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DPMS barrel options on LR 308

goldeneagle76
I can get a DPMS LR-308 with a 24" fluted, black teflon coated, threaded barrel for about $170 more than the normal 24" stainless barrel. Is the upgrade worth the extra money? I don't think it will help with accuracy at all but being able to add a comp on the end will help with recoil and follow up shots.
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • cpermd
    There is not much recoil on a 24" 308 gas gun.

    Waste of $$ to me.

    Buy more ammo instead.

    CP
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  • Nwcid
    I too say a waste UNLESS you just really like the look OR you plan on adding a silencer at some point. Most shops will charge about $100 for threading if you send it in later.
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  • tsr1965
    It is a great rifle as it is, and the fluting in my opinion is a gimmic, even though it cuts down on the weight by a few ounces. You would be better served by upgrading the trigger, and putting a Magpul PRS stock on it. The one I kick myself for getting rid of, would shoot 1/2 MOA all day long.

    Best
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  • goldeneagle76
    Thanks very much for the replies. I was already planning on the Magpul PRS and new trigger so I will save the $$$ on the fluting and teflon coating and put it towards those parts. I cannot own a supressor in my state so it would be a brake going on it...but like you guys say, it is a heavy gas gun so it should not be needed.
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  • quickmajik
    If you plan on useing a night vision optic a threaded black barrel with a good flash hider migh offset the possibility of light or muzzle flash effecting your shooting. though muzzle blast from a 24" barrel isnt that dramatic.

    I also see the light in adding a muzzle brake to the rifle. When shooting gets hasty, every little bit helps. but I agree with the others it isnt really necessary, and if the barrel isnt cut and threaded and crowned correctly, it will open up your groups.

    So will an overly tightened muzzle device.
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by goldeneagle76
    I can get a DPMS LR-308 with a 24" fluted, black teflon coated, threaded barrel for about $170 more than the normal 24" stainless barrel. Is the upgrade worth the extra money? I don't think it will help with accuracy at all but being able to add a comp on the end will help with recoil and follow up shots.

    Threading and fluting alone certainly won't help with accuracy.

    Fluting is supposed to make the barrel a little lighter. It also increases the surface area, which is supposed to make the barrel cool faster. On the other hand, the lower mass of the barrel also makes it heat up faster! And it looks tacticool. [;)]

    Black color is helpful to reduce glare off the barrel or reflections. And it looks tacticool. [:p]

    Of course you could always just spray your stainless barrel with flat black epoxy paint for only a few bucks if you liked.

    Threading may or may not be useful depending on what you want to add on there. Compensator, flash hider, and suppressor are the three typical options.

    Compensator will potentially cut recoil a bit, but it will also make the gun noisier. It may alter the muzzle flash depending on the design, but it definitely is possible to get a combination muzzle-brake/flash suppressor to accomplish both things at once.

    Even with a heavy barrelled gas-operated gun, I wouldn't entirely discount the benefit of less flip or recoil. That can be helpful if you think you might have to put out a lot of shots fast.

    So ultimately, this depends mostly on what you are trying to do with the gun and what your budget is.

    If you anticipate taking the gun into combat, then having a black barrel and the ability to put on a flash suppressor could be helpful. If this is more of a paper-puncher or hunter, less so.

    If budget is limited, I'd agree that a good stock and trigger take priority over this. Again, while you can't really flute a barrel yourself, merely making it black isn't too hard, and its always possible to have it threaded later, if you really needed to.

    Edit:
    Responding to Nononsense below, the point about a professionally done barrel finish is good; obviously that or a true factory finish is the way to go for the best appearance and durability. The shot of black engine or epoxy paint is just a field expedient trick if you want to make your gun non-reflective quick and cheap. Yeah, it wears pretty easily, but its also real easy to touch it up, too.

    Just to be clear, while it is possible to have a stainless barrel professionally finished (in black teflon, or a number of other ways), fluted later (including in fancy-schmancy "snake" or other patterns that you probably can't get from DPMS), and/or threaded, the costs of doing these thing will add up quickly.

    At some point it becomes cheaper to just buy the exact fluted/finished/threaded barrel you want and have that installed instead of modifying the barrel you've already got. The cheapest way, of course, is just to buy the gun in the "final" configuration to begin with!

    For what its worth, the last "custom" barrel I put on my 10-22, actually spent some time specifically looking for, and even paid extra (IIRC, about $60 more) for a fluted black-teflon coated stainless barrel. That was purely for cosmetic reasons. I wanted black to match the receiver, scope and hardware, and on the fluting figured "looks cool, why not". But I had the budget for it.

    In this particular case, if it were me, it would just come down to use. For a "tactical" gun, I actually WOULD pay more for the threaded black barrel. For a paper puncher. . .probably not.
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  • nononsense
    goldeneagle76,

    Fluting barrels is one of the most popular customizing touches you can add to a rifle. Is it necessary? Nope, not at all. But, folks like the look of it and order it done frequently. I have fluted dozens of barrels simply to save the few ounces necessary to make weight in a given class of competition where other options aren't viable. For the average shooter though, I can't say it's needed.

    Painting the barrel black or any other color for that matter, is not as straight-forward spray paint project as some allude to. Unless you have the ability and tools, painting the barrel is not just a matter of squirting some paint on it. The barrel assembly has to come apart in order to get just the barrel painted correctly. The gas block seat needs to be taped to prevent overspray and the other parts removed to allow just the barrel to receive to color. In addition, the barrel will need to be prepped properly to receive the paint so that the paint will stick and last more than a few minutes.

    Muzzle brakes and the threading for them is a close second or an even tie for most popular accessories for the AR-platform rifles. I don't care what the other opinions are, the ability to concentrate on the follow-up shots is greatly enhanced by the use of a correctly designed brake. This is fact and has little to do with softening the recoil. It's all about muzzle rise, torque and the next shot.

    Firearms are noisy, period. It's the nature of the beast. That's why we wear hearing protection at all times. Adding a brake changes the direction of the noise, of course. But since you're supposed to be wearing hearing protection, this matters little if at all. Use the brake.

    Best.

    ADDED:

    bts,

    Of course it's a good point, it's the proper way to coat a barrel in order to get the best finish. I certainly don't need you to approve it especially when you consider rattle can technology to be acceptable.

    The discussion about a black barrel has nothing to do with your contention of 'field expedient'. There is no question about expediency but rather getting it done properly or leaving the barrel stainless. Squirting some black paint on a barrel covered by a handguard, with a gas black and gas tube attached is not the right way to achieve a good, lasting finish.

    Best.
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