I’ve got an Anderson AM15 M-Lok with a 16” barrel. I’ve since replaced the BCG with a Bravo Company one. My understanding is the next thing to upgrade would be the barrel. I’m looking to gear this rifle to longer range shooting so im looking for improved ballistics and longevity. Would something like a Faxon or Rosco($200-$300 range) either 16” or longer offer any meaningful improvement to either ballistics or longevity of the rifle or is the difference pretty negligible until you get up to the real high end barrels? I could comfortably spend up to $350 on a barrel right now but I’m not married to the idea of swapping the barrel now if it’s truly not worth doing at that price range.
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Is your accuracy dropping significantly? For consistency reasons, I don’t change a barrel unless there is a measurable (and repeatable) performance issue.
What’s your accuracy at 100 yards? If you are over 3 MOA and you know you are a good shot, a new barrel and a complete rebuild is in order. (I would try a rebuild first.) My tolerance is 1 MOA but that is just my preference.
However, we all like new toys, so get the longest barrel that looks the best that you can comfortably manage for that rilfes purpose. Longevity is based on your shooting habits. General performance with any new component is a crap shoot, depending on how picky you are.
Other than that, matching an ammo type and brand with the barrel is probably more important for accuracy and performance. (I reload, so I tune my cartridges specifically for the gun it will be shot from.)
What kind of accuracy are you achieving right now?
2.5”-3.5” groups at 100 yards.
This is pretty normal performance, especially for off the shelf range ammunition. Even if you got an 18 or 20 inch bull barrel in a 1:7 twist you likely wouldn’t see better accuracy without running heavier projectiles like 77gr OTM which cost twice as much as 55gr ammo. You’ll also make the rifle way heavier and more difficult to maneuver and manipulate.
The AR platform can be pushed to a lot of interesting extremes, but that was never the point of the platform. It’s a fighting rifle that groups “minute of bad guy”. Treat it as such. You wanna score hits at 800 yards? Get a bolt action chambered in a real rifle chambering and slap some decent glass on it. 308 is an excellent choice because NATO standard, plentiful, cheaper than newer boutique rounds.