AR-15 barrel length

[Erik Jensen]

so.. I'm building my own AR, and I'm trying to narrow down what I want for parts. I was originally thinking of going with a 20" barrel, mainly for the longer sight radius, and I wanted to use old school M16A1 handguards, but I've noticed that most people seem to be going with shorter barrels.

so, my question is: would I be giving up much in the way of accuracy if I went with a Bushy Dissipator 16" barrel?

as far as sight radius goes, it should be the same, and I could still use the handguards I wanted, though I think the short bit of barrel poking out past the front sight looks a bit silly..

any feedback would be appreciated. this going to be an all-purpose type rifle.

 

[Jack19]

It depends at what ranges you think you'll be shooting. Inside, roughly, 300 yards, a 16 inch barrel is just fine for just about any problem you'll need to solve. If you'll be shooting at longer ranges, or you need the bullet to retain energy over a greater distance, the 20 inch is a better choice. Personally I like the 16.

 

[Edward429451]

Another thing to consider is muzzle blast. The shorter the bbl, the sooner you get a headache from it. My buddies short bbl model gave me a headache, but the 20" models I can shoot all day without getting one.

May not be true for everyone.

 

[COHIBA]

the dissapator is the perfect AR. your accuracy is maintained for the most part due to the full sight radius. the compactness is maintained due to the 16" BBL.
if you were adding an upper to an "existing" preban, the diss would be the way to go, bar none. plus first samco now makes the full length AR/ piccatinny rails so you can have your cake and eat it , too.

 

[Bottom Gun]

I prefer my Dissipator to my 20" for all around use. It's quicker and handier.
The accuracy difference between the two is slight.

Why not get the Dissipator and then later, if you want to scope it, pick up a 20" flat top upper?

 

[MolonLabe416]

Chalk up another vote for the Dissy. The extra sight radius makes a big difference in precision.

If I had it to do again though, I'd probably get a 20" and have Kurt at Kurts Kustom Firearms turn down and flute the bbl to the lightest contour. It wouldn't weigh much more than the Dissy and would have less blast to the shooter.

16 is a bit handier than 20, but not as much as people seem to think IMHO. Remember, most rifles (30 cal type) with 20 bbls are considered carbines...

 

[modifiedbrowning]

Another happy Dissipator owner here. Very accurate at the distances I've been shooting(less than 300yds).

 

[Mako25]

Is the noise volume with a dissipator as big a deal as I've heard. Or is it similar to the difference between , say 9mm and .357 Sig?

Thanks in advance,

Mako

 

[BusMaster007]

Fashionably late to the Dissipator party...

That's what I chose first.

 

[DonQatU]

There's a reason people pay premium prices for pre-ban AR-15s.

Fire one of those post-bans with no flash supressor/compensator in the dark.

You'll see! ....... Or maybe you won't be able to see after the flash!

Don

 

[curt]

s the noise volume with a dissipator as big a deal as I've heard. Or is it similar to the difference between , say 9mm and .357 Sig?

Not a factor. A 223 with a 16" barrel is loud so is a 20". I've never been tempted to see whether my 9s are quieter than my .357, i do know the blast is very different tho! You can see big differences in muzzle flash , depending on ammo type, between a 20 and a short barel (14.5 or smaller).

 

[dickwholliday]

me and my dissapator have won a bunch of three gun matches....i';ve got a big ole Berquist comp on it and it is loud as hell but so is a 20" with the same comp......i was thinking about building a light weight upper the other day and for me there was only one choice......the new lightweight M4 profile dissapator barrel is the one i'm goonna get....i shoot dots and scopes on everything so sight radius isn't a factor but i just like the long forend......DICK

 

[MolonLabe416]

All of the post-ban weapons with compensators I've shot had nearly unbearable muzzle blast. I prefer no compensator. If you are looking for "look-alike" cosmetics, KKF makes an excellent fake flash suppresor that doesn't add to the blast