I prefer the Hanson profile over the Gunner in a WWSD style rifle, but that said in my personal experience the match Gunner delivers marginally better accuracy on a hot bore (1.8moa vs 2.1moa over a 5 round group); not much, but that difference naturally does multiply at range.
I also prefer a 16" barrel. If you want a handy suppressed carbine, you really need to move down to a 12.5" or even a 10.5" barrel, at which point you really want 300BLK.
Theres just no reason to drop barrel length in 5.56, which is so velocity-dependant, without a direct and tangible benefit. Especially in something like the WWSD, which is really a "do it all" rifle, and in the Western states could conceivably be required to reach to 600+ yards in a pinch.
When you look at the cost-benefit, it's really difficult to justify "well it feels a little handier inside" as a reason to reduce your effective range and terminal performance beyond about 150 yards.
Frankly, even an 18" barrel may be a better option, depending on your local terrain.
Yeah, that all checks out with what I've gathered from a bunch of articles I've been reading. I do buy in to the idea of not trading velocity if you don't have to, so I'm not sure how or why I let myself get so fixated on 14.5. I think maybe because I also have an 18" fluted upper for a scoped build. I was thinking a 16" might be too close to redundant, and 14.5 would be handier while still good within 300 yards. Nevertheless, it seems like 16" is the way to go.
16” Hanson
I’d take your advice on this one. By the way the 0:59 second mark on the anime intro video almost killed me.
I second this advice.
Hard to argue with that recommendation. I think I knew it in my head, but for some reason my heart wants 14.5".
I prefer the Hanson profile over the Gunner in a WWSD style rifle, but that said in my personal experience the match Gunner delivers marginally better accuracy on a hot bore (1.8moa vs 2.1moa over a 5 round group); not much, but that difference naturally does multiply at range. I also prefer a 16" barrel. If you want a handy suppressed carbine, you really need to move down to a 12.5" or even a 10.5" barrel, at which point you really want 300BLK. Theres just no reason to drop barrel length in 5.56, which is so velocity-dependant, without a direct and tangible benefit. Especially in something like the WWSD, which is really a "do it all" rifle, and in the Western states could conceivably be required to reach to 600+ yards in a pinch. When you look at the cost-benefit, it's really difficult to justify "well it feels a little handier inside" as a reason to reduce your effective range and terminal performance beyond about 150 yards. Frankly, even an 18" barrel may be a better option, depending on your local terrain.
Yeah, that all checks out with what I've gathered from a bunch of articles I've been reading. I do buy in to the idea of not trading velocity if you don't have to, so I'm not sure how or why I let myself get so fixated on 14.5. I think maybe because I also have an 18" fluted upper for a scoped build. I was thinking a 16" might be too close to redundant, and 14.5 would be handier while still good within 300 yards. Nevertheless, it seems like 16" is the way to go.