One of my co workers has been compiling parts and wants me to build him a new upper. He’s been using a standard M4 upper for years and now wants a 14.5 middy. He’s hung up on which BCM barrel to choose though. He really likes my 14.5 ELW upper but is concerned that it won’t hold up as well as a USGI profile barrel will with his AAC M4-2000. He uses his can about 90% of the time.
My uppers that have attachments for cans are all USGI or medium contour barrels so I can’t give him much feedback in this area. I know I really like the handling characteristics of the ELW over the USGI profile, but it seems pretty thin at the muzzle to both of us to hang a 16 oz. can off of…
It can easily handle it. POI shift might be an issue, but We’ve shot 3 different cans on the 14.5 ELW. POI shift wasn’t bad at all, but each gun is different.
With my SF 212 suppressor I don’t notice any shift with less than 100 rounds fired. As long as your friend isn’t doing mag dumps I wouldn’t worry about it. Here’s a shot of a target that has a group fired with and without the suppressor.
You are correct, the longer the barrel the more likely it is that the it will sag from the weight of the suppressor; it is simply due to leverage. Additionally it is one of the reasons that shorter barrels are generally slightly more accurate until they go transonic.
Thanks for the info and advice guys! I’ve forwarded this thread to my buddy to let him stew over it some more… One more quick question for my curiousity. The ELW should shed heat faster than the USGI, correct?
The ELW sheds heat really fast. But that’s at the expense of getting hot faster. If multiple suppressed mag dumps are desired, have him get a SOCOM barrel.
Yes and no, the barrel will have less mass so it theoretically should cool faster than the GI profile but you will have less surface area to shed heat. Given the profile of the ELW I would say yes, but do take into account it will heat faster as well. Another thing to take into account with the GI profile is that the thickest part of the barrel is forward of the hand guard, it is technically a light weight profile under the hand guards. It is literally backwards of what it should be and actually exacerbates barrel point of impact as it heats.
ETA: Just saw markm’s post and I have to agree, if your buddies goal is to do mag dumps he would be better suited with a SOCOM profile barrel. Otherwise the ELW would be a great option.
The More Rigid, the Less Likely to have POI Shift w/ Can attached… assumely all other variables are squared away (concentric threads, proper mounting etc.)
