Muddawg900 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 So the other day I was browsing facebook and saw Brazos had a 6" 2011 shortblock for sale. For a hot second, I had considered buying it instead of the 5" I originally wanted. My question is are 6" limited guns not popular for a reason? I feel like 9.5 times out of 10, a limited 2011 is going to be a 5" gun. It seems pretty rare to me that 6" guns are used. Is it personal preference? Standardization? Inconvenience? Insight is appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rnlinebacker Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 (edited) Firstly, I just bought and built a Brazos open short block kit and it turned out awesome. Fitting is superb and lockup is tight. Sending for DLC coating in a couple weeks. I switched to six inch limited guns a couple years ago and they visually track better with the extra inch of sight radius. Yes the gun is a little "heavier", especially with a steel grip, but it will really tame major pf. Edited November 13, 2020 by Rnlinebacker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddawg900 Posted November 13, 2020 Author Share Posted November 13, 2020 Glad to hear of the quality! I can't wait to get the rest of my build. The only reason I was considering the 6" was because it was cheaper than what the 5" shortblock was. However, when I rechecked it, they dropped the price for the 5" kit heavily so I decided to stick with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 2 hours ago, Muddawg900 said: So the other day I was browsing facebook and saw Brazos had a 6" 2011 shortblock for sale. For a hot second, I had considered buying it instead of the 5" I originally wanted. My question is are 6" limited guns not popular for a reason? I feel like 9.5 times out of 10, a limited 2011 is going to be a 5" gun. It seems pretty rare to me that 6" guns are used. Is it personal preference? Standardization? Inconvenience? Insight is appreciated. Thanks! 6" guns were always a custom play,so less of them to begin with. Add in the extra slide weight (which the custom shops often chop off again) and all you end up with is a bit more barrel and a bit more sight radius. The sight radius helps with aiming, but because it moves more, makes the gun seem sluggish and flippy (it's not any more than a 5" but the front sight is further out on the radius-of-flip if that makes sense). So... not a big advantage, needs full custom build is why there aren't many around. The people with them seem to like them though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Postal Bob Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Have both a 5" and 6". Started with a 6" cause I felt I'd get a better sight ppicture on further targets. And while that is certainly true, especially when there are targets 20+ yds out, I transition quicker with my 5". The 6" just seems a little heavier to move as quickly as the 5". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddawg900 Posted November 13, 2020 Author Share Posted November 13, 2020 It's interesting how 1 inch can make that much of a difference. (I guess that could be said for many things in life.) Maybe one day I could get my hands on both and see if there really is a noticeable difference. Although, it'd probably be negligable for me since I'm just a C class shooter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konkapot Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 Have shot both over the years. Yes, it's only "one inch" or.......20% more. There's nothing a 5 inch gun can do that a 6 inch can't do better. An overly spring 6 inch gun CAN be a little bouncy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 Hello: A 6" pistol has to be built correctly with the slide weight in the correct place. Take the weight out of the front and spring it correctly it is a pretty sweet pistol to shoot. Bushing barrel or a lightened bull barrel helps with the swing effect. I also like using lighter bullets as well in the 165-180 range. Take a look at some of the "Fat Free" Benny makes at Triangle Shooting Sports. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddawg900 Posted November 14, 2020 Author Share Posted November 14, 2020 Konkapot and Aircooled, and here I was thinking "it's only 1 inch, it can't be THAT bad." Heck, I was shooting a G34 which is almost 6" anyways. I'll have to check out Benny's work. I love a beautiful slide milling. I think I'm gonna stick with a 5" gun. When I originally priced it out from Brazos, the shortblock was $1450. Since they came out with the Open shortblock, it seems to have lowere the Limited shortblock price down to $850. A lot more attainable now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuayThaiJJ Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 I have a 6" in a 5" slide and love it, the extra weight in front really helps line up for follow ups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outerlimits Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 Gimme a 6" any day. if the slide and barrel are lightened, it gives you the sight radius advantage for nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddawg900 Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 That's a beautiful gun there, Outerlimits. Maybe one day I'll build a 6" gun to play with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulm540 Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 Love my triangle shooting sports long slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ts199982 Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 Picked this up here recently, Cameron's 6" 40 S&W. After talking with Ed Cameron from AZ, with the slide lightened, weights the same a a 5" full dust cover gun. Amazing feeling/shooting gun, and I like the extra 1" sight radius for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdufren Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 (edited) Or you could go with a 5.5" and split the difference. Edited December 18, 2020 by pdufren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ts199982 Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 17 hours ago, pdufren said: Or you could go with a 5.5" and split the difference. We did that, our 5.5 is one of Bobby's Freedom Gunworks also! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdufren Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 My 6" is a FGW also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ts199982 Posted December 22, 2020 Share Posted December 22, 2020 On 12/20/2020 at 7:48 PM, pdufren said: My 6" is a FGW also Patrick, two very nice looking pistols you have there. Assuming you were involved with the design, great work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdufren Posted December 22, 2020 Share Posted December 22, 2020 21 hours ago, ts199982 said: Patrick, two very nice looking pistols you have there. Assuming you were involved with the design, great work! Thank you. I was fortunate enough to have some great advice from the FGW Team shooters on the 5.5". I bought the 6" as a used black and silver and Bobby refinished it for me with some cool colors and added the steel grip. It came out better than new. I love both of them. Wish I could shoot them like they were meant to.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bfrisk72 Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 I got my 6" Eagle back form McLearn Customs and Mahovsky Metalife midseason so I haven't put many rounds through it yet but can tell its flat. It definitely seems more and more people are moving away from the longer sight radius perhaps for the dot divisions. Having shot a 6" Glock for several years now, my major complaint is holster selection on 6" guns, just not enough options away from "race" style holsters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiden Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 (edited) I like 6 inch for the sight radius. When I was C class and B class, the confidence in my sight picture on the far shots was great. I ran tiny front with wide rear notch, (0.070ish and 0.125 ish) to give me lots of light and float a tiny dot in the center of it. Like everyone said, 6 inch guns cut properly won't have weight penalties vs standard 5 inch guns. I tend to favor a short dust cover with steel guide rod, for the right balance. Too nose heavy and the front of the gun will pull in transition, so I like most of the weight in my hand. Benny Hill Fat Free is what got me hooked on 6 inch in the first place. Loved that gun. Edited January 10, 2021 by Aiden Fixing links Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bakerjd Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Just seen a used Benny Hill 6" gun on Ken's list or on here the other day. My experience with a 5" (steel grip 2011) vs 5.5" (Limcat wildcat sight tracker w/plastic grip) is while the 5.5" shoots nice I prefer the 5". I'm going to eventually put a LSI grip on the limcat and it will probably be just as nice. For the vast majority of stages in and around Mi we dont have a lot of far shots, more tight shots around barricades or through ports. It is easier for me to move the 5" gun around that type of stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianATL Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 6 inch definitely my preference over a 5 inch if the slide has been significantly lightened Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richvrider Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 6” Cheely, lightened slide, spiral fluted bull barrel. 5” Deep River, tungsten sleeve bull barrel. Run both with 10lb recoil spring. I'm a little quicker with the 5”. For me it transitions faster. Like everyone says, 6” is nice on long tight shots... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSCLUVERRR Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Ive seen more 5" guns with a titanium or aluminum sight block making it have a 6" sight radius. I am currently building a 5" slide with 6" sight radius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now