
Originally Posted by
rob_s
Unfortunately, if you didn't "get all crazy about it" there wouldn't be much point. It wouldn't be much more than anecdotal. I'd personally still find the test interesting, but there would be so many other variables, even with just the two guns. I could see an argument for "two identical guns with the exception of the gas system length", but there's potentially other variables there too, like barrel contour, handguard length/weight, etc. Just spitballing, I think the way to try to normalize it as much as possible
11.0 FF handguard (say a Troy TRX Extreme to make it easy)
low-profile gas blocks
16" "pencil" barrels, one carbine-length gas one mid-length
Then identical sights, optic, buffer, stock, grip, etc.
This way, with the above setup, the only difference between the guns would be that the Mid weighed incrementally more due to the slightly longer gas tube, and had a balance point incrementally further forward due to the weight of the gas block being 2" further forward. There are even ways that these things could be mitigated.
Having two identical guns, and ensuring that they both got identical (at least as much as possible) ammo, the test would be mildly interesting. I would think that Pat would be about the best person to do such a test as he sees a large volume of fire, has the relationship with BCM to get the rifles, and the relationship with Asym ammo to ensure that the students running the guns shot the same, quality, ammo.
Here's the thing. Everyone talks about the lighter pressure putting "less stress on internal parts"? OK. At what point do you think they fail anyway? Anyone been keeping tabs on Pat's other test guns, like Filthy 14? I have an email in to Pat, but I'm not recalling any lower parts failures, and that gun, IIRC, is north of 40k rounds. At what point is "better" immeasurable, or so much better that it's insignificant? Like fireproof curtains on the Titanic.
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