A5 Questions

[0uTkAsT]

I've been told repeatedly that I need to give the A5 system a shot and I'm trying to decide where to start. The first gun I'd convert is an 11.5" BCM that I run suppressed full-time with a 5.56-capped Sandman K. Based on everything I've read, I believe the barrel has a .073" gas port. I currently run this setup with an H3-weighted Geissele Super 42 buffer and spring.

Questions:
- Is the A5 a worthwhile upgrade on a gun that already runs like a top, or is it like sprinkles on a cupcake that don't make it taste better but make you feel happier about eating it?
- Do A5 buffers use mil spec buffer weights, i.e. can I rob steel or tungsten weights from one of my spare carbine buffers to tune the A5 or are they proprietary?
- Should I start with an A5H4 and work down or an A5H2 and work up? Does it matter?
- How many Instagram followers will I gain after installation?

Thanks in advance for any pointers (hopefully the pointers aren't of the middle finger variety).

[3 AE]

".....on a gun that already runs like a top". There you go, why spend the money/time if it's already running great?

[alx01]

Let me give it a shot:

- in my opinion A5 would probably work better (i.e. in a wider range of uppers and ammo variance) vs Geissele Super 42. Will you see a difference - probably not as much as you expect to be honest.
- Yes, A5 uses mil-spec buffer weights - it's just got 4 weights instead of 3 in mil-spec
- Good question for SBR - don't know. I would probably start with A5H2 or A5H3. A5H2 will be more universal if you decide to use a different upper.

Bottom line - A5 works fine for me. Some people say it's a gimmick - in my opinion A5 is less of a gimmick than Geissele Super 42. I have no personal experience with it but I have a strong technical suspicion that there is absolutely no reason for anyone to use Geissele 42 over a proper weight mil-spec buffer and spring (or a Sprinco spring for durability or higher spring rate if you wish).

[Randall]

Before I respond Ill state that the majority of my experiences are based on suppressed and unsuppressed 16" carbine and middy 5.56's, and 9" 300BLK's, so my view may not be as full spectrum as others may be regarding 11.5". I am currently building a 11.5" dedicated suppressed gun though, and it will be running the A5 system.

1. Personally, I wouldn't switch to an A5 in your case since you say your 11.5" already runs like a top. If you're happy with it, don't mess with it. I put an A5 in all of my NEW builds. I don't bother switching old systems over if they run well. If money is no object though, then by all means, plug and play. You can always switch back.

2. Ive never messed with mixing weights, so I cant comment on that.

3. Not knowing the exact gas port sizes on my rifles, (and having one of every A5 buffer weights), I start with the A5H4 and do one round lock back tests. If it fails to lock to the rear on an empty mag, I drop to the A5H3, test that the same way, and repeat until the rifle locks back every time.

4. You will be the ultimate Instagoogletweetface!

[GH41]

I'm with Randall. New build yes. Gun that runs good no.

[the_1iviper]

my .02 cents

-yes "i" believe it's an upgrade , even to a gun that's running fine. it should smooth out the recoil impulse some and help the gun run better with different ammo/conditions

-you can switch around weights but i believe the h4 is different as in there is a spring in the weight stack to always keep them biased

-just get an h4 and maybe an h3 to test with , with a suppressed only gun you won't need any of the lighter weight buffers. slash makes heavier buffers for the a5 system but they don't use the spring loaded weight stack i don't beleive

-i think your more likely to gain instagram followers with the geissele gear


i run a super 42 setup in a 12" lmt piston upper and it's nice. i believe it's benefits are no spring noise and longevity. it does seem a little stiffer than a regular carbine spring.

i run an a5 setup on a kac cqb upper , i think i'm using an h4 in it but i'd have to look. the cqb barrel's are supposed to have a .70 gas port. if i swap upper's around by my "seat of the pants feel" i think the a5 has a smoother recoil impulse that the super 42 but YMMV as recoil is subjective.

i have a centurion 11.5" barrel with a .065 gas port and the recoil impulse is much more noticeable with that setup than either the lmt or kac. if i move that upper between the super 42 and the a5 setup the difference is very noticeable to me , super smooth.

if your barrel has a gas port of .073 and you run it suppressed all the time i think you would get more juice from the squeeze by choking down the gas port with a brt gas port instead of buffer setup's.

[titsonritz]

Yep, I'm with Randall 100%, also.

[17K]

If it runs, it runs. The A5 won't make it run better.

Maybe when an AR is on the extreme edge of reliability you'd be able to quantify a difference, but for a properly functioning AR they don't offer any advantage u less you prefer a slower recoil impulse.

[JerDerv]

Buffers are for reducing carrier bounce to reduce the chance of a light strike during high rates of fire. If your rifle is showing symptoms of being over gassed then reduce the gas flow and delay bolt unlock. We call it over gassed not under buffered for a reason.

[RobertTheTexan]

Do you have more than one rifle? It sounds like it. Installing an A5 buffer system won’t tear a hole in the space-time continuum. You will just learn what the difference is between your carbine setup and the A5. I use them on my new builds and I pulled some carbine buffer systems off existing “running like a top” AR’s and guess what?

They all kept running. Like the proverbial top. I for one believe there is a difference. Since I ran both on the same rifles. I’d like to think I own up to my own bad ideas and don’t feel the need to justify a purchase. Certainly if it brought zero value to the table I doubt I would had purchased 20+ A5 type systems to date. (Mine and builds I’ve done for others all use an A5.)

If you decide to give it a shot, I believe I used an A5H3 and green Sprinco on my 11.5, that was a Daniel Defense barrel. (I’m also pretty sure I ran that same in my Centurion Arms 12.5, I’ll have to check my config book.) My 11.5 ran extremely well. Perfect I would say. I’ve also got an A5 on a 8.3(300BLK) 10.3, 12.5, two 14.5’s and a 16” (no longer have) as well as my Mega/LMT MWS 16” AR-10. (UBR Gen 2) I ran it on and 18” 308 as well. Of course I did not use an A5 buffer on the 308’s, but a KAK heavy on the precision rig m and a H2 carbine buffer on my LMT.

If this was you’re only rifle....well I might tell you to go for it anyway, but definitely if you own more than one AR, it’s a low risk move. If you don’t like it, I’m sure you can sell it. I’ve bought several on the E&E. I don’t believe in magic or a talisman. I believe in quality, purpose driven builds and in my opinion the A5/intermediate buffer system has a specific role in that mentality. It’s all I use, barring specific tubes on my PDW stocks. There are quite a few threads on the A5 here at M4C and some opines differ than mine, but I believe they are all worth a search and a read through.


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