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Thread: 18" barrel owners

  1. #11
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    I really like my FN CHF barreled 18" upper for long range shooting, the combination of rifle length gas, the muzzle brake, and an H2 buffer make for quick follow up shots. The recoil impulse is noticeably softer than my 14.5" carbine upper, although I suspect the muzzle brake on the 18" is the biggest factor there.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by thecolter View Post
    It's been my observation that you'll get a bigger gain in velocity going from 16" to 18" with only minimal gains going beyond 18" to 20". I only see a 20-30 fps difference between my 18" and 20" barrels whereas I see a 60-80 fps difference between my 16" and 18" barrels with my loads.
    Using your numbers, the difference between 16 and 20 is 80-110 fps. If you're going for velocity, might as well go for the 20 inch. If you're going for handiness, might as well go for a 16 inch. There are reasons to use an 18 inch barrel, but it's velocity advantage over the 16 and handling advantage over the 20 aren't enough to bother with
    The number of folks on my Full Of Shit list grows everyday

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  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Metric Matt View Post
    I really like my FN CHF barreled 18" upper for long range shooting, the combination of rifle length gas, the muzzle brake, and an H2 buffer make for quick follow up shots. The recoil impulse is noticeably softer than my 14.5" carbine upper, although I suspect the muzzle brake on the 18" is the biggest factor there.
    Gas length makes a huge difference in recoil. A lot more than a muzzle brake. My intermediate is A LOT softer than my mid-length, and even more so than my carbine.

  4. #14
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    On another forum there was an individual who compared similar 18 and 16 inch barrels and documented about a 100 fps difference. I bought a DDM4V11 S2W to not only get the 18" heavy barrel, but the rifle length gas system, and the 15" SLiM rail. I have 16" guns in regular and lw. I will shoot the 18" as soon as I can save up money for a proper 500 yard optic and mount.

  5. #15
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    I love my 18 inch SPR. It will shoot lights out and is currently my favorite rifle to shoot. For me, the difference in being handy and the negligible amount of added weight still worth it. In general I would feel just as comfortable taking it to a gunfight as I would one of my 14.5's or 16's. The downfall would be if you are doing constant CQB, but if that was the case you would want a Commando length gun / SBR for that mission profile anyway.
    Certified AR Armorer among many other things.
    Semper Paratus Arms - 2014

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
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    Thank you all for your input.

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