How to tell difference between bull barrel and heavy barrel?

[ThemGunsThough]

Hi all, so I recently traded for another AR15. It is a Bushmaster XM15-E2S A2 style. My buddy told me it has a bull barrel on it. It is definitely a heavy barrel. I was wondering if anyone could explain how to tell the difference between a bull barrel and heavy barrel for the AR15? Thanks in advance.

Read More

 

[Unka-Boo]

What is the barrel marked? It will be stamped HBAR if it is one....also, if it is a "postban" bushy, they were pretty much all HBARs....will be .750" in diameter...bull barrels are .920, IIRC.

 

[Unka-Boo]

sample from the interwebs

 

[No_Regerts]

Bull barrels have balls

 

[Joe13]

Heavy
Big
Arse
Rifle?

 

[ThemGunsThough]

I will check for markings again, I did not see any on it earlier. Im pretty sure is a post ban model.

 

[DirectDrive]

Hi all, so I recently traded for another AR15. It is a Bushmaster XM15-E2S A2 style. My buddy told me it has a bull barrel on it. It is definitely a heavy barrel. I was wondering if anyone could explain how to tell the difference between a bull barrel and heavy barrel for the AR15? Thanks in advance.

It's probably an HBAR as stated above and not a bull barrel unless he changed it out.
HBAR = Heavy Barrel (as compared to skinny pencil barrels or gov't contour barrels)
HBAR will have a .750" gas block journal and be .730" or .740" at the muzzle.
The HBAR will be thick under the handguard.
A Gov't contour will look like an HBAR in front of the handguard, but will be thin under the handguard to reduce weight.

An AR Bull Barrel is about as fat as you can make an AR barrel and will almost always be .936" at the gas block journal.
An AR Medium Bull Barrel will be .875" at the gas block journal.

FWIW, I have a 16" Middy with an HBAR.
I don't think it's "heavy", but some do.

 

[Greenbug]

I don't think all Heavy Barreled AR's are marked H-BAR. I think the H-BAR marking is a Colt thing, so you probably wouldn't find it on any other gun, unless it has a Colt barrel on it that is.

I would say that a BULL barrel is big thick and meaty all the way to the end at the aforementioned .936" diameter. A H-BAR is heavy up to the gas block then tapers back down to .750" towards the muzzle end. If that makes any sense at all.

 

[Member 5605]

IMO:
.750 from receiver to crown: heavy
.920 from receiver to crown: bull barrel

Then there are different profiles from A1, M2, pencil, M4 or whatever else they call them. JPQ815 I guess..?

I like rifles without tapers on their barrel. Sure they are a little heavier but it's a preference.

 

[Kruel J]

It's not just thickness that counts. More often than not it's length. Harmonics matter the most.

 

[Unka-Boo]

the "B" in the pic I posted is for "Bushmaster", they copied Colt's style of barrel markings. ( B= Bushmaster, MP= magnetic particle tested, chamber, twist, heavy barrel )

I don't think all Heavy Barreled AR's are marked H-BAR. I think the H-BAR marking is a Colt thing, so you probably wouldn't find it on any other gun, unless it has a Colt barrel on it that is.

I would say that a BULL barrel is big thick and meaty all the way to the end at the aforementioned .936" diameter. A H-BAR is heavy up to the gas block then tapers back down to .750" towards the muzzle end. If that makes any sense at all.

 

[hatchj]

After where it says the twist rate (1/9) it says "H BAR"

 

[HB of CJ]

Just me, but I do not think one can physically run a BULL barrel on an AR15 with the OEM, (original equipment manufacture) forged steel front sight base with the OEM front iron sights? That means one diameter the whole length.

A BULL barrel by definition runs the same outside diameter all the way from the breech to the crown? If memory truly serves. One can only precision ream that OEM front site base out so far for fatter barrels UNDER the front sight base.

But maybe I have it wrong also. I am getting ... getting ... getting ... OH GAWD! Getting OLD! Been a good weekend!

HOT DOGS. Did I do it again? Exactly even paragraph lengths? Yee Haw!

Not Hot Dogs. I have now noticed that when a post gets re posted many times the paragraph length morphs. It changes length. Rats! Software glich? Dunno.

 

[Kruel J]

Just me, but I do not think one can physically run a BULL barrel on an AR15 with the OEM, (original equipment manufacture) forged steel front sight base with the OEM front iron sights? That means one diameter the whole length.

A BULL barrel by definition runs the same outside diameter all the way from the breech to the crown? If memory truly serves. One can only precision ream that OEM front site base out so far for fatter barrels UNDER the front sight base.

But maybe I have it wrong also. I am getting ... getting ... getting ... OH GAWD! Getting OLD! Been a good weekend!

HOT DOGS. Did I do it again? Exactly even paragraph lengths? Yee Haw!

Mad skills right there.

 

[DirectDrive]

Just me, but I do not think one can physically run a BULL barrel on an AR15 with the OEM, (original equipment manufacture) forged steel front sight base with the OEM front iron sights? That means one diameter the whole length.

A BULL barrel by definition runs the same outside diameter all the way from the breech to the crown? If memory truly serves. One can only precision ream that OEM front site base out so far for fatter barrels UNDER the front sight base.

But maybe I have it wrong also. I am getting ... getting ... getting ... OH GAWD! Getting OLD! Been a good weekend!

HOT DOGS. Did I do it again? Exactly even paragraph lengths? Yee Haw!

You're into float tubes and competition rigs with Bull Barrels.
About 1.00" on the first step, then down to .936" for the gas block and .920" at the muzzle.
USGI A-frame sights are off the table after .750" unless someone had an urge to make something unique.

 

[Greenbug]

So to sum up.... a heavy barrel is not as heavy as a bull barrel. That is why we drive on the parkway and park in the driveway also.

 

[DirectDrive]

I don't think all Heavy Barreled AR's are marked H-BAR. I think the H-BAR marking is a Colt thing, so you probably wouldn't find it on any other gun, unless it has a Colt barrel on it that is.

Some barrelmakers use the HBAR nomenclature.
Not sure if they mark them that way.
Here's an ad for BHW, an Oregon barrelmaker...
SAA EXCLUSIVE - 16" BHW 1:8 HBAR Profile AR-15 Barrel Nitride Series - 5.56 *FREE AERO PRECISION FORGED STRIPPED UPPER & FREE SHIPPING**

 

[jordanka16]

To me a heavy barrel is thicker than a normal a2 or military profile, whatever that may be. A bull barrel has no taper at all, same diameter from breech to muzzle.

 

[DirectDrive]

To me a heavy barrel is thicker than a normal a2 or military profile, whatever that may be.

Yep, that's how I understand it. An HBAR is heavy when compared to a pencil or gov't profile as stated earlier in the thread.

A bull barrel has no taper at all, same diameter from breech to muzzle.

This can be true for conventional, bolt gun barrels.
For an AR bull barrel there are usually 3 "steps" as described a couple of posts back.
1) Under the handguard
2) Gas block journal
3) Muzzle

 

[jordanka16]

Yep, that's how I understand it. An HBAR is heavy when compared to a pencil or gov't profile as stated earlier in the thread.

This can be true for conventional, bolt gun barrels.
For an AR bull barrel there are usually 3 "steps" as described a couple of posts back.
1) Under the handguard
2) Gas block journal
3) Muzzle

Agreed, my post was just referring to barrels in general, for AR specific some form of step is usually necessary.