Preferred 5.56 SBR length

Best 5.56 SBR Length?

  • 10.3/5

    Votes: 19 29.7%
  • 11.5

    Votes: 30 46.9%
  • 12.5

    Votes: 15 23.4%

  • Total voters
    64
Not in MA, but lots of people hunt with SBRs.

Beg to differ, I have hunted with my SBR's many times.

I know one can hunt with an SBR but my point is there is no reason. Any decent hunting rifle will be more accurate and offer better ballistics. You say you want more challenge? Then shoot smooth bore muzzle loaders. But you say my SBR is lighter I carry less in the field. Umm, OK. . .
99.99999% of members here are not on a mission with their firearm, and do not benefit from a tactical SBR. The reason so many of us get them is FUN and that's what you should build for.
 
I know one can hunt with an SBR but my point is there is no reason. Any decent hunting rifle will be more accurate and offer better ballistics. You say you want more challenge? Then shoot smooth bore muzzle loaders. But you say my SBR is lighter I carry less in the field. Umm, OK. . .
99.99999% of members here are not on a mission with their firearm, and do not benefit from a tactical SBR. The reason so many of us get them is FUN and that's what you should build for.
I hunt with nightvision and IR lasers, at night, in my backyard, so yeah, a short suppressed AR15 is my go to for that application. Not everyone shoots their guns from the bench at an Elmer range.
 
Stupid question probably but doesn't anything less than 10.5 beat on the BCG and gas tube/block much more? Not that it would matter too much for the amount of rounds for an average shooter but is there any truth in this?
 
I know one can hunt with an SBR but my point is there is no reason. Any decent hunting rifle will be more accurate
Considering barrel length doesn’t negatively affect precision, that is not really the case. Plenty of SBRs can shoot sub-MOA with good hunting ammo. And for accuracy over distance, that’s not really a concern with almost all hunting. Sure, if you’re shooting a ram across a valley out west, then yeah an SBR isn’t what you want. But the vast majority of hunting distances don’t require the internal or external ballistics of a traditional long hunting rifle.

and offer better ballistics.
5.56 & 300blk from normal SBR lengths with good expanding or fragmenting bullets have plenty of terminal ballistics performance for coyote, deer or hogs. I bet 350 legend would also SBR well for those who have a straight wall requirement. Then we can get into other calibers that SBR well, like 450 bushmaster, 458 SOCOM, 375 raptor, 8.6 blk, and the world is your oyster for good hunting terminal ballistics in a small and handy package.

You say you want more challenge? Then shoot smooth bore muzzle loaders. But you say my SBR is lighter I carry less in the field. Umm, OK. . .
99.99999% of members here are not on a mission with their firearm, and do not benefit from a tactical SBR. The reason so many of us get them is FUN and that's what you should build for.
Who’s talking about challenge? And who’s talking about needing to be tactical? Hunting with an SBR is easy and lots of people do it with their small children so they can handle the gun. A little 9” 300blk carbine is light and easy to handle for a kid. Particularly with a collapsible stock which can be adjusted to their short length of pull requirements.

Accuracy and terminal performance are not negatives for SBRs. So it sounds like you’re down to just not liking their aesthetics for hunting.
 
Who’s talking about challenge? And who’s talking about needing to be tactical? Hunting with an SBR is easy and lots of people do it with their small children so they can handle the gun. A little 9” 300blk carbine is light and easy to handle for a kid. Particularly with a collapsible stock which can be adjusted to their short length of pull requirements.
My 60lbs 7 year old daughter was packing a 12.5" 300blk all deer season, but you know, no one needs to be tactical.
 
My 60lbs 7 year old daughter was packing a 12.5" 300blk all deer season, but you know, no one needs to be tactical.
Nice. I’ve seen a bunch of pictures of kids shooting 300blk SBRs (and pistols). Can’t find any at the moment though.

The “nobody hunts with an SBR” starter pack. I’ll keep it to these few photos rather than going too deep. Sorry for the thread drift.
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I’ll add that an SBR doesn’t even need to be tactical. JTAC Industries has some great short barrel bolt actions. And cutting down a break action single shot rifle would make a handy back country gun.
 
I know one can hunt with an SBR but my point is there is no reason. The reason so many of us get them is FUN and that's what you should build for.
Damn no offense but that is some ignorant posting [laugh]
How can it be that black and white?? No reason to hunt with a SBR and deciding how/why people SHOULD be building SBR's?? Geesh
 
I hunt with nightvision and IR lasers, at night, in my backyard, so yeah, a short suppressed AR15 is my go to for that application. Not everyone shoots their guns from the bench at an Elmer range.

I think thats cool, but I am curious why the short barrel for that application instead of long? I do hunt similarly but not with night vision. I still use the 16" because it gives better performance, holds more steady, and is quieter. And since I'm not humping it all around the woods on a hunt, the extra length doesn't have any drawbacks. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the SBR for this application vs. 16" or so.

I'll admit that in reality, the difference in performance from a bullet out of a 16" vs. a 10.5" barrel isn't going to matter on coyotes, which is typically what we hunt at night around here. So, I shouldn't count ballistics as an advantage in cases like that. I think where the longer barrel would be a benefit is a flatter trajectory for cartridges like 300 blackout if you were hunting out at further distances. Probably doesn't matter all that much in a 5.56 which shoots flatter. So I guess I'm starting to see a lot of applications where an SBR is convenient for hunting the more I think about it, depending on the distance and species you are targeting.
 
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I think thats cool, but I am curious why the short barrel for that application instead of long? I do hunt similarly but not with night vision. I still use the 16" because it gives better performance, holds more steady, and is quieter. And since I'm not humping it all around the woods on a hunt, the extra length doesn't have any drawbacks. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the SBR for this application vs. 16" or so.
99% of the time I shoot and hunt with suppressed rifles on my property. Hang a ~6" long, 1 lbs can on the end of that 16" barrel and you will see why people use short rifles.
 
Stupid question probably but doesn't anything less than 10.5 beat on the BCG and gas tube/block much more? Not that it would matter too much for the amount of rounds for an average shooter but is there any truth in this?
I haven’t seen testing specific to less than 10.5, but yes. It happens with 10.5 as well and I don’t see how it wouldn’t happen to shorter barrels too. It won’t cause catastrophic malfunctions, but parts will wear faster and need to be replaced at earlier round counts. But if you keep spare bolts and buffer springs on hand like everyone should, it’s not really an issue.
 
99% of the time I shoot and hunt with suppressed rifles on my property. Hang a ~6" long, 1 lbs can on the end of that 16" and you will see why people use short rifles.

I do hunt with a 16" and a 6" can. Its long and unwieldy for sure. But I'm stationary when I'm hunting with it. And I actually appreciate that it holds steadier when I am aiming. If I were hiking it around through the woods it would be too much. But from a stand or blind its great.
 
I do hunt with a 16" and a 6" can. Its long and unwieldy for sure. But I'm stationary when I'm hunting with it. And I actually appreciate that it holds steadier when I am aiming. If I were hiking it around through the woods it would be too much. But from a stand or blind its great.
Different tools for different tasks. When I am out with my daughter, I usually take my MCX with a 6.75" barrel so she can have my smaller lighter can on her rifle and because I am not taking the shot if she can so a smaller lighter rifle on those days where we are really just walking around the woods together is what I take. Drinking beers on my buddies deck over looking his field? Bigger rifle in a tri-pod.
 
I guess I’m the only one that built an SBR for when the shit goes down and Instagram.
I have a lot of sbrs and used to be an Instagram influencer for a few outdoors and gun part manufacturers. I had 14k followers in fact. I came to the conclusion that posting all my shit on the internet while living in a non gun friendly state was a bad idea.... all my gun pics have been removed from my profile ( still have 11k followers though 😉)
 
I haven’t seen testing specific to less than 10.5, but yes. It happens with 10.5 as well and I don’t see how it wouldn’t happen to shorter barrels too. It won’t cause catastrophic malfunctions, but parts will wear faster and need to be replaced at earlier round counts. But if you keep spare bolts and buffer springs on hand like everyone should, it’s not really an issue.
Probably makes sense to throw in a heavier buffer and potentially a stiffer buffer spring also, in to pump the brakes a bit with the increased carrier speed.
 
Ola’ from Florida! I had a 11.5” Bushmaster upper on a registered receiver. The thing was awesome and a beast that wouldn’t die. I had that thing sighted in at 100 yards and once at Sig Sauer at a Patrol Rifle Instructor Course I loaned it to a Canadian Cop to shoot 100 yards. First time with it he was able to hit everything he aimed at. That being said I also have an Adam’s Arms 7.5” upper that works flawlessly. I went the piston route for reliability issues because the previous 7.5” impingement system was horrible. It’s a nice range toy and could be an ideal PDW within its limitations.
 
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I’m excited my first 12.5” urg is arriving today. Went for one of the SOLGW Sage 12.5” from Brownells. Will pair it with a RC2 see how it runs.



Just arrived. Will set it up later today 56C9BFB8-C643-4AB9-816D-D3F56F1FCD71.jpeg

Later today came. Just finished roughing it in.
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