HD AR Build

[23JAZ]

So I'm building my second AR. This will be a strictly HD/SD or anything inside 100 yards. What's the shortest barrel I should put on it. At some point I'm going to put a can on it and I want to keep the overall length as short as possible without loosing too much terminal performance.

[SamuelBLong]

10.5 / 11.5 will retain plenty of velocity & reliability. Anything shorter gets really finicky.

With a typical can length added on, you are looking at just short of a 16" gun.

This is a PWS Mk110 upper on an M16a1. Suppressor is a AAC 416-SD. Next to it is my patrol gun, a DDM4V1:

[TGS]

So I'm building my second AR. This will be a strictly HD/SD or anything inside 100 yards. What's the shortest barrel I should put on it. At some point I'm going to put a can on it and I want to keep the overall length as short as possible without loosing too much terminal performance.

You didn't specify caliber.....so have you considered 300 Blackout?

[23JAZ]

You didn't specify caliber.....so have you considered 300 Blackout?

I was thinking 5.56 or 6.8. Never really considered 300.

[23JAZ]

10.5 / 11.5 will retain plenty of velocity & reliability. Anything shorter gets really finicky.

With a typical can length added on, you are looking at just short of a 16" gun.

This is a PWS Mk110 upper on an M16a1. Suppressor is a AAC 416-SD. Next to it is my patrol gun, a DDM4V1:

That is beautiful. Thanks for the info!

[JodyH]

I'm a fan of 12.5" for a suppressed SBR.
With my AAC Ranger 2 on a 12.5" barrel it's exactly the same length as a 16" with a A2 flash hider.

I've found the 12.5" to be far easier to make run and keep running over a variety of ammo (both .223 and 5.56) and when the gun is hot and filthy.
The 12.5" will also run suppressed and unsuppressed without changing buffers, my 10.5" LMT required a H3 suppressed and a H2 unsuppressed.
You also get another 75 yards or so of effective range out of a 12.5" vs. a 10.5".

[Jason F]

I concur on 300BLK. I got to shoot a supressed SBR 300BLK on a recent visit to YHM and it was quite awesome. That's been on my radar for a while as a go to HD rifle, and it certainly cemented it as my next build and purpose for the build.

[Sigfan26]

I like 5.56 for home defense. With the right Ammunition ( read DocGKR's article) it works quite well. If you're looking for a home defense suppressor, take a long hard look at the Silencerco SakerK.

[LittleLebowski]

I'm a fan of 12.5" for a suppressed SBR.
With my AAC Ranger 2 on a 12.5" barrel it's exactly the same length as a 16" with a A2 flash hider.

I've found the 12.5" to be far easier to make run and keep running over a variety of ammo (both .223 and 5.56) and when the gun is hot and filthy.
The 12.5" will also run suppressed and unsuppressed without changing buffers, my 10.5" LMT required a H3 suppressed and a H2 unsuppressed.
You also get another 75 yards or so of effective range out of a 12.5" vs. a 10.5".

Why no 11.5"?

[JodyH]

I don't have enough time on a 11.5 to have an opinion either way.