You AR15 accuracy nuts.........I need your input about WOA barrels !!!!

V

VaniB

New member
Geeees....when you're wanting to shoot 1/2" MOA out of your AR15.......it's like you're a lone wolf howling out there all by yourself with nowhere to go!!! The ARFCOM and M4 websights are full of kids and macho masterblasters who don't have a clue what target shooting means.

Does anybody shoot a White Oak Armory Barrel? In particular, I was wondering what kind of accuracy I could get out of their SDM 20" barrel. (made by Wilson) It's a great looking barrel with all the contour and fluting features I desire, but I'm nervous that it won't shoot any better then my current factory RRA NM Wilson barrel. (ie; 3/4"- 1" 5 shot groups)

Yes, I know about the Krieger AR15 barrel......but the problem is that Krieger only offers a single $450 competition barrel in one heavy and clumsy contour.
 
Have you checked Shilens AR barrels? I had White Oak build an AR for Kavanaugh and sent a Shilen barrel for John to install in it. I wouldn.t personally use the Wilson. Kavanaugh's is incredibly accurate. MOA with iron sights.
Butch
 
I checked many AR15 barrel makers including Shilen (they don't make a 1-7 barrel). Most barrel maker's choices are very confined when it comes to the barrel contour. For some reason, while you can order just about any contour you want in a sporter barrel, it's just not offered in an AR barrel. If so, I'd have ordered a Krieger already and been done. But it's just crazy to order a $400 barrel from krieger, and then have to send it off somewhere else to pay another $100 to be recontoured and/or fluted to a lighter SDM contour. (which we know is risky too)

I do not compete, and really just want a very standard AR configuration rifle that has a barrel on it that has the 1/2" - 5/8" accuracy potential. The SDM configuration is perfect as it is about a pound lighter then my Hbar barrel. It includes the matching bolt and the screw-on A4 FSB all for under $500 shipped. I only wish to be able to fire off 5 rounds during each 15 minute relay at the publicfiring range.

Perhaps I'll just see if I can't talk to John Hollinger on the phone and see what he recommends. I'm just a little worried that it's a Wilson and it may not shoot any better then the Wilson that already came on my RRA NM. (ie; 7/8" - 1" groups)
 
i dont know what to tell you, but ive only got 2 AR's, one has a bushmaster barrel, and the other a DPMS barrel, and both will consistantly do well under 3/4". i think any decent barrel with a free floated handguard or tube should meet you 5/8" requirement. most of the guys on the ARFCOM site are mall ninja's and spray and pray type of guys that are quite happy with el cheapo ammo that will get them 2" groups at 100yds. best single 5 shot group ive ever fired has come from my bushmaster barrel ( the group was a fluke unlikely to be repeated, but it shows the potential).
 
I've owned a White Oak Armament Varmint Upper for about 5 years. I had mine cut and crowned to 22 inches by WOA when I bought it. Mine is a 7 twist that likes 60gr. V-Max and 55 SBKs with Varget or RL15. It shoots just about any ammo to 3/4" to 1". With tailored reloads it has shot in the .2s and 3s. but, with overall average around .4" - .5". They are lapped Wilson barrels and clean-up very easily and quickly. Mine is on a RRA lower and has never given me any problems...none. The semi-auto action makes it a very deadly varmint rifle.
 
okbob,
Your testimony is very encouraging. And Ax238; Noveske has a stellar reputation ( I should hope so at $600 for an 18" barrel) but his offerings too are very limited like most everyone else. The WOA 20" fluted SDM barrel configuration is really more what I want.

But gents,
I just got off the phone with Paul at WOA, and HIS testimony about accuracy with that 20" SDM barrel was very inspiring. He went as far as making mention of groups size.

I asked Paul the question as to whether I might figure that Wilson barrels are pretty much going to be the same whether they have the WOA name stamped on them, or they have the factory RRA NM rifle name on them. (....and so then I could expect the same performance??) He told me that they are quite different because of the chambering and machining that WOA does on thes Wilson blanks when they arrive to then ". He said the WOA barrels really ought to be 1/2" MOA barrels, and if I'm getting 7/8" to 1" on my RRA Wilson barrel "then there is somethng wrong with it".

I have no reason to believe that Paul at WOA is giving me a BS sales pitch and grossly exaggerating about the barrel's accuracy. So, I very feel confident and inclined to buy one now. Now I'm just making a final decision of the barrel twist. He told me 1-8 would be fine for 68/69gr bullets.....but the 1-7 twist also works just as well at $40 less. :D
 
In probably a month or so..................

I'll begin some work w/a brand new WOA varmint 24" 8" twist barel, w/the free float tube. This is a bit of an experiment, so I got my toes n' eyes crossed, but I'll let you know what transpires. Just waiting for some odds n' ends to come together.........

(There is no "n" in Holliger.)
 
Last edited:
brian roberts said:
(There is no "n" in Holliger.)
Click to expand...



Well....there should have been an "n" in there..... John Dllinger's name would have sounded screwey too without it! :D
Thanks for letting me know. I've been calling him "Hollinger" forever.

Let us know how your project turns out.
 
Lot's of AR barrel manufacturers.

Lothar Walther, Shilen, Krieger, Hart, Broughton, to name just a few.

Getting a fitted bolt assembly and other parts are offered for most.

1:9 covers most anything you fit to magazine length (2.26in OAL). 75gr Hornady BTHP and 69gr SMK work pretty well in mine. I have some 73gr Bergers and 77gr SMK to try as well.

90gr, I have heard to use 1:6.5. 80gr use 1:7.7 Krieger or 1:8. 75gr A-Max and 80gr Berger, SMK or CC should be happy with 1:8. Also I got beat on informal shoot with 1:8 Krieger shooting 40gr V-Max. We were at 100 yards. The 36gr Barnes VG were .7in @ 100 yrds 5shot group for me. 40gr on up to 75gr H BTHP are around .5 in. give or take a tenth.
 
ForneyRider,

To answer your question; all I have to say is that I'm really not sure....


........except Google referred me to a couple of Cadillac dealers that will "Lease-a-Catera".
 
Last edited:
I'm on my second WOA Service Rifle barrel, and I'm also using a WOA spacegun upper; all with 1-7" twist + Wylde chamber. Both shoot what I consider pretty fine for an AR. Probably not going to set the BR world on fire, but they are more than capable of holding their own in NRA HP competition.
 
Another one to look at is Criterion, (Krieger) button rifled barrels.
 
I started making my own AR barrels a few years ago because of #1 the standard factory barrels are not the greatest, and #2 the custom ones are so expensive. I started out sending barrel extensions and bolts to Woody Woodal at Lothar Walther. Say what you want about Woody, but every single AR barrel I got from him (mostly heavy 20 and 24" varminters) shot extremely well, easily 1/2 MOA type. I then started turning a few barrel blanks to AR contour and doing my own chambering work for 17 Rem, 204 Ruger, and 223 Wylde. I get most of my barrels from Rock Creek, their OEM button rifled barrels that I final lap. Those also shoot extremely well. Lately they've been doing a 1-8 twist 5R pattern button rifled barrel that shoots VERY well, a bit better than the other 6 groove. There are options out there, one would be to pick up one of the Krieger barrels on clearance in Midway and have it recontoured the way you want it. It is a 20" DCM contour threaded, chambered and barrel extension installed barrel with the gas port pre-drilled...they're marked down to $400 I believe.
 
msalm said:
......I started out sending barrel extensions and bolts to Woody Woodal at Lothar Walther. Say what you want about Woody, but every single AR barrel I got from him (mostly heavy 20 and 24" varminters) shot extremely well, easily 1/2 MOA type......

There are options out there, one would be to pick up one of the Krieger barrels on clearance in Midway and have it recontoured the way you want it. It is a 20" DCM contour threaded, chambered and barrel extension installed barrel with the gas port pre-drilled...they're marked down to $400 I believe.
Click to expand...


I don't know what's been said about "Woody" at Lothar Walther.....but I'll say that I have a priority-mail package sitting here on my desk with "Attn: Woody" written on it and heading his way to Georgia tomorrow. In that box is my chrome lined 308 AR barrel that Woody said he will duplicate for me into a .308Win Match Stainless barrel at a very reasonable price. He's been a heck of a very helpful and patient gentleman on the phone with me. (one conversation alone was 20 minutes)

That takes care of my 308 AR10. As for my RRA NM AR15 barrel, I'm going with WOA. They will sell me a 20" SDM sand beaded and contoured barrel with a new bolt and FSB for $500 shipped. By the time I bought a krieger, had it contoured and sand beaded, a bolt and FSB added, and FSB indents added,, it would likely run me over $600. Hopefully, I will be able to get John Holliger's Wilson SDM barrel to shoot sub 3/4".

You're very talented that you can do this kind of work. I'm very sorry that I never chose to learn how to operate a lathe when I was young. I missed my calling, as I have otherwise always enjoyed tinkering with all kinds of precision mechanical things.
 
vaniB - I've been shooting barrels from WOA in NRA HP competition since the late '90s, and can attest to the quality products that John's shop produces. One of his service rifle uppers with a PacNor 1:6.5 twist, 3-groove bbl. shot really great with JLK 90VLDs. I used it to shoot a 199-14x in a 500yd. slow prone match, after which the pit crew presented me with the 3" spotter they'd been using on my target - it had 14 hits on it. I'm pretty darned sure the single 9 I shot wasn't the rifle's or ammo's fault...

I'd have one of those SDM bbls. myself, but I'm buried in other projects, and just don't have the time or $$$ to spare on another AR15 project.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top