Do-All Carbine - More Possible than ever?

[rob_s]

it strikes me that a variety of new(ish) tech in the AR world is coming together to make the idea of the "do-all carbine" more of a reality than ever.

That tech includes:
-long(er) life stainless barrels
-1.x-Y optics
-short/light 7.62 cans (no reason the can shouldn't be "do-all" too)
-Adjustable/two-position gas blocks
-better-performing 5.56 ammo
-ultra-light handguards (thanks to MLok and Keymod)
-QD weapon-light solutions, and smaller/lighter/brighter lights

It seems to me that with the right assemblage of the above parts, one could have an AR that would be more than sufficient for home defense, three-gun, precision shooting, hunting, plinking... without actually sacrificing much, if anything, in those pursuits. I was previously thinking I needed (or, wanted) three different rifles to meet my requirements, but I'm now thinking I could do it all with one.

The upper I'm thinking of would look something like:
-BCM KMR hanguard (or similar)
-12.5" stainless barrel (make/model TBD)
-Silencerco Omega can
-Leupold 1-6
-Surefire Scout on Larue offset throwlever mount
-Micro MOA Govnah gas block

thoughts?

[Peally]

Entirely possible; it won't be perfected for one specific role but for what to expect out of an AR it's not hard to cover most of those bases pretty damn well.

[Chuck Haggard]

For a GP gun I'm a big fan of the 16" barrels. Guys like Kyle DeFoor, Kyle Lamb and Frank Proctor have stuck with those for the ability to reach out while still being short enough to work indoors. I've been through probably well over a thousands doors with a 16" carbine, never had an issue taking guns that size indoors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8GF4NTr4Ag

[LittleLebowski]

Great thread, tagged to learn.

[rob_s]

For a GP gun I'm a big fan of the 16" barrels. Guys like Kyle DeFoor, Kyle Lamb and Frank Proctor have stuck with those for the ability to reach out while still being short enough to work indoors. I've been through probably well over a thousands doors with a 16" carbine, never had an issue taking guns that size indoors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8GF4NTr4Ag

I think there is a lot of wiggle room there, and I tend not to put too much stock in the "SME" take because of that. I was in a class with Defoor and he said there that te 12" (his term, not sure if he meant 12.5 or what) was the best general purpose barrel length. I prefer to think of their opinions as reference points rather than gospel.
https://www.facebook.com/30321077899...type=3&theater

Either way, absent the desire to suppress, I think the 16" would probably be a better bet, although I'm not sure what you really gain with that length. In 2015 shorter barrels can, and do, run reliably without issue, and the added MV gained with a 16" barrel doesn't really translate into any added benefit for most civilian users (including, most likely, most LE).

[shane45]

In that pursuit, my carbine is a KAC SR25EMC with a US Optics SR8C. I call it my "broad spectrum rifle".

[LittleLebowski]

In that pursuit, my carbine is a KAC SR25EMC with a US Optics SR8C. I call it my "broad spectrum rifle".

Nice.

[breakingtime91]

I am also watching this thread. I'm thinking of going with a bcm mid length upper with medium fluted barrel. Then I'm gonna throw either a nxs1-4 on it or a Tr 24 1-4.. will be my home defense/hunting/ training gun.

[rob_s]

In that pursuit, my carbine is a KAC SR25EMC with a US Optics SR8C. I call it my "broad spectrum rifle".

I think maybe that would work for some, but the caliber alone wouldn't be feasible for many simply due to ammo costs. So while that rifle might be *capable* of doing everything, I bet it rarely would for me (and probably quite a few others).

My sense of a "do all" would be a gun that you not only *could* use for a broad array of applications but that you also *would*. Applications such as:
-2/3-gun
-precision shooting
-home/homestead defense (suppressed)
-plinking
-hunting (suppressed and non)

So while the SR25 certainly could do all of those (although suppressing it might limit some of those applications, or at least push them over the limit of being optimal), I think a 12.5" stainless 5.56 would be something that would actually get used across that spectrum.

[Colt191145lover]

tagged to learn more myself.