Carbine barrel length
16”? 20”? 11.5”? 10.3”? Does size really matter?
Short kings
Bigger isn’t always better. Just because Marines cleared buildings in Iraq with 20” muskets doesn’t mean you have to. Just because the Founding Fathers had single-shot smoothbores doesn’t mean you can’t own a modern-day carbine. Short-barreled carbines are easier to maneuver in confined spaces, inside homes, and in dense woods. They also make for great suppressor hosts - an 11.5” barrel with a 6” suppressor is roughly the same length as a 16” barrel with a standard muzzle device.
As Eugene Stoner intended
Longer barrels have their place, too. The original AR-15 (ArmaLite Rifle-15) was designed with a 20” barrel, achieving a muzzle velocity of greater than 3,000 feet per second (fps). Higher muzzle velocities will keep the bullet stabilized at longer distances. It also helps ensure bullet fragmentation on impact.
For more information on longer barrels, see our post here.
A tool for each job
You wouldn’t cut the grass with scissors, and you wouldn’t shave with a kitchen knife. One of the many benefits of the AR-platform firearm is modularity. The ability to quickly swap between a short-barrel upper and a longer-barrel one is the greatest thing since sliced bread. At least we think so.
“Beware the man with one rifle”
If all you have is a 16” carbine, so be it. Setting up one rifle can be costly. Buying multiple uppers and their accoutrements (lights, lasers, optics, mounts, etc.) cuts into your training budget. The great philosopher Bruce Lee once said, “I fear not the man who has shot 10,000 rifles once, but I fear the man who has fired 10,000 rounds through one rifle,” or something like that. While having many firearms should be the goal of every freedom-loving patriot, it’s a want, not a need.
Run what you got
We live in the real world, not in the land of make-believe. On your worst day, there is no “shoulda, woulda, coulda”, no excuses. The gear you have today is what you need to be training with. Don’t put off training until you complete your arsenal - spoiler alert: you never will. Train with the tools you have, not with the tools you want.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, talk is cheap. Train with us. PatriotTAC offers One-on-One firearms training personalized to your level of proficiency.