What Is The Perfect AR-15 Barrel Length?

Best " do all" AR-15 barrel length? Twenty inches, and I can prove it mathematically. Next question.

Ar 15, 16' for an ar10, 18+

Haven't even see the vid, but first look and it got me thinking:

Do-all or perfect? The vid miniature says "do-all" the desciption says "perfect".
There is a huge difference betwen these two words when we're talking AR-15 barrels.

Do-all? What caliber?
5,56? 14,5" easy. It's the golden middle path, does a bit of everything.
300 BLK? 12,5" easy
6,5 Grendel? ..honestly I don't even know.

Perfect? No such AR-15 barrel exists - in general. What should it be perfect for? CQB? Close to mid range? Mid to long? Long? Competition? Reliability over performance? Light? Heavy? There are so many things one needs to consider here before comming to any conclusions.

I, for one, came to a quick conclusion that this is merely a performance test (read bullet drop difference test) on different lenght of 5,56 barrels (because literally nobody tests 300 blackout barrels, because almost nobody probably realizes that 300 BLK round exists also in supersonic variant that actually performes quite well) I've seen a million times and tested myself a million times - no value - not gonna watch.

If you add a suppressor, how does that affect the performance???

Great vid

Can you fire a 5.56 nato in a .223 wylde barrel

The cell picks up at 12.5in according to both the army and guns n ammo testing. 11.5 drops off the 13 in doesnt pick up a bunch.

12.5 is my go to. It's the same as a 14.5 velocity and good up to 300-350yards

This is a loosely connected questions to the topic of the video, but hoping you can provide some insight. The question is with the growth in popularity of AR Pistols and the fact that the 5.56 round needs a longer barrel to be effective, why can't 5.56 rounds be loaded with faster burning powder similar to what is used with 300 Blackout rounds so 10" and smaller barrels can still be effective? I am assuming that they pressure required to launch the 5.56 bullet from the round casing would not change so you would just achieve that pressure faster and therefore get the same velocity out of say a 10" barrel that you get from a 16" barrel.

What kind of sight is on that first AR?

Money Maketh the Decision … The more $$$ you have the easier the decision 😂

A lot of rambling and a lot of saying nothing. How about which type gas system for which barrel length, seven and a half inch, 10 inch, 11 12 13 inch???

I am Army. Bayonet everything. Everything.

I like the 7.5 the best. I like short barrell guns.

Clints wrong, a shorter barrel does over penetrate because it doesn't frag with out the velocity ! Just say'n

I may or may not have a friend that has multiple 11.3" AR pistols. Three of them specifically. This friend says it's his preferred barrel length.

THATSWITHOUTSIMMUNITIONTRAILPRQCTICELOLLZZz

12.5 , slightly less velocity than the 14.5, a nice bump from 11.5, and short enough to move around pretty well.

Now they just need to optimize a gas system somewhere between carbine and mid length. Me personally I went with carbine and will throw a k can on it, can't be too much harsher with the dwell time.

does adding a suppressor to a 10.5 rifle give you the same velocity (or close) like with a 14.5???

I'd say 14.5 is the best "do it all", but I honestly rock the 8.5 because I can run a suppressor and still have a great truck gun that can hit out to 300y and had lethal speeds at 100y.

20 or 10.5

The $200 tax has not changed since 1934…
So back in the day when you would buy a rifle for $5 dollars to $20 then a $200 for the stamp. Clearly it was designed for rich people. Amazing that they didn’t inflate the price. Let’s realize why the tax stamp was there in the first place.

If you're watching this now and are looking for an answer, here it is: The best "do all" barrel length is a 14.5, a negligible amount of velocity difference between it and a 16" to save yourself weight and maneuverability, next I recommend a shorter barrel if you meet the age requirement, specifically a 11.5" inch barrel, then grab yourself a recce type rifle for distance, 18" is a great choice with an LPVO, but you can always go up to a 20" if you really want the max potential. Remember, a 20" barrel turns training ammo into duty ammo.

EDIT: Always run suppressed if possible, if you don't have a silencer on one or more, you're doing something wrong.

14.5 , 18, 8.5 .300/silenced, 11.5/ silenced, 16. And maybe 20 for nostalgic reasons from basic one day. And 10.3 for the block 2 mk18 clone. Man, I need 3 more guns now that I think about it.

I wound up grabbing a DLD Econ Gen 2… 10.5 /5.56… waiting on the pickup so I can go hit the range and test her out…

No mention of pinned/welded 14.5” non-sbr legal barrels?

I have a 14.5 geissele super duty and I’m super curious to shoot an 11.5 super duty

Great video as always so informative, i want to buy a CZ Bren 2ms but i am not sure if a 14 inch compared to 16and half inch barrel will make much difference in 5.56x45 cartridge as to velocity, power etc , also considering the 7.62x39 cartridge as maybe better round for this firearm.

Can we get some 5 inch velocity tests we all asking like

The tax for these stamps are horseshit! MF the nfa!

The NFA is not in the Constitution, so, it should be abolished. The reason they like their "Tax Stamp", is it's a money maker. Think of the number of new "pistols", in 5.56/AR configuration and do the math, it's a money grab by the Fed. They're not doing it to "make our streets safer", that's BS, Money and Control ! ! !

Great introduction stating that there is not perfect length, and stating the purpose, as all have a specific purpose.

Full size I run 16inch
Sbr I run 11.5

wasn't the caliber made with a 20" barrel in mind? I know it's unwieldy, but 20" seems like a good length for velocity, burning off all the powder, etc.

Nfa needs to be history

12.5” gang ALL DAY

14.5

12.5 is a great one. Still retains decent velocity while being pretty compact.

I personally think 12,5 well isn't perfect per say but I think its the best trade off's still gives distance-ish and still wieldy enough to do close corridors but thats just me.

What about 24" for hunting coyotes, varmints, and deer?

Which vertical fore grip is on the sbr?

The arbitrary 16” barrel length is an interesting insight to the ignorance on firearms held by our lawmakers

I have 10.5 and 12.5” and love them both. The 12.5” just gives that extra 100-200 fps over the 10.5.

I like 12.5” in 5.56 for a “do all” rifle. I like the shorter barrel for CQB/maneuverability, while there is still enough length for maintaining velocity for 300y shots. It’s also short enough to put a can on the end without becoming unwieldy or overly heavy. Paired with an RDS (I prefer Aimpoint), and using 62 grain SP ammo, I have found it quite effective

I like that twisted barrel looks nice

This is a easy question to answer. 13.7. Done and done.

I think it's pretty dumb to call it a pistol. In any length barrel. It's way bigger than a real
Pistol.

What’s the exact name of the very last one !!!?

Best length for overall use would likely be the shortest without needing a tax stamp.

Without any legal restrictions, 11.5 or 12.5 SBR and a can.
12.5 for the new guys, but I’d say that I’m not alone with all the other guys wanting to say that one inch doesn’t make a whole lot of difference lol, that and because rails for 11.5s are much more plentiful while the barrel itself being more prevalent while being slightly more ergonomic without a big hit in velocity. The 12.5s are the new hotness with it having more offerings on a mid length at the expense of less dwell time.

Lets Go Brandon.