Scharfschuetzer
Member
I carried the 20" M16A1 in VN and the 20" M16A2 later in my military service as well as the 14" barreled M4A1 in various nice places overseas.
I never did see a hoot of difference in portability between the three-barrel lengths, but I definitely preferred the 20" barrel out in the desert and even in the tropics or clearing buildings.
Now, why not compromise and consider an 18" barrel with a Wilde chamber and a 1 in 8" twist barrel? a few years ago, I couldn't get a 20" barrel for a new upper that I was building and went with the 18" tube. It has worked out well for the recreational shooting that I now do. It's a good compromise and my chronographed velocities for 69 grain and 75 grain bullets are not that far behind a 20" tube and they remain stable and accurate to way out yonder.
I never did see a hoot of difference in portability between the three-barrel lengths, but I definitely preferred the 20" barrel out in the desert and even in the tropics or clearing buildings.
Now, why not compromise and consider an 18" barrel with a Wilde chamber and a 1 in 8" twist barrel? a few years ago, I couldn't get a 20" barrel for a new upper that I was building and went with the 18" tube. It has worked out well for the recreational shooting that I now do. It's a good compromise and my chronographed velocities for 69 grain and 75 grain bullets are not that far behind a 20" tube and they remain stable and accurate to way out yonder.
