I am in the process of either building a complete new upper or buying a new complete upper for my ar-15 lower. Haven't really decided which way I am going to go yet but am looking for some input from my S&W forum friends. I have noticed in my google searches that a lot of people prefer to have a 14.5" upper with a pined/welded flash hider rather that a 16". What is the reason for this? Does the 14.5 have a better advantage over the 16 that I am not aware of? Any info/help with this and any other info on great complete uppers will be greatly appreciated!

Shorter overall and you can use a bayonet.

Since the rules on barrel length are Federal, and not state, the ONLY reason to have a 14.5 with an extra long flash suppressor is to say "I have a military length barrel......"
The overall is not any shorter than a 16" barrel. As for using a bayonet, it depends only on whether you have a bayonet lug on your gas block, and whether your rifle tip will allow a bayonet ring to slide over the flash suppressor.
You can get a 14.5 with a shorty on the muzzle, if you want to register the rifle as an SBR and pay a $200 tax on the rifle. You would also need to get the registration approved by local LEO, which might be an ordeal in itself.
Having shot them all, the length I like best is an 18" with a gas length system. It gives a better sight picture for iron sights, and a very soft recoil, yet it's still short enough to carry and to run a carbine course with.

From a performance POV, the shorter overall length gives better function in tight quarters. The longer barrels give better velocity, and better downrange performance overall.

Functionally, no reason whatsoever. To keep the 14.5" legal without filing for a SBR & paying the $200 ATF tax stamp, the pinned flash hider 1.5" long which is longer than a regular A2 flash hider.

Aesthetically, it looks cooler. There's just something about the way it looks.


I will concede that the slightly shorter 14.5" pinned is easier to clear corners than the 16" in my home. Like a tactical-wannabe, I tried to clear the 2nd floor of my home with both.

I have read posts written by LEO's on other forums. They state that a 14.5" barreled AR is easier to get in and out of a patrol car quicker.

I also have to disclose that I live in Chicago politics controlled Illinois. Suppressors are not legal in Illinois. A pinned muzzle device precludes the use of a threaded suppressor. Since it's a moot point in Illinois, it didn't matter to me. Depending on where you live, it may or may not make a difference.

Here are some pictures comparing my 16" M&P 15-Sport and a 14.5" pinned AR I built.







My reason for building a 14.5" pinned? I already have a 16". I wanted to build something different. I think my next one will be a long barrel 20" or 24" AR.

Hope this helps.

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and comets with me on my new adventure. A special thanks to JaPes for sharing the pics, they are very helpful! I am very excited to get started as this will be my first AR build but want to make sure I do it right.
Thanks again everyone!
God bless!

Why not just leave off the flash hider on the 16 in barrel and have the same length as the 14.5 with a pinned hider and pick up a little more velocity.

Another quick question. In the process of building my new upper, If/when I order the 14.5" barrel can I add the flash hider after I have it in my possession or do they have to pin/weld it on before they can ship it to me? I do not want to do anything e legal and I do not want to have to get it registered and have to pay $200. (I have someone who has a few extras and can weld it on for me for free.)

What's your distance from front of sight to end of flash hider on your 16" barrel?


Reason I ask is because I live in ban state and have a blank barrel end. Curious to see where it falls in terms of length

Mine is 6.8"





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When you pin the flash hider so that it can not be removed, the government considers the legal length to be the barrel + flash hider.

You can not be in possession of a 14.5" barrel without filing for a SBR with the ATF and paying the tax stamp.



It's a hair over 4.5" ... (EDIT: I didn't read... the 16" distance is 6")

Yes, you can possess a barrel shorter than 16" without the stamp and registration. You can not INSTALL the shorter barrel on a rifle without the registration/ stamp. But they can be bought, and possessed, you must only install them on an AR pistol.
Once they are pinned with the muzzle break, flash hider, etc. the barrel is considered 16" or longer, and legal for rifles.

These are my thoughts on why I bought a 14.5" upper (CMMG 001):
1. If it's good enough for our boys to use in Afganistan, it's good enough for me, and the army qualifies on the M-4 up to 300m
2. It's lightweight, and I am recovering from a shoulder injury.
3. It's cool.
4. The Phantom suppressor is awesome! It really works!

The length from the front of the FSB to the rear of the crush washer on mine is 4-5/8".

You might also consider DPMS's Panther carbine (upper) RFA2-PCAR which has a 11.5" barrel with a 5.5" suppressor, if you can find it. The drawback to having one of these pinned uppers is that you are very, very limited in the hand guards you can get, since you can't remove the suppressor, so you can't remove the FSB. Also, getting the CMMG that I got may be near impossible to get, since according to the guy I ordered mine from, there are no more of these uppers at the distributors.

Also the short uppers are more costly then the 16". If I hadn't decided early on that I wanted a 14.5" upper, I would have gotten a Spike's, because I love their logo on the top rail and the bolt, and they have a good rep, they are reasonably priced, and they come with a buffer to match their gas system. Next choice would be a RRA mid length A4, because they are also inexpensive and have a good rep.

As for the advantages of the 14.5" upper they are more expensive, harder to find, limited in hand guard options, slightly less accurate (but who gets a carbine for long range accuracy?), and you have to defend your choice to anybody who asks. If you are unsure that you want the short barrel, I don't see any real reason to get it, but I got mine because I WANTED it.

No disrespect but the Army wastes ammo!!!
The Marine Corp qualifies to 500 with a carbine length Barrel OOOraah
and I am recovering from both shoulders being operated on!

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Grover Oathkeeper

Sir, the Marine Corps Qualifies at 500 meters with the Carbine length barrel and they claim that accuracy only suffers when you get beyond 600 meters. I use my sport with the factory 1-8 5R Progressive rifling for hunting predators and prairie dogs and take most of my shots between 150 to 250 yards and it is quite accurate at those ranges. No I couldnt afford a Rifle length AR nor did I really want one of those like I was issued, the spring sound in my ear always bothered me. My Sport is more accurate than a similar colt and bushmaster that I have compared side by side and the colt has the HBar barrel. This is just to point out an error in your logic. If you want the short barrel with the long flash suppressor by all means get what you want but dont discredit the carbine length barrel. Since this picture was taken I have added a QD riser so I could go back to Irons when I want but she is heck on a PDog under 300.

DSCF3649.jpg

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Grover Oathkeeper

You can remove a pinned flash hider. It's difficult, but it can and has been done.


The hand guard has nothing do do with barrel length. Any carbine length hand guard will fit.

Remove the pinned flash hider, install a low profile gas block, install whatever free float quad rail you want, then install a a muzzle device of the correct length & pin it.

IMO, the length between 14.5", 16", & 18" barrels being inherently more accurate than the other is debatable. I honestly believe that it is the Indian, not the arrow that affects accuracy the most.