I’m also going to take the high road for once, and leave the mom jokes out of this. So, what are we going to do about it? I’m not going to smack talk your choice of a short barrel. In a 10-inch barrel, you are already well below the fragmentation threshold at room distance. Cut to 10 inches, you are around 2,500 fps. Cut to 14.5 and you are generally around 2,650 fps. Cut to 16 inches, you start at the muzzle at about 2,850 fps with average bullet weights.
It also varies by some degree per barrel manufacturer. Every time we cut the barrel off, we lose some amount of velocity, and it is also not a straight graph line.
#SUBSONIC 223 USEFULNESS FULL#
That gives near ideal velocity and full powder burn, usually in the 3,100 to 3,250 fps range. Pact chronograph, Gemtech suppressors, and American Eagle ammunition was used in the testing.ĥ.56 was built to run out of a 20-inch barrel. This causes massive tissue damage in what is normally called “secondary cavitation space,” and allows the little 5.56 to punch way above its weight compared to bigger bullets. Basically, at above 2,700 feet per second (fps), as the bullet enters tissue, it turns 90 degrees sideways, and then can explode into little pieces. Above a certain velocity threshold, the bullet turns into a tissue blender. To put it in the simplest of terms, 5.56 is basically a heavier, longer.
I normally don’t put that much credibility into ballistics gel, but this is backed up by both my own time in combat, After Action Review (AAR) materials from other conflicts, and the first-hand combat experience testimony I gathered over my years as a soldier and instructor. Martin Fackler is famous for his testing of the 5.56 cartridge at various velocities while at the Letterman Army Institute of Research. This has been shown over and over again with ballistics gelatin, animal testing, and combat experience. Magpul BUIS on both.ĥ.56 gets most of its lethality from velocity. Bottom, PWS MK114 300 AAC Blackout pistol complete, with Gemtech GMT300BLK suppressor. Top, PWS MK114 5.56 pistol upper receiver, with Gemtech Patrolman 5.56 suppressor. To me, it is a happy accident that the minimum legal length just happens to be my ideal 5.56 barrel length anyway. If you want a barrel length below 16 inches, you must apply for a $200 Tax Stamp and register the weapon with the ATF. In theory, you could have a 2-inch barrel with a 14-inch muzzle brake welded on and still be legal. Provided a muzzle device is permanently attached (commonly called “pinned and welded”), it counts as part of the barrel for length. For the purposes of today’s discussion, that means a rifle barrel must measure 16 inches muzzle to breech face, and the overall length of the rifle must be 26 inches (it is 18 inches of barrel for a shotgun, by the way). The National Firearms Act of 1934 imposed restrictions on short barrel rifles ( SBRs), short barrel shotguns (SBS), silencers, and machine guns. If you are actually interested in short-barreled rifles, seek legal counsel, not a guy that hits things with a hammer for a living.
That has nothing to do with the fact that I am too cheap to get a tax stamp, or pin the flash hider on a 14.5-inch gun.įor anyone new to the AR family, here is a short but sweet summary. One thing I do not own though, is a AR in 5.56 with a barrel length less than 16 inches. As long as you can move the bullet fast enough. 5.56 is absolutely fine as a combat cartridge. Many factors go into how a weapon functions and the ballistics of your chosen projectile. You can build a hybrid Hummer or a diesel Prius, but that doesn’t mean you should. Much like a car, you can’t just change things willy nilly and expect predictable results. I am, however, telling you that the weapons system has limitations. I don’t care what a lost convoy of water purification specialists tells you.
#SUBSONIC 223 USEFULNESS SERIES#
5.56/.223 has killed plenty of people over the last 40 years, and the AR series of rifles works fine. I am not interested in starting a caliber war (this time at least), and I’m not one of those veterans that is now going to bitch about how my weapon wasn’t good enough. The 300 AAC Blackout (right) might be a great alternative. While the 5.56 (left) has a lot of great capabilities, working well out of a short barrel is not one of them.
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