11.5” Barrel Profile.

[Lamented]

Could anyone tell me the pros and cons of different barrel profiles for an 11.5” build?

Gun will probably be suppressed. Not sure if that makes a difference with that short of a barrel.

[Clint]

A light weight profile is generally not preferred, as it will have more deflection and worse balance with a 12-16 oz suppressor attached.

All things being equal, a heavier barrel profile will shoot more accurately.

An 11.5 is relatively stiff compared to a 16", so there's no real need to go overboard.

A nice medium profile well be pretty stiff and comes in around 23 oz.

Medium profiles also allow for larger 5/8-24 threads, which can be a benefit to accuracy and strength when suppressors are involved.

[Lamented]

A light weight profile is generally not preferred, as it will have more deflection and worse balance with a 12-16 oz suppressor attached.

All things being equal, a heavier barrel profile will shoot more accurately.

An 11.5 is relatively stiff compared to a 16", so there's no real need to go overboard.

A nice medium profile well be pretty stiff and comes in around 23 oz.

Medium profiles also allow for larger 5/8-24 threads, which can be a benefit to accuracy and strength when suppressors are involved.

That’s kinda what I was thinking with the barrel. Not full pencil barrel or Heavy barrel. Somewhere in between. I didn’t know if the suppressor at the end would cause any flex with a pencil barrel.

What would your thoughts be on gas blowback on 11.5” From what I read KAC would be the way to go as this set up offers less gas to the face.

I was looking at a stock BCM as I have read people having no issue shooting suppressed or unseppresed with one of their rifles.

I didn’t want to have to screw around with buffer springs and different carriers to get it running right.

My other question is gas port size. Is there a gold standard for size. I know DD has a tendency to be overgassed.

[Lawnchair 04]

If your looking for a properly gassed 11.5 then I recommend you take a hard look at the Sionics reduced gas port barrel or the Black River Tactical optimum 11.5. Both are solid choices in the 11.5 arena. I believe both are marketed as medium weight profile, which in my unprofessional opinion is perfect for the 11.5. There are an over abundance of threads covering the Sionics RGP and I’m sure the BRT optimum will have the same luck.

[RobertTheTexan]

I’ve built quite a few AR’s and sold some. The one AR I regret selling more than any other was my 11.5 with a Daniel Defense barrel. Imagine the most reliable thing in the universe. That’s what I would equate my 11.5 to. Reliability and accuracy (in context of application.) go hand in hand in my book and for the application I was perfectly happy. I ran mine suppressed mostly, but even if I’m going to run an AR suppressed, I still want that AR to also run unsuppressed. Some guys buy or build “suppressor only” rifles, and that’s their prerogative, but that doesn’t work for me. The DD is a little gassy, but you can mitigate some of that. It shot every single round I fed it, without a single hiccup.
If I was going to build another 11.5, I would build another with a DD barrel without hesitation. It’s not going to be the softest shooting AR, but you can also help that out a little as well.


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[wahoo95]

My 11.5" BCM has been great. When you look at the typical options available in 11.5" the difference is minimal and only that small amount of barrel ahead of the gas block. It's such a small area that it doesn't play a difference in POI when compared to standard profile

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[BufordTJustice]

A light weight profile is generally not preferred, as it will have more deflection and worse balance with a 12-16 oz suppressor attached.

All things being equal, a heavier barrel profile will shoot more accurately.

An 11.5 is relatively stiff compared to a 16", so there's no real need to go overboard.

A nice medium profile well be pretty stiff and comes in around 23 oz.

Medium profiles also allow for larger 5/8-24 threads, which can be a benefit to accuracy and strength when suppressors are involved.

Agreed. My preference is a med-con ish, continuous taper for anything under 14.5".


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[RHINOWSO]

I like my BCM Enhance Profile ELW-Flutted 11.5", it lives with a SiCo Saker-K on it all the time but has shown no noticeable POI shift with or without.

[Five_Point_Five_Six]

Whatever profile the 6933 is, I like that one.