Rifle Barrel Dimensions

15 Sept 09

This note from a riflesmith and student with regard to barrel dimensions on serious rifles:

"I've been using Ned Christiansen's wonderful 5.56 NATO reamer on a number of AR barrels, some marked "223," and some marked "5.56 NATO."

Freebore on many, even in the later category, was so short that rifling would grab bullets upon chambering, pushing them back into the case and making extraction and ejection of a live round laborious and sticky. Much metal came out of most, indicating they are also way too tight. Such tight chamber dimensions and lack of freebore are a direct cause of unreliable operation.

Nothing anyone would ever want on a serious rifle!

I have reluctantly concluded that what is marked on most barrels has scant correlation with actual chamber dimensions. Barrels by Colt seem the only exception."

Comment: It is nothing less than criminal for manufacturers to deliberately mislabel barrels in an effort to lure customers infected with accuracy-itus into buying their wares.

Again, any serious rifle, upon which your life may depend, needs a legitimate, military-dimension chamber with generous freebore, so that, when the rifle gets hot, it will still run. Accuracy will be just fine!

Temperamental, undependable recreational rifles, shamefully masquerading as serious rifles, represent a snare for the unwary. Highly not recommended!

Fortunately, Ned Christiansen's reamer will easily convert mislabeled target barrels into a real barrels, as we see!

/John

Web Page

15 Sept 09 Some make the comment, with regard to my Quips, that I use jargon and acronyms to the point where beginning students are unable to grasp whatever point I'm trying to make. The Defensive Handgun Forum (_www.DefensiveHandguns.com_ (http://www.DefensiveHandguns.com) ) is a good place to start. I have no connection with it, but I know the folks who run it, and they are doing a bang-up job trying to educate everyone about our Art. Lots of good information, and they're not in bed with anyone. /John