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Thread: Barrel length

  1. #1
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    Barrel length

    Anybody have an idea how 16 inches became the most common length for AR weapons? Why not 18 inches?



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    It’s the shortest legal length. I think if there was no NFA we would see 11.5 and 14.5 as the norm.
    FFL 07/ NFA 02
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    I agree with Viper. It's the law.

    I will defer on this point because I have zero military experience but rather add an additional question into the mix... for those that have been in the military isn't a 14.5 the standard issue? Isn't the M4 a standard 14.5 inch length?

    I would speculate that 14.5" is probably the best all around length for 5.56 in regards to terminal ballistics, reliability, wear on guns, etc.

    How they came up with a random number of 16" is beyond me. That was made by politicians not gun people.

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    Barrel length

    Politicians had 1934 mob-owned firearms in mind when they wrote the 16” rule.
    Last edited by fledge; 7 February 2018 at 12:49.

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    Quote Originally Posted by fledge View Post
    Politicians has 1934 mob-owned firearms in mind when they wrote the 16” rule.
    I had that in mind too. That law definitely pre-dates any M16 or AR platform.

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    Quote Originally Posted by porterdavid98 View Post
    Anybody have an idea how 16 inches became the most common length for AR weapons? Why not 18 inches?



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    Other than the Law/NFA that's been mentioned, I think 18" and above are just a little too long for carbine work.

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    Quote Originally Posted by UWone77 View Post
    Other than the Law/NFA that's been mentioned, I think 18" and above are just a little too long for carbine work.
    Absolutely

    I’m probably going to build a 22” AR of some sort in a wildcat (224Valkyrie is what I’m planning thus far) but beyond that, I got rid of my 18” and 24” .223 stuff. 16” rifles with a suppressor is bad enough; my 24” rifle with my direct thread can was insanely quiet but it was ridiculously long.

    A pinned 14.5” rifle with a quick attach can (like the Griffin M4SD-II or NT4) would be pretty sweet, otherwise I’m rocking the 10.5 and 16 inchers

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    Remember that until the mid- to late-1990's a typical "AR-15" in civilian hands was modeled after the M-16 with a 20" barrel. When the Army started cutting over to the M4, the M-forgeries started appearing. And, as mentioned, a 14.5" barrel requires a tax stamp so the civilian market settled on the 16" as sold by Colt the small market for "clones" like Bushmaster.

    Also, the reason the Army was comfortable going to the 14.5" barrel was that the 1:7 twist with 62 gr bullets was giving the required ballistic performance. The 20" barrel wasn't really needed for the standard grunt. DMRs stuck with 20" and SPRs went with 18" where the extra velocity served a purpose.

    These days, the only reason to have more than 16" is if you really value a little bit of extra velocity because you're pushing the performance of the round. The majority of civilian shooters aren't.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BoilerUp View Post

    These days, the only reason to have more than 16" is if you really value a little bit of extra velocity because you're pushing the performance of the round. The majority of civilian shooters aren't.
    And with the IAR coming online, a large portion of the military isn't either.

  10. #10
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    We should all go back to 20" AR's

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stickman View Post
    We should all go back to 20" AR's
    @Stickman just out of curiosity are you joking or serious and if serious why do you think that?



    I've got a 16" Govt profile, an 18" bull barrel and a 20" Hbar profile 5.56. Of the 3 my 20" is my favorite and has become a dedicated hunting rig for short range deer, hogs and predators. The 16" Govt profile is typically what I carry when hiking or stalk hunting and the 18" upper is getting it's barrel pulled and the rest of the parts cannibalized for a 10.5" 300blk pistol build. My experiences hunting with and shooting these 3 resulted in my choosing a 20" barrel when I built my Aero M5 308.

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    The 20” is the original AR design and all the parts were designed for it. That probably is partly why he said that.

    Also barrel whip can’t be underestimated when intimidating the enemy. :)

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    Quote Originally Posted by JMJ View Post
    @Stickman just out of curiosity are you joking or serious and if serious why do you think that?



    I've got a 16" Govt profile, an 18" bull barrel and a 20" Hbar profile 5.56. Of the 3 my 20" is my favorite and has become a dedicated hunting rig for short range deer, hogs and predators. The 16" Govt profile is typically what I carry when hiking or stalk hunting and the 18" upper is getting it's barrel pulled and the rest of the parts cannibalized for a 10.5" 300blk pistol build. My experiences hunting with and shooting these 3 resulted in my choosing a 20" barrel when I built my Aero M5 308.
    I think I have 4 20" uppers. I enjoy shooting them as they are very soft shooters, and as mentioned, original to the design. It was more tongue in cheek. I prefer 16" carbines.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stickman View Post
    I think I have 4 20" uppers. I enjoy shooting them as they are very soft shooters, and as mentioned, original to the design. It was more tongue in cheek. I prefer 16" carbines.
    Thanks!

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    I go 14.5” pinned myself!!!

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