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Thread: Are 20" barreled AR's a thing of the past?

  1. #21
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    love the 14.5" barrel for fun. when i want to get serious i prefer a 20" barrel. get more excited about getting a nice 1" or under grouping at a distance. using a shorter barrel. group tightness doesn't matter as much. either way they will both stop someone when needed.

  2. #22
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    The only 16 inch ar I have still is an ar-10 in 308. Only got it because 18 inch barrels were not easy to find.

    Use my 10.5 inch ar-15 for shooting targets at close ranges. For other things I enjoy my 20 inch a4 stile ar-15. Have a lower ready to go and a c7 upper ready for a barrel. I read Green Mountain is going to have a a1 barrel in 1/7 twist ready before too long. Might be the answer for my c7 upper.

  3. #23
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    Oct 2006
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    If I had to deal with PKMs at extended ranges I'd be willing to carry a few extra ounces and go from 14.5" to 20". I had an A2 barrel shaved down in front of the FSB, and with A1 handguards it weighs slightly less than a 16" medium contour with 12" Apex handguard.

    When's the last time you heard the USMC complain about 5.56 stopping power? Thank that to ACOGs and 20" barrels. Despite Arfcom masturbatory fantasies, civilian shooters aren't kicking in doors. 16" is still a great length, but 18" with rifle gas would be my choice if I could only have one upper.
    Last edited by Boss Hogg; 07-29-11 at 10:33.

  4. #24
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    I'm very happy with my 20". Good platform, accurate, reliable (the 20" with rifle gas is a proven platform), I like the longer sight radius, and I don't mind the few extra ounces for the extra velocity.

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by scottryan View Post
    I love holding a full size infantry rifle because it reminds me that I am a real man.
    For gender affmation I recommend holding something else.
    Jack Leuba
    Director, Military and Government Sales
    Knight's Armament Company
    jleuba@knightarmco.com

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Failure2Stop View Post
    For gender affmation I recommend holding something else.
    C cup boobs work for me.
    "You people have too much time on your hands." - scottryan

  7. #27
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    Go big or go home.


    -B
    RIP, Jeff Dorr: 1964 - July 17, 2009


    "When young men seek to be like you, when lazy men resent you, when powerful men look over their shoulder at you, when cowardly men plot behind your back, when corrupt men wish you were gone and evil men want you dead . . . Only then will you have done your share." - Phil Messina

  8. #28
    Join Date
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    I enjoy shooting a 20" rifle, and have an A2-style White Oak upper that is fun for precision and useful for CMP match shooting with irons. I also have a 20" Rock River Predator upper that I use for varmint hunting, and that I upgraded with BCM parts including a full BCG upgrade. However, these uppers are strictly for fun and games. Nothing wrong there, but the point is, for me it's only in these cases that the extra barrel length adds any value.

    It's true there's some velocity advantage in the 20" barrel, but the difference is not enough to be significant at the ranges that most people will use their rifle. Given that a 16" barrel can kill effectively out to 600 to 700 yards (acc. to some SME's on our forum), there is little point to a longer barrel unless you are just getting one for "fun", or for very specialized types of shooting, such as DMR role, long-range poodle popping, or some competitions. Beyond these specialized cases, I don't see a lot of value for most people in getting a 20" barrel. If I were doing it over again, I'd definitely dump one of my two 20" uppers, as I just don't use them that much. Yes you get a LITTLE extra velocity, but unless you are regularly doing one of the above kinds of shooting, you don't really benefit from that velocity. By all means get one if you want, but think through how you'll use it and whether you'll really benefit from the added velocity.

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