Originally Posted by
BK14
I have an SBR and pistol lower that I swap my 11.5 upper with depending on situation. Work vs traveling out of state being the big one. I also have a 14.5 pinned middy set up almost the same, both wearing variable 1-6 optics.
Personally, unless you NEED the shortness of the 11.5, I actually prefer the pinned 14.5 (or 16” if that’s you thing). While the 11.5 is nice for working in/around vehicles and in buildings, I don’t think you’re losing much with a 14.5 for general use. My 14.5 is more accurate, has better terminal ballistics (especially if 400 yards is your distance), , recoils way less and I have no worry in the world about ATF hassle.
That being said, the 11.5 is much easier to discreetly travel with since it’s going to be more compact to load into bags that look less like a rifle case.
Try plugging some data in with a ballistic calculator to look at what your rounds will do out of each at 400.
Lastly, while I’ve never seen an actual ruling, I’m always a little concerned with having a variable 1-6 on a pistol lower. If the pistol is designed to be shot one handed while your arm is within the brace, the variable would basically cancel that ability due to eye relief. I have a secondary sighting system on my upper so it’s a non-issue for me, but something I’ve been thinking of in regards to potential issues with claiming the design of the setup as a pistol.