Quote:
Originally Posted by Moving Chicane
Thinking about this HK rifle in .308, its now emerging availability, and its direct competitors (no "roll your owns"), it seems odd to me HK is only offering a 16.5" barrel length when the others offer 16", 18" and even 20" (LaRue, LMT, etc.).
Based on my primitive understanding, a 18" or 20" barrel would allow the .308 round to perform better (more velocity thus leading to likely better longer range accuracy and "punch") when compared to 16.5" barrel. But I have no fact to back this up. And I suspect HK knows much more about this than I do so they've got a reason for the 16.5" length.
Anyone have some theories? Thoughts? Facts?
TIA.
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I'd assume that they added the .5" to be conservative on the legality side. Minimum length is 16" for a rifle, and the .5" is the insurance.
While longer barrels allow the .308 to perform better at greater ranges, those length barrels are heavier and move the center of mass forward. These are features that are advantageous for a designated marksmarksman, but make manipulation and target acquisition slower.
Think of it like a SOCOM16 in the AR platform.