I had been set on a lightweight 16" build because I thought thats all I could get in CA until someone mentioned 14.5 pinned with a comp will pass. Being that thia is my first build and wanted it to be a lightweight cqb rifle I started researching that idea amd havr stumbled onto many arguments that a mid length gas system with less recoil will be picky with ammo and not be reliable?
Pros and cons to this situation? Anyone face the same dilemma?
A noveske nsr 13.5 rail over a lw 14.5 with a pws or battlecomp sounds like a sexy rifle to me but should it stay middy or carbine?
From the research I have done, the people I have talked to, and my own shooting experience i can say this…
There is no doubt that a lot of people like 14.5" barrels with mid length gas systems because of less recoil, but there have been cases where the rifle is picky about ammo (as in if your ammo is not hot enough (ie. wolf and such) the bolt doesn’t cycle completely). From what I’ve been told this is because the gases don’t have enough time to build the necessary pressure to cycle the bolt, however this seems to not be the case in 16" barrels with mid length gas systems (ie. there is enough dwell time). As I don’t own a 16" or 14.5" with a mid length gas system, take this with a grain of salt if you want.
I do however own a 14.5" with a carbine length gas system and have had no issues and the recoil is manageable.
It seems as if you are just getting into AR’s so my humble advice would be stay away from anything permanent right now. I am sure there are others that’ll back me up on that.
Yeh a 14.5 looks better may handle slightly easier but unless you have alot of time behind the gun I would go with the 16. There are other reasons to not get a 14.5 but my main reason for ya would be one thing: the ability to modify.
There’s so much crap out there for AR’s. So much stuff out there to experiment with. Tons of great muzzle devices. Kinda hard to try different ones out if the one on there is welded to the barrel. Shoot it. Upgrade a few things. Keep what does work for you. Sell what doesn’t. It will take some time to figure out what works best for you and that includes muzzle devices.
Here’s another reason to not pin: I finally got around to putting my Battlecomp on a rifle. Love the thing but noticed my muzzle would dip slightly down and right (right handed) when firing. I read one of Surf’s posts a while back about him timing his BC to minimize this issue. Timed mine to about 1 o’clock and the remedy worked great. If I would have pinned it to the barrel (if it was a 14.5") talked being pissed. I would’ve spent $150 on a BC and sent it off to be pinned then discovered the timing fix. Yeh that would’ve not made my day.
A quality 14.5" middy from BCM, DD, Noveske, FNH (barrel’d), Rainier Arms, Larue, etc has NO reliability issues with anything but shit russian ammo. And even using russian shit, a lot of them will still work.
But, I think Jaxman hit the nail on the head. My first AR was a 16" middy and I’m glad I chose that first. I have sold it since, but I put several thousand rounds through it and was able to develop a feel for what I REALLY wanted in a gun. Because of that, my 14.5" BCM middy is set up exactly how I want it and I have no regrets.
The best move would be the 16" barrel for the above reasons. That said, I went with a 14.5" BCM Mid Length with a pinned A2 birdcage for my first AR. I knew I wanted the most compact AR I could and an SBR wasn’t an option for me in IL. I’ve had it for almost 2 years and have had zero malfunctions and zero regrets.