Hi everybody,
New guy here.
What are the benefits of a 16" bbl vs. 14.5"? Which length is commonly used by the military?
Also, I’ve seen many pictures with 10.5" barrels. I thought the min legal length was 14.5"? What am I missing?
Thanks for the help. I’m looking forward to hanging out here and learning from all of you.
Curtis
16" will give about 90-100 fps more velocity.
Military uses 14.5" supposedly to use a bayonet but I have no clue why.
16" is the minumim legal length, some use a 14.5 by permenantly attaching a long flash hider to hit 16". A few buy a tax stamp for a SBR (short barreled rifle) which includes the 10.5" variety.
Doh, TWR beat me to it…and with waaaay fewer words. Oh well, I just spent five minutes writing this post, so I’m posting it anyway!
Well, as I see it, the primary benefit of a 16" barrel over a 14.5" is the 16" produces slightly higher velocities at the expense of handling qualities. For a civilian, it is also the minimum legal barrel length allowed without having to pay for a “short barreled rifle” permit from the BATF. The NFA law defines any barrel under 16" as a “short barrel”, and requires you purchase a special tax stamp in order to possess one legally.
Now, standard barrel length for a military M4 Carbine is 14.5". If you want to have a 14.5" barrel w/o buying the tax stamp, you can, but you need to permanently attach a flash hider or muzzle break of sufficient length to bring the overall length of the barrel to 16" or more. This is typically accomplished by pinning and soldering the device to the barrel.
Soooo, there is more to it than that, and perhaps I’ve oversimplified, but that is the general gist of things. Browse the NFA section of this site and use the search a bit and things will begin the become more clear. I have exactly zero interest in obtaining an SBR, so I am the last guy that will profess to be an expert on this. I hope this little bit helps you.
Welcome to M4C!
Now some folks are going with a 14.7" barrel, so that a pinned/welded standard A2 flash hider will meet the required 16 inches. Gets most of the looks and handling of the 14.5", with the looks of the regular mil-spec flash hider.
Who’s making 14.7"? I think I’d perhaps be interested in one of those.
I really see no advantage to pinning a flash hider or paying a $200 tax stamp for a 14.5” barrel. If you’re not planning on climbing in and out of a Hummer with your weapon strapped to you and you really need that barrel a few inches shorter, just get a good quality 16” barrel and a Smith Vortex Flash Hider.
The SBR route is worth it if you were going to go with a 10”-12.5” barrel, but not for 14.5.
Just my opinion.
CMMG makes two in that lenght one in mod4 and socom. both are crome linned though.
you say ‘chrome lined’ like its a bad thing ?
ps. ran spellcheck
I personally like 14.5 barrels, but I agree that they are not worth the SBR hassle in and of themselves alone. I don’t mind a permanent FH on them, it hasn’t affected the accuracy in my M4gery, but I am perfectly happy with a 2 MOA fighting gun, and I have no illusion of taking that 14.5 gun to Camp Perry.
I do not like carbine gas 16" guns. The recoil is a bit sharper (it seems to me) than 14.5" guns, and the gun just feels and looks wierd to me.
I really like middie 16" guns, and though I feel that they are a superb GP carbine, the weight of the longer rail and barrel makes the gun feel distinctly different than a 14.5.
I really like the 14.5 more than any other length of barrel. For me it’s the optimal balance of handling and velocity.
I can’t see having to shoot an 11.5 or shorter without doing damage to your ears… especially in a structure.
I’m doing a pair of SBRs right now. But I don’t know if they’ll ever become Home Defense or duty guns.
SBRs are about two things for me, OAL with can attached, and easily stowable without one. I’m not concerned with the slight advantage the 10.5" or 11.5" may give me in a car as much as I am with not having a “carbine” that feels like a “rifle” when I add a can to it. My 6933 w/ 15th model is shorter OAL than my 16" w/ A2 FH.