Gas port diameter is more important than carbine vs middie.
There are advantages to a 14.5 over 16 inch barrel. They’re subtle, but enough for me that they outweigh any perceived disadvantage of having a pinned muzzle device. I say perceived because I don’t find removing a pinned muzzle device to be difficult.
I prefer the 14.5” SOCOM carbine barrel over the 16” government profile middie.
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What are the advantages to the 14.5 pin and welded over the 16"?Originally Posted by MistWolf
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It’s shorter and lighter.
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If you are comparing the same barrel profile across different lengths, then use, the shorter is lighter. However, I have a 16" BCM ELW with their early super light KMR rail that is lighter than a 14.5" p/w BCM gov profile with MMR.
Another benefit of 14.5 SOCOM is that this was the spec that was tested by SOCOM.
The 14.5 does feel "handier" will probably handle slightly better with a supressor.
I prefer the balance & handling.
The Colt 14.5 SOCOM barrel only weighs about 1.5 ounces more than a Colt 16 inch government profile barrel and has most of its mass under the handguard and around the chamber for better heat management and, in my opinion, better handling.
The added bonus is, the 14.5 just looks right
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I still see Colt 6920s recommended almost universally when someone asks what their first AR should be. Mid lengths seem to be more optimal and have a better recoil impulse--though we really are not talking about much recoil to begin with. I would not sweat the midlength thing, even though I own own one. I've personally shot several high round count classes with carbine length gas systems with issues so minimal that they fall into the acceptable range. I did a two day Jeff Gonzales Trident Concepts carbine class that was probably the heaviest round count class I had been to: about 1800 rounds over a 2 day period, and had one stove pipe. At the time I was shooting an old Colt AR15A2 carbine. I also shot a 2-day Magpul Dynamics class that was about 1500-1600 rounds and had no problems once I eliminated a problem magazine that gave me two failures to feed where it was clear that the feed lips were hindering the round. I was running a Colt 6940 for that class.
Last edited by Ed L; 11-22-2022 at 02:18 AM.
Any thoughts on American Defense Manufacturing (ADM)? I picked up one of their ambi lowers several years back and really like it. I've been thinking about grabbing one of their complete rifles.
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I have found that the 14.5" SOCOM barrels to shoot tighter groups than the standard 6920 barrel. Also, it should handle heat better. None of this is to say that the standard 6920 barrel can't handle heat or is inaccurate. I have also found that the Colt 6940 with the free float handguards, also known as the Colt M4 Monolithic, tends to shoot tighter groups than the 6920. None of this is to suggest that the 6920 is inaccurate, but rather that different versions may perform a bit better. The last time I remember shooting a Colt 6920 for accuracy with an optic I was getting about 1.75" 5 shot groups using an ACOG at 100 yards. I think those results may have been with 77 grain ammo. I believe that this was in 2010ish. This is just one gun being shot, but I certainly believe this represents adequate performance.I prefer the balance & handling.
The Colt 14.5 SOCOM barrel only weighs about 1.5 ounces more than a Colt 16 inch government profile barrel and has most of its mass under the handguard and around the chamber for better heat management and, in my opinion, better handling.
The added bonus is, the 14.5 just looks right
Good to go from everything I've seen and the sample of one I've gotten hands on.
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