Flash Suppressor on a Stainless Steel Barrel?

[Lumpen]

First post here. I would like to buy a very accurate AR. The ones that I see, such as the Stag Arms Model 6, are marketed as varmint guns, are stainless steel, and don't have a flash suppressor.

Can you put a flash suppressor on a ss gun after market? Can darkening the barrel (bluing or painting) be done w/o making a nasty job. I am open to non ss guns if you have any suggestions for an AR that is in the very high accuracy category. My main focus right now, though is figuring out how to get a suppressor on an ss barrel. The rest wouldn't be so much as an issue if I could do that. Thanks in advance!

 

[Jrb572]

You can send the upper to someone and have them thread the barrel.

 

[Lumpen]

You can send the upper to someone and have them thread the barrel.

With no downside such as loss of accuracy or maybe ss doesn't lend itself to threading? I don't see why there wouldn't be a bigger market for sub-moa AR's for just a little more money.

 

[Jrb572]

No threading SS is just fine. Have several SS threaded barrels on my rifles. Take a look at a GAP 10 with a switch block.

 

[Reck18]

Like Jrb said there are no issues with threading SS. Best bet is to take it to a good gun smith and have them thread it for you.

 

[GH41]

Why do you want FH on a 24" barrel? Don't drink the Stag cool-aid. They offer a 3G as a trigger option on that gun. Probably the last trigger you would want for a varmint style rifle.

 

[GlockBlock]

For as accurate as you will get out of a reasonably priced upper look no further than white oak armament. The rock river varmint upper also gets consistent rave reviews in the accuracy department for off the shelf uppers.

 

[kyle528]

Flash Suppressor on a Stainless Steel Barrel?

A "very accurate AR" doesn't necessarily mean a ss barrel and "varmint" label makes them super accurate. Sometimes, but rarely. A super accurate ar may have lots of upgraded parts. But this is expensive. A good barrel, action, trigger, stock make an accurate rifle IMO. I've fooled with ar accuracy and it's hard to shoot one hole groups. Sure it can be done, but at a price. Back on the topic of threading the barrel, of course it can be done, but for a strictly varmint rifle, I would think it's not needed. Suppressing the muzzle flash won't keep animals from being scared away. As for bluing a ss barrel, I'm sure it can be done, I've never blued a ss barrel because I love the look. There are plenty of options as far as paint goes, cerakote being the most reasonable. You can do this yourself or have it done somewhere, but it's pricey. As far as buying a very accurate ar off the shelf, it's hard to say what direction to go. No gun is the same, there are so many load combos in .223 that could be most accurate from a specific barrel. Testing is the key to accuracy. If you have the knowledge and tools, build your own gun. Start with a mated upper and lower and go from there with a good barrel and bolt, good trigger, free float rail system, and good piece of glass on top. There are many price ranges and options to choose from out there

 

[Lumpen]

GH41 acted like you wouldn't need a flash hider for a 24 inch barrel. Is this true? Does the powder burn out by that distance or something?

It wouldn't be for varmint hunting. It would be a range SHTF/range gun. I don't want to get to OT but can you buy parts together enough (completed upper etc.) where a layman can just pin them together? I'm not up for buying lots of tools and suffering through my own screw ups. Might be a way to get the accuracy and barrel that I want though. Thanks for the comments.

 

[jashmore1234]

GH41 acted like you wouldn't need a flash hider for a 24 inch barrel. Is this true? Does the powder burn out by that distance or something?

It wouldn't be for varmint hunting. It would be a range SHTF/range gun. I don't want to get to OT but can you buy parts together enough (completed upper etc.) where a layman can just pin them together? I'm not up for buying lots of tools and suffering through my own screw ups. Might be a way to get the accuracy and barrel that I want though. Thanks for the comments.

Do you mean a compensator?

 

[Cobracutter]

que?

 

[Lumpen]

Do you mean a compensator?

No. A flash suppressor. Why would I mean compensator when I said the other? Thanks.

 

[5spd]

No. A flash suppressor. Why would I mean compensator when I said the other? Thanks.

Because some people get them mixed up a ton of times when they mean the other.

All you need to do is pull the barrel off the upper (simple job) and have a local smith thread it.
SS is easy to thread. I have 6 SS bbls. that are threaded my self.
Buying the parts VS a ready to shoot gun can run a lot more or a bit less depending on what you get.

 

[Will_Power]

For what it's worth, I've got a White Oak 20" SDM-R stainless barrel mated to a BE Meyers flash suppressor and have been plenty happy with it.

 

[splean]

Stainless steel barrels will thread just fine. A lot of off-the-self varmint rifles will come with a heavy stainless steel bull barrel. These barrels help with accuracy and reduce recoil. Being that flash suppressors are used to aid in concealment, they are not typically found on hunting rifles. Since you are looking for an accurate "SHTF" AR-15 I would suggest something with a shorter and lighter barrel. WOA makes 18" SPR and a 20" DMR barrels that are already threaded, are lighter than the varmint contour barrels and are very accurate. They will also send you a bolt that is matched to the barrel you buy for a few more bucks. If you go with a WOA barrel I would also suggest a Geissele trigger. These are top notch triggers. As far as toning down the SS barrel you can go many different routes. At the high end you can have the barrel finished to whatever color you want or you can mask off the important parts and spray paint it in your backyard. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[cotntop]

What Splean says, 24 is too long and heavy with no advantage.

 

[Lumpen]

Stainless steel barrels will thread just fine. A lot of off-the-self varmint rifles will come with a heavy stainless steel bull barrel. These barrels help with accuracy and reduce recoil. Being that flash suppressors are used to aid in concealment, they are not typically found on hunting rifles. Since you are looking for an accurate "SHTF" AR-15 I would suggest something with a shorter and lighter barrel. WOA makes 18" SPR and a 20" DMR barrels that are already threaded, are lighter than the varmint contour barrels and are very accurate. They will also send you a bolt that is matched to the barrel you buy for a few more bucks. If you go with a WOA barrel I would also suggest a Geissele trigger. These are top notch triggers. As far as toning down the SS barrel you can go many different routes. At the high end you can have the barrel finished to whatever color you want or you can mask off the important parts and spray paint it in your backyard. Good luck and keep us posted.

Great post! You have convinced me. White Oak looks good, they don't have a lot of variety in their complete uppers. You have to get a 20 in barrel, which is ok, but I don't get why their twist is 1:7 instead of maybe 1:8 or 1:9 for a distance barrel. I like this one https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17841&cat=259&page=1

I wonder what a good lower would be. Rock River has a stripped down one for $135 as I don't want to pay for a trigger since I do have my eye on a Geissele as you mentioned. Not sure how difficult installing the guts inside a lower receiver would be or who would make better kits. Lots of things to roll around in my head, but thank you for saving me four inches on a barrel that I don't need, and solving my threading problem.

 

[splean]

The M-16/AR-15 platform has undergone a few changes with regards to its barrel. Originally it was manufactured with a 1:12 twist in order to stabilize the M193 55gr FMJBT cartridge. During the 80s the military switched to M855 62gr ammo. The longer, heavier bullet needed a faster twist to stabilize it so the barrels on the A2s were made in 1:7. The growing popularity of the platform in the civilian market saw the introduction of a huge variety of projectiles ranging in weight from 36gr-80gr. Many civilian rifles were made with a 1:9 barrel as a means to shoot most rounds. With the introduction of the M262 cartridge using the 77gr SMK projectile for extended ranges the tendency has been to use 1:7 or 1:8. When shooting at extended ranges heavier rounds are preferred because of their ability to "buck the wind" better as compared to their lighter counterparts.

 

[Cobracutter]

The reason for 1:7 twist is for the M856 Tracer, not the M855.

Even then, they are OVERtwisted. 1:9 would have been a better choice for all but the heavy 77-80gr's(that did not even exist at the time) that require a 1:8 or faster.