BCM enhanced lightweight barrels?

ptrlcop

Established
Anybody have any experience with the BCM enhanced lightweight barrels. I was looking for an 11.5 or 12.5 BFH but all I can find in stock is an 11.5 enhanced light weight. This will eventually be a suppressor host.


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ASH556

Newbie
I wouldn't do an ELW for a suppressor host. At a minimum, you will experience more POI shift than with a heavier profile barrel. Beyond that, due to the combination of added heat and weight from the suppressor, you could experience droop/permanent damage to the barrel; dependent upon your firing schedule.

To answer your actual question, though, no direct experience with the BCM ELW product.
 

JD Williams

Member
I have a BCM 16" ELW. I have less than 500 rds through it at this point, not a ton. So far no issues though. If I were to hang a heavy muzzle device like a suppressor off of it I would stick with a standard bbl profile.


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S.W.

Newbie
Is it a droop at a certain spot of the ELW barrel? Do Gov profiles experience this droop since they are heavy barrels past the gas block but almost pencil underneath the handguard?
 

tylerw02

Regular Member
Have you considered a BCM 12.5" 410SS? It's a bit heavier than government and would be a good suppressor host. I believe they have a nitride version as well.


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WeaponOutfitters

Amateur
Vendor
Talked to Frank Proctor about it, nothing but positive reviews and has less noticable wandering than standard LW barrels. Would love to get my hands on one, but don't feel like buying the complete BCM upper just to get the barrel. The theoretical underpinnings of the barrel contour design are solid: with a tapered outside diameter, the barrel would be stiffer and have less muzzle whip than a barrel with the same mass but a gov profile design or even a straight contour. The fact that Proctor reported back superior consistency at ranges seems to prove that theoretical underpinnings... but i'd love to verify it myself.

I honestly would not worry about suppressor causing premature barrel failure for the following: suppressed weapons aren't meant for large amounts of fire. With gas blow back and heat mirage, suppressors are definitely best used in a semi-auto nature. Furthermore, as has been demonstrated through destructive testing, suppressed 5.56 uniquely has a practical volume of fire limit. With a relatively large amount of copper jacket/bearing surface to a small lead (or whatever alloy they have in M855A1) core, after 90 rounds full auto the core will start melting, resulting in unstable bullets and baffle strikes.

I think people over think barrel profiles most of the time: let's not forget gov profile is basically the worst possible barrel profile design... but it does just fine for 99% of applications.

Other than the BCM ELW barrel, i've also been intrigued by the Hanson profile barrels at Ballistic Advantage. 4150 CMV, Melonited, designed specifically for optimized harmonics. For one, they are huge advocates for shorter gas systems with optimized gas ports. One thing I heard from Denny over at GTS (ahhh, the good ole days) is that apples to apples, shorter gas systems seem to have better accuracy. I suspect having the gas block closer to the chamber reduces the amount of flex forces during firing
 

Molon

Newbie
My 14.5" ELW (BFH) is the most accurate/precise light-weight, chrome-lined, NATO chambered AR-15 barrel that I've ever tested. More accurate than my Colt light-weight barrels. More accurate than my Noveske light-weight barrels.

The 10-shot group pictured below was fired off-the-bench from a distance of 100 yards. The group has an extreme spread of 0.946".


bcm_elw_10_shot_group_at_100_yards_01_re-1253570.jpg




bcm_14_5_elw_001_resized_08-1253427.jpg

Barrel Profiles Matter



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Nate Osborne

NateMac
Staff member
Moderator
I have owned 3-4 of the BCM enhanced profile barrels (the 14.5" EMW, 14.5 ELW, 16" ELW) and I currently have an 11.5" ELW that I ahve several thousand rounds through at this point. I am using a Bootleg adjustable carrier and a dead air sandman s/k with it currently. Like I just mentioned in another thread, I think the BCM barrel profiles are very well thought out, and I do not see the POI shift with/without the suppressor that has been mentioned as a concern. I am a big fan of of BCM barrels, so you will get a big recommendation from me.

PS-great to see accuracy (technically precision, right??) posts from @Molon. I have read your accuracy tests for years, and appreciate all of your work! It is good to see your results on the ELW barrels.
 

DPapale

Amateur
I'm actually working on a little article, somewhat inspired by the InRange pencil barrel tests right now regarding this, hopefully I'll get all my testing done in the next two weeks. The plan is to test 4 barrel profiles (10.5" Faxon Pencil, 10.3" DD MK18, 11.5" BCM ELW Fluted, 11.5" BCM Gov't) suppressed and unsuppressed cold for POI shift and group size both between profiles and between suppressed and unsuppressed, then heat them up and repeat the test with hot barrels/suppressors. First I'm going to run the test with a fairly lightweight can (YHM Turbo K) then repeat with a relatively heavy can (AAC 762SDN6). The swapping of muzzle devices and waiting for cans to cool is going to make a long day at the range for testing but I want to be thoroughly scientificish and take out as many variables as possible. Based on my own, less than scientific experiences I speculate that the profile of the barrel will matter a lot less than many think it will, but the numbers will be interested to back that up. I'll be sure and post here once I get it squared away.

Dan
 
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