Pinned 14.5?

AR/M4 AR General Discussion
1

I’ve read a lot here, including the stickeys, searched a lot here, but I have a couple of questions that just have not been answered that I’ve been able to find. Here’s my first one:

I have a 16" on my POF and a BCM 16" CHF on the way, so my question is really just curiosity. I’ve learned from reading that a 14.5" barrel with a (longer?) flash suppressor pinned to it allows you to have a shorter barrel without need for a license. However, what’s the point? A standard flash suppressor only adds, what, one inch? Why sacrifice an inch and a half of velocity for one inch of length?

:jester:

2

The only reason I could see that being anyway beneficial is if you want to use a Acog want the BDC to be more accurate. But in all reality I don’t see a point of perm attaching a muzzle device to save an inch…

3

I’ve been considering going with a 14.5 pinned rifle to make it just a little easier on getting the rifle out of the patrol car (Chevy Impala). One inch doesn’t seem like much until you are gouging the passenger door or roof with the barrel when trying to deploy the rifle quickly. It would probably shave a few ounces off the weight of the rifle too, if you are worried about such things. If NFA short barreled rifles were allowed by the administrators I would go for a 12.5 inch barrel. But, for someone who is not getting in and out of a vehicle or counting ounces I would stick with the 16 inch barrels to allow for easy take off/on of flash hiders, muzzle brakes, and some of the free float rail systems out there.

4

It doesn’t make much sense unless you actually use the weapon in ways that it matters. If you are a bench shooter, 16, 18, 24 or whatever is all a moot point. If you are a cop who is pulling it out of your cruiser, or clearing buildings, you will see and feel a difference.

The other reason is also pretty simple, its just because you want to. Modern rails allow you to install what you want, and if you can’t figure out what muzzle device you need, then stick with a 16".

5

The point is that you grasped it rather quicker than others. In actuality there is virtual no difference.

6

I went with a pinned 14.5" BCM lightweight upper because I wanted the shortest, lightest upper setup that I could get without having to worry about a tax stamp. I did not plan on having any intentions on changing out the flash suppressor so the fact that its pinned does not make any difference to me. There is little measurable benefit to it but that 1" and a couple ounces is what I was trying to lose for my setup so it was worth it in my opinion.

7

Some think there’s little difference while some prefer the 14.5", whether pinned or not. I like them both and have both right now. I also have SBR’d lowers.

If I had a quality 16", I wouldn’t change it just because I wanted to try a 14.5". If I was buying a new rifle, I’d take it all into consideration.

Just like some guys prefer a 12.5" to an 11.5" or a 10.5" to an 11.5", it’s the same for the 14.5" vs 16" stuff. Keep in mind, the difference between a pinned 14.5" and a 16" with standard flash hiders is 1.3". But, some of us use specific muzzle devices for whatever reason, so the difference is often the full 1.5". I’m running A2’s now, but will be switching to Surefire flash hiders when my can is ready. I have them sitting here, I just need to install them. On that same note, if you’re using the Surefire brakes, the 215a, or one of the AAC blackouts, they add a considerable amount of length and that 14.5" which is normally 16" with the extended flash hider is now 17" (give or take) with something like a Blackout. The 16" is now 18" or 18.5" overall instead of the 17" or 17.3" (or whatever it comes out to) with the A2.

I know what works for me. The only time I need to change anything is when I replace the barrel. I don’t change out flash hiders/brakes to try new ones anymore. I put a hand guard of my choice on and stick with it. If something needs fixed on that handguard, I would remove it and send it in. Since only the barrel nut is affected by a perm’d muzzle device, the handguard itself is removable, at least my RIS II’s are and my URX’s were with the right wrench.

I have an ACOG TA31 RCO with the M4 reticle I run on my 14.5". But, I also run 193, Mk262, TAP 75gr, TSX and others in addition to 855. It works fine and I know the differences from everything from my 10.5" to my SCAR H with the ACOG. So, I can’t use that as an argument for the 14.5".

There’s nothing wrong with either, though I wouldn’t go recommending the pinned 14.5" to a new shooter that may decide to change things once they get to know their rifle a little better.

The velocity loss for a 14.5" from a 16" is pretty small compared to an 11.5" to 10.5". I’d be happy with either if set up correctly, but I can feel a difference in a 14.5" rifle when indoors or in a very thick, wooded area, often suppressed. Well, at least I’ve convinced myself I can!

8

I just ordered the same upper for the exact same reasons.

9

As a resident of Washington, and a non-LEO, I couldn’t get a SBR if I wanted to, so the 14.5" is as good as it gets for me, for now…

10

Living in MA I have no choice but to pin a comp either on a 16,18, 20" so I decided to go as short as I legally could so I went with the 14.5" with BC pinned. As crazy as it sounds to me there is a difference in handling a 14.5" to a 16". It feels a lot shorter even though it’s really not that much. If your confident on a muzzle device then go ahead with the 14.5", in the end the pin can be removed by you or a professional.

11

I’ve found that a lighter 16" still feels more maneuverable than a heavier 14.5", and as much as I really adore my 14.7" pencil barreled units, I’d still just recommend going with the 16" unless you live in a state that requires a brake to be permanently attached, in which case a 14.5" starts to make sense.

There is an advantage if you can’t get an SBR by building a very light 16" OABL unit, but I’d still only consider it after having a running 16" unit for a while (and consider shortening an existing weapon, so that you’re not stuck married to a setup you dislike).

Until the Centurion C4FSP rail, I was basically stuck with a less than ideal solution with a pinned 14.7" carbine, and my new-guy itis is still memorialized in a boat anchor SOCOM profiled 14.5" M4A1 type barrel upper that essentially isn’t worth the effort to do anything else with.

12

Well,there ya have it,LOL !!! My reasons “exactly” I like them for the above reason & it makes perfect sense to me (and to my fellow Brothers in Non-Free States) For you guys in Free States its no big deal,ya can change and swap till your hearts content,so having a 14.5 could be a pain in the ass so why bother ! It all boils down to,if ya can save a inch or more and a few ounces or more,then why not !! I like em,:D,guess thats why I have a 3rd one on the bench now,:smiley: but fully understand the reasoning not to have one if you have better options !!! (Laws) :wink:

13

If you’re going to do a pinned 14.5" make sure you’re getting what you want right off the bat. Once you pin that FH it’s a pain to reconfigure.

14

FYI, Bravo Company is offering configurations of both their standard and CHF 14.5" uppers, with various brakes/flash hiders pinned to bring them to a legal 16 inches. They also have Surefire MB556K brakes that come “pin ready”. Worth checking out IMHO.

15

I had a 14.5" permed because with the suppressor, I would rather give 1.5" less leverage to that 1# chunk of steel on the end of the barrel.

16

I got a 14.5 w/ a pinned AAC 51t mostly because of my can. I wanted the rifle as short as possible and I knew I wasn’t going to be changing out my muzzle device. Furthermore, I really like the way a 14.5 handles.

17

Lots of folks advocate doing heavy research on your rifle before selecting components. If you do your research, you already know what you like and there is no issue pinning on a 14.5" barrel unless you’re the type of person who is always dicking around with things. If you’re a tinkerer, then stick with a 16" barrel so you can change things down the road.

I just never understood why people fixated and complained so much about losing a muzzle device on a 14.5" pinned barrel if you wanted to change it. $50-100 in lost muzzle device isn’t that much money in the overall game if you’re building a top-notch rifle and spending the money on training and ammo.

18

My BCM lightweight 14.5 with the pinned A2X is my very favorite of my AR’s, handy, light and mine seems to be expectionally accurate.

If I could to change anything it would be to have mounted the A2X with a peel washer rather than a crush washer for suppressor mounting.

My next upper will have a BC 2.0 or SF brake with a crusher washer pinned to a 14.5 light weight barrel…

19

Like a LOT of folks, I’m thinking, “I’ll go NFA/SBR… ONE of these days”… but THAT day ain’t here yet.

What IS here, is my 3 story house, with full basement. That’s a LOTTA stairwell to clear, in case of emergency… and every inch COUNTS in it. So that’s why I own 2 such rifles.

20

There are a couple of things that come into play if your going to go with a pinned 14.5" barrel. First like already mentioned is make sure you set it up the way you want. Because you might need a different barrel nut or to remove a delta ring or whatever with some rails you might have to remove the gas block or FSB and in order to do that you need to remove the MD. I think if you go with a mil-spec carbine gas system you should go with the barrel length it was designed for which is 14.5" but YMMV.