5.56 10.5" barrel thoughts for LE work?

[DocGKR]

Agree.

[Casual Friday]

Not sure if we’re thinking of the same thing, but I remember him saying something similar though it wasn’t in regards to barrel length - it was about handguard length. He was making a point for shorter handguards by saying that it’s far easier to punch just the muzzle and barrel through a windshield than it is a muzzle with a flashlight and fat handguard right behind it. Again, not sure if it’s the same reference or not.


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That's the one I'm thinking of.

this may be a "gamer" or training thing, but your post made me think of running the 9-hole wall with a friend. He had a 16" barrel with a 15" handguard, and I had a 16" barrel with a ~10" handguard. he had a much harder time "finding the hole" than I did. I realize there's a lot of folks that would say to never poke the barrel beyond "cover", and again I'm not a cop so I can't say how often that might happen in that line of work, but it's definitely a thing (just not sure if it's a thing that matters to anyone).

Running drills on a VTAC barricade caused me to dump a 15" handguard in favor of a 13".

[Wake27]

That's the one I'm thinking of.



Running drills on a VTAC barricade caused me to dump a 15" handguard in favor of a 13".

I can see that to an extent, but as long as I can get the muzzle through, I don’t think that it’s worth the other drawbacks. That’s part of the reason my light is just behind the muzzle. At my first class, I was missing a piece of steel like crazy when supported off a barricade. I knew better than to put the barrel on the barricade but had done so anyways since I was most concerned about making hits and the timer than careful placement of the support. Ever since, I’ve strongly preferred fully extended handguards. For me, barrel protection is number one, followed by support hand placement and mounting options. Being able to poke through small holes is far less of a concern, and as I said, as long as the muzzle is clear, that’s all I can think of really needing.


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[rob_s]

At my first class, I was missing a piece of steel like crazy when supported off a barricade. I knew better than to put the barrel on the barricade but had done so anyways since I was most concerned about making hits and the timer than careful placement of the support.

At what distance were you shooting and missing?

IMO 16" barrel and 13" handguard is about the perfect balance of barrel coverage/exposure.

[Wake27]

At what distance were you shooting and missing?

IMO 16" barrel and 13" handguard is about the perfect balance of barrel coverage/exposure.

I think it was somewhere between 30-50 meters, but it was several years ago so I really don’t know. Couldn’t tell you the size of the plate either, all I know is that it should’ve been an easy shot. I threw probably around eight or so before looking at the instructor and asking what I was doing wrong. He told me to look at my barrel, I felt like an idiot, fixed it, and the next shot was a hit. Also, I just think that full length handguards look better.


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