BCM 11.5" barrel GI contour VS lightweight

[Jeremybj]

Hey everyone,

I put in for my SBR a little while ago and am trying to decide which barrel to go with. I am going to go with an 11.5" Bravo Company barrel. It doesn't list the weights on either barrel, so if anyone knows how much lighter the lightweight is, that would be helpful as well.

The purpose of the rifle is for entry team on SWAT in which I run an Eotech for.

I am going to run a 12.5" quad rail on it with a suppressor hanging on the end.

I would be open to other barrel suggestions also, but keep in mind, it has to be 11.5".

Thanks for any suggestions,
Jeremy

 

[Crosshair]

I have a BCM 11.5" Light weight and I have been very happy with it. I haven't run it suppressed though. The only real difference between the LW profile and the standard is the diameter from the gas port forward, which is .750 for the standard and BFH, and .625 for the LW. I don't know the actual difference in weight between them, but I'd venture a wild ass guess at around 3 oz. or so. I'm a fan of the 11.5" length for sure, for still being compact and having increased dwell time over the 10.5". I'm running a 11" Samson/Rainier Evo rail and I feel like any shorter rail and I'd be wanting for more support-hand real estate anyway. The trade off for the LW profile vs A2 is in weight vs rigidity. Some guys don't like to run a can out on the end of a LW barrel for fear of exsessive poi shift. That is less of an issue with full-time suppressor use. I feel like for the intended use of an entry gun with deticated can use, really either would be fine. I' am happy with the way mine balances with the LW profile. The 3 or 4 oz will help a little towards balancing out the can weight. A lot of guys run a UBR or other heavier stock to further help balance the can. My barrel so far seems to be print groups between 1" to 2" at 100 y with the very occasional sub moa group. I'm plenty happy with that for its intended use. If looking for more rigidity than the LW, I'd be really interested in the BFH hammer forged barrel they have available, for about $60 more. It seems to be less than an oz heavier than the standard.

Here is a good link showing the different weights of BCM barrels and uppers in various rail configurations, his was done before they offered the LW though: AR15 Upper Receiver Weight Comparisons [2009-11-15] - 03DESIGNGROUP

 

[Nisils14]

The weight difference between a govt and LW barrel in 11.5" isn't going to be much, being there isn't much barrel left after the gas port. maybe 1-2oz depending on manufacturer.
If weight is going to be a concern I'd look into a different handguard, although I don't think you're gonna save much being at 11.5.