Mikecatt13 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 I'm fairly new to 3 gun so I'm hoping to lean on those of you with more experience to aid me in selecting a barrel. Mostly needing advice on length, as I'm 99% sure I'm going to go with either a proof carbon fiber of BSF carbon fiber barrel. Just trying to decide on 16 vs 18in. Most of my local matches are 100-200 yds and under but obviously I'm spending a decent amount of money on this build and want to do it right once, so as I get into the sport and hopefully get better I'm guessing I will be shooting matches with longer ranges as well. So I'm looking for the balance between weight, maneuverability, recoil control, and accuracy. All help is appreciated, especially as I'm hoping to take advantage of some 4th of July sales and get all my ordering done by the 5th before all the offers expire, might as well save some coin where I can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Not much advantage to an 18" barrel at 100-200 yards - the 16" has my nod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikecatt13 Posted July 4, 2017 Author Share Posted July 4, 2017 3 hours ago, Hi-Power Jack said: Not much advantage to an 18" barrel at 100-200 yards - the 16" has my nod I definitely agree there. I guess my main purpose in asking for advice is i don't want to end up in a match with 300-400 yard or further targets and be kicking myself for picking the wrong $800 barrel/gas system length lol (and I have zero experience with competitive shooting at those ranges) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertTortoise Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Length of the barrel gets you a different gas system, but won't (shouldn't) effect accuracy. The 16 will be shorter around walls and ports and a little lighter. The 18 with rifle gas may have a bit better recoil feel. I think the consensus is that a muzzle break and adjustable gas have more impact on recoil than the gas system length Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikecatt13 Posted July 4, 2017 Author Share Posted July 4, 2017 (edited) 3 minutes ago, DesertTortoise said: Length of the barrel gets you a different gas system, but won't (shouldn't) effect accuracy. The 16 will be shorter around walls and ports and a little lighter. The 18 with rifle gas may have a bit better recoil feel. Get an adjustable gas block for either one tho I guess I should've added that info as well, this build will definitely have an adjustable gas system, also a lightweight BCG coupled with a captured JP buffer/spring, and quality compensator I think it's going to come down to, with those other parts installed, is the felt recoil on the 18, due to rifle vs mid length gas, going to make a big enough difference to maneuver that 2" more barrel? Edited July 4, 2017 by Mikecatt13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigereye Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 The Stretch 16 may be a good option for you. 16" barrel with intermediate gas. You will get a lot of information through a "search" on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikecatt13 Posted July 5, 2017 Author Share Posted July 5, 2017 I've spent hours searching and reading on several forums, just wanted to couple that with a direct post as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metau Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Seeing as you are newer to 3-gun, I feel you would save more time on your stages once you start shooting longer ranges with the added velocity of the longer barrel versus the "quicker time" saved from moving a shorter barrel around barriers. If you are close enough to hit a barrier, odds are you will be lowering your rifle to turn rather than stepping all the way back to turn, and once it is lowered, the difference in length is negligible. If it was a 4" difference, I could understand a more valid argument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikecatt13 Posted July 6, 2017 Author Share Posted July 6, 2017 Appreciate all the input! I decided to go with 18" proof research. Can't wait to try it out, I'll post pics of the build when it's done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkwoodious Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Great pick Mike - you'll never need to worry about your barrel being the week link in your system with the proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikecatt13 Posted July 24, 2017 Author Share Posted July 24, 2017 11 minutes ago, Kirkwoodious said: Great pick Mike - you'll never need to worry about your barrel being the week link in your system with the proof. Thanks, so far so good. 3rd match ever and 1st with the new gun yesterday I won a smaller club match, rained all day lol. Today took 8th out of 79 in a bigger club match with some of the "heavy hitters". Love this sport, thanks for the help so far everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wahoo72 Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 On 7/4/2017 at 9:22 AM, DesertTortoise said: Length of the barrel gets you a different gas system, but won't (shouldn't) effect accuracy. The 16 will be shorter around walls and ports and a little lighter. The 18 with rifle gas may have a bit better recoil feel. I think the consensus is that a muzzle break and adjustable gas have more impact on recoil than the gas system length +1 went with an 18" and not seen a real reason I wish I had a 16". Either will be good to go. I was in the same boat as you and chose the 18 due to ranges i shoot being mostly over 3-400y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlvrDragon50 Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 18" proof! I'm jealous. I went with 18" only to get a rifle-length system, but I was recently shown that there are 16" rifle length barrels out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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