I emailed Solo yesterday about the possibility of ordering barrels from him. He got back promptly and advised me to contact Mos-Tek about having customs made. He said they are familiar with his actions and have made barrels for him and do good work. I talked to them this morning. Super friendly and helpful. About what it'd cost to buy a green mountain and have a local shop turn it down. They are going to get back with me on a weight estimate for a 16" 223wylde and 300aac. Everything seemed perfect except the 25 week lead time.
Green mountain said 100 barrel minimum.
Faxon said 100 barrel minimum.
Haven't heard back from Shaw or Wilson.
Been trying to get a quote on some other work from Longrifles Inc. for two weeks now. I've had them flute some bolts, and they do good work, but they don't answer the phone, return calls, or answer emails. Frustrating to say the least. I left another message this morning, this time with a person in the barrel department. Different person so maybe they will respond to customer inquiries. Thinking maybe I can send them a GM to sharpen with this other work if they won't do a custom barrel.
X-Caliber is similar price as Mos-tek but with a 10-11 week lead time. You can pay an extra $100 "order expedition fee" and cut that in roughly half. However their barrels will still have the gas journal, They just don't drill the port. The mos-tek would not have a gas journal. Not a big deal, but might make the mos-tek an ounce lighter if all else equal. And would look better with a short handguard which would also save another ounce.
So, if you are offended by gas ports, and are a serious weight weinie, and you have a local gunsmith you trust to do the work, I think StupidLightweight is steering you down the right path with that GM option. I just don't have a local gunsmith/machine shop to help me so am fleshing out the custom options.