Thank you for putting together such a thorough video on barrel inspection. As you stated, while we demand the highest standards in quality with our manufacturing, we would be remiss to say we are perfect. However, we stand by our guarantee on our rifle barrels to give sub-MOA accuracy. As such, we would absolutely replace this barrel for any customer. Please give us a call.
Ballistic Advantage is the only barrel I use in my AR builds. I recently used their 14.7" pencil barrel...which is quite accurate, light weight at 20oz. And the gas block is pinned with set screws...comes this way from BA. The entire build is bomb proof, light weight and shoots well. I think the entire AR is 6lbs and 6 oz with an MRO optic on top....add another lb. when there's a full mag. Mags usually weigh about 4-5 oz and 30 rounds comes in at 12 oz.
@@tedundercarriage8183 this barrel but with a .22lr conversion shooting the 22lr rat/snake shot would be really interesting and entertaining to see nonetheless lol
I bought a BA barrel and they sent me the a 6.5 Grendel instead of 223 Wylde that I ordered. I called them and told them about the mistake. They immediately sent me out the correct barrel and said I could keep the other barrel for a future build if there's no return label inside the correct barrel package. No return label was inside the box so I got to keep the incorrect barrel. Can't beat that for customer service! The fact that they immediately sent me out the correct barrel without having to return the other with no questions asked speaks for itself. Very few companies would do that!
The gauges don’t lie!!! during our two day course at SOTAR we had Aero Precision/Ballistic Advantage barrels completely within spec, while there we factory new Hodge & Noveske barrels that were out of spec , so much that we had to recut the chamber on the Noveske to finish the build/class. Great learning experience!
@@johnkruer7557He didn't. He's talking about gaging in general. There were other checks performed using gauges in this video. It wasn't all about the rifling.
I’ve never seen a 22 caliber shotgun. Very neat. In all seriousness, this is to be expected anymore from any company. At least it’s an obvious problem that is easily resolved with a new barrel. It would be interesting to see what it shoots like.
I would much rather have a barrel that simply skipped an entire manufacturing process, rather than a barrel out of spec. It's shows that they know how to make a barrel, but humans are fallible creatures, and sometimes 3:30 on a Friday causes a worker to mistake the barrel he just chucked into the machine with the one he just finished.
@@mastur_grunt4244 Ya sometimes the taco from the taco truck ain't sitting right and the dude will make mistakes because he's got more important things on his mind.
My shop, 2A Tactical in Barrington NH, has been selling and installing Ballistic Advantage Barrels for 8 years. We've been extremely happy with the high quality of their products. I've had several conversations with Clint Hanson on the phone (despite never meeting him in person) for relatively minor issues, and he's fixed them immediately. Even the best companies have things that fall through the cracks. And even the best QA / QC programs miss something once in a while. I see no issue with your video Chad, you are addressing a serious flaw. And I think you handled it properly and responsibly, as a learning moment and as stated, as a sample "of one." Clint stands by his products and will continue to learn from rare issue such as this and will keep moving forward as one of the best manufacturers of AR barrels around. -Rob Russell, Owner, 2A Tactical LLC. PS - I don't know Clint personally, I am only a customer of his. I have nothing to gain from typing this. I just felt it was the right thing to do.
All the folks who wander in here to seek reason to complain, they should be reading your post over and over. As well as reading BA's direct comment elsewhere in the thread.
If anyone is in Southern NH, you'll want go over to 2a tactical and check them out👍👍 awesome to see your comment here! (I type this from Alaska now, but I'm from NH, and you guys were always great! 💪) One of the best shops in New England for sure.
@@buckaroobonsi555the irony of your statement talking about complaining liberals is hilarious. As you yourself complain about something that's not even an issue 😂 that was the most "I'm offended blue haired liberal" comment you could've made bud. Yikes!
This barrel reminds me of that rifle that Franklin armory came out with a few years ago where the 10" barrel didn't have rifling to try to get around the NFA.
I thought I was the only guy with a 5.56 shotgun. Bought a rifle a few years back and came to find out it had no rifling in the barrel. The company sent me a replacement, but I kept it like that great conversation piece. Actually, somewhat accurate as well, just shoots keyhole every time!
I'd almost want to keep that barrel. You could do some fun experiments with a modern smooth bore. Great for rat shot 22 or with the conversion kit, Henry makes a smooth bore 22lr just for that reason. Not to mention all the other experiments you can do with it. I'd still want BA to send a replacement, or sell me a barrel at the cost of materials if I could keep the smooth bore.
Interesting as always 👍 This was a bit suprising,a rifle barrel without rifling.. I was waiting for a bad crown,wrong chamber dimensions,gas port..what ever.. Not this😮
I've got 5 B.A. barrels in various calibers. I'm satisfied with all of them. I really like the Hanson profile. Nice to have a pinned gas block. On a side note, I work for a well known AR manufacturer that hammer forges barrels. Every barrel is scoped and gauged before it goes out. There's 2 guys and all they do is borescope and inspect barrels all day. Not saying this could never happen to us but a lot of repeated failures would have to happen. Something like 10 people would have to completely fail to do their checks for this scenario to play out.
Years ago I bought a ruger single six made in 1954. Wouldn't group at all... Come to find out that the barrel was completely smooth and shiny. I really doubt that someone shot it so much that there is zero rifling left. I always figured that it left the factory that way.
Stuff happens. In early 90s my unit got issued new M249 machine guns with that we had to send to direct support for refitting with new style barrels (folding carry handle) none of them was rifled. I was the one who had to point that out after seeing the soldiers shots on 10m paster targets every bullet keyhole or hitting sideways. 18 guns from functional to deadline.
I haven’t had any product issues with BA, just a billing issue on an order. Their customer service responded quickly and resolved the issue the same day.
As a new mechnical engineer I love the clear explanations and when you touch on manufacturering processes. When in college I had a project for a manufacturing class. I chose something I enjoyed, AR-15 parts and the processes used to manufacture them. I want to say thank you as your channel helped inspire me to consider that topic. BTW, I got a A on the project in Dr. Zhu's Material and Process class.
Im glad you mention multiple times that any manufacturer makes mistakes. Missing rifling is a big one but I've seen em slip by. People don't realize that even with pricier guns you're usually buying something that is mass produced and it's just a question of how much can be thrown away during the checking process... it doesn't mean that something can't slip by, however.
Awesome. Did you send it back to ARP for them to use as their QA/QC demo reminder? Anyone who's done a fair amount of engine work or general auto mechanical work has seen, or knows an honest person who's seen, a manufacture goof. Even the most reputable companies have them, they just have fewer.
Damn, you would think a good ole eyeball down every tube real quick would be standard practice QC. You know. Just to be sure it’s free of obstructions. Oh it’s free all right.
That’s unbelievable! I guess I’ll be checking all my barrels for rifling from now on! Shout out to ballistic advantage I know they would fix this 100%. I’ll still support them in fact I plan on picking up a 18” fluted spr barrel this week from them.
Wow! I have 5 BA barrels amongst my personal builds. I have found them all to be above average in accuracy, fit and finish. I certainly have had worse. Proof anyone can make mistakes. And no I don't work for BA or any related company. 23 years in the military and now I work in IT (disability prevents much else)
Please don’t stop listing the companies names on your videos!! Some of us want as much information as possible! Not to try and ruin a company. Great stuff. Very informative.
I can't fault him for not, but I agree. Done in the exacting & professional way he does it, it'd be pretty hard to argue with his results on what each company is putting together. The sample size he's able to inspect would be the only problem. That and his time.
Ha, another video! This seems like a Monday morning or Friday afternoon mistake. Lol. Thanks for keeping us on our toes as to what to look for, Chad. Always appreciate a SOTAR vid.
it was found that HEAT rounds fired out of a rifled barrel would wobble in flight and because of the spin not hit correctly every time. This barrel was obviously made to fire the 55.6 mm HE and APDS rounds. As opposed to the 76.2mm. (yes i'm being silly)
Your vids are so detailed. I really appreciate them and learn something new each time. I’m a hobbyist and love to build, but I don’t have gunsmithing credentials beyond, “hey look guys my rifle didn’t blow up in my face!” so knowing what to look for is crucial.
Fantastic learning experience for I too have a handful of BA barrels. Recently got a Bear Creek Arsenal one (2nd) that passed inspections & i went back to have a 3rd look after this video. Thanks Brother! Your channel is F**king Awesome! 🤘
oh my, I did notice when you were running your bore-scope down the barrel that I didn't see any rifling. I figured the scope was just too close to really be able to see the lands and grooves. That's amazing, I have to wonder how something like this even happens? As I recall Balistic Advantage barrels are button rifled so I wonder if an un-rifled blank somehow ended up in the stack of already rifled ones and made it all the way through the remainder of the processing without someone noticing.
It's got to be a process step oversight, as you suggest. In all human manufacture such things can happen, and even an automated process line can make mistakes! BA undoubtedly would fix this issue with a replacement barrel.
I used to work as an inspector for a machine shop. For large quantity of items, you normally do a percentage check on dimensions that have large tolerances, and only 100% inspection on things with super tight tolerances (Like 0.002" or less) unless the customer requests and pays for 100% inspection. I have seen parts come back from heat treatment where they missed 1 part, but had we not done 100% inspection (heat treat is easy as it leaves scale on the parts), it could have slipped back into production. I have also done inspections where a part had a +/- 0.0002" tolerance on dimension, and out of 200 parts only 1 failed. For something like this barrel, it could have been as simple as a shift change, and the person running the rifling pulled a part out of the machine without having actually been run and threw it in. Afterwards all other milling was performed, and this barrel didn't make it into the final 20% check (or whatever % BA uses), was checked for some other dimensions like thread tolerance and gas port hole diameter, and then got packaged and sent out. Some manufacturers like Foxtrot Mike do a 100% inspection on every barrel, which reflects in the cost.
@@MichaelPetty Thanks for the explanation, this particular barrel is from their Modern Series which is their lowest tier of barrel so I imagine they check a lower percentage of these barrels than their more premium barrels so it just slipped through the cracks. It does go to show though that the barrel passed every other check quite well so this is pretty clearly a fluke. While I'm sure Ballistic Advantage would be happy to replace this barrel I'd have a hard time not holding onto it if I got an un-rifled barrel just for the novelty of the thing.
i got all but one ballistics advantage barrels. and they are stellar barrels, that’s the first time ive seen something like that. this video was awesome and very informative. 😎👍
I had a BA barrel come in from Optics Planet that had some gnarly rust or corrosion on the inside. I contacted their support and they replaced it rather quickly. The one that came as a replacement was absolutely perfect.
I have never seen that before!!! What an absolute proof to check out your barrel when you receive it! That would have been painfully obvious with a first look with a flashlight (torch) and BA would have been ecstatic to get it back and give a FULL quick and easy replacement!!! Good vid as always, thanks.
An excellent video . . . with the big surprise at the end. I've got a number of BA barrels in several lengths and calibers, all excellent. Was sold on them after receiving the first one and examining it. They and their sister company, Aero Precision, provide a huge bang for the buck. Very affordable with precision work for those that want affordable components, but not a Poverty Pony.
I would also double check the gas port on their barrels. I only ever bought one but the undersized gas hole on my 16” 6.5 Grendel caused me headaches like you wouldn’t believe until I finally had my smith look at it. So no assumptions are made, I tried everything at my level like buffer, spring, and multiple company’s magazines before giving up and going to a pro. Looking around various forums I’m not alone in my experience either.
Indeed every company occasionally messes up... Unless you go into the High-Rel lines of products in which case you spend like 200x more for a part or product knowing it's been tested again and again in every imaginable way. Regardless, thanks for the video once again. Its always good to see a break down of all the areas of AR parts we should inspect! I actually have a few Ballistic Advantage barrels. While they are not the best, they always seem to perform very well with most M193 and M855 5.56x45 ammo and they seem to hold that accuracy longer than most comparably priced barrels.
I've had several issues with BA barrels, most recently an 18"'stainless fluted that won't do better than 5" groups at 100 yards. At this point I'm done with BA.
Very informative with the various chamber/headspace/throat measurements. As a novice I can't think of any firearm where I haven't looked down a barrel before a build or with a new purchase. I'm guessing this order of inspection was for educational purposes and....suspense.
I have an 5.56 Centurion CHF CrMOV barrel that has a slightly pitched gas block, didn't even realize it till I dimpled it, maybe a playing cards worth of clearance between the handguard and gas block, cycled great though once it was all built
That’s usually the first thing that I look at when I get a barrel! I point it at the sky and look at the groove pattern to see if there’s chips in any of the grooves.
Definitely true. I have three smith and Wessons, ez 380, 9mm, also a 648 revolver. Both the ez's had recalls because of parts harding, luckily, we didn't have to send them back. The revolver I did sent back because of a defective ejector rod. In comparison, I have a 4595ts and never had an issue out of 2k rounds.
We need more good gunsmiths than we have. Thx for the work you do. I would still buy another BA barrel. Nobody is perfect and for the most part I think they are a good choice. Jmho
Wonderful video. Expect the unexpected. I have several ballistic advantage barrels and will buy more. However, this is just hilarious. IMO this is not a reflection on the company but a reflection on the machinist and the tech who produced this specific barrel. As stated, all manufacturers make mistakes.
Good job Ballistic Advantage. That is a very advantageous barrel. As soon as you said so far everything is good by brain was like "well he said autopsy so there must be a rifling problem" i didn't expect that though. There can't be a problem with the rifling if you don't have any i suppose. Im sure ballistic advantage would replace that barrel no question asked. If they wouldn't then i would never buy a barrel from them again. I usually get Faxon barrels for fighting rifles and white oak armament for SPRs and such, but i have installed a few BA barrels for people who request them.
More nuggets for the collection. It's a good idea to mention the manufacturer. That way one knows what to check first and there is no 100%. low single digit failure % is all that's achievable and often it's out of one's hand. Let's all works as usual of the production but the base material has a slight variation in a batch and there was a short delay in the heat treatment process or with a coating and already tolerances are stacking. More of that!
That's pretty interesting. Obviously the barrel missed a step during the manufacturing process but of more concern is that error was not detected during the quality control process or final inspection. One failure or one mistake happens but that is actually two mistakes.
"Concerning" is misused above, though I'd forgive it because many mis-use the word "concern" in the same fashion. Your fantasy of every item given 100% QA/QC is not the sort of thing that results in mass-produced, lower-priced barrels. You're talking about small batch or individual custom maker territory with that fantasy. Bet you've never done a lick of mechanical work in your life.
@@seaswirl79 Projecting your issue onto me. How clever. Remind us all of your business that makes barrels in bulk, inspecting each one at each step with 100% QA/QC checking, and sells them at a price comparable to BA.
Yeah, I say thats a fatal flaw...someone didn't do their QC. I got a BA Barrel on my AR to replace the shitty BCA one i had, Love it couldn't be happier. great video
