what would be the most common AR barrel length if the NFA didn't exist?
>Pic related
what would be the most common AR barrel length if the NFA didn't exist? >Pic related
what would be the most common AR barrel length if the NFA didn't exist?
>Pic related
14.5" since that's what the military uses but I can see 5" being a close second
14.5 wasn't developed with any intelligence behind it and was mostly built around how short you could cut down an AR while maintaining the ability to mount then-standard grenade launchers and bayonets. It wasn't designed originally to be issued to literally everyone, so it wasn't like they spent 10000 hours nailing the details.
There is no chance that 14.5 would have been the norm, in a performance driven consumer market. Lengths shorter and longer would be variably chosen, but not that worst of both worlds middle ground.
>There is no chance that 14.5 would have been the norm, in a performance driven consumer market.
Sure but that wasn't the question either, was it?
The military made the decisions that led to the M4 having the barrel length it did with no consideration to the NFA. If 16" barrels weren't the minimum required by law every single m4gery in the country (by far the most common AR configuration) would have a 14.5" barrel.
I'm not saying it's that because that's the best length. I'm saying it's a fine compromise length and the big majority of people only buy one AR.
If the NFA didn't exist, you could get a grenade launcher, which is more reason why 14.5" would be the desired length.
If the NFA didn't exist, nobody would bother with actually using barrel mounted grenade launchers. They suck dick and make your gun suck too.
People only buy them because they look cool-if there were no barrier to entry and people actually wanted to use grenade launchers recreationally, they'd buy standalone grenade launchers.
>in a performance driven consumer market
But the consumer market is not driven by performance. Serious competitors (at least here in Europe, idk about America) would use 18 or 20 in barrels all the time because they were deemed to offer optimal performance. And yet after the EU directive in 2017 relaxed the minimum length requirements in certain EU countries, you started seeing lots of 12.5 and 14.5, or even shorter ARs.
The AR consumer market is and always will be driven by larping.
14.5 would be very common, but you'd still see plenty of 16-20in.
Probably 14.5 and 11.5.
My ARs are 16 and 10.3 and those seem to work just fine to me but I might just be moronic idk.
This, 11.5 and 14.5 are kind of the sweet spot
12 absolutely mogs 14.5. Its the goldilocks length for a one gun that does it all besides long range
>what would be the most common AR barrel length if the NFA didn't exist?
Twenty because there would be electronic triggers and ubiqiutous cheap bullpup chassis/adaptors.
16" is a good length, I think it would still be extremely common if not the most common. It's a solid middle ground that doesn't have the weight/length of a 20" but also doesn't sacrifice ballistics in the same manner that shorter barrels do
14.5 would cease to exist because people only buy it now to p&w to 16"
10.5s and 12s with either linear comps or cans would be extremely common as HD guns. If the NFA didn't exist you would be able to buy a high quality suppressor from PSA for $219.99 (or $189.99 with free shipping on sale).
The increased number of people building SBRs would probably cause an uptick in adoption of 300 memeout due to its increased ballistic performance in shorter barrels in comparison to .223/5.56
The NFA is gay and all ATF agents are moronic fat homosexuals btw
>14.5 would cease to exist because people only buy it now to p&w to 16"
14.5 is the military standard
16 is what wouldnt exist cause 16 is only chosen since its the legal minimum.
It's not that cut and dry. Honestly if the NFA didn't exist than 20" would likely be the most common length solely because civilians would have been able to purchase select fire M16s for decades before the M4 even started trials. The semi auto "sporting AR" might not even exist.
The only reason the M4 and future rifles were 14.5 is because the armed forces wanted the absolute shortest barrel they could get that could still mount an M203 and a bayonet.
The better question might be "What would be the most common AR barrel length if the NFA was revoked in 1990", in which case it would still be 20" since the market would be flooded with dirt cheap surplus M16s.
"What would the most common barrel length be in 10 years if the NFA was revoked today" would absolutely be 14.5 though.
oh frick I didn't consider Full auto M16s.
but 16'' has better perfomance. what barrel length did muhreens switch to?
>The NFA is gay and all ATF agents are moronic fat homosexuals btw
That's very anti nu-/k/ of you,
As others have said, 14.5-11,5 inch barrels.
probably shorter for .300 black out spam.
>10.5s and 12s with either linear comps or cans would be extremely common as HD guns.
Without the NFA a FA SMG would be the obvious choice for this. Why would you pick something heavier, with more recoil, which is significantly longer, way louder, with way more flash/concussion, and likely to needle through at HD ranges?
I'm not that anon, but a short-barreled AR is much more controllable than most pistol caliber SMGs. The higher bullet mass of the SMG really hurts in the recoil department. Now I totally agree about the loudness, an SBRed AR is loud as frick, that is a legit concern.
>needle thru
that's all about bullet choice, that's not really a problem.
>an SBRed AR is loud as frick, that is a legit concern
You can mitigate this somewhat now with a linear comp/blastcan, and in a world without the NFA you could mitigate it somewhat more with an actual suppressor (which would be cheap and readily available as the pieces of safety equipment that they fricking are). Obviously you're still balls deep in hearing damage territory (especially being inside a hallway or room), but it would be better than nothing if you're taking a handful of shots or less.
For the record, with the bare comp on this 10.5" firing a round creates a blast with so much concussive force that you have to press your tongue up against the back of your teeth to stop them from vibrating. With the blastcan attached it becomes quieter (from behind the gun) and more pleasant to shoot than a standard 16" with a birdcage. It's a Witt Machine SME (Sound Mitigation Equipment). Very cool and a lot of fun and definitely recommended, but its kinda spendy for what it is.
At least that's what my friend who owns the gun told me.
A 30 round flashbang dispenser that comes with lethal party favors every time it's deployed? Sounds neat.
have you ever fired it indoors? directing the blast away from you only helps if it doesn't bounce right back at you.
IME those things on short barreled AR's have insane flash which is a big reason to run a can. You're never gonna make it hearing safe but you can just about eliminate flash and drastically reduce the sound down to ~handgun levels
Maybe if the comparison is only old open bolt guns, although there the size difference is particularly acute.
And then with the Rattler, etc. you're talking about the same cartridge.
>If the NFA didn't exist you would be able to buy a high quality suppressor from PSA for $219.99 (or $189.99 with free shipping on sale).
True.
In euro market suppressors are from anywhere between 60 to 600€
In Europe you can buy 3D printed, titanium flow through suppressors for like $30 USD. Off the self. No wait times or background checks.
in some parts of germany, they're legal for hunting. bavaria for example allows you to hunt with a suppressor.
on semi-auto rifles there's still a 5 round magazine limit though, which sucks, but that's hunting law, I guess.
Makes sense. How many deer can you really carry back to your truck?
10.5" with 55gr v-max
300 yard expansion, 500 yard supersonic range
Slap a can on there most of the time
It already doesn't exist if you use a brace, no?
10.3 and 20
All you need
>tfw I have a 10.5 HD rifle and a C7A2 build
For the record the C7A2 is a bit of a pig compared to a full length 20 but the optic will help balance it towards the middle
11.5 and 20". Everything else is length creep. There's no reason to have a 12.5, 14.5, a 16, whatever fricking gay arbitrary length if you have an 11.5" and a 20". 10.5 is too short.
tfw I have 11.5" and 20"
I think 14.5" would still be popular because of ballistics.
But 10.5" would probably be the second most popular.
20"
Probably 10.3 because everyone would put a silencer on their gun.
12", same as the average penis size
10 inch urban areas
20 in rural
348mm
Is there any valid reason we hate 16" or is it just because it's the NFA standard and we're all homosexual /k/ontrarians?
Ideal barrel length depends on the context. Nothing wrong with 16", it's just not optimal for 5.56 ballistics and it's a little unwieldy in tight spaces, especially if you want to suppress.
Anyone know what the best barrel length for 300Blackout is? I want to stick a suppressor on the end too BTW.
It was explicitly designed to be used with short barrels, so probably within 10"+-2" would be ideal.
TY
TY but yikes
>TY but yikes
it's what SOCOM picked for their suppressed 300 blackout guns
SOCOM also came up with the Mk 18, which is moronic.
6.75"
All you need to do is look at the Euro market since they have no length restrictions. Most common lengths there are by far 10.5, 14.5 and 18
In Finland there are no restrictions on barrel lengths. Most people tend to favour 14.5" as their competition gun but 16" is a very close second and it's mostly seen as a matter of preference. More than 16 and less than 14 exist but they are a niche.
Is there a barrel length other than 20?
The barrel should be long enough for peak velocity, anything less is a waste. And that means 26".
But 20"gays always want to compromise to make it easier to get it out of their vehicle, pic related.
If the NFA did not exist, no one would want an inferior barrel. People only want this shit because they can't have it.
Cool that you have a 26" barrel, care to post a picture?
11"ers them continuing to smaller over Tim until its 8.9"ers.
Im new to ARs and bought rifle gas 18". Am I moronic?
18", 20", and 14" with pin are good for 556. 16 with high twist rate is great on pcc tho.
Why would you pin anything over 14.5”? You wouldnt. Why would you have a 16” pcc? You wouldnt. Shut up homosexual.
You're not being very nice right now, mister
I dont mean 18 or 20 with pin just 14. Because 14 with pin gets around sbr.
I have a 16" pcc cx4 is great.
It does give some added peace of mind with a suppressor mount flash hider. Carbon lock on some types of suppressor mounts could have you yanking the muzzle device off with the can.
If you got a rifle length gas system, nah.
Can somene explain the brace situation. Are they legal again or what
Legal again yes
For how long tho?
IDK about AR barrel length but I'd be rocking a 10-12" 10/22 with a silencer for hunting. Or maybe it'd be integrally suppressed at that point; I mean my favorite stock would probably be made with an "integrally suppressed barrel channel" model in that timeline that wouldn't look fully moronic. I'd also have a stocked pistol "carbine" 10" barrel integrally suppressed .22 of some kind that'd be even smaller I'm sure.
The minimum barrel length for all ARs is 20 inches.
Why?
Depends on the cartridge. Everyone loves short guns and there’s an obvious trend towards shorter and shorter barrels. 5.56 would retain today’s most popular barrel lengths. I doubt we’d go any shorter than 12.5ish.
Maybe we’d get new 300 blackout-esque cartridge development optimized for short barrels. Perhaps a revival of CETME style calibers with excellent external ballistics and efficiency out of <10” barrels. Atleast that’s what I’d hope. God I wish they’d make a comeback.
Probably 14.5 or 16.
depends on the caliber.
Frick your rifles, without the NFA we'd all be machine gunners
Pretty much every military uses a 12-18" barrel for their assault rifles. You'd probably see the bulk of them at those two extremes and 14.5 as the middle ground.
>what would be the most common AR barrel length if the NFA didn't exist?
Still 16 inches because 5.56 ballistics are already inferior out of barrels under 20"? Is is this a magic world where 300BL is mass produced and therefore cheaper as well? Which doesn't' go to shit out of short barrels.
Probably 14.5in with mid length gas. If there's one great thing about 16in is that it introduced mid gas which a casual civilian shooter would get to appreciate more than a soldier.
>20in
No change in popularity
>18in
No change
>16in
Would get much less popular but in exchange would get a moronicly hardcore cult following
>14.5, mid gas
The default all-rounder option for most AR-15s, long enough for good enough velocity, smooth enough recoil, light enough for fatties to lift
>14.5, carbine gas
The mil-spec option, less popular "default" but still huge
>13.7
Shortest practical mid gas barrel, would probably be the "CQB" choice for casual gun owners
>12.5/11.5/10.5
Will get more popular as the people who need them will have less restrictions on getting them, but will still remain pretty niche
I agree that 16in would become passé with 14.5" ruling the roost - though I think it would still be carbine gas