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Posted: 1/8/2012 11:27:36 AM EDT
| I was looking into getting a 18 inch upper but I see that the 20 inch uppers are around 400- 420. is there any way to see what these things weigh? |
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my DPMS 18" barrel weighs 2.6 lbs.. (it is heavy profile.)
the normal 16" carbine is like 1.8 lbs. figure a 20" barrel is 2 lbs or so.. there are lightweight 20" barrels which I think would be almost the same as the 16" listed above. others will be along to chime in.. |
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18" barrels are most popular with folks involved in 3-gun competition, so reasonably the manufactures tend to cater to the needs and specifications of these customers.
That being said, most are in a heavy barrel contour with fluting of some sort to achieve a lighter weight. They also tend to be made of stainless steel, lack a front sight base in lieu of a low profile gas block and narrow free float hand guards, and are not quite as common as a 20" or 16" barrel. Competitors tend to have a good budget for their guns as well. In other words, expect to pay more than you would for a 20" barrel and have less choices. As far as weight is concerned, figure about 4 ounces savings for those two inches. But obviously a number of other factors such as presence of a front sight base, barrel profile, fluting, etc, etc come into play. Most important is balance. 4 ounces added at the very end of a 18" barrel feels like a lot more than 4oz added mid way up a 20" barrel. What are you trying to accomplish with this gun? |
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