lets talk buffer upgrades

[hoopharted]

i see kits and people talking about upgrading , swapping out , what is gained by this , is it a result of other upgrades that make it necessary?

[just a scout]

In a nutshell, slows the recoil impulse, makes it easier to stay on target, and more reliable.


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[CPM]

People swap buffers based on the guns gas in order to make it run softer or work suppressed or unsuppressed. It also varies upon what ammo people are using. I have never felt the need to tame the recoil of the mighty 5.56 and doubt that the vast majority of shooters would benefit more from messing with a functioning rifle’s buffer system more than they would investing in ammo or training. The problem with ammo and training is you can’t show it to your buddies.

Bottom line- if your gun is running fine and you’re not at the top of the podium or crushing proven drill par times, just shoot it more and invest in quality training.

[hoopharted]

thankyou , thats what i wasnt getting , recoil is almost non existent , muzzle flip yes ,but not recoil which would mean the buffer is working as it should

[AndyLate]

Unfortunately, the 3.0 oz carbine buffer was the standard for years and still is for some manufacturers. When collapsible stocks became the norm in .mil and civilian circles, folks realized the standard buffer was too light and the H1-H3 buffers came to be.

There is also an A5 system that uses a longer receiver extension (buffer tube) and buffer with a rifle recoil spring but still allows the use of collapsible stocks. I believe there is a consensus that the A5 system is superior but the receiver extensions are more expensive and harder to find.

The bottom line is that most ARs with carbine receiver extensions should run a H1 or H2 buffer. Some manufacturers still send their guns out the door with standard weight buffers and it is worth swapping to a H1 or H2 buffer for a number of reasons.

Andy

[03Infantry415]

Does help with dwell time as well if needed. This all depends on barrel length and gas port sizes.

[markm]

Like Andylate said... the old Carbine Buffer was worthless. WAY too light. The correct buffer for a carbine system is H2, which most closely matches the function/physics of the Rifle buffer system.

Correcting the gassing of a gun is WAY better than masking an issue with a non standard buffer.

[MWAG19919]

In anything but an undergassed gun, a heavier buffer is better than a light buffer (to a point). More reciprocating mass means the bcg will plow through any fouling and have the inertia to strip a round from the magazine and return to battery. There’s also the secondary effect of driving the muzzle on target.

The A5 system also spreads the work over more spring coils, which has the effect of making the system more forgiving in a wider range of situations: different calibers, suppressed, unsuppressed, different bbl lengths, etc.

Not that my BCM was OVERgassed, or that I had any issues with reliability, but swapping in an A5H2 buffer and a Sprinco Green rifle sprint has made an already soft shooting gun even softer.

My dad’s 12.5 kino upper actually recoiled a bit harshly before we added a LAW folding adapter, Sprinco Green spring, and an A5H3 buffer. Altogether that’s a 8+ oz mass and an extra power spring, which tells me the upper is quite generously gassed. It now runs like a sewing machine, and brass ejection is so consistent you can literally put a coffee can on the ground and catch it. And his dot comes back down on target each time.

[Stickman]

Some people do it because they lack understanding, but read about it on the internet and simply create an unreliable weapon.

[17K]

I have an H2 in 2 of my Colt 6920s because I read on the internet that the Canadian and US military had found it to be the best on unsuppressed guns 14.5-20”, and I have never as far as I can remember bought any ammo that wasn’t legit 5.56 pressure. So I gotta be oper8ing with a tier 1 buffer..

FWIW I never had any issue with the stock H buffer.

[Circle_10]

I used H buffers almost exclusively in carbines for a while but as of a couple years ago I’ve started using H2s in a few of my gassier guns. Not having any suppressors, I haven’t had to play around with buffer setups for that type of use.

Outside of Colt, where IIRC apparently the H2 buffer is primarily intended to mitigate bolt bounce against the greater mass of a Socom profile barrel, heavier buffers are kind of convenient a “band aid” solution for guns with bigger gas ports.

I believe Chris Bartocci has gone on the record on numerous occasions discouraging the use of H2s in non-Socom barreled carbines but I think that textbook answer might not always translate to the real world quite so well where you have guns with varying levels of deviation from the M4 TDP.

[rcoodyar15]

I have become addicted to the JP silent capture buffer because of the convenience

I have a variety of them with additional weights to adjust them

Since I run .223, 6mm grendel, 6.5 mm grendel, 6.8 spc and 30 cal spc between the buffer and an adjustable gas block I get them all running fine.

[DG23]

I used H buffers almost exclusively in carbines for a while but as of a couple years ago I’ve started using H2s in a few of my gassier guns. Not having any suppressors, I haven’t had to play around with buffer setups for that type of use.

Outside of Colt, where IIRC apparently the H2 buffer is primarily intended to mitigate bolt bounce against the greater mass of a Socom profile barrel, heavier buffers are kind of convenient a “band aid” solution for guns with bigger gas ports.



My 6721 (heavier than a Socom barrel) came from the factory with an H buffer. Does not need any more weight in my opinion...

[Uncas47]

Some people do it because they lack understanding, but read about it on the internet and simply create an unreliable weapon.
Thanks.

[Circle_10]

My 6721 (heavier than a Socom barrel) came from the factory with an H buffer. Does not need any more weight in my opinion...

I think full auto figured into the equation somehow as well.

[DG23]

I think full auto figured into the equation somehow as well.

Not just on that barrel either.

[Circle_10]

Not just on that barrel either.

I think the H buffer first came out with the original M4, along with the extended “M4 feed ramps” to address feeding issues with M855 in full auto, and then the H2 came out later to help address the “bolt bounce” issue with the Socom profile barrel that came later on.
If I remember my lore correctly- Originally there was the M4, which had an S-1-3 fire control group, and the M4A1, which had an S-1-Auto fire control group, but was otherwise the same thing as the M4. Then the Socom profile barrels were brought out because US special forces were warping the barrels on their M4A1s with a lot of full auto fire, but the guns with the Socom barrels kept the M4A1 designation.

[ViniVidivici]

H2 has been the sweet spot for us, in all our guns at carbine stocks, from 18" to 11.5".

In every case, seemed to smooth things out. Less jumpy. Just seems right, in all of 'em.