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Thread: 14.5" "Medium" Profile Midlength Barrels

  1. #1
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    14.5" "Medium" Profile Midlength Barrels

    Hi all,

    I'm currently building a rifle based around Hodge Defense parts on a Capitol Armory/Mega Arms lower and I'm having some trouble picking out a barrel. I'm using the Hodge Defense Wedge Lock rail system and the Hodge/SLR gas block to fit under it, and I'm now trying to decide on a barrel. I want to get a 14.5" midlength barrel and pin/weld a Surefire Warcomp on the end, but due to the pin/weld I'm hesitant to buy some of the less expensive barrels despite the good reputations of some of them. If I could find one, I'd consider just using one of Hodge's purpose-built barrels, but they're basically unicorns. The Hodge/SLR gas block is .750, so there's some options for a frankenbuild.

    The goal here is really little more than a quality 14.5 general purpose "mini-Recce" made in the mold of Hodge's AU-MOD 2 uppers. This was a for-fun build that slowly spiraled out of control, hilariously enough, but now that I'm in this deep I figure I may as well give it a good barrel too. Barrel budget is about $250-$270. Durability with respectable accuracy is the name of the game since a pin/weld would make replacement a bit more time consuming. Weight is concern, but everything with a .750 gas block journal seems to sit around 23-26 ounces anyway, so I'm not super concerned about that so much as I am with weight distribution. Jim Hodge specifies his barrel as a "taper" profile on the AU-MOD 2s, so that or something similar is what I'm hoping to find.

    I know the Hodge barrels are made by FN, but I can't seem to find a 14.5" middy from FN in my usual spots. My original plan was to go with the Ballistic Advantage Hanson to help control gassiness and trim down the weight some. Spike's Optimum profile seemed to fit the bill almost perfectly, but they're no longer FN marked so I'm assuming they're no longer using them as an OEM, which in turn has me hesitating there as well.

    My current shortlist looks something like this:
    -BA Hanson .750 - 26 oz, QPQ
    -BCM Standard Enhanced Medium Weight - 26 oz, chrome-lined
    -DD Lightweight - 22 oz, hammer forged, chrome-lined
    -Spike's Optimum - 24 oz, hammer forged, chrome-lined

    Any reasons I should pick one over the others? The BA is obviously the cheapest, but the DD is lighter, and the BCM looks like it'd have the best weight distribution overall. I'm not sure what the gas port sizing on any of these are either, which is a minor point of concern in case I decide to suppress the rifle later. I asked about these things on TOS, but didn't get much more than some anecdotal recommendations for Green Mountain and Faxon, which isn't really satisfactory for me since I'm spending significantly more time and money ensuring I get quality parts and trying to do deep dives on the technical aspects of the parts going into this rifle.

  2. #2
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    I have a BA hanson profile with .750 gas block and a DD 14.5 that also has a .750 gas block. Both have midlength gas systems. The more I shoot the BA barrel the more i like it. Out of the two the BA is also more accurate. Weight is not enough to notice. I'm about to do a pistol build with a BA barrel. It was between them and bcm, but since BA is giving away upper receivers with 175$ purchase I'm chosing them. I have the DD as a heavy use high round count upper and the BA as a bench type with a bipod and big scope.

  3. #3
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    hah, I've had almost the same project percolating for a while now. Recently discovered the spike's 14.5 you referred to; looks to me the closest to be the closest to the Hodge as is available but with the brand gives me a blah taste in mah mouth. I wasn't aware of any new omission of a FN mark but to my (relatively limited) knowledge FN is the only shop to make barrels with that steel & double thick chrome line process?

    My backup choice is a BCM but the ELW BFH because am quite happy with the one I have and might as well stick with a known quantity

  4. #4
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    I own a couple of BA Hanson 14.5’s. The BCM mid-length I had was 16”. It was a good barrel. I also own a DD 11.5 and a LW 16” both of which are also good barrels. But of those barrels the BA Hanson is the only one I have two of. It’s on probably the best shooting AR that I’ve not only built but shot. It’s accurate, sub MOA accurate at least to the 250 yd mark. I’ve got that second 14.5 in a work in progress build, but the plan is to build a more compact precision gun. Docsherm called that purpose an “Urban Precision Rifle” and that has stuck with me. So much so that I’m building one and plan to run a 1-8 on it with a Centurion Arms hand-guard. I’d definitely recommend the BA Hanson. All my BA barrels are just outstanding barrels.


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  5. #5
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    I too am despairing of ever seeing Hodge Mod 2 uppers hitting the market again, and am tempted to just build my own. The barrel I would use is the FN CHF 14.5.

  6. #6
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    Our BRT OPTIMUM Light barrel may fit your needs nicely.

    It is 16" but is comparable to the 14.5" in handiness due to the continuous taper profile and .625 gas block.

    The EXT gas length and port sizing allow it to work well with a wide range of ammo and it takes a suppressor well.

    For techies, the gas system parameters are similar to a 14.5" mid length.

    Last edited by Clint; 11-16-17 at 11:34.
    Black River Tactical
    BRT OPTIMUM Hammer Forged Chrome Lined Barrels - 11.5", 12.5", 14.5", 16"
    BRT EZTUNE Preset Gas Tubes - PISTOL, CAR, MID, RIFLE
    BRT Bolt Carrier Groups M4A1, M16 CHROME
    BRT Covert Comps 5.56, 6X, 7.62

  7. #7
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    Take a look at the Faxon 14.5" middy. Get it with the matched bolt

    http://faxonfirearms.com/14-5-gunner...ngth-4150-qpq/
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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by jason el magnifico View Post
    hah, I've had almost the same project percolating for a while now. Recently discovered the spike's 14.5 you referred to; looks to me the closest to be the closest to the Hodge as is available but with the brand gives me a blah taste in mah mouth. I wasn't aware of any new omission of a FN mark but to my (relatively limited) knowledge FN is the only shop to make barrels with that steel & double thick chrome line process?

    My backup choice is a BCM but the ELW BFH because am quite happy with the one I have and might as well stick with a known quantity
    I bought a Spike's rifle when I was in college and it's currently my only complete AR. The barrel I have on that gun pre-dated their involvement with FN by a few months, so I looked to them early on while planning this project. However, I noticed that the pictures of the Optimum profile barrels from their introductory period are marked "Spikes FN", and that newer photos of the barrels simply read "Spikes" followed by the technical data. I'm not sure why they'd axe the FN stamp after making such a big deal about sourcing their barrels from them, but it's enough to give me pause, especially since PSA's FN-made barrels apparently still wear it.

    As for the other recommendations made so far, I looked around at the other options and the current parts I have/need for this build pre-empt using them. Faxon in particular was axed from my list early on; their Gunner profiles are .650 at the gas block and their only other options for a 14.5" are Government profile. The Hodge Wedge Lock is supposed to be paired with their SLR gas block that is .750 only, and I've already bought both - only missing a barrel and Warcomp for this build now. My Spike's rifle is a Government profile; not a huge fan of the profile's weight distribution. I also looked at FN early on as a direct OEM option, but noticed they do not sell any 14.5" midlength barrels directly, and the 14.5"s they do sell lack the midweight/taper profile I was looking for.

    I've considered going to 16" previously as well, but the use of a Warcomp would make the gun fairly long as-is. My existing rifle is a 16" with a BE Meyers 556 ASR on the end and I was hoping to get it at least somewhat shorter than that, so 14.5" seems to be the sweet spot that I'd really prefer to stick with.

    I'm glad to hear the BA Hansons are capable of trading blows with the much more expensive, chrome-lined hammer-forged barrels, though. Obviously I want this to be as high a round count a barrel as I can make it, and the low cost of the BA barrels these days has been making me second-guess myself. Any idea how the more conservative gas porting on those plays with H buffers? I've got Geissele Super 42 setups in both my existing gun and the complete lower I've already got for this one, so I want to make sure it'll cycle it properly.

  9. #9
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    Noveske? I believe they do a tapered barrel similar to Spikes’ Optimum.

  10. #10
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    Mine runs fine with a standard carbine spring and an h buffer. I don't shoot any wolf or tula though. Im going to try a sprinco blue spring and an h2 just for fun to see how it works. But i have other uppers i want to use on the lower so I'm trying to find the best setup for all of them.

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