5.56 or .223 Wylde barrel upgrade-Any suggestions?

[bellavite1]

I am in the process of upgrading a rifle I had for a while.
Currently has a cheapo 18" barrell which I would like to upgrade to a 20", either in 5.56 or .223 Wylde.
It is a scoped rifle, with a DPMS lower, a Timney Impact trigger, a Vortex scope, primarily dedicated to shooting within 500 yds.
Try as I might, I cannot bring the accuracy better than 1,1.5 MOA, even with SMK 62 gr handloads.
With Hornady 62 gr it hovers around 2,2.5 MOA.
The weak link has to be the barrell.
I'd like to stick to a medium profile.
Any suggestion on an upgrade that won't break the bank?

[earplug]

I have three Criterion chrome plated barrels. 16". 18" 20" I usually use the 20" and have no issue getting five Hornady 55 grain FMJ inside a inch off a bench. H4895, H335, Benchmark CFE223 all work.
Barrel has had over 12 pounds of powder blown through it and it looks great.

[Mazin]

Shoot both out of a 223 wylde and supposedly the wylde has a tighter chamber for better accuracy

[DFBrews]

I have a shillen 20” wylde with matched bolt and it’s scary accurate

[bellavite1]

Anyone has experience with these?
https://www.ballisticadvantage.com/2...ck-series.html

[bellavite1]

Aand while we're at it, does a 20" vs an 18" really make a difference accuracy wise (all other factors being equal), or is it just a matter of a little extra velocity?

[Not_A_Llama]

Accuracy is generally a function of barrel quality, not length.

For off-the-rack moderately priced options, I can personally recommend Triarc, Lothar-Walther, Criterion, and Larue.

Paul Craddock of Craddock Precision does amazing custom and semi-custom work at reasonable prices.

[Great-Kazoo]

Anyone has experience with these?
https://www.ballisticadvantage.com/2...ck-series.html

I have a 20" 5.56 BA bbl that puts out 75 gr hornady bthp in consistently tight groups. Then there's other times i'm not even scaring the berm. BUT those hitting the dirt are all in 1 place They're great bbls and have good csr, too

[bellavite1]

I have a 20" 5.56 BA bbl that puts out 75 gr hornady bthp in consistently tight groups. Then there's other times i'm not even scaring the berm. BUT those hitting the dirt are all in 1 place They're great bbls and have good csr, too

Another option is a Seekins Precision.
About $100 more ..
Worth the extra $$$?

[Great-Kazoo]

Another option is a Seekins Precision.
About $100 more ..
Worth the extra $$$?

I'd go for what's in stock / 2-4 week delivery time. IMO the difference between them, really comes down to the shooter.


Slightly OT. When i built a 6.5 using one of the criterion bbls and a 700 receiver / bolt..

I was told. You need to square & true the receiver, lap this, hand stone that etc ,to have an accurate rifle.
I wasn't going to spend lots of $$ just because, supposedly the more one spent, the more accurate the gun. Besides i was on a mission to build a bolt action (minus glass) under X$$.

Decided to hand lap the bolt - receiver, assembly then shoot it. If i was not satisficed, down the road i could always do more. Overall performance is where i want it, accuracy with that bbl, shooting my handloads, is on the money.
Could i have wrung a continually sub moa, instead of what i shoot (on a good day) .5-1 MOA. Of course. I'm not using it for competition matches etc. Just shooting for personal satisfaction.

If i wanted better accuracy, i'd take a rifle class or two. Hone my skills, then decide if i needed some smithin upgrades.




TLR version. But what you feel comfortable with.