Any fans of the 20" AR15 ?

[RockyMtnTactical]

Every manufacturer I have checked on specifies heavy barrel or Hbar if so equipped.

Irrelevant to the original claim you made.

only a few commercial AR rifles have the Hbar option.

I would say that is an understatement.

Also, just because a company makes (for example) 5 HBAR models and 10 non HBAR models, that doesn't mean there are less HBAR's out there. Just less HBAR models. So, it really proves nothing.

 

[DougW]

HBAR barrels are very common, as they are cheaper to make than a government profile. I had to have a HBAR machined to government profile because at the time (about 4 yearsago) getting a government profile 20" barrel was about impossible. Even on the 1 year old Del-Ton rifle I call "big booger" (green furniture), the profile under the handguard is a bit larger in diameter than my machined barrel. But, it is no where near the diameter of the HBAR.

 

[Art Eatman]

I have a late-model Colt; the barrel looks sorta like what I'd call "medium". Dunno. The rig looks fine for social work. Nice, tight groups from the benchrest.

I recently was informed by CMMG that my 20" lightweight flat-top upper was gonna get built--at long last. I'll scope it and use it as my truck gun for the occasional coyote.

As far as 20" vs. 16", the utility and range of centerfire .22s depends on muzzle velocity. The .223 is already down on power compared to the .22-250 or the Swift, so I figure "more is better" when it comes to the barrel department.

 

[SHvar]

Again, you show me a list of specific models by manufacturer of Hbar models, and a comparable list by the same manufacturer of non Hbar models.
Until then your arguement that they are more common or more numerous is false. The lists from 2 companies I gave include purpose built stainless steel heavy barrel target rifles under Hbar. So if I were to remove these rifles the list of Hbar models would actually be very very few, in fact those specified by the manufacturer only.
Show me a list of specific models, until then do not claim that there are more Hbar models than non Hbar models. Your arguement becomes irrelevent without a list.

 

[JDGray]

RRA has only HBAR or bull 20" barrels, but thats just one company

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Yes, I'm a fan of the 20".

It matters on the cartridge. A deer rifle in a 6.5 or wssm a 20" tube is good.

See, I kinda tend to think the opposite. For a 6.5 or 6.8 or 7.62x39, 16" or 18" makes more sense, but for a 5.56, the longer barrel is needed to make the round perform well.

 

[DMK]

The following are not heavy barreled Bushmasters
Modular Carbine
Carbon 15 Flat-top carbine
Carbon 15 R97F Rifle
6.8mm spc M4
Gas piston rifle
16in PostBan Carbine M4
16in Dissipator A3
16in Carbine M4
16" Dissipator A2
14.5" Bbl. M4
14.5" Bbl AK Carbine
14.5" .223 Caliber M4 (A2 or A3)
11.5" A2 or A3 CAR15
Carbon 15 - 9mm LE SBR
Carbon 15 - 5.56mm LE SBR
M4 patrolmans carbine
11.5" Barreled entry carbine
20" M16A2/A3 type rifle
C15 LE pistol

I'm not going to look up all those models, but I know for a fact that the Bushmaster Dissy is an HBAR unless it is specially ordered with an M4 profile barrel. And they only make the M4 barrels in special runs so you usually have to wait for it.

Another misleading thing many manufacturers do is make the M4 cuts in front of the sight block, but not under the handguards.

If the manufacturer doesn't specify M4 profile, superlight profile, lightweight profile, or govt profile, you are almost surely getting an HBAR.