Making Barrels Great Again: Rosco Manufacturing

After three days at SHOT show, it’s easy to think you’ve seen everything there is. It’s also easy to say that it’s hard to get excited about anything AR parts related. But that would be jaded and callous, particularly when there are enterprising companies like Rosco Manufacturing out on the show floor trying to the most American thing possible – make high quality products at affordable prices and look awesome doing it.

What makes Rosco so noteworthy is that EVERYTHING is done in-house, right down to manufacturing their own blanks. For their hard-use Bloodline series of barrels, said blanks start as 12-foot rods of 4150 CMV steel. The blanks are bore punched, the rifling is cut and the barrels given an 11-degree service crown. The extensions, also produced in-house, are micro-polished and then melonited separately from the barrels themselves before the two parts are joined. Bloodline barrels are available in true 5.56mm.

In fact, Rosco recently became one of three barrel makers in the entire country that is certified to produce true mil-spec, contract-bid-eligible 5.56mm barrels. For those who don’t need government profile tubes, they also currently make what they claim is the lightest AR barrel on the market, tipping the scales at 1.82 pounds while still maintaining a .750 gas block. There are also .300BLK and 9mm options now, with at least one other new caliber in the works at time of writing.

Their precision barrel series, the Purebreed line, starts life as 416R stainless steel, and ends as a step-down-crowned barrel with a nickel boron barrel extensions. Purebreed barrels are available in .223 Wylde, .300BLK and 9mm.

But Rosco is hungry, and they are quickly moving beyond AR barrels. They are also producing match grade bolts, bolt carriers and have partnered with SLR Rifleworks for both adjustable and non-adjustable gas blocks. Tired of ARs altogether? Cool. They’re also producing a line of 5R cut Glock barrels. The sample we saw was steeply crowned and well executed all around. Once their Glock line is up and running, expect to see Rosco barrels for the SIG P320, HK pistols, CZ pistols and some even more obscure handguns later down the line.

These guys have a lot of moving pieces on the board and seem dedicated to giving every project everything they’ve got. We’re excited to get our hands on a couple of their barrels and giving you some real feedback.

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