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CMMG has their own line of barrels! Priced right and they run even better!
A few weeks ago while out shooting my M16 I decided that I needed to get down to one 5.56mm barrel. I was running a no name brand 7” top end that runs like a champ and a 14.5” M4 barrel that was giving me some timing issues though it worked most of the time. The 14.5” had the advantage of using CAR length hand guards or a M4 RAS/RIS system and the little 7” top end was a freaken hoot to shoot. The 14.5” top end had some timing issues I needed to work out that I just never had time for and the 7” used the short aluminum hand guard that would get too hot to even think about touching and I had only the option of attaching a grip to the front sight base. I like having a variety of uppers but just as having multiple uppers with my first AR15 was a pain in the a55, it was even more a pain with the M16. Too much stuff to carry around. I want a 9mm system and a 5.56mm system and that is it. While surfing the boards I ran across a CMMG add for one of their 10.3” uppers with a link to a 100 round Beta dump. It seemed to run okay for Jeff so I thought “what the hell,” so I emailed CMMG and placed an order for a barrel.
The barrel arrived a few short days later via UPS well packed and unharmed by the dreaded Samsonite monkey (You guys remember the apes in the cage at the airport that beat the hell out of the luggage before they put it on the planes? They really do have those you know!). I looked the barrel over and it looks as good if not better than any Colt barrel I have ever seen. CMMG has their name under the hand guards along with the specs. The barrel is chrome lined and has a 1/7 twist. For those wanting to save a few dollars and go with the chrome molly 1/9 from another company, I will tell you that the quality of this barrel is worth the extra money. If you are doing full auto shooting as I am, the chrome lining will give you some extra life and durability. If you are lazy like I am and you don’t always clean your gun when you get back home, the chrome lining helps there too! Spend the extra money for this barrel! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
I installed the barrel onto an old Colt contract M16 upper that slaps right onto my RDIAS host, which is a modified Colt SP1 lower. She was modified by Mike at American Manufacturing from a large pivot pin to a small or mil-spec size front pin (a mod worth every penny!). You can see my review of Mike’s work here: Large to small pin conversion. The barrel went on without a hitch. No fitting required at all. I used a standard CAR gas tube that I bought from Brownelles, CAR hand guards and a M16A1 style flash hider. Well, since everything went on so easily I assumed the range and tuning afterwards would be a royal pain in the arse. Since my gun uses a DIAS instead of a standard sear, this usually makes upper swaps more interesting. I have been able to keep the issues down by using old Colt M16 uppers or other high quality receivers. That is another story however.
Once I arrived at the range I planned on taking my time on this and breaking in the barrel. I fired 5 rounds on semi, slow fire with no malfunctions to speak of. Okay, the slow portion and break in period are up. I followed up the first 5 rounds with 120 rounds as fast as I could swap magazines. Zero malfunctions! I was using the notorious for malfunctions Wolf ammo but with the newer polymer coating on the case. Again, zero malfunctions. I swapped the 10.3” upper for my 9mm top end to test out some Uzi magazines I just cut for it and returned to the CMMG 10.3” upper for a Beta test. Now I did not have a video camera on site to witness the Beta drum test but I will tell you it worked great. Again, zero malfunctions. About 20-40 rounds were fired in 5-10 round bursts and the rest of the magazine was emptied. With CMMGs permission, here is a link to a 100 round dump from one of their M2A3 top ends using the 10.3” barrel (this is a fat 5Mb file): 10.3" http://www.cmmginc.com/vids/Beta_Dump_M2.mpgPlease note how controllable the gun is in this video. I was pretty amazed that the gun was as controllable as it was. It is no problem keeping the gun on target regardless of the length of time on the trigger. Even a novice shooter can learn quickly to master the long bursts and have a high degree of accuracy with this barrel.
I am very pleased with the barrel and the way she performed on the first run. Now, I do understand that 225 rounds is not a true test of the quality of a product. This review is not a 20,000 round torture test by any means. The intent is to let you know that CMMG has an exciting new product available that is well made with superior fit, finish and function! I recommend this product to anyone that has a need for a 10.3” barrel for their machine gun or short barreled rifle (SBR)! Good job Jeff and John!
If you do not have a machine gun or SBR, CMMG carries this barrel in different lengths and configurations. Please feel free to visit their website here CMMG, email them at sales@cmmginc.com or call them at 660-248-2293. CMMG is located near Fayette, MO. I hope to be able to test out other barrel lengths and let you know how well they perform soon as well.
Now, let’s talk pricing. I would prefer you contact CMMG directly on this as they have so many options available for you to choose from. Jeff and John can help you choose what is right for you for a respectable price. You are not going to pay the price of a Colt M4 upper, even for a used one that is for sure!
If you have further questions, feel free to email me direct.
[ August 10, 2004, 21:24: Message edited by: Vulcan ]
A few weeks ago while out shooting my M16 I decided that I needed to get down to one 5.56mm barrel. I was running a no name brand 7” top end that runs like a champ and a 14.5” M4 barrel that was giving me some timing issues though it worked most of the time. The 14.5” had the advantage of using CAR length hand guards or a M4 RAS/RIS system and the little 7” top end was a freaken hoot to shoot. The 14.5” top end had some timing issues I needed to work out that I just never had time for and the 7” used the short aluminum hand guard that would get too hot to even think about touching and I had only the option of attaching a grip to the front sight base. I like having a variety of uppers but just as having multiple uppers with my first AR15 was a pain in the a55, it was even more a pain with the M16. Too much stuff to carry around. I want a 9mm system and a 5.56mm system and that is it. While surfing the boards I ran across a CMMG add for one of their 10.3” uppers with a link to a 100 round Beta dump. It seemed to run okay for Jeff so I thought “what the hell,” so I emailed CMMG and placed an order for a barrel.
The barrel arrived a few short days later via UPS well packed and unharmed by the dreaded Samsonite monkey (You guys remember the apes in the cage at the airport that beat the hell out of the luggage before they put it on the planes? They really do have those you know!). I looked the barrel over and it looks as good if not better than any Colt barrel I have ever seen. CMMG has their name under the hand guards along with the specs. The barrel is chrome lined and has a 1/7 twist. For those wanting to save a few dollars and go with the chrome molly 1/9 from another company, I will tell you that the quality of this barrel is worth the extra money. If you are doing full auto shooting as I am, the chrome lining will give you some extra life and durability. If you are lazy like I am and you don’t always clean your gun when you get back home, the chrome lining helps there too! Spend the extra money for this barrel! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
I installed the barrel onto an old Colt contract M16 upper that slaps right onto my RDIAS host, which is a modified Colt SP1 lower. She was modified by Mike at American Manufacturing from a large pivot pin to a small or mil-spec size front pin (a mod worth every penny!). You can see my review of Mike’s work here: Large to small pin conversion. The barrel went on without a hitch. No fitting required at all. I used a standard CAR gas tube that I bought from Brownelles, CAR hand guards and a M16A1 style flash hider. Well, since everything went on so easily I assumed the range and tuning afterwards would be a royal pain in the arse. Since my gun uses a DIAS instead of a standard sear, this usually makes upper swaps more interesting. I have been able to keep the issues down by using old Colt M16 uppers or other high quality receivers. That is another story however.
Once I arrived at the range I planned on taking my time on this and breaking in the barrel. I fired 5 rounds on semi, slow fire with no malfunctions to speak of. Okay, the slow portion and break in period are up. I followed up the first 5 rounds with 120 rounds as fast as I could swap magazines. Zero malfunctions! I was using the notorious for malfunctions Wolf ammo but with the newer polymer coating on the case. Again, zero malfunctions. I swapped the 10.3” upper for my 9mm top end to test out some Uzi magazines I just cut for it and returned to the CMMG 10.3” upper for a Beta test. Now I did not have a video camera on site to witness the Beta drum test but I will tell you it worked great. Again, zero malfunctions. About 20-40 rounds were fired in 5-10 round bursts and the rest of the magazine was emptied. With CMMGs permission, here is a link to a 100 round dump from one of their M2A3 top ends using the 10.3” barrel (this is a fat 5Mb file): 10.3" http://www.cmmginc.com/vids/Beta_Dump_M2.mpgPlease note how controllable the gun is in this video. I was pretty amazed that the gun was as controllable as it was. It is no problem keeping the gun on target regardless of the length of time on the trigger. Even a novice shooter can learn quickly to master the long bursts and have a high degree of accuracy with this barrel.
I am very pleased with the barrel and the way she performed on the first run. Now, I do understand that 225 rounds is not a true test of the quality of a product. This review is not a 20,000 round torture test by any means. The intent is to let you know that CMMG has an exciting new product available that is well made with superior fit, finish and function! I recommend this product to anyone that has a need for a 10.3” barrel for their machine gun or short barreled rifle (SBR)! Good job Jeff and John!
If you do not have a machine gun or SBR, CMMG carries this barrel in different lengths and configurations. Please feel free to visit their website here CMMG, email them at sales@cmmginc.com or call them at 660-248-2293. CMMG is located near Fayette, MO. I hope to be able to test out other barrel lengths and let you know how well they perform soon as well.
Now, let’s talk pricing. I would prefer you contact CMMG directly on this as they have so many options available for you to choose from. Jeff and John can help you choose what is right for you for a respectable price. You are not going to pay the price of a Colt M4 upper, even for a used one that is for sure!
If you have further questions, feel free to email me direct.
[ August 10, 2004, 21:24: Message edited by: Vulcan ]
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