy testing I've seen, I think BCM is a close runner up in terms of quality and accuracy. As well, people who are interested in heavier profiles should strongly consider looking at the Colt SOCOM barrels, whenever you can find them in stock. They're well reputed for being absolute tack drivers, albeit also very heavy.

After shooting many, many, many, many barrels....1. Proof Research 2. V7 3. Criterion 4. Noveske 5. Geissele honorable mention FN

I've used a few Ballistic Advantage barrels on a few builds and can honestly say they're best bang for the buck, they perform well with good ammo and give expected results, but I never expect match grade performance. I will say I was surprised how light and high performing their Hanson series barrels have been.

My 14.5" criterion is a very solid choice. Took forever to get it once I ordered it directly from them though.

The cmmg you used when you built my 300 blk is phenomenal it's extremely accurate...thanks by the way I'm extremely happy with my purchase

Ballistic Advantage Hanson Series barrels. Everytime on everything.

criterion is definitely the best out of those. geissele has very nice barrels ever since they stopped using that costing that rusted. my geissele does just under an inch with good hornady 68 grains

Criterion is my go to barrel

I love my 12.5” mid length kak barrel. Gets good velocity and very accurate for the $100 price tag I paid for it. Shoots sub moa with Hornady frontier 68 and 75 grain bthp. And every fmj I’ve tried has been under 2moa. Haven’t had one issue in the 5-600rds I’ve shot through it. My favorite barrels are the faxon match series. My 18” 6.5 Grendel shoots very good. Actually by far my most accurate rifle have a couple had loads that shoot .2-.3 moa regularly and even shoots almost all off the shelf ammo well under 1moa. I’ve had several b/a barrels but I’ve never had one that was extremely accurate but definitely accurate enough usually around 1.5 1.75 moa. BCM also makes great barrels. I’ve never tried any of the high end barrels like gieslee, dd, noveski and such. But only because I’ve found a $200 barrel shoots plenty good enough for me.

One correction: Criterion barrels are not cold hammer forged

Geissele finally sells a 13.9"...company says no word on if/when they'll make a 13" rail for it, however. Never worried much about profiles. Govt profile was always ok with me until I held/shot a similarly set up 13.9" rig with a Criterion Core. I now look down my nose at other profiles. Too bad they recently bumped up the $289 price to now $330

I have 2 BA Hanson barrels that don't like steel ammo, after drilling the gas ports from a factory size of .068 to .082 they work perfect with steel and are slightly over gassed for 5.56 loads.

I did a Criterion Core 13.9" "accurized fighting rifle" build recently with a headspaced BCM bolt. Not only is the weight nicely balanced, the harmonics/vibrations consistent, and the barrel heat distribution is even, but I also got ~0.75" inch groups at 100 yards with two different cheap factory loads through a hot barrel, with two different shooters, shooting off sandbags & using a Primary Arms SLx 1-6 LPVO for testing. Not an ideal scope for super tight groups *but* you can get a plenty good idea of which ammo your gun likes. Tested 6 or 7 factory loads to see what seemed to print consistently & swapped for a fresh target when we found two that it liked. We then shot multiple sub MOA groups using AAC 5.56 69gr (the cheaper option, not the SMK load) and Winchester 5.56 62gr open tip. I've since then zero'd an Aimpoint on a unity riser for the 69's at 36 yards, and began to stack the Winnie 62's for a rainy day since they have sealed primers. Barrel was complimented with BCM upper parts (all steel or stainless steel - everything heats, expands and contracts at the same rate for your barrel, barrel nut, gas block & tube) and a BCM upper reciever too, which is a super tight fit. Edit: Buffer system is intermediate length tube (BCM version) plus standard rifle spring, and i've used the 5 and a half ounce BCM intermediate buffer and a Vltor A5H4 (~6 and a half ounces?) and everything has cycled well including wolf brass .223 and hornady 62gr .223 loads and a myriad of 5.56. So far probably 500 rounds on it in the past month and a half and I made sure to run it hard and get it dirty for several hundred of those rounds after accuracy testing before cleaning/lubing. Also using 5w30 full synthetic for lube. Same oil my car takes. Its a fighting rifle. Needs to be able to run with what I can get my hands on, and it does.

My SHTF setup is a Criterion CORE 16" with a Superlative Arms piston system.

I own a couple of BA barrels. They are definitely good quality and you get more than your money’s worth compared to higher priced barrels. Mine all shoot .75” groups or less at 100yards with good ammo. I just have a hard time spending 3 or 4 times more money for a barrel that gets .25” smaller groups. But that’s just me and I don’t shoot off of a lead sled trying to get one hole groups

Dude, your recoil management is next level. Nice to see that.

I've ran several criterion barrels and I love em. On the cheap end I've had good luck with bear creek! Honestly for Sub 100 bux they make pretty decent stuff.

I don't have extensive use with alot of different manufacturers barrels but I really like Criterion's and Centurion's Barrel.

If you have around $300 to drop on a barrel and want to laser anything you point at, try a White Oak Armament barrel. After confirming zero, I tossed my rifle in a vice and tested groups out to 100 with a Hornady match and stacked 5 rounds out of the 9 string so well I thought I had missed the target lol. Ended up with a quarter inch group and a massive smile. As for life span, I'm around 4k rounds into it and I haven't really noticed the group open up enough for me to tell. I do know that if I do my job right, the gun will smack whatever I point it at out to 700y EZ...which means when I miss at 400y I have no excuse =(

I will be using Faxon from here on out very accurate barrels and 5R rifling is a major plus for the money.

The best barrels are made by Centurion Arms. CHF/Chrome Lined sub MOA.

I'm no expert and just recently got into this hobby, both my wife's and my build have the Hanson barrels and I have no complaints about them. Next build will be a blackout 300 just thinking of barrel length and brand. Truly enjoy watching the videos

Centurion, Geissele, Criterion, DD for general use AR barrels

I have a 16" Criterion Core and it shoots lights out. I'd also add DD to this list as my DD Block 2 M4A1 upper from Brownells with the "SOCOM" profile barrel is very similar to my Criterion in terms of accuracy and it is not over gassed like older DD barrels apparently were. I've been thinking about getting a Geissele 11.5" upper and registering a lower as an SBR for when I get my first suppressor. I have heard really good things about their uppers. I would've just bought a complete gun from them because it comes with many of the features I'd add anyway but seeing as how if I bought it as a pistol I'd have to replace the buffer tube anyway...I may as well just build my own lower with parts that I buy on black friday and take the $200 or so I save altogether and buy my tax stamp for the sbr lower.

I’d take an FN or FN blank barrel from HDSI over anything in this list except for maybe a Criterion. Also BRT and Centurion both make barrels that rival Criterion.

On a budget, Ballistic Advantage. Solid performance: Criterion. Best option: Noveske. Criterion also makes great match barrels.

The HK chromelined barrel. Held submoa average for thousands, like 6-8K of 223. Still rocking it at 14K. I hope the next from barrel Lothar will be awesome, but it won't probably have a very long life.

Right now I'm big on Faxon. However I think you may have missed one. Sounds funny but BCA. Say what you want but their barrel's are damn accurate. I have 4 or 5 that are setup for hunting an they are just damn good barrels for hunting\ accuracy.

I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that Criterion barrels are not CHF. Usually I wouldn’t point stuff out, but that’s definitely a pretty notable difference

I love my Geissele barrels. I especially love my LMT MRP barrel as well matched with Barnes 85gr

Criterion is best bang for your buck in my opinion. I've shot many of theirs never had one over .75 moa at 100. Got one with thousands of 4ounds through it and still holds true. I do clean my barrels though.

Im using a Criterion 18" core rifle length gas, its nice and light. Got it for sale for ~$230 its been a great barrel so far, maybe ill put some glass on the build and see how it groups with 77 gr otm

i c the northtac shirt. it should say 'we only honor life time warrenty when we feel like it'!

Noveske ,centurion arms , proof, and the criterion Core series …. All are 4-800 range

Geissele is my number 1 and if my memory serves me well I believe the Criterion chf is an FN but finished at Criterion but I believe they do their stainless barrels my number 2 is Spikes Tactical or BCM or FN lol number 3 Rosco all the way number 4 would be Noveske and number 5 is Ballistic Advantage great video!!!

Kak did use green mountain blanks awhile back. I bought my 10.5” 308 barrel from them and it stayed at the bottom of the barrel page it was made with green mountain blanks. My favorite barrel so far has been v7

The most accurate AR upper I have is a BCA 20" stainless 223 wylde. Sub . 75" 5-shot groups with AAC 75gr OTM. Pleasantly surprised

Got an ADM rifle with a Criterion 13"9 Core Barrel and its accuracy was surprising. You can definitely get sub MOA with the right ammo as my Herter's and Winchester target ammo was going 1.5MoA and under. Thinking about a .308 budget but premium AR10 with a Faxon barrel but you didn't mention Faxon.

The barrel to receiver fit and bolt head spacing is far more important for accuracy that the barrel material. I had a Noveske Infidel 13.7 with an “ok” fit & bolt that was no where near as good as my 14.5 Geissele Super Duty upper bc Geissele thermal fit the barrel & receivers. The Criterion guys have an excellent video explaining this.

Green Mountain. Specifically the GM-M17. Looks boring and ordinary, but it produces groups better than most stainless SPR barrels I've shot. I have a GM-M8 as well, but I have yet to shoot it.

Faxon is pretty good mid tier. My 16" 223 Wyld gunner is very accurate and unusually light weight. BA and Roscos are very high value. I plan to pick a 14.5 7.62x 39 KAK, because a pin and a weld 7.62x39 sound pretty cool...

I have a 410 SS Ion bonded barrel from BCM that I think Criterion OEMs for their SS barrels. I think BCM does the gas port sizing it and is more on the reliability side rather than the soft side. Most accurate barrel I have with .6 moa with 77gr AAC match ammo.

Criterion barrels are not CHF. Shoutout to Centurion as better than Geissele. Black River Tactical also makes excellent barrels with some having unique gas systems and have more conservative ports for gassing. Sionics are also a good choice.

Faxon is probably my favorite for the money.

BRT, Centurion, Criterion Core, FN, Geissele

I shoot a 14.5" 5.56mm Track 2.0 mid length gas from Triarc systems. I took a risk because a friend of mine who is a team guy said it's what he rolled with overseas. Told me give it a shot (yes pun intended) and so I did. I could not be happier. I honestly like how tight it is and like it better than both my geissele and Noveske. My colt socom 14.5 is unmatched but I will buy from Triarc again. I recommend it to everyone. But it's your money you do as you wish with your money.

Short answer Noveske boom!💥🤯🔫

It’s krieger , Douglas and BA Hanson for me , have been using the 20” krieger in cmp for the last 20 years and it does shoot sub moa at 600 yards with 77 gr. Hpbt match ammo on a good day with no wind.

Can you test Craddock Precision, White Oak Armory, Centurion, BCM, Larue, Douglas, and Rainer Arms? These are other barrels that rival Centurion in the $300-$400 pricepoint.

Faxon is super light for those style builds…

I have been very impressed with Proof Research.

Got a 18” criterion lightweight tapered barrel chrome lined that has been a decent performer for the $$$… other favorite is the BCM MK2 14.5” CHF ELW 😊

I will go with Proof Research , criterion , On budget Faxon !

Noveske, because they make awesome barrels.

Great observations for more budget oriented barrels for sure. My favorites thus far for AR platform ( not including AR10 ) are Noveske, DD, KAC, LMT, Centurion, BCM. Durable. I have yet to out shoot my guns with these barrels - and they are still combat effective out to 700+yards in the 12.5-16in variants even after 10k+ rounds each. I haven't seen any barrels do a better job of holding up to such abuse and use.

Mine would be Centurion DD FN-Hodge BCM Noveske Rosco Criterion

i live 10 minutes from BA, wish they sold in person. I knocked on the door and tried though lol

My favorite AR gun barrel is whichever one i am currently holding🤔😉 -And Rosco💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

Criterion, their chrome lined series is chef’s kiss.

I just got a Rosco 13.7 223 wylde from primary arms last month. I was going for the most accuracy for the cheapest price 😅

1. Barrett (REC7 DI is a quarter-inch rifle with MK262) 2. Knights Armament CHF (quarter inch with mk262) 3. Daniel Defense CHF (half inch with MK262) 4. FN CHF (oem for Noveske, Hodge, Centurion, all which are excellent) (half inch with mk262) 5. Geissele CHF (0.75 inch with mk262) 7. LWRC DI (0.75 with mk262) 6. Criterion (0.75 with mk262) 7. BA Hanson (0.75 inch with mk262)

16" barrel with rifle length gas system is a dissapator. They were first cobbed together by cutting down rifle length barrels. With the extremely short dwell, it's difficult to get them to work across a wide temperature range (short stroking at low temps) and so most dissies sold now have midlength low profile gas blocks and a FSB pinned on at the rifle length location. True rifle gassed 16" barrel is a solution for a problem that doesn't exist.

Awesome video very detailed information that is not easy to find.

Geissle, Daniel Defense are my go to for $230

🍿

I've got two BA barrels that uave doen great and 2 Criterions that I absolutely love. I want to try out a Centurion arms, they have stainless and hammer forged options in good profiles though less options. I havent delved into match stainless barrels from the high end companies, but in 5.56 I don't feel the need over how well the criterions have done for my needs thus far.

The KAK 16" barrel was done by Dynamic Defense before. Around 2017 or so they did a 16" barrel and a 10.3" barrel also. The 10.3 also had a longer than normal gas system on it too. Unfortunately they never took off, even after Garand Thumb did a video about how soft the barrels shot. The barrels were made by Rosco.

I bought a DD S2W 18" barrel earlier this year and it came WITHOUT any dimpling. I had to dimple it myself. The cost of the barrel from the online store I got it from was about $318.

I have Ballistic Advantage, Rosco and Daniel Defense barrels and they’ve all been very good, but Geissele is next on my list!

I think the Thompson Center barrels are just fine for my purposes.

Knights armament budget? Ummmm I think I gotta go watch SpongeBob now.

For the money: Faxon. Every one of my Faxon barrels shoots sub moa.

I just got then Rosco 13.9” bead blasted SPR barrel - bit heavy but looks sweet😎.

Criterion for sure if you plan to shoot suppressed more than not. Very happy with mine but accuracy Wise definitely prefers lighter grain over heavy which isn’t ideal for a 556 spr lol

I’m a big fan of the FN barrels, spikes and noveske CHF barrels are done by fn. noveske stainless are my absolute favorite for accuracy and velocity. Triarc makes very nice barrels too.

Good video and great info thank you

I feel like centurion is the most accurate I've tested to date. Rosco and BA are both amazing for the money involved. Faxon seems to be in the middle both in pricing and performance. Expo is pretty decent but unless going for lifespan the rosco outperforms it when it comes to accuracy in my current testing. Still have tons of options to test on the market and my sample size is small. So any conclusions I get to with my handloads I take with a grain of salt.

Ballistic Advantage has recently introduced CHF, chrome lined barrels.

I’ve got a V7 12.5 stainless fluted barrel that I’m in love with. Not cheap though.

I'm surprised that White Oak Armament wasn't given a shout out. Their Wilson blanks, even though inexpensive, are some of the best shooting barrels, hands down. I've shot through a few of them and they all have shot sub .75 moa. I even had one that would shoot .3 moa with a bench rest setup. I don't think I've ever paid more than 230 dollars for one and they always seem to be in stock.

My preference: 1) Criterion 2) FN 3) Krieger 4) Rainier 5) Daniel Defense

My top three favorite are Criterion Core, Daniel Defense, Ballistic Advantage Hanson. My Daniel Defense barrels are extremely accurate even with M855. It likes 68gr the best though. The taper profile on the Core & Hanson are my favorite.

He loves KAK.

I tried a BA barrel. Premium black series, 16" midlength spr profile. It's overgassed garbage. Yeah it's pretty accurate but it isn't enjoyable to shoot, just feels like it's beating itself to death. Tried heavier buffers and switching to an A5 buffer setup to no avail. The gas port is enormous compared to my FN and Criterion barrels. FFS just gas it normally I didn't buy a "premium" barrel to shoot cheap ammo that needs a giant gas port to cycle.

I didn't think Criterion Core or Hybrid barrels were CHF. I thought they were button-rifled chrome-lined barrels. In any case, I'm very partial to Criterion barrels myself. I also have BA Hanson and a Rosco Purebred barrel as well that have been impressive for GPR use. I just wish I had more money for more ammo and range/competition time.

As an American High Power Rifleman in Long-Range Award Winner, which took many rebarreling episodes, I can say with great confidence I get the best accuracy from Douglas Button Rifled SS Barrels with CLE Chamber. These barrels are 1 inch in diameter under full length rail. Half MOA from irons or optic is typical and thus great results are possible in CMP EIC Competion as well as NRA Long-Range. Barrel life is very short, about 1800 rounds for X-Ring hits ( 1 MOA ) at 600 yards. For sure, this barrel will easily get a shooter enough points to win the US Distinguished Rifleman Badge, but save ammo for matches and dry fire for practice to avoid unnecessary rebarreling expense. BTW, FN supplies both hammer forged barrels as well as button rifled. In my experience the hammer forged last longer but are not quite as accurate.

Geissele is not 4140. Various dealers have it listed as 4140 incorrectly. When I reached out to Geissele this was the response I received: Thank you for contacting us! Unfortunately, the steel we use is proprietary information, but I can tell you that the new barrel steel that we switched to is more heat resistant steel and it resists erosion and heat cracking better than 4150 ordnance steel. It has about 3X more of some of the alloys than mil-spec 4140, think of it as "Super Mil-Spec Steel". Hope this helps people going forward. Thanks for the video.

Im 99% sure Criterion Barrels Are NOT CHF. id love to have one if they make one

S Tier: Bartlein, White Oak Armament, Hodge HDSI, KAC, Compass Lake, Kreiger, Douglas, LMT, Noveske A Tier: FN, Criterion, DD, BRT, Centurion, BCM

I’ve got 6 proof research CFW barrels, 1 shilen, 1 Lilja, and 3 bartlein. They all shoot great. But as you see I tend to like proof

Please do a similar report on. 308 Ar10 barrels please.

My favorite barrel I’ve ever used is my 10.5 faxon socom govt. it came with a pinned gas block, i had to tune it a bit when i added a supressor but it’s my most accurate barrel. I haven’t got to use the 8.3 Hanson yet,maybe it will take the #1 spot.

Very interesting your experience with Criterion barrels being soft shooting and under gassed, my experience has been the exact opposite with 16” mid length and 18” rifle length barrels. Horridly over gassed with one 18” rifle gas barrel being down right dangerous. It had some internal issue that caused pressure spikes and blew countless primers and separated countless cases. Which they wound up replacing after going back twice.

I enjoy the rosco barrels mostly because there made in r.i that being said there all good they will all shoot better then you can

Love my 14.5 triarc track 2.0 barrel

I thought Criterion made there barrels using button rifling?