Real Scoop on 10.5" & 11.5" AR-15s?

X-man

X-man

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I've noticed over the past few months quite a number of barreled uppers or complete rifles with a varied selection of 10.5" & 11.5" barrels coming up for sale in the EE.

Just wondering what's that all about? :confused: Guys just got sick of their toys or is there a reason? I've heard about how some of the really short ARs can be finicky with their short gas system and reliability in terms of cycling/ejection can be an issue. However, use of an M-16 bolt and opening of the gas port (if necessary) typically solves the problem. How much extra battering does the rifle get from such a short, violent stroke compared to standard length gas systems? Any other problems that have popped up in your experience?

The shortest AR I've got right now is an M-4gery 14.5", but I've been thinking about building an 11.5" AR as a project. I've got most of the parts compiled, just got my eye out for the right barrel (I know about new US export restrictions on bbls less than 16").

So, what's the scoop guys? Love for shorty AR owners to chime in here! I figure the 11.5" AR would be fine for a paper puncher out to 200M, plus it has that all important "Look Cool Factor"!:D

All opinions, input, comments, etc...welcome!:)
 
I have an Eagle Arms stamped lower an Armalite stamped upper in 11.5" and I've had zero problems with feeding, cycling or anything like that. I am by no means a good shot, but I've been able to group at about 6 - 8 inches at 100 yards using a holosight and no magnified optics.

I've fired 16" and 20" ARs of various brands in the past and I've not noticed any significant difference in firing that would lead me to think that the 11.5" is any more violent than shooting a longer barreled AR, although I am sure a longer barreled quality AR would be significantly more accurate at longer distance - but I did not buy it for competitive distance shooting. Its purely for fun.
 
I have an LMT 10.5" BBL'd upper and have had 0 malfunctions...

Mind you... I've only fired approx 400-500 rounds through it.
 
sgt_scarecrow said:
I am by no means a good shot, but I've been able to group at about 6 - 8 inches at 100 yards using a holosight and no magnified optics.
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I'll say he's not a good shot..

I've done 3 inch groupings with his gun at 75 yards with a 1MOA holosight.:D

Honestly I think people are just maing some quick cash for other projects, not because they are troublesome.
 
The reason you see these for sale on the EE is likely BRD......time to get a new toy when the novelty has worn off or the next best and greateset thing has hit the market.

Boltgun
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Glad to know there are more GunNutz out there with positive experiences than negative!:)
 
Boltgun said:
The reason you see these for sale on the EE is likely BRD......time to get a new toy when the novelty has worn off or the next best and greateset thing has hit the market.
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That and maybe they're tired of the concussive blast and the irate range shooters! ;)
 
Blackthorne said:
I'll say he's not a good shot.. I've done 3 inch groupings with his gun at 75 yards with a 1MOA holosight.:D
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Wanker... okay, so instead of hitting him in the heart, I nail the lung. Bottom line is the tango is DOWN.

...jeeze... did I just say that outloud?

NO, I DO NOT SHOOT HUMAN FORM TARGETS... yeah, thats right... they're all circles and inanimate shapes... yeah... shapes... thats it...
 
DMeNTED said:
I have an LMT 10.5" BBL'd upper and have had 0 malfunctions...

Mind you... I've only fired approx 400-500 rounds through it.
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Ditto. I have a Noveske KFH on my 10.5 LMT upper and it has run flawlessly so far.

Do your research and build them correctly with the right parts and you have no problems.;)

SKBY.
 
sigger69 said:
That and maybe they're tired of the concussive blast and the irate range shooters! ;)
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Yeah, agreed... thats why I am putting this on my AR

http://www.gunaccessories.com/AR15-M16Parts/GS-01.jpg

At the last LRRC UCS shoot a fella had an AR with a JP dual chamber muzzle brake on an AR-something-er-other chambered for .308. Guys shooting beside him we're getting blown sideways. One fellow resorted to putting his shooting mat over his head (I thought it was a little extreme). Everyone whined about that one after the guy left. After that I started looking for muzzle brake options for those sort of circumstances.

Although I think Blackthorne's new AR has some serious sound issues compared to mine. I keep hearing that high frequency twang from Monday's shoot... either that or its my wife complaining about my ammo fund... either way its annoying...
 
Paulinski said:
Can you elaborate a bit more. What are the right parts needed for short barrelled AR's to function properly.

Thanks
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As GT mentioned, a proper "shorty" barrel with the correct gas port size in needed.Also the correct buffer/spring combo is needed.

The Noveske Krinkov flash hider creates back pressure to trick the short barrel into thinking it is longer and therefore increasing reliability.

To save on hassles and headaches, I would look at buying a pre-made 10.5" or 11.5" from someone like LMT or Noveske.They have played with this combo long enough to have the bugs worked out.;)

SKBY.
 
Your shorty AR is sort of like your Harley Davidson motorcycle ... lots of flash and noise, and not much performance.

I built a couple of 7" ARs from OGW parts. First one had the pigtail gas tube, the next one had the straight gas tube. One had an M-16 full weight bolt carrier, other had an OGW bolt carrier [ pretty close to a GI ]. Both had full length stock tubes, with full length recoil springs and buffers.

Both were totally reliable ... and I'd guess this was mostly due to the longer springs and heavier buffers in the full length tubes.

HOWEVER,
when I chronoed the 7" with Winchester 55 gr ammo, I got 2100 fps velocity at the muzzle. This is a BIG deal if you are shooting ZOMBIES, as every educated armchair commando knows the .223 pill won't tumble reliably in Zombie media if terminal velocity is less than 2500 fps.
For paper, it probably won't matter quite as much.
[;{)
PS:
I might also add, that I had guys running over from about 60 feet away, yelling "WTF was that!!".
LAZ 1
 
Lazerus2000 said:
Your shorty AR is sort of like your Harley Davidson motorcycle ... lots of flash and noise, and not much performance.LAZ 1
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I have to second that. Ive had 10.5" uppers that had all sorts of problems, gasports, never fired CONSISTENTLY. Maybe it was my luck or it was an earlier style upper but I had all sorts of problems.

The only way I fixed the problem was with a new 11.5" assembly with factorry M4 style FT upper (extra grooves in the feedramp). proper gasports etc. 110% reliability with the 11.5". But as the literature states the bulk of the gas is blown out of the muzzle creating less than perfect ballistics for the 223 bullet. Great for range plinking and very since its restricted why not?

I prefer the 14.5" overall (But thats a persnal preference)
DLASKDAR701007.jpg
 
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