Buffer question

[REVEREND-MONGOOSE]

Hello again

So, I'm at a bit of an impass. I've heard from one party that if I use an H2 or H3 in a non SBR, non suppressed m4gery that it will cause malfunction.
I have also heard from another party that if I use a H3 buffer that it will increase reliability. I wanted to get some more opinions on this. I plan on shooting 70gr Barnes 5.56.

Thanks for you time.

-William JOKER Toohey

[Belmont31R]

The buffer helps control how fast your gun operates. Too heavy, and you do get unreliable operation. Too light, and you are putty extra wear on your gun. Really to fast can cause malfunctions, too.



My standard is an H1 but you won't know how your gun does with it until you shoot it. You can get generalized comments but every gun is unique to a degree.

[REVEREND-MONGOOSE]

Awsome. I guess I kind oh expected to hear that. I guess I'll pick up oneof each and just see what works. Thanks!

[az doug]

Some may disagree, but if I were going to buy two buffers for one gun I would buy an H1 and H2. From those I could create an H3 if an H2 is not heavy enough. If an H2 is too heavy I can use the H1. I believe that combination would give you more options for a single gun than a H2 and H3.

Doug

[REVEREND-MONGOOSE]

Wait, are you saying there's a way to add
weight from one buffer to another? I hope this isn't difficult.

[jaxman7]

This might help Reverend:

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?p=178689j

[az doug]

Not difficult at all, but you need the tungsten weights that come in the H series buffers. H has 1 tungsten weight and two carbine weights. A H 2 has two tungsten weights and one carbine weight and a H 3 all tungsten weights.

You disassemble the buffers by removing the roll-pin. Be sure and place the spacers between each weight, just as they are when you remove them.

[REVEREND-MONGOOSE]

Thanks ya'll, you probably saved me a couple bones with that trick, i will just grab an H1 and H2. :)

[Complication]

It might also be worth considering how your gun shoots weaker loads--even if that's not what you typically fire. I know, for example, that with an H3 in my gun, I short stroke every 2 rounds with cheap PMC, Federal, and Remington 55gr .223. Since I usually just buy surplus M855, that's not really a problem for me. But I put a H1 buffer in there just in case I've ever needed/wanted to shoot weaker loads.

Then, at a class last week someone busted out a steel popper for a little marksmanship competition at the end of the day. Someone gave me a few rounds of their cheap .223 ammo so I wasn't dinging the target up with steel-core. Had I kept my H3 in there, I would have had to rack the charging handle every 2 rounds. No big deal for 1-shot strings, but had we been doing 3+ shot strings on a drill I would have been SOL.

In my book, part of reliability is being able to shoot whatever you put into your gun. So even if an H3 shoots your Barnes just fine, test it with some cheap and weaker ammo, if only to know the limitations of your set-up.

[az doug]

If you already have a carbine buffer then buy just the H3. With a carbine buffer and a H3 you can assemble all the configurations up to H3.

[REVEREND-MONGOOSE]

Excellent advice Complication. You never know what kind of ammo you'll have to use in the zombpocalypse.

Az Doug-I would be building the lower from scratch. So I won't have a carbine buffer to start with.

[Complication]

As an addendum....

The advice I've heard from a few people (and I can only confirm it with my singular experience) is if you're running anything mid-length or under, you should have an H1 or H2 buffer and that the only reason you should ever have an H3 buffer is if you're running a suppressed SBR.

I think: "Test your gun with heavier and lighter buffers with weaker and stronger ammo and see if it runs as desired" pretty much covers all bases, though. Especially if you're open to buying two buffers and shuffling around weights to be able to configure 3-4 different weights out of them.

This article has some info regarding buffers and reliability.
http://www.defensereview.com/the-big-m4-myth-fouling-caused-by-the-direct-impingement-gas-system-makes-the-m4-unreliable/