• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

  • Site updates coming next Wednesday at 8am CT!

    The site will be down for routine maintenance on Wednesday 6/5 starting at 8am CT. If you have any questions, please PM alexj-12!

Proof Research?

Naish

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 12, 2011
79
0
43
Sacramento, CA
Has anyone used a Proof Research carbon barrel on an AR 15 platform? Good/bad issues and is it worth the money for the weight savings?
Thanks
 
Just about to start the third build with one of the PR barrels (a 6.5 Creedmore) and the barrels have all proved to be very accurate and the weight savings and balance are a big plus on the AR-308 platform guns. But, they are pricey, so only you can decide if they are worth it.
 
How well do they handle rapid fire? Do they stay accurate after getting hot? I have also thought about using one for my ar build but they do cost a lot of coin
 
Just thought I would let people know that I had an email from them, so they will respond back it just may take a little while.
 
My first PR barrel should be here on Thurs. Will let you know how it looks when it shows up. It is an 18" 7mm-08 bbl that I had made for a (hopefully) lightweight AR-10 type rifle I am building as a hunting gun. Their CS has been excellent so far but I would go ahead and call them. It usually worked well for me.
 
A friend of mine shoots one on an AR platform and to say the least it is impressive. He tends to get exceptionally consistent accuracy; however, when he actaully decides to load the gun when hunting is another story. Click...DAMN. Inside joke. He has even stretched a 75gn on the 223 out to 1K to make hits on 8"x8" steel. I was impressed with the weight ratio and even how it cools shooting suppressed. Not sure whether the price tag compensates for the weight though.
 
Bunny punter was jealous because i hit the plate and he didnt with his 308. I haven't shot strings of rounds per say, before letting it cool. But i have been impressed with how light and accurate it has been.
I second the mirage effect. It comes on quickly but after the barrel cools for a couple minutes it leaves just as quickly.
 
I got my 7mm-08 18" AR barrel yesterday and it looks like very high quality. I went with the 0.875" journal so I need to order a PRI 0.875" gas block. I wish there were more .875" options. Unfortunately, they did not dimple the bbl for the set screw type gas block so I am also looking for a dimpling jig to work with this size. I am sure Proof would have done it if I had specified but I didn't know to. If I can not find the proper dimpling jig, I guess I will just take it to a local gunsmith.

The barrel itself is obviously a heavy profile but only weighs 2 lbs 6 oz which should allow me to make the complete gun weigh right at 8 lbs without a scope or mag (again, I am trying to build it up as a somehwat lightweight hunting gun). I am using a Mega MKM Extended rifle length receiver set as my base. It has nice balance with this barrel mated up to it. Once I get the proper gas block, etc I will try to get out and do some accruacy testing.
 
Looking forward to your results with the 7-08 Mega MA-10. What bullets will you be using?

I saw Caylen Wojcik's Proof Research 6.5 Creedmoor at Sniper Adventure Challenge, and it was one of the most well-balanced rifles I have ever felt, and of course extremely lightweight. He said he has shot 4" groups at 1200yds with it. Good dude really.
 
According to Caylen, “I’ve been using Proof Research carbon-fiber barrels since the beginning of the year so I knew what to expect. It’s all about consistency and the confidence that my rounds will go where they need to go every time. The Proof Research barrel gives me that. Some of the strings of fire required 20 rounds fired almost as fast as you can reacquire the target—with Proof’s carbon fiber technology, there’s no point of impact shift as the barrel heats up. Everything is point of aim, point of impact.”

Caylen Wojcik - Soldier Systems

Here his SPR with PR barrel at Magpul DMR class:
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1941.jpg
    IMG_1941.jpg
    96 KB · Views: 42
My wife would love one of these. Frankly, I think I would like one.

So approximately how much are their barrels? AR and bolt action.
 
I haven’t personally shot PR barrels but I’ve had the chance to witness Caylen Wojcik shoot 3 different PR barrels at three different times. 1st time I saw a PR in action was at the Oregon Sniper Challenge, Caylen was shooting a .308 and won that match. 2nd time Caylen was shooting a .300WM on one of our UNK distance ranges and fired 5 round group at 1200 meters which could have been covered by a fist (4-5”). 3rd Time I was with Caylen and a friend out in Yakima and watched him zero his .260 (with ½ MOA groups) and then nail a 1000 meter plate (I believe it was a 18x24”) on the first round.

So beside highlighting Caylen’s abilities as a shooter, more importantly I’d say it also shows that PR is quite capable of producing a quality product. Overall I wouldn’t have any qualms with going with them just based off of what I’ve seen.
 
Never used one, but as an engineer with composites materials experience, it bothers me that they can't/won't explain why wrapping a thin steel barrel in composite material is not just a quick, expensive way to cook a barrel. Has anyone ever shot one of these out? My gut tells me that barrel life would be an issue. Or better yet, how do they allow the bore to cool?
 
Wow. I thought Jense precision went out of business. Glad to still see then around. Want to eventually get a 1.200" .308 rem 700 bull barrel from them.
 
Looking forward to your results with the 7-08 Mega MA-10. What bullets will you be using?

I saw Caylen Wojcik's Proof Research 6.5 Creedmoor at Sniper Adventure Challenge, and it was one of the most well-balanced rifles I have ever felt, and of course extremely lightweight. He said he has shot 4" groups at 1200yds with it. Good dude really.

Any idea on speed he is getting with the 6.5 since it is 18 barrel? Helping shooting buddy spec out elusive lightship AR 10 in 6.5
 
Any idea on speed he is getting with the 6.5 since it is 18 barrel? Helping shooting buddy spec out elusive lightship AR 10 in 6.5

While not gas guns, a couple of members on here are getting 2800fps out of 123s in 16.5" 6.5 Creedmoors running Varget in bolt guns. With an 18" gas gun I expect it would make 2750 and probably match that 2800fps number with the 123gr bullets. I'm going to order an 18" 6.5CM light profile JP LRP-07 myself for a "short & light" build.
 
I have a whole bunch of Proof Research barreled rifles, probably more than anyone outside of Proof Research.

They are very accurate, light and shoot great! (which is why I have a bunch)

I had so many built/upgraded because I got tired of sitting around and waiting for my barrels to cool during the hot Houston summers. Now my shooting is "more productive".

To me, they are worth the money, but I do have more money than time. They are light and accurate. I have an AR with a 24" .875" OD barrel and that rifle is not front heavy at all. I call it my "AR Dragunov".

Proof claims that their carbon fiber wrapped barrels should last 3x longer than regular ones due to their superior heat dissipation capabilities. I'm not able to verify their claims but my rifles keep on shooting.
 
Last edited: