which buffer on 16-16.5 barrel with rifle gas?

AR/M4 AR Technical Discussion
1

I posted this as a reply to another topic on rifle length gas systems on cut down 20" barrels, cut to 16, but I think no one saw it as there was no comment at all. So here it is as its own thread:

Hi

My neighbor has an existing gun. The barrel is around 16" (could be slightly longer, like 16.5 or 17 inches – we put it next to my 16" gun and it looked about the same but since I have a muzzle device was hard to tell exactly). It is probably a cut down HBAR barrel that was then recrowned. It has no muzzle device on it and has a rifle length gas system. He has a pseudo A1 stock on it (cheap feeling with that little hook on the lower back) and says it runs reliably with thousands of rounds down the barrel.

He wants to put it on a new upper (the one he has is some custom 1980s high profile target receiver still in the white aluminum on some custom 1980s machined aluminum receiver) and reconfigure it with a collapsible carbine style stock.

My question, given that it currently has a rifle buffer and spring and tube, what sort of carbine buffer should he be looking at as a replacement?

Thanks
Chad

2

If using a rifle stock, standard rifle buffer and rifle spring, if using a carbine stock a standard 3.0oz CAR buffer and spring.

3

I recommend the complete kit from Spikes Tactical, it comes with the 6 position tube, buffer spring, ST-T2 heavy buffer, plate and castle nut. It’s like $60 bucks. Felt recoil is way down compared to a mil-spec carbine set-up. IMHO…

4

I would think the last thing you would want to do is go with a heavy buffer on a rifle length system.