View Full Version : Recce build, 14.5 vs 16 vs 18 inch?
I'm sure I'll end up with all of them, but what are you sacrificial by going with a 14.5? At what distance will you start to notice the velocity decrease?
I have a red dot on sbr's and would like to try a 1-6 next
dreamcrusher8307
03-28-16, 08:52
I personally went with 16" and I've been happy with the results at 300-500. I haven't been able to stretch it out further than that yet. Although I only have a 1-3 leupold mounted on it right now, at some point I want to bump it up to a 1-6 or better to really reach out and touch someone.
jroberts1968
03-28-16, 08:57
I am on the fence as well 16 or 18. I have a extra m4a1 RIS I am going to use but I just don't know on the barrel length.
Renegade0100
03-28-16, 09:41
Recce builds typically have a 16" barrel. 18" barrels are usually on SPRs/MK12 builds. I would choose the 16" over the 14.5" if I were you, but I prefer an 18" SPR build over all of them for precision. You need all the extra velocity you can get with 5.56 at range.
I've got both 16s and 14.5s. I prefer the 14.5s. For the ranges I would be engaging I don't think I'd notice much difference.
556BlackRifle
03-28-16, 10:20
IMO a Recce should be a 16 incher. I have two Recce rifles, both are 16" - Noveske CHF Recce light and Noveske SS Recce [heavy]. From what I've seen a good 14.5 can hit steel at 400+ no problem but I feel that the 16" offers a higher degree of precision.
jroberts1968
03-28-16, 10:22
I have a star 20" wylde barrel that I was going to use. I'll cut it and thread it to desired length. If I go 18" it would resemble a mk12 mod1 just no Kac RAS ff rail. I would love to have that rail but they are way pricy and I think them RISII is as good or better. I'm not a long range guy. I kinda want it because I have half the shit laying around.
Fn A4 upper - new
Colt BCG - new
20 rifle length gas wylde barrel
Amd mount
Mark 4 lrt
Ris 2 FDE
Lower I will do on a 80%
Geiss trigger
Then again the upper has a socom 14.5 in it already. Just on the fence
A traditional RECCE upper has a stainless steel, non-fluted 16" barrel and uses a carbine length gas system. Some of the newer ones use a mid length gas system. These were first built by SEAL armorers and then NSW Crane took over. The biggest reason behind its development is that the MK12 was an abomination.
I had/sold a 18" Noveske SS barreled upper. Great upper...shot very well...felt a bit cumbersome.
Replaced the above with 16" BCM SS410 barreled upper and recently completed a scoped rifle class. The current upper performed very well out to 600 yds. I did not miss the extra 2" of barrel. YMMV.
-Rainman
I was actually thinking of that exact upper, and that you would almost have enough left over for a Vortex razor as opposed to buying the fanciest upper possible
I had/sold a 18" Noveske SS barreled upper. Great upper...shot very well...felt a bit cumbersome.
Replaced the above with 16" BCM SS410 barreled upper and recently completed a scoped rifle class. The current upper performed very well out to 600 yds. I did not miss the extra 2" of barrel. YMMV.
-Rainman
titsonritz
03-28-16, 22:12
This is a RECCE barrel. (http://riflebarrels.com/shop/drop-in-barrels/223-8-ar740-20-copy/)
A traditional RECCE upper has a stainless steel, non-fluted 16" barrel and uses a carbine length gas system. Some of the newer ones use a mid length gas system. These were first built by SEAL armorers and then NSW Crane took over. The biggest reason behind its development is that the MK12 was an abomination.
Can you please elaborate on the negative comment on the MK12? The Daniel Defense is under consideration as we speak. It actually comes in a little lighter than their 3 gun V11 pro. Curious about why you don't like this style? Thanks for your thoughts.
Weight and accuracy were/are the two biggest issues that plague the MK12. It was great in concept, but Crane created a monster after the Army dumped money into the program. The Navy is replacing all of their MK12's with the MK17. The State Department was gifted a large quantity of MK12's from Crane not that long ago and they don't even use them, which is pretty telling.
Now in saying that, there are quite a few commercial variants that perform really well. The one that gets my nod is the one from Centurion Arms. Monty builds a solid rifle and has a lot of insider knowledge regarding the MK12 program and its derivatives.
Interesting thoughts on the Mk. 12.
I always figured it was slightly more versatile than scoped 20" rifle.
Rifle length gas with optic.
I have no experience on the military versions but the home mades and store bought ones tend to be pretty nice if you want a good 600 and in gun.
I'm still working on my build but everything in my way right now.
I also want to redo my Colt in Recce-ish fashion and that Lilja bbl looks nice but I have been seriously eyeing a mid-length gas over a carbine for comfort.
If anyone has any info for or against a mid-length recce...I'm open to hearing it out. I personally just stick to 16".
If I want short I'll just get a mother may I and go sbr something.
The one the Monty builds says it uses the actual MK12 barrel, but you're saying that the actual MK12 had accuracy issues? I take it the issue wasn't the barrel?
The one the Monty builds says it uses the actual MK12 barrel, but you're saying that the actual MK12 had accuracy issues? I take it the issue wasn't the barrel?
It's just a SS Douglas barrel, correct?
I guess, dunno if there's any special sauce to it. Just curious how he's calling one thing inaccurate and then recommending something that uses the same barrel in the same breath. Wondering if there are other factors? Were they just built poorly or what?
Eurodriver
03-30-16, 15:24
The real sacrifice is having to permanently attach the muzzle device to the 14.5" or pay $200 for a tax stamp.
It has little to do with velocity...
mattpittinger
03-30-16, 15:24
I have run a lot of 16s, I've never had any issues. I've shot it right next to my 20" set up and within 500 yds I can't see the advantage of the 20".
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The one the Monty builds says it uses the actual MK12 barrel, but you're saying that the actual MK12 had accuracy issues? I take it the issue wasn't the barrel?
Correct, it was the sum of the parts used and who was doing the assembly. The barrels were usually not the issue.
I'm sure I'll end up with all of them, but what are you sacrificial by going with a 14.5? At what distance will you start to notice the velocity decrease?
I have a red dot on sbr's and would like to try a 1-6 next
So what did you decide for your barrel length or are you still in the process of consideration?
in my opinion go with the shortest option. a match barrel at 14.5" will get enough velocity with the right match ammunition to make reliable and repeatable hits at 600 yards if you have optics with enough magnification. the difference between a recce rifle and a cqb rifle is mostly optics and match grade barrel to extend range and produce good groupings.
unless you're doing a lot of mountain fighting, why do you need to extra velocity or extra range? 600 yards is really far away and having the option to take the recce rifle indoor with no problem and having the comfort of humping a lighter gun that won't muzzle strike the ground every time you squat is way more beneficial.
The real sacrifice is having to permanently attach the muzzle device to the 14.5" or pay $200 for a tax stamp.
It has little to do with velocity...
just permanently attach it. let's be real, how many people are shooting out their barrels? especially if you're feeding it match ammunition. by the time any barrel is shot out, the muzzle device will no longer be en vogue and if it was a mams brake or something outrageous, maybe you could pay someone to unpin it.
the more realistic issue is when someone wants to change their build (yet again), the barrel and the muzzle device have to be sold together as a unit or suffer inconvenience of unpinning.
the more realistic issue is when someone wants to change their build (yet again), the barrel and the muzzle device have to be sold together as a unit or suffer inconvenience of unpinning.
What about getting the gas block and barrel nut off? The upper would have to go as a unit.
With regard to barrel length, are we talking accuracy, terminal ballistics, or both?
that's not something terrible either. it can be a big downer if all you want is to change the handguard.
What do you want the rifle to do for you?
I like 14.5", but I'm going to be married to a silencer anyways, everything is high quality, and assembled by ADCO, and I don't chase the latest and greatest.
If there is any doubt, I'd go 16". With the shooting I do, 18" offers no positives. Any shooting past 400 yds will be fun target shooting.
Your expectations may be different and an 18" may be better for you.
Pluggin in numbers found on the internet for black hills 77 grain match loads in 16" (2683 FPS) and 18" (2712 FPS) and using the BC 0.362 of a standard SMK 77 OTM in the 3000-2500 FPS range. You possibly could gain +/- 25 yards of supersonic range. In this instance the 16 gasses out a little above 825 yards doing 1139 FPS and the 18" at 850 yards doing 1126 FPS.
Again this is just from numbers found on the internet and plugged into a very basic ballistic software. The wind will most likely mess up your shot well before your bullet goes sub sonic. I'd choose 16"
That's good info. I guess the fork in the road is the duty gun question (with speer gold dot 62/64 g) or the 3 gun route where guys run rifle gas and brakes
ColtSeavers
04-02-16, 03:15
I guess the fork in the road is the duty gun question (with speer gold dot 62/64 g) or the 3 gun route where guys run rifle gas and brakes
Still trying to figure out what this means.
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