I am hooked…I want to build a 5.56 kit and was thinking about 10.5". Is 11.5" even better?
11.5 has surged in popularity recently. I don’t have one but may add one to my stable. I currently have a 10.3 and a 10.5.
I’m very happy with 10.5”.
I’d imagine the difference is very minimal. My dad and uncle both have AR pistols with 10.5 uppers and they love them.
Personally I like the 10.5”
I have a 16" and I like it
I also have a 16"
I have a PSA 16" CHF Mid-Length 5.56 NATO 1/7 13" Geissele MK14 M-lok Upper - No BCG or CH and Geissele Super Semi-Automatic Enhanced (SSA-E) Trigger & PSA AR15 MOE Lower Build Kit - Without FCG and PSA 5.56 Premium Full Auto Bolt Carrier Group & PSA AR15/M16 7075 T6 Forged Mil-Spec Charging Handle on an anderson lower! An amazing combo!
I kinda have a similar question…
Getting ready for my first AR-15. I have an M&P 9, but no other weapons. Years ago, early in my military career, I trained with M-16, .45, shotgun, but as a submarine officer never used them much. Not a hunter, have my CWP and carry every day. My better half took a class and did decently well at 5-7 yards with my 9. But trouble racking it, She’s a great candidate for an EZ, but really doesn’t want one.
So, pistol or rifle length? For my birthday, my son bought me a PSA lower kit (no receiver) that came with a stock, not a brace so if going pistol, I’ll either need to exchange it or by a brace, not going to make an SBR. This will be primarily for fun, but also a home defense weapon. Quite possibly the go-to for my wife.
Thoughts?
I opted for 11.5. Allegedly offers improved reliability and ballistics for just another inch of barrel.
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I have a 16” with a nice weaver red dot for most stuff then a 20” stainless with a scope for a little further reach. Probably depends on what you’re looking for. Both kits were palmetto builds and have been awesome
I currently have a 16" with a red dot and 3x magnifier. I am not convinced on the shorter lengths. I am hitting fine at 150, but drifts a little past 175. I think it just depends on what your going to use it for.
After mulling it over for a LONG time, I also went with an 11.5 upper! Free shipping from PSA didn’t hurt. 
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If you look at studies of the muzzle velocity vs. barrel length, you can see that it is non-linear, and so at shorter lengths (10.5-12.5) you get more return on increased velocity for a little bit more barrel. Supposedly opting for 11.5 over 10.5 gets you a little more dwell time in the cycling and a little more velocity and so some people opt for that extra inch. I personally like 11.5 or 12.5 to feel like I’ve got a lil’ bit more, but it’s probably not a huge advantage. I’ve not ever had problems with a 10.5.
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I prefer the 11.5" over a 10.5"
More velocity, slightly less muzzle blast ( pressure wise and more powder burned in the barrel ) and as mentioned, for only an added inch.
Nowadays… 11.5" is a minimum barrel length for me, for a 5.56 pistol.
The 11.5" pistol is still compact enough for me… although… a 12.5" is something I’d like to try.
You all might find this interesting… at least from a velocity standpoint.
https://www.ar15.com/forums/AR-15/Suppressed-5-56-SBR-Velocity-Tests-41-Factory-Loads-from-10-5-11-5-12-5-and-14-5-ALL-DONE-/16-714088/
@ SCjohn
My wife also can’t readily / easily pull back the slide on various handguns.
I have shown her how to firmly grip the slide serrations but not try to cycle that part, rather then push the handgrip forward to chamber a round…then let the slide go. Kind of the reverse of what is typical.
As for a very practical barrel length on an AR15 5.56… a 16" midlength gas is very mid of the road suitable. Pretty much bread and butter, comfort AR.
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This is really about personal preference and your use case for the gun.
Personally… for shooting without a silencer I would go with a 12.5" to 16" barrel. For shooting with a silencer I would go with 11.5"
If you only plan on shooting out to 100 yards then 10.5" going to work out just fine. If you want to extend that out into the 200 to 300 yard range then that’s where you start to gain advantages with 11.5" or 12.5". If you want to shoot at something 500+ yards out then that is where your 14.5" to 16" barrels come in.
People really love their MK18 clones, but are they doing CQB training in a shoot-house with that thing? Probably not. Those rifles are also used with silencers, so you end up with something that is the about same OAL as a gun with a 16" barrel anyway.
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I’m happy with my 2 16s with 1:8 twists. I use the lightweight polymer for 100yds in and the heavy barreled one for long range. I think if you can manipulate a gun well 16in works well all around and you still get good velocity. On the other hand if it’s gonna be for CQB or a vehicle 10.5 to 11.5 would probably be more beneficial. Guess it all depends on the main purpose. I have a .45ACP PCC/Red Dot combo and hollow points for home, no recoil at all and don’t have to worry as much about over penetration and breaking my ear drums unsuppressed.
I do believe that anything less than 16 inches is either built as a pistol, or has to be a Short Barrel Rifle (SBR). The latter requires a LOT of paperwork, and $200 tax.
I’ll echo what many have already said:
It all depends on what the use-case scenario is for you.
I REALLY don’t want to light off one single 5.56 round in my home, so I’ve chosen to go with handguns for my home defense weapons (.45 and. 40 primarily).
As far as a truck gun though, I’m very happy to use a non-silenced 5.56. Next question is, pistol or rifle? Well, in my state, a rifle is not covered under my CWP, so I couldn’t use a 16" riding along with me in the passenger seat. An AR pistol could be used as my personal defense weapon (I’m not talking about an SBR PDW, though. That’s different.)
I rode the wave of 10.5" pistols, and they work completely fine for me. Recently though, I’ve liked the 11.5" from my personal experience, and that is the length I have been recommending to people lately. I share the same reasons for this as have already been listed above.