Turning a pig into a prince

Flashpoint

Smile, wait for flash
Charter Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2016
Messages
3,915
Location
Alamance County
Rating - 100%
21   0   0
Well maybe not a prince, how about a knight? Well, OK, a serf, but at least not a pig. I picked up a decidedly entry level AR from Sovereign Guns in Fuquay last month as they are shutting down their store in Fuquay and had 20% off deals. I was AR-less at the time and walked out of there with this for $400. I liked the furniture/ergos and appearance. It's made by Radical Firearms out of Texas. Despite a fair amount of hate on the interwebs, the only real issue I've been able to uncover is at one point they had a bad run of BCGs from one of their suppliers, and they now make them in house. I'm about to pick up a Fail Zero nickle boron BCG just because I've always wanted one, and will keep the stock one for backup.

The main reason I'm posting is that I want to upgrade the barrel, and am wondering if that is all it takes to accurize a typical AR. The last AR I had was a 3-4moa gun and I want something better. Is there any reason why it would be a waste to invest in a better barrel on this platform and I should just leave it as is? I'd like to have something I can use to compete in 2/3 gun matches with and not feel like I might be handicapped. It's survived it's first range trip but with one failure to lock the bolt back, not sure if that is a break in issue or what, but accuracy seems about the same ole 3-4 moa. I'm shooting off a sled and can half that with a different rifle with little effort.

Lastly, any recommendations for a barrel that would guarantee me at least 1.5- 2 moa (if I do my part) and not cost more than the gun?

Radical-RA-15-ls.jpg


Th BC is not blue, it's reflecting light from the window.
Radical-RA-15-rs.jpg
 
Last edited:
Lastly, any recommendations for a barrel that would guarantee me at least 1.5- 2 moa (if I do my part) and not cost more than the gun?

At @11B CIB is my go to when it comes to anything AR related, especially precision shooting and barrels. He shoots lights out and has experimented with several various barrels in his AR's.
 
My 3 things for improving accuracy ... barrel -> trigger-> quality ammo ... and then have my son shot for groups.

Some barrel makers will even head space your bolt (you send them you bolt ... not complete BCG) which can help with accuracy.
 
Look into FZ a bit more. I don't know if their QC has improved, the coating flaked off a couple friends and I read about it on line. I've a WMDs NiB in my 6.5 Grendel and 300BLK for years. No issues

I thought this was going to be an AK to AR conversion thread :(
;)
FIFY :p
 
Last edited:
Ballistic Advantage. Hands down best bang for the buck. I just built a rifle with a 1:8 twist fluted 16” in 223 Wylde and it’s really nice. Match barrel precision without the weight. I think all of my barrels will be fluted from now on But that’s a personal choice.
 
My 3 things for improving accuracy ... barrel -> trigger-> quality ammo ... and then have my son shot for groups.

Some barrel makers will even head space your bolt (you send them you bolt ... not complete BCG) which can help with accuracy.
Bingo, that's my problem! I need to get my son over here. :D
 
I also enjoy Rainier Arms barrels, and have ventured into their Ultramatch series with a few rifles. They’re expensive but you get what you pay for
 
Well since some are throwing names around I’ll throw out X-Caliber out of Montana. You have way more options from them ... they build yours to your spec. They can make about any length from 6” to 28” with a huge choice of twist rates, fluting, etc. They are a fairly new company and are making some real noise lately.
 
Last edited:
My 3 things for improving accuracy ... barrel -> trigger-> quality ammo

Yup... those are the big tickets for improving a mouse gun. But before you go sinking $$$ into upgrades, give the rifle a whirl using some quality ammo. You just might have a real shooter there in its current state!
 
Last edited:
Yup... those are the big tickets for improving a mouse gun. But before you go sinking $$$ into upgrades, give the rifle a whirl using some quality ammo. You just might have a real shooter there in its current state!
I tried a couple of XM193, AE and Winchester, some 62gr green tip (forgot brand), and some Georgia Arms loaded with 69gr sierra Match King BTHPs, and all shot about the same so I figured that was about the best it would do. 1/9 twist. Even if it did improve considerably with say, FGMM, I don't have the coin to shoot that very often. I want decent accuracy with mid grade ammo.
 
Last edited:
Another vote for Ballistic Advantage barrel here. :) They are fantastic, and I have their barrels in two, soon to be three of my ARs. I also recommend a Timney single-stage short 3lb trigger, as it has no trigger creep and a very crisp break. Also, use Frontier Match 55gr ammo out of it - that stuff is *awesome* and you can get it in bulk off of MidwayUSA. :D
 
Back
Top Bottom