KAK 12.5" midlength barrel. Feedback?

[Tokarev]

Does anyone have experience working with the KAK Industries 12.5" barrel? They offer two versions. One has a carbine gas port. The second is midlength.

I am thinking the midlength might be a good choice for a long-term suppressed upper.

Does anyone have experience with this barrel? Good for the money or too good to be true?

https://www.kakindustry.com/ar-15-pa...elonite-barrel

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[tom12.7]

I don't know about those in particular, but do you know how they are ported specifically? That can make a pretty big difference in operation.

[Tokarev]

I have no info on the barrel at all.

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[Clint]

I don't know about those in particular, but do you know how they are ported specifically? That can make a pretty big difference in operation.

As it does with any barrel.

[tom12.7]

Would you like to discuss the characteristics of the mid length gas system on a 12.5" 5.56 base AR type of system?

[Tokarev]

Would you like to discuss the characteristics of the mid length gas system on a 12.5" 5.56 base AR type of system?

Indeed. This is what has me interested in the first place.

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[Tokarev]

There are a few places selling 11.5 inch barrels with a mid length gas system and a few more with this 12.5 inch mid length system. What are the benefits to the mid-length system on such a short barrel? Is this mainly for suppressed use or for something else?

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[tom12.7]

I would tend not to use a mid length gas 5.56 11.5" without a can, but it would need dedicated porting for that. To get one to run fairly reliably without a can, you're talking about a fairly large gas port. If you add a can to that large port, you are aggressively over gassed, more than what you can control easily with buffer swaps. The port size for dedicated suppressed is much smaller, there really isn't any overlap between the two. If you are setting it up for use without a can only, you can run into issues much faster in cyclic rate than with a more conventional carbine length gas system. Just seems to add too many issues for my taste unless it's suppressed only with dedicated porting for that.
The 12.5" mid length gas 5.56 fares only a little better than its 11.5" counterpart, still not really a good place to be for function. You really don't begin to get into an good overlap in function until you stretch out the barrel to about 13.5" for the mid gas. With a 13.5" 5.56 mid length gas with proper porting, you can handle a can well with a simple buffer swap. I have not yet found an existing 13.5" mid gas barrel with porting that I prefer. To get them where I want them, I normally just cut down a longer barrel, like a 16" mid length gas barrel.

[Todd.K]

It will have to be ported aggressively to run without a can and likely over gassed worse than a carbine gas 12.5".

[Stickman]

I would question the OP as to what gain you think possible with a midlength gas system on a 12.5", as opposed to a carbine length system?

There are a bunch of companies making things because items are different, but not always because there is a gain or improvement. I'm not going to cry about it, and I understand the concept of lengthening the tube to smooth things out overall, but I know that my 12.5s use a carbine gas system, and will continue to do so.