What advantage is a 14.5" barrel if you have to put/weld a 1.5" flash hider /compensator just to make it legal? My noob brain says that if I have to have 16" anyway, I would rather have an extra 1.5" of rifled barrel to make it legal. I can then pick and choose which muzzle device I want through trial and error. Am I missing some other aspect / advantage to the 14.5 that is obvious to others?
Thanks in advance for any light you can shine on the subject for me.
Vince
Weight off the very end of the gun. Also if you’re not picking and choosing a muzzle device and know already exactly what you want then you just shaved 1.5" (give or take) off the overall length without having to deal with a stamp.
ETA: I should have prefaced this statement with the fact that I currently do not own a 14.5 with a pinned FH. However, I do intend for it to be my next purchase and these were a couple of my reasons. I’m experimenting now with my 16" gun and several FHs so that when I do order it can be pinned with the device of my choice and then no need for the “trial and error” as you say
some guys have a need/use for the 1.3"ish off the overall length. if you don’t, then you should get a 16.
a 14.5 with extended flash hider comes to 16.1. a 16.1 barrel with a regular flash hider comes to about 17.5.
by contrast, my SBRd 14.5 with non-extended flash hider comes to like 15.9… so you’re only adding about 1/8" to your 14.5" barrel by putting an “extended” flash hider on it.
It is at least 1.6 inches shorter and makes it a little more maneuverable it closed places. Every little bit helps and it is legal without more paperwork.
I have wondered this for a while now. I think Icculus has the right idea of pick the muzzle device you want with a 16" barrel and then, when and if you want the 14.5" barrel, you already know which way you want to go. IMHO, I’d rather swing a full 16" barrel so I can swap/replace/remove parts without having to worry about the permanantly attached muzzle device. But that’s just me.
16" barrels with carbine length gas systems generous alot of pressure that is detrimental to the life of the gas system/buffer/bolt carrier. Thats one reason, and the reason I chopped my 16" to 14.5.
14.5" Mid length barrels are a soft shooting setup, and some want the shortest barrel possible without going NFA (I.E. Hawaii. It doesn’t allow NFA)
I like the A2 flash hider and have no intention of changing it. I want it as short as possible and yet not have to mess with NFA stuff. A 16" gun with FH is over 17" long - i want that trimmed down and don’t want that length.
14.5" also allows you to use a standard bayonet if that is your flavor.
my next AR will be a LWRCi M6A3 14.5" with the FH of my choosing. I don’t know what the weight difference will be, but I feel as a home defense/CQB carbine, it might be handy for it to be a little bit shorter.
Okay…so
As far as the benefit of the shorter barrel for CQB. Is the 1" difference really that significant?
Vince
the difference between a 17.5" (16) and a 16.1 (14.5) is the difference between being able to turn around in a standard residential hallway with the weapon at high-ready and not, for me. it’s also the difference between being able to pull the weapon out of my vehicle muzzle up, and having to cant it. it’s also the difference between being able to fit in my range box and not.
might very well be none of this applies to you- if not, again, buy a 16 incher.
why does it seem like you’re wanting us to convince you of something? assess YOUR needs, not ours.
Isn’t the really answer…because the “real” M4 issued by the US military has a 14.5" barrel. I’m an AR newb, but I’m pretty sure its the cool factor.
:rolleyes:
i think most of us are long past that, dude. if we wanted our crap to be “issue,” we wouldn’t have different/upgraded stocks, different/better handguards, different/better mounts, different/better lights, different/better rail guards, different/improved pistol grips, etc, etc, etc… but still keep the barrel length? doesn’t quite add up.
I found that indoors, there is a difference between 14.5" and 16".
Accordingly, my go-to AR at work is a 14.5".
Would rather have a 10.5", but that’s not a possibility for me.
I thought that a 14.5" with a pinned FH was stupid until one of my friends got one. At the time all I had was a 16.5" AR and when I got to handle the 14" gun, said wow that really doe make a difference. Very slight, but noticeable. Now I have a 10.5" AR… That is very noticeable.
I bet it is for quite a few…:rolleyes:
Jeremy
For some that may be the case, but not here.
It is the shortest length non-NFA carbine alot of folks can legally own. As was said above “Every little bit helps”. And it is noticeable when navigating tight doorways and when moving in & around a vehicle, etc.
I’m going to a 14.5" pencil barrel for my “house gun”.I prefer the 16" for my “all purpose AR”.Mostly for the extra 30-35 yards of fragmentation with the 75gr TAP.
I’m looking for every excuse to go 14.5’'.
Right now I’m digging 11.5’'.
Certainly there are some collector-types that buy 14.5" barrels simply to have replica guns. You’re not going to find many of those types here.
If you’re new to the AR world, the 14.5" with pinned muzzle device is not the right gun for you. Buy a 16" with mid-length gas system and go shoot the shit out of it to assess your own needs and wants. Then if you find something lacking in the 16" you can investigate adding a 14.5"/pinned to your arsenal. I wouldn’t do 14.5"/pinned as my first AR, and I wouldn’t do it as my only AR (nor would I do an SBR for my first/only). 16" mid-length, lightweight barrel with flattop upper is the way to go for first/only.
I will say that I was totally against the 16" mid-length guns until I bought one, and totally against the 14.5" mid-length & pinned guns until Bravo sent me one. I was wrong on both counts.
Out of curiosity, what’s your reasoning for thinking someone who’s new to the AR world should go with a 16" middie as opposed to a 14.5" middie?