I keep hearing this all over the "internets"
"The carbine gas system is less reliable than a middy or rifle"
I honestly don't think the middy is a huge improvement. I'll go ahead and get that out of the way now. I don't think a middy is a terrible idea (I've heard worse anyway), but I think a lot of people and places like to make a lot of fluff about them for no apparent reason.
After all, a middy will have slightly less of a pressure curve in the system because there's less space between the gas port and the muzzle (that's really the only difference between them is gas port placement on the barrel anyway), so honestly I think the middy's will suffer from failures from not cleaning them before a carbine length will simply because they can't get as much pressure back to cycle it short of enlargening the gas port.
"you'll end up with a short stroking rifle"
Any gas fed gun can do that, but just because you have a carbine length tube doesn't mean it's going to.
"You need to upgrade the extractor"
That really doesn't hurt to do on any AR regardless of the gas system it uses, but the upgrade is a little piece of rubber and an extra tension spring and costs about a buck and a half for the little extra insurance and piece of mind. No biggy there. If that argument sways you to a middy over a carbine length, then I have a bridge you may want to buy. It goes over my ocean-front property in Oklahoma. It'd be a heckuva place to set up a toll booth. You'd make your money back in no time.;-)
"Recoil is too harsh on the internals"
It all depends. There are a lot of ways to slow the rate of the operating system if that bugs you. Adding heavier buffers, adjustable gas tubes, etc. If you use an A2 stock that really softens it up too.
etc... etc...
I could keep going...
I'm kinda glad you didn't. :lol:
I had a Bushy Dissy, bone stock, and it was a pleasure to shoot (Only shot 100 rounds) very light recoil and reliable.
However I managed to sell it (wasn't completely to my liking)
And I went ahead and pulled the trigger on this upper:
Now this upper has the carbine gas system and I'm now afraid I will run into issues with it.
Just because you've fell prey to all the hype. Middy's are actually a fairly new beast. They came about not as an improvement in the operating system, but because of the pressure curve in 18 inch barrels during the SPR project so they'd shoot reliably. And then someone had a brain fart to try that length gas system in a 16 inch barrel, so they had to convince everyone that it was a better system so they wouldn't starve. I would say a midlength is good, but depending on how they were made, I don't know that I would say one was any better than another if they're built right.
Could I switch gas tubes and morph it into a middy?
It would be easiest to swap to a midlength barrel than it would be to try to plug off the OEM gas port hole under the Front sight/gas block. Probably safer too. A .223 round has chamber pressures of about 58,500 psi, so I don't think I'd want to try to tap the .087ish" wire gauge gas port hole with a screw. That sounds like just asking for trouble.
Or should I stop worrying too much and just go and shoot the thing and see if I run into any issues?
Yes you should.
I have a box of 200 UMC Remington from Dicks, and then again I keep hearing these rounds are a little under loaded, not hot enough for a carbine gas system.
Remington UMC are crap in any gun, not just carbine length AR's. They're filthy, they're not accurate, they're not consistent, and there's a reason they're cheap.
I've refused to use them in anything I own since I popped 2 primers out of the same box in my old SKS. There's a lot of bad press about those Ultra Made Cheap bullets. I'd rather shoot wolf over them.
So as you can tell I got the BRD fever and didnt do much homework.
Any input is much appreciated!
:?