My google-fu has turned up a couple answer to my question but not all. So i’m looking to build a new upper and for some reason I’ve been having an itch for a 13.7" setup. A couple companies have been noted to making a 13.7" carbine length barrel, but all I could turn up with a 13.7" midlength was Noveske. Now I do know that this isn’t a very common barrel length but I wanted to give it a shot. My main question is there enough difference between a carbine length and midlength in this configuration to matter? I was wanting to give the softer recoiling midlength a go. My only option for a midlength is the Noveske(which is a bit spendy) or getting a 14.5 cut down. It will probably be suppressed most of the time but my main purpose for it is to use it whenever I don’t feel like bringing my suppressor out. Anybody have any experience with one?
Personal experience no, but the owner of TRex Arms uses a 13.7 scar, 13.7 mcx, and a 13.7 BCM mid length and has no issues
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Theres a reason why the noveske comes with a perm attached flaming pig and it not just to redirect blast…even suppressed, Im not sure its enough to mimic the backpressure of a flaming pig to make a 13.7 mid reliable.
Can one really tell the difference between 13.7" and 14.5" without some sort of device that measures recoil intensity and/or a tape measure? Presumably there would be a small velocity difference but would it be enough to statistically matter?
I’m pretty new to AR’s and while I know a jump from say 16" to 20" is significant is a 3/4" change also significant?
I have a 13.7 mid Noveske barrel. I wish I knew the gas port size.
It has been 100% reliable unsuppressed (not that that info is surprising to anyone) using Federal XM193 5.56 NATO 55gr ammo.
Suppressed I have had weird issues (none of which I think are the barrel, or gas systems fault) one issue was failures to extract when suppressed, the other issue was after that failure to extract, the bolt carrier would try to pickup another round and feed it into the previously spent casing still in the chamber. This is only using Federal XM193 5.56 NATO 55gr ammo suppressed, and happened at least once per magazine. I have also blown out 2 primers on the same ammo in the course of maybe 400rnds.
I have since added a BCM extractor upgrade with the black buffer, and the O-ring left in. I have also acquired a H3 buffer to replace the H2 buffer currently in the rifle. (using a springco blue spring) On top of that, I have picked up some quality Hornady 5.56 NATO 62gr “Black” ammo to conduct my test/tune with.
I am hoping that the extractor upgrade fixes the failure to extract issue (which may have really been my only issue), but a bunch of guys on these forums recommended a H3 buffer for my setup, so I picked one up to throw in it and see how well everything works together suppressed/unsuppressed. The real test will be if it can reliable run on Federal XM193…I have a few thousand rounds of it.
I thought weapon outfitters offered a 13.7" mid length barrel?
Out of curiosity, what muzzle device do you use for it to be a 16in
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Its an SBR.
But you can pin B.E. Meyers flash hider to make it 16.1" OAL…there might be other muzzle devices long enough to pin.
One other reason is that a pinned KX5 brings the 13.7" barrel up to 16".
The 13.7 mid is a tiny bit shorter than ideal for normal unsuppressed use, but nothing to really worry about.
There are 12.5" mids out there that reportedly run well.
The 13.7 should actually be great for mixed suppressed use, especially if cut down from a 14.5 or 16" mid with no port modifications.
I’ve probably seen 100’s of pictures of those and completely forgot about them. Only thing of note is I don’t think I’ve seen a picture of them suppressed.
That’s the main reason I’m asking. Is it even worth it going with a midlength when I can just stick with a carbine gas system. I threw in the softer recoil part because I wanted to try out a midlength considering I’ve only had carbine guns. There is a company that does a 12.5" midlength so it MAY be possible that there is a benefit?
I know to get everything properly running its all about the gas port size. Man reason for me starting this thread was to find out if this was a finicky setup that I should stay away from. I’m wanting 100% reliability suppressed/unsuppressed. My main training ammo is Wolf Gold with some steel case sprinkled throughout. Weapon Outfitters currently has a Ballistic Advantage 13.7" carbine and the Noveske you have.
I will report back in this thread after I get to test/tune my rifle with the extractor upgrade, and H3 buffer install. I was supposed to shoot it this past weekend, but instead the fiancé and mother in law wanted to check out wedding venue’s on the day I had planned to go shooting.
I have a feeling it will run reliably suppressed and non suppressed. (it was very very close, with an H2 buffer, and a springco blue shooting federal xm193)
Next time I decide to unpin my gas block, I will measure the gas port size. I would love to know what it is.
Maybe give Noveske a call and see if they will share that info? I do not see this as a finicky setup at all. I never once experienced a malfunction with this setup unsuppressed.
after going from a 16" mid length to a 14.5 mind length … Id say most users coming back and saying the shorter barrel has less ‘recoil’ is probably a placebo effect? If anything I noticed recoil go UP when moving to the shorter barrel, but that could be because of a change in MD too.
I just ordered Triarc Sytems 13.7" Track Barrel which is a mid-Length. Hurry up SHOT show and end so I can get my stuff! …Will report back once I get everything put together. But good to know there’s another option on the market.
https://www.triarcsystems.com/rifles/rifle-barrels/triarc-13-7-track-barrel.html
Same.
Also, Weapon Outfitters offers the Dead Air flash hider as an option for their 13.7" upper bundle. That’s another muzzle device option.
my experience is that my 13.7 mid gas/H2 buffer has more felt recoil than my 16" carbine gas/H2 buffer, and my 10.3" carbine gas/H2 buffer. All using XM193, unsuppressed.
The 13.7" rifle is also the lightest and best balanced rifle I own. The 10.3 is the heaviest.
I believe the Battlecomp 51.0 is long enough to reach 16.1+" as well.
Thats what I was going for. Seeing if the carbine vs mid was the way to go for the length I wanted. Is there a simple calculation to figure out what the best gas port would be? Or is it more of a ballpark number?
Not unless they are doing something not listed on their webpage. They say 2.39? Typical thread length is .400… 2.39 minus .40 + 1.99 leaving you .31 short of 16" plus the crush washer. A 3rd of an inch would be a hell of a crush washer.
Reaaaaally? Thats intriguing. I am going SBR for this particular build, though my original thought was how sweet a Sandman K would be on a 13.7 upper…That would free up an SBR lower. Hmmmm…
Wouldn’t a 13.7" mid have roughly the same dwell time as a 11.5" carbine, what with the gas port being 2" further out?
Granted, the bullet is going faster there, but still…
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Interesting. My 10.3 recoil is what I consider to be pretty tame. I know we all laugh when the word recoil comes up but I figured there would be less felt between the two. Considering a 10.3 can be pretty rough. I did spend a long time tinkering with the setup between correct buffer and gas port size.
I’ve been eyeing a reason to get a K. This might just be the ticket. I was originally going to throw it on a sbr lower but this puts me in the same boat as you.