I can't love a 16 inch barrel 5.56mm rifle with a short carbine gas system
To be fair, those M4s - and the earlier Colt 653 & derivatives - have 14.5" barrels with a carbine length gas system. The longer 16" bbl. with carbine length increases dwell time, and hence increases pressure & carrier velocity. The 16" bbl. mid length gas tube essentially replicates the pressure, dwell time, and bolt velocity of a 14.5" bbl. w/ carbine length gas system (Mist Wolf or others can clarify anything I stated incorrectly, but that's essentially the concept). Of course, the easy solution is to use a heavier buffer to slow the cyclic rate....yet there are a lot of M4s out there getting a lot of use with the military in a combat environment, and nobody seems to be able to produce evidence of this damage.
Why exactly is that?
I've been reading ARFcom and M4C a while, and still can't find a cogent rationale for the love of the mid-length gas system (and the related dislike of the carbine gas system). There is the perception of reduced recoil, and wives' tales of damage to the action because of the gas pressure....
...yet there are a lot of M4s out there getting a lot of use with the military in a combat environment, and nobody seems to be able to produce evidence of this damage.
By your logic, why 5 when 2, or 1, would do? Folks buy same style gun for whatever personal reasons of theirs.@rsilvers.
Wow. What did the last 25 do that the first 5 didn't do? Just curious....not knocking the collection at all.
A carbine gas system has more gas port erosion, and a faster rate of fire change over the life of the barrel and earlier unlocking of the bolt while pressure is higher, raising extraction forces. Once you know it is not as good, it makes no sense to want to still do it that way.
If you are going that rout then you may as well use a pistol. Not that a pistol is a bad choice. But it does take away the advantages of using a carbine when you use a pistol round in it.
To be fair, those M4s - and the earlier Colt 653 & derivatives - have 14.5" barrels with a carbine length gas system. The longer 16" bbl. with carbine length increases dwell time, and hence increases pressure & carrier velocity. The 16" bbl. mid length gas tube essentially replicates the pressure, dwell time, and bolt velocity of a 14.5" bbl. w/ carbine length gas system (Mist Wolf or others can clarify anything I stated incorrectly, but that's essentially the concept). Of course, the easy solution is to use a heavier buffer to slow the cyclic rate.
Hacker15E
I can't love a 16 inch barrel 5.56mm rifle with a short carbine gas system
Why exactly is that?
I've been reading ARFcom and M4C a while, and still can't find a cogent rationale for the love of the mid-length gas system (and the related dislike of the carbine gas system). There is the perception of reduced recoil, and wives' tales of damage to the action because of the gas pressure....
...yet there are a lot of M4s out there getting a lot of use with the military in a combat environment, and nobody seems to be able to produce evidence of this damage.
madcratebuilder
snip
If you feel you carbine is over gassed get a H or H2 buffer, it really is that simple.