Adco barrel reviews?

[athyen]

I'm in the process of a MK18 Mod 0 build. It's barrel time... Here's my dilemma: 10.3" barrels are few and far between. Basically just Daniel defense and Adco. Adco has a 10.3 barrel with the front sight post already installed, DD is a bare barrel. I'm curious to see if anyone on here has used Adco barrels before, and what your thoughts were? The DD barrel is out for me because of no fsp.

So, who's used Adco, and what did you think???

 

[Destro]

A COTS LMT 10.5 upper was used as well, so a 10.5 barrel would not be inaccurate. just a heads up.

 

[Vamptepes]

Ballistic advantage has 10.3 and 10.5 inch barrels.

 

[athyen]

A COTS LMT 10.5 upper was used as well, so a 10.5 barrel would not be inaccurate. just a heads up.

Really?? I have heard this, but I've never been able to verify this for sure. But, I will dig deeper on the subject.

Ballistic advantage has 10.3 and 10.5 inch barrels.

Thanks for the info! I'll check them out.

 

[sig1473]

I'm in the process of a MK18 Mod 0 build. It's barrel time... Here's my dilemma: 10.3" barrels are few and far between. Basically just Daniel defense and Adco.

Not really. There are more than 2 manufacturers of 10.3" barrels. Colt still makes them:Colt 10.3 CQB 5.56 Barrel at G and R Tactical I went with a 10.5" Noveske on my MK18 clone build. I've heard positive things about Adco and also some very nasty things about them and their CS. YMMV

 

[athyen]

Not really. There are more than 2 manufacturers of 10.3" barrels. Colt still makes them:Colt 10.3 CQB 5.56 Barrel at G and R Tactical I went with a 10.5" Noveske on my MK18 clone build. I've heard positive things about Adco and also some very nasty things about them and their CS. YMMV

Few and far between may not be the right phrase on my part. I meant in comparison to barrel lengths such as 10.5, 11.5, 14.5 etc, there are far fewer makers of 10.3" barrels.

Are the colt barrels a decent barrel? I know it is colt, but I'm not sure that means what it used to. I see it is chrome lined and hpt/mpi tested, but aren't colt barrels not cold hammer forged? I want to say they are button rifled, but that may be two totally different things...

Haha, the other problem is that it never seems to be in stock!

I keep going back and forth on the 10.3 vs 10.5 aspect of it. I now know they are both correct lengths, but for some reason I am stuck on the 10.3 because I feel it is "more" correct.

 

[sig1473]

Colt 10.3" barrels are GTG. Not being hammer forged is a moot point. I highly doubt you will burn enough ammo through it to wear out the barrel.

 

[Destro]

There is no 100% "True" standard. Here is one of the best articles i've seen on the subject.
U.S. Navy Mk18 Mod O Custom Close Quarter Combat Weapon for the Seafaring Service

As far as the 10.5 inch issue, think about it like this...the Navy bought them through commerical channels, the same channels your probably buying them. So a 10.5 upper would be correct if your buying it outright and not made to order.

side note

PSA 10.5" CHF 5.56 NATO 1:7 A2 Profile - Without BCG or Charging Handle - 2012

 

[athyen]

Colt 10.3" barrels are GTG. Not being hammer forged is a moot point. I highly doubt you will burn enough ammo through it to wear out the barrel.

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure why I think I'm going to put thousands of rounds through a barrel when I buy it. I never will...

There is no 100% "True" standard. Here is one of the best articles i've seen on the subject.
U.S. Navy Mk18 Mod O Custom Close Quarter Combat Weapon for the Seafaring Service

As far as the 10.5 inch issue, think about it like this...the Navy bought them through commerical channels, the same channels your probably buying them. So a 10.5 upper would be correct if your buying it outright and not made to order.

side note

PSA 10.5" CHF 5.56 NATO 1:7 A2 Profile - Without BCG or Charging Handle - 2012

Excellent article, thank you! Great info on the barrels. I know they said it was the shortest length the KAC suppressor could support, but I wonder why they decided to lose .2" from the barrels when switching to colt. Seems like not enough length to really matter in the long run.

I I continue to keep going back to that PSA upper. However, I already have a few take off pairs of handgaurds. I don't know if I want another pair of take offs, or if I just buy a barrel and an upper. I'll have to do the math on the $$$.

 

[sig1473]

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure why I think I'm going to put thousands of rounds through a barrel when I buy it. I never will...

A quality chrome-lined barrel will last you 15,000rds if you're not doing mag dumps. So let's do the math on ammo cost. 5.56 is around .30 a round +/-. So 15,000 x .30 = $4,500 spent on ammo. A $320 barrel is merely a drop in the toilet.

 

[athyen]

A quality chrome-lined barrel will last you 15,000rds if you're not doing mag dumps. So let's do the math on ammo cost. 5.56 is around .30 a round +/-. So 15,000 x .30 = $5,360 spent on ammo. A $320 barrel is merely a drop in the toilet.

How do we delete that so my girlfriend can't see how much ammo costs?!?! Seriously though, when you run the numbers, you're right. Great way to put it.

 

[sig1473]

How do we delete that so my girlfriend can't see how much ammo costs?!?! Seriously though, when you run the numbers, you're right. Great way to put it.

You're telling me and apparently my math skills are awful.......it should be $4500 in ammo

 

[athyen]

You're telling me and apparently my math skills are awful.......it should be $4500 in ammo

Haha, at least your correction made it cheaper instead of more expensive...

 

[tradertator]

I wonder why they decided to lose .2" from the barrels when switching to colt. Seems like not enough length to really matter in the long run.

The length requirement for the MK18 was a specification from the Navy, it had to fit through a ship passageway sideways. On a civilian rifle, it's probably not going to matter if it's 10.3 or 10.5 inches. On my MK18, I went 10.5" because I'm using an AAC suppressor and needed the extra .2" clearance on the end for my Daniel Defense MK18 RIS II rail.

 

[athyen]

The length requirement for the MK18 was a specification from the Navy, it had to fit through a ship passageway sideways. On a civilian rifle, it's probably not going to matter if it's 10.3 or 10.5 inches. On my MK18, I went 10.5" because I'm using an AAC suppressor and needed the extra .2" clearance on the end for my Daniel Defense MK18 RIS II rail.

That makes complete sense. Prevent the possibility of a rifle hanging you up when moving rapidly through the ship. I wonder how wide a ships passageway is? .2" still seems inconsequential.

The suppressor point is a good one though! I have a rugged surge on the way. I wonder how much clearance it needs...?

 

[tradertator]

That makes complete sense. Prevent the possibility of a rifle hanging you up when moving rapidly through the ship. I wonder how wide a ships passageway is? .2" still seems inconsequential.

The suppressor point is a good one though! I have a rugged surge on the way. I wonder how much clearance it needs...?

AJ Brown would be the man I would ask about that. He retired from Crane NSW, and helped design many of the builds for the Naval Special Forces (MK12, MK13MOD5, MK18, etc.......). He sets up a table at the Indy 1500, and is a really nice guy to talk to. He helped answer a lot of questions when I was doing my MK18, and helped point me in the right direction for the MK12 I plan to build. He's also an awesome gunsmith, and has always done very good work anytime I've sent it out.

That's a really cool can, but I've never handled one in person. My very uneducated guess based purely on Youtube videos and pictures of it online make me tend to think that you would want a little extra clearance, especially if you plan on using the MK18 RISII. Very cool mounting system but it looks a little bulkier than some, like the Knights can. Report back when you get it out of NFA purgatory, I'm interested in how you like it. It seems extremely versatile, and the company is really making an innovative product.

 

[athyen]

AJ Brown would be the man I would ask about that. He retired from Crane NSW, and helped design many of the builds for the Naval Special Forces (MK12, MK13MOD5, MK18, etc.......). He sets up a table at the Indy 1500, and is a really nice guy to talk to. He helped answer a lot of questions when I was doing my MK18, and helped point me in the right direction for the MK12 I plan to build. He's also an awesome gunsmith, and has always done very good work anytime I've sent it out.

That's a really cool can, but I've never handled one in person. My very uneducated guess based purely on Youtube videos and pictures of it online make me tend to think that you would want a little extra clearance, especially if you plan on using the MK18 RISII. Very cool mounting system but it looks a little bulkier than some, like the Knights can. Report back when you get it out of NFA purgatory, I'm interested in how you like it. It seems extremely versatile, and the company is really making an innovative product.

I have spoken with Mr. Brown on many occasions, and you're right, he will know for sure. Both AJ and Kevin O'neill were extremely helpful when I built my MK12 Mod 1. They went the extra mile many times. I will definitely ask either of them next time I talk to them. Have fun building your MK12, its my most rewarding build for sure!

I am Very excited to get my hands on my surge! It may not be the lightest, or one of the quietest, but I love the modularity of it and the ability to change the length of it. Plus, several people told me that it has an extremely solid mount. They all said it was probably second to KAC. It seemed like a great pick for my first can. But, I'm not even sure it's in purgatory yet!!! The dang thing is still on back order! So, the form 4 has yet to be filed! The excitement and impatience may kill me before I ever get it...