Originally Posted by
Templar
I think "hate" is a pretty strong word. I think that piston driven AR types are useful in very limited applications.
As passed on by Larry Vickers, who consulted with HK to bring out the 416....
1) Heavy full auto fire
2) Barrel length less than 14.5"
3) Heavy use of a suppressor.
If you can answer yes to any of the above then a piston driven system like the HK 416 might be very useful.
I think that the general consensus here among most of the very knowledgeable is that a piston type is a waste on a 16" carbine, and may very well introduce more issues than they solve.