Part 5: Faxon Gunner Barrel - The Ambidextral Gunfighter AR15

AmbGun's Ambi AR page
https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/ar15/ambiar

The Faxon Gunner Barrel is a hybrid government and pencil profile.

I went with the 18” rifle length gas system with a 1-8 twist. At 1.6 pounds it’s pretty light, but more importantly with the tapered to pencil profile, the leveraged weight savings out near the muzzle is noticeable.

My RDB balances almost perfectly at the grip, whereas my BCM RECCE is muzzle heavy and displaces 671 grams. With the 18” Gunner barrel…I get the added 2” and yet remain 152 grams less muzzle weight than the BCM. Not balanced like my RDB, but the overall weight is 24 ounces lighter. (6.5 pounds vs 8)

This muzzle weight is important not just for holding the rifle one handed, but when transitioning from right to left and back, a balanced rifle’s muzzle will not lag behind. Here is an exaggerated example….balanced and the dowel rod moves left and right with no lag. But when the weight is out on the end, the “muzzle” falls off.

The Faxon button rifled barrel delivers excellent accuracy. Not chrome lined, but nitride inside and out. While I would prefer chrome lined on a cold hammer forged barrel, the Faxon Gunner appears to be an exceptional button rifled, chrome moly vanadium offering. And affordable enough to have a spare.

The Faxon Gunner barrel helps the ambi AR approach bullpup like balance.

In the next three episodes I’ll cover other balance efforts….gas block, muzzle device, and handguard.