But I don’t want to do it myself.

I have a Colt LE6940 that I’d like fitted with a premium quality barrel that can be used to shoot 5.56mm NATO ammunition. What’s the best way to ensure quality work without, as I say, trying to do the work myself?

Find the barrel and then find a qualified ’smith? Find a smith who sells barrels?

Suggestions including specific recommendations for the barrel and someone to do the work would be appreciated. And I’d prefer that the work not take more than a few weeks.

As far as high quality work on Colt's I would say Ken at Specialized Armament. I know the barrel nut on the 6940 is proprietary, but I'm not sure if the barrel itself is.

http://www.specializedarmament.com/shop-services

Honestly, for the trouble of removing the FSB and all that, I would just buy a new upper receiver for $100 and build it with a new barrel / handguard / etc.

Because depending on the barrel profile of the better barrel, the Colt FSB / barrel nut / etc might not (1) work or (2) be desirable.

Why limit a 'better' barrel by not free-floating it to begin with?

So I'd keep the LE6940 upper the way it is, or sell it off, then build / buy a better upper.

The 6940 is free floating, but you are limited to the stock rail.

ETA: Every Colt is chambered for 5.56, is the OP looking for more accuracy? I found the stock 6940 to be very accurate. The rigid monolithic upper and free float does a pretty good job. I've also had good luck with Colt barrels in general. At one time I owned a standard 6940 and a 6940P. I sold the regular 6940, well, just because, and kept the piston, well, because I like different things.

Here is a review of the 6940P accuracy (not mine). Many people have reported the standard 6940 as being pretty good also.

http://looserounds.com/2015/09...-long-range-testing/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mbinky,

quote:

Originally posted by mbinky:
The 6940 is free floating, but you are limited to the stock rail.

Ah, I assumed that FSB attached to the stock rail in some way as well.

I guess it all comes down to what 'better' means to the OP.

ADCO firearms does great work with ARs and the turn-around time is short.

Whoever does the rebarrel job is going to need whatever special wrench is required to get down inside the handguard. That will your #1 qualifying question.

I don't know anyone off the top of my head who has that wrench other than Colt.

You will definently need to make sure they have the tool. Specialized Armament does I believe.

Here is a pic of a 6940 (top) and 6940P (bottom). The castle like barrel nut is nestled in there.

The tool is easily available as I had no trouble finding one. But I second the notion of just buying an upper that meets your needs. A 6940 std. colt upper has value and can easily be sold. A mucked with one, not so much.
In any case I have had extremely good luck with 6940's in terms of combat accuracy (I have several so its not a fluke) so I would wonder what 'better' really means in terms of objective.

Thanks for all the excellent helpful comments!

I was completely unaware that the 6940 had a special barrel nut, so that’s definitely something to be aware of. Having a complete new upper built was also a good suggestion I didn’t consider, but I should probably first spend a bit more time with good ammunition and analyze whether I truly need more accuracy.

My 6940 is also accurate. In fact the most accurate of a dozen black rifles I have or have owned. I wouldn't mess with it, just get another upper if you seek something different in barrel length or furniture.

I have a 6920. I also own three BCM and one Daniel Defense. I've never shot high end ammunition out of them as a disclaimer. Having said that, my 6920 shoots the tightest groups of them all. It will hold one inch consistently at 100 yards with a 4x ACOG.

My point is I don't see why you would want a new/need a new barrel unless you wanted to squeeze the most out of the rifle which would require match ammo or handloads. A friend has a LaRue barreled upper he put together that will shoot sub-MOA. Their barrels are supposedly Lothar Walther blanks and they can be had for just over $200. This may be another option.

If you're getting any work done on a Colt, send it to Specialized Armament. Yes, they're expensive, but their work is incredibly high quality.

I have no doubt they could replace the barrel for you, or tell you if it was not, for whatever reason, advisable.

It depends upon what accuracy levels you're looking for. The most accurate AR I own sports a Krieger barrel. I recommend a whole new upper in your case.

I recommend the gunsmith Fritz (the real Fritz) who now works at Mile High Shooting -- he has assembled most of my ARs and just installed a new barrel on my bolt action rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by swage:
[U]nless you wanted to squeeze the most out of the rifle which would require match ammo or handloads.

Yes, that’s my intent, not for more impressive mag dumps at 25 yards with Wolf Brown Bear.

Again, I appreciate the comments and will probably reevaluate things by going back and confirming just how accurate my rifle is now with a few types of quality ammunition.

Dude, how old is the gun and what kind of problems are you encountering. Companies do some weird things you'd never expect. I have a friend who has a S&W VTAC2. The gun completely shut down at about 8k, and wouldn't shoot a group better than about 4 inches at 100 yards. It was sent back to Smith on their dime, and they replaced the barrel as a manufacturers defect...... at 8,000 rounds. I would have never believed it could happen. I figured Smith to say go pound sand. But, it may be worth a phone call to Colt. Or what is left of them.

As to the barrel conundrum, I would just build another upper. Parts are cheap, and you get to start fresh. In the popularity contest of barrels, on all of our non-HK guns, we have been using Noveske. I am really pleased with the product that Noveske turns out of the shop. The next personal barrel I buy will likely be a 14 inch Afghan barrel. I think that barrel with a pinned Surefire brake will be a great all around gun in the makings.

Jones

PK Firearms does a great job with both off the shelf and their building services.

I've bought two carbines from them and they are top notch when it comes to Customer Service.

The barrel extension on the 6940 is also proprietary. Uses a slot instead of a pin to index to the receiver.

^^^^
I knew there was something else I was forgetting! The gas tube is also straight I believe.

I really like the Colt 694X series. I do wish they would update the rail, make it lighter. When it came out quad rail cheese graters were all the rage. A keymod or M Lock would be great. I know people complain about the length but I'm not a rail attachment guy so I don't care.

What I really wish is that the folding front sight would make it's way over to the standard 6920 and issued M4. I really like how robust it is. No one has irons anymore unless you want them, so a good KAC micro with that front would be great if the ACOG went down (and they do).

quote:

Having a complete new upper built was also a good suggestion I didn’t consider

Another side benefit of this option is that it allows you to keep your rifle "stock". You can swap out for your high accuracy platform, and then swap back to have your "factory" 6940.

May or may not be of concern, but if you ever plan on selling or trading or leaving it to family - the stock configuration is always going to be worth more/have more monetary value.

The better barrel may give more accuracy, but an original Colt rifle will always have more value. Swapping the entire upper allows you to have the best of both worlds with only a minor difference in cost.