11.5" vs 12.5" Barrels - Velocity Comparison

[@rbjmartin]

This is dude is so chill when he shoots. He looks like he's about to fall asleep.

[@disgruntledbear2764]

“Does 1” really matter?” I giggled way more than I should have.

[@Nick-fm9ux]

Ask 'er.

[@toddk1377]

Now we need a 10.5", 13.7", 14.5", 16",18", and 20"! 😉👍

[@torsteinrocks]

Anything under 11.5 is useless. 11.5 is the minimum effective barrel length for 5.56. 20 is the best then slight drop offs as you go down. There is tons and tons of data online showing this.

[@jaredbellard2777]

13.7" it's right there in the middle and can do everything between a 10.5-16". And it's still short.

[@toddk1377]

@@torsteinrocks Depends on the load and application.

[@toddk1377]

@@jaredbellard2777 True, depending on your expectations. However, the type and weight of ammo you're using is also very important to achieve the results you want.

[@jaredbellard2777]

@@toddk1377 I don't disagree, but when we start talking about ammo weights that's more of a rifling thing. The sweet spot for 5.56/.233 is 1/8 which can stabilize 55gr - 77gr and will support the most popular loadings. If all the barrels lengths I mentioned have that twist rate or faster, it's becomes velocity thing, which we know is derived from barrel length. A 13.7 will keep you in the in the velocity game at longer ranges and you're still using a relatively short rifle. And the key word "rifle". So you can use rifle accessories, rifle stocks, no need to SBR so it's easier to travel with across state borders. I know my logic is subjective because there's so much more that goes into what the individual needs are out of the rifle, but that's why I chose to go the route I did and I like it a lot. My rifle is great for CQB, hunting, truck rifle, and banging steel at range. Which I do it all with.

[@robh2907]

Just finished a 12.5 build for that exact reason..👍

[@cornfed98]

Your testing is consistent with what I've seen comparing velocities in an 11.5 BCM and 12.5 SOLGW barrel. 12.5 is a sweet spot if you are after velocity in a SBR.

[@aK-rk3hi]

That's honestly crazy to me, such a drastic difference, what's even the point in running 11.5?

[@aK-rk3hi]

@Phillip Cameron right, at this point if it gives this much of an fps jump having an extra 1 inch, there really is no reason to run 11.5, i have been looking all over for tests that replicate this one but i cant find any, one guy said it only made the fps jump by 50 when he tested. I wish more people would do tests like this.

[@adamg574]

@@aK-rk3hi really depends on ammo, also some barrels will just give more velocity than others even in the same length, you could get a “fast” barrel or a “slow” barrel.

[@duck-n-cover477]

Good to see some truth about barrel length. "No free lunch". It's all about meeting [your] requirements and understanding tradeoffs when optimizing for one factor above all others.

[@thegreenberetlife0191]

12.5” is a great all around setup...

[@AnthonysOutdoors]

Those 11.5 numbers were painfully slow. Thats slower than Mk18(10.3) velocities. The 12.5 velocities seemed to be accurate.

[@rayclay2299]

Great Info! This does help in the never ending question of "Whats the perfect barrel length".

[@johnny4713ify]

Noveske had it right years ago 12.5 was he's choice for an all around do most anything barrel length. I wish I lived in a state that allowed Suppressors so I could run that 12.5 Set up👍🏼.

[@MrMrrome]

How about comparing a 13.7 inch with a 14.5 barrel?

[@JohnDoeEagle1]

All I build, own and use are 11.5" and 12.5" barrels on my AR pistols in 5.56. I have no use for a 10.3" that is ever so prized in 5.56. I do have one .300 Blackout build in 10.5" but that is another animal all together. The .300 Blackout was developed for short barrels like that. The 5.56 never was and no amount of tuning can make up for it in lossed velocity, dwell time and reliability.

[@hercl801]

nice comparo! How about comparing unsuppressed sound level of those 2 exact set up. tnanks.

[@badgoy8439]

it would be interesting to see the results with 77gr ammo

[@scottlawrence1826]

Woa!! I didn't know that ONE inch could be that different with ANY caliber! Thanks guys!

[@HuntShootLive]

Man that's crazy! Cool video!!! I didn't expect there to be that much difference. Honestly I didn't expect any difference at all in those two sizes. Makes me wonder what would happen with 10.5 and 13.5.

[@jeffwilkins3052]

Wow, 230 fps with only a 1 inch barrel difference!!!!!! 🤤🤤🤤

[@kennethfox6271]

12.5" is life.

[@evan3715]

cant speak for 12.5. but my 11.5sbr suppressed does 2440fps with s&b 77g 5.56. and my colt 16" does 2660fps with the same ammo.

[@Rickjames127]

I have seen this same thing in 11.5 vs 12.5. The 12.5 is ridiculously close to my 14.5. I used cheap 55gr wolf for my test.

[@viktordamask2680]

If you're running a short barrel, you wouldn't be using 55 gr. Doing so makes the difference between them seem more dramatic than it is, given that anyone running an 11.5 or 12.5 would likely be using 77 grainers in any real world application.

[@Rickjames127]

@@viktordamask2680 Most people use 55gr for training. I know one guy that uses 75gr bthp for training. My handload 75gr bthp loaded to 5.56 book max using 26.5gr of cfe 223 achieves 2606avg out of my main 12.5. Similar velocity to the mk262 77gr bthp black hills using the same barrel length. Both the 77gr bthp and the 75gr bthp fragment at 2300fps minimum. So the fragmentation range of an 11.5 at 2506avg is 100-125y roughly and the 12.5 at 2606avg would be 175y roughly. 14.5 at 2650avg would be 200y roughly and that's generous. This is calculated at 6600ft. At sea level the performance is even worse. Depending on what distances you're planning to engage at and what you're ok with sacrificing 11.5 is not a bad option. 12.5 is going to be better in some regards though. Pros and cons to everything. Sofrep has an article that links to an ar15 forum set that shows 10.5, 11.5, 12.5, and 14.5 velocities with a very wide range of factory ammo. Using black hills 77gr bthp their max avg mv per barrel length were as follows. 10.5 2420, 11.5 2491, 12.5 2581, and 14.5 2614. This is what I've observed when building and testing 14.5s vs 12.5s. I've only ever tested other individuals 11.5 builds for velocity. It's a significant jump from 10.5 to 11.5 usually with all ammo. Most now won't even recommend 10.5 because of it. Decent jump from 11.5 to 12.5 but not much extra mv from 12.5 to 14.5. Like anything though pros and cons. 14.5 you can get a longer sight radius on irons more rail space and a longer gas system with the proper dwell time compared to a 11.5 or 12.5 mid.

[@adamg574]

@@Rickjames127dwell time is another important factor for jumping from 10.5 to 11.5. The only complaints I ever see about the 12.5 is the gas length particularly in regards to suppressing.

[@P90XGetRipped]

In my opinion, 12.5 is the best barrel length if you want an SBR. It hits that sweet spot of being short while still maintaining acceptable ballistics. My next AR will most likely be a Triarc 12.5!

[@toynazi]

I had a Triarc mid length barrel in 12.5 on a build a while back. I ended up trading it for something else, Can't remember what though. I have a revolving door of trades with friends going on over the last few years. Hard to remember some of them. It was pretty smooth shooting. I had to end up putting an adjustable gas block on it to correct a few issues. But other than that they make some pretty good stuff.

[@EC-mc7vg]

No way. 230 FPS faster from one inch on 5.56??? Something is amiss here.

[@awesomess54]

Man this makes me glad I got that new 12.5 IWI ar pistol. Heard good things about 12.5 ARs, but seeing the ballistics on standard 55 grain 556 gives me warm fuzzies inside..

[@wezzymininasolis9015]

Same here !!! The Zion pistol is my new favorite AR

[@wizkaqueefa9003]

Do you know of any midlength gas system uppers with a 12.5" barrel for ARs? Does IWI sell just an upper receiver for the Zion? I already have several lowers.

[@wizkaqueefa9003]

​@@wezzymininasolis9015Do you know of any midlength gas system uppers with a 12.5" barrel for ARs? Does IWI sell just an upper receiver for the Zion? I already have several lowers.

[@samwell707]

From what I’ve been told, 12.5” is the shortest you can go while still holding main benefits of 223 ie fragmenting

[@thriftysurvivor6117]

Thanks for this comparison, it was exactly what I wanted to learn.

[@jonandrews9599]

Like to see 55s, 62s AND AND AND the DREADED 77gr TERMINATOR! THANKS fellas for ending this argument once and for all!

[@timb8970]

That dude does NOT blink!!

[@MR-oy4fc]

In most testing there is a 50-70 fps difference. Is the 11.5 high round count? Maybe a just a slow barrel? Definitely not a normal spread for a 1 inch difference.

[@buddy9577]

12.5 IS PERFECT

[@m4a1JAY]

M193 55gr is usually 2500-2700fps at muzzle out of a 11.5”. Out of a 12.5” is probably going to be 2600-2800fps. That’s some very weak ammo.

[@kjay8125]

I'ma assume ammo really does mean a big difference Cause Classic Firearms measured 2800 with 11 or 12 inch

[@ComradCyborg]

What ammo did you use?

[@MRTEE-sy7sb]

I didn't think they would have that much of a spread.....good vid

[@raymondkuk5409]

What’s the difference between 14.5 vs 12.5? It’s seems the difference is very minimal...

[@Michiganbreadboyz_bt8919]

Forgive my ignorance but can having a suppressed 12.5 vs a non suppressed 11.5 be another reason for such a large gap? Doesn’t a suppressor increase dwell time and effect velocity somewhat?

[@user-bj1mx2ip1c]

Both had suppressors in video

[@OverlandPrecision]

Really would enjoy seeing a set up video of these bad chads.

[@forestgiest1380]

What ammo were you shooting? It’s obviously 223 but what load?

[@troybranch9720]

Cans add length sooooo. Let's see it with just the barrels and an A2 muzzle device.

[@TriggerCFR]

Definitely throwing in a 10.5" test for data would be good. Then maybe a 10.5" vs a 10.3".

[@donovancollins4752]

Literally .2 inches off what’s the point?

[@dragoonthief]

Wow, this video was everything I was looking for. I wonder why they don't do a solid 13" barrel.

[@robertkubrick3738]

@Eric M Gun Channel The question would be why you do that.

[@robertkubrick3738]

@Eric M Pistols with a brace don't have to worry about NFA. You can put a 16 inch upper on a pistol lower but not the reverse without going the NFA route. A Shockwave 2 adjustable is very similar to the usual m4 stock in handling.

[@guitarmatt03]

Dude how high is that optic mount? Looks even higher than lower 1/3

[@zZrEtRiBuTiOnZz]

Where did you guys get the 12.5 Proof Research barrel? All I'm seeing are 11.5, even on their website.

[@MyLonewolf25]

That’s some pretty fucking weak 55 grain

[@paulhughes3961]

I just bought a 11.5 Faxon barrel and it's good to know that I will be able to meet the minimum velosity for terminal performance.

[@killervztwogaming5796]

better hope he is only 5ft away then.

[@christopherkey3488]

My 11.5 guys are on life support

[@BrianWood777]

2455 fps for the 11.5" 2683 fps for the 12.5"

[@wesley3053]

Something definitely wrong with those velocities. The velocity on the 11.5 is what I usually see out a 7.5

[@BrianWood777]

@@wesley3053 I agree. Classic firearms has a video that shows the 12.5 only being like 5% faster than an 11.8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipPHf42reNt4npY

[@davidg.9942]

@@wesley3053 I have a suspicion that their new chronograph toy was wrongly calibrated,,, like many others saying 11.5" with decent ammo will easly get +- 2500 fps

[@jwhiskey534]

@@wesley3053 Definitely weak ammo. The highest I've seen, IMI M193's from ARFCOM data, average 3028 fps from a 12.5" suppressed, 2839 fps from a 11.5" suppressed.

[@mrshort2379]

B.D.U. could send me a 12.5" 5.56nato barrel to test and see if I like it for myself

[@NoName-tq9fi]

Something is not right about the 11.5" test. The 12.5" numbers are about right. But there is no way that much difference occurs with 1" of barrel length, and the 11.5" numbers are WAY below anything I have seen for that type of ammo.

[@blahblahblah7554]

They don’t even mention what ammo. This is a throwaway video

[@louisv2853]

11.5’s should be in the low mid 2700 range for 55 grain

[@slr7628]

Yea I have a feeling they shot weak 55 grain instead of m193...I see this a lot with velocity tests lol it’s stupid.go thru all the effort to create this video and don’t bother using the ammo that people are curious about

[@TheCaselots]

I just chronoed 2740 average through my KAC 11.5 with M193 and 2630 with M855

[@LîNkxUSMC]

This looks like the "trying to find a reason to not be salty i have a 11.5 and not a 12.5" section 😂

[@bullionsean456]

Nah dude, my results are consistent with what these guys are reporting from my 11.5 KAC. 2450 FPS is super low for 55 grain 556....it honestly sounds more like 223 velocity from that barre length

[@kennethyott8797]

I have a 12.5 that I just checked this week with a MagnetoSpeed and I’m getting 2914 avg with m193.

[@kjay8125]

Yea dude these are really low numbers there's something off here 10in suppressed should be WAYY higher then this ESPECIALLY for a longer barrel

[@annonymousman]

What was the ammo used

[@henrychristopher9131]

what brand ammo was used and what grain bullet.

[@985shane]

12.5 inch seems to be the shortest sweet spot.

[@PH-hk8mb]

Your lab radar is not correct

[@timb8970]

I’m surprised how much of a difference that extra inch made in velocity! Crap! I just bought a 11.5”!

[@davidg.9942]

do NOT feel guilty !!!, like others mentioned here they must have used some crappy ammo or better yet somehow wrongly calibrated their new chronograph toy,,,11.5" with decent ammoo will give you +- 2500 fps easly,,, watch this video to cheer you up,,,kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJalqIaggsmMZqs

[@davidg.9942]

next time consider 10" for 300 aac blackout,,,, even better vdeos: 5.56 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqmlpIGMm8egm9k,,,,,, 300aac kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoexnWqHjd6ei7s

[@JohnnyYK]

What cans are y’all using for those AR’s

[@stayfrostie2583]

Did you watch the video? He says three times I think. Its the surefire mini

[@427SuperSnake1]

You must be shooting some weakly loaded 223 or 5.56.. Good M193 with do over 2,400FPS in a 10.5” barrel. So 2,400 in an 11.6 is on the weaker side. Only a few manufactures now a days load their 5.56 to actual 5.56 pressures.

[@blahblahblah7554]

Unless you’re plinking.. only retards would chrono m193 out of SBR’s. Razor core 77gr or Black Hills OTM 77 is what you need

[@427SuperSnake1]

@@blahblahblah7554 I have 3K rounds of it for my SBR’s. I am more than aware that 75 grain and up gets the best terminal performance from any SBR…

[@slr7628]

Guessing this wasn’t NATO spec ammo?

[@AnarchAngel1]

I seriously doubt it

[@slr7628]

I just noticed rewatching this vid that during the 12.5 test they had 1 of the 5 rounds hit 2590 and a few 2690 😂 that’s 100fps deviation between shots, I’m wondering if they just picked up rounds off the ground at the range and loaded them in a mag. Either that or something is up with their calibration for their chroni

[@AnarchAngel1]

@@slr7628 100 fps extreme spread isn't that bad for 5.56 (probably .223 in this case) ammo...obviously less would be nice though

[@obxarms7685]

LOL, your ARE NOT going to push out to 600 yards with a 12 inch barrel and hurt anyone....

[@wtfmrkratos]

228 fps difference. Pretty substantial for 1"

[@wizardeye6404]

This test is bunk. That 11.5 was slower than most 10.3 barrels. No way that was the same ammo.

[@bravocompany2196]

aslong as its not 10.5 and under......👎

[@bjornegan6421]

spending more time resetting the trigger than pressing the trigger is a big indication of something.

[@Marcus2750-u1t]

5 to 600 yards easily? With that velocity loss? Ummm No

[@donrollo7329]

Where is the eye protection?

[@dreamisolympia88]

Next to your tampons...

[@JohnDoeEagle1]

Under Joe "Dementia" Biden and Kamala "Cameltoes" Harris. ~2021

[@SW-ii5gg]

His eyes are dead.