Anybody owned or shot both? I bought the 13” gen 2 to compare to the Bren and BRN180S thinking I wanted to avoid the concussive blast, double hearing protection and wasted powder/ limited ballistics but the 13” version doesn’t seem practical given it’s weight. It’s less than 2 lbs heavier than the others but it somehow feels like much more. For those who have experienced both, which do you prefer?

There is 0 reason to own a 556 gun in 8 inches.  If you want 8 inches there are plenty of calibers that can do that length, but 556 isn't one of them.

I’m starting to wonder if a pistol caliber carbine would be the better option.

Rifle caliber is almost always better