Quick Tip: Benefits of an A5 Buffer in Your AR-15
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- Sometimes we all need a buffer from life's problems, and today Brownells Gun Tech™ Steve Ostrem talks to Mike Mihalski, founder and owner of Sons of Liberty Gun Works (SOLGW), about how an A5 buffer system can solve functional problems on an AR-15 carbine. The A5 does for the rear of the AR-15's operating system what the mid-length gas system did for the front end. As Mike explains it, the original M16 with a 20" barrel was a balanced "algebra equation" in the form of a smooth-operating rifle. Once folks started shortening the platform, the operating cycle became more abrupt and reliability problems ensued. Also called an "intermediate" operating system, the A5 restores much of the balance of the original AR-15 rifle. The A5's slightly longer receiver extension (aka "buffer tube") accommodates a longer buffer spring and a longer, heavier buffer. The heavier buffer reduces carrier speed and provides extra mass to return the bolt to battery. Extra buffer weight also makes the gun more forgiving of "hot" ammo and shooting with a suppressor, so an AR-15 with an A5 buffer can handle a wider variety of ammo. The longer buffer spring results in smoother cycling rifle. Bonus: felt recoil is reduced AND there's less risk of a broken extractor. Give the A5 a try!
For those inquiring about Caleb, he is fine and dandy. He's out having his hair done... this process takes 2 weeks.
LMAO!
Damn I’d just taken a bite out of a sandwich when I read this and nearly spat food all over 😝
He's having his hair processed. 😂
lots of places advertise 20 minute and your choice of weight.
Best comment of the day!!!!! LOL!!!!😆😆😆😆
I learn more in a 6 1/2 minute Brownells video than I can in watching 3 other ten minute videos. They do such a good job with their content!
I concur!
Absolutely!
True That Brother Man. Brownells doesn't engage in extraneous jibber jabber
Unless Caleb is trying to be hip. Again. Lol
I carried a 20” M16 in the Marines and it was an extremely smooth and reliable rifle.
Yes indeed. Same here. The carbine I shot after getting out are quite a different animal. I still prefer my 20" A2 clone.
Thank you both, fot your service. My son is in the Marines, right now.
@@tufelhunden5795 I think the modern equivalent is a 16" AR with a mid-length gas system and the A5 buffer. Really it's the first time in a couple decades that the platform has returned to the original, more gradual recoil impulse
@@Courtesyflush52 I’ll give the A5 buffer a try. Thanks for the information. 👍
Same here, Brother. Semper Fi!
I like this Mike guy, but the synchronized coffee sip just isn't the same without Caleb
That isn't coffee dude.
You're right it's urine
Are all the "problems" people have with BRCC because he said he didn't want his products associated with extremists? Is this really a problem with the gun community? Is this just a version of cancel culture? Can we cut a veteran and businessman who employs other veterans a break? Can we take a step back from all the anger and outrage?
@@harperhellems3648 Not when they supported Obama and not Kyle's self-defense - BRCC FOAD
@@harperhellems3648 they did much more than disassociate with Kyle. They supported anti gun candidates and openly said "we're not a 2a company" while trying to shill to gun owners with the very name and packaging.
I had a question about buffer weights in the A5 system when adding a Law Tactical folder to my rifle. I messaged SOLGW with a few questions and by the end of the day Mike had reached out to me and answered all of my questions...that is customer service and SOLGW has earned all of my future business!!!
Can you briefly share the info I'm looking to do the same thing
Any more details
I can tell that Mike is an encyclopedia of AR-15 knowledge. Really cool guest.
After upgrading my AR's to A5 buffer systems a couple years ago per Mike's advice I can attest that they make a pretty big difference. It feels better overall, but a big thing is it gives any rifle less recoil. Buffer weights is also a big thing to look into. Most 12.5-16 inch middys will work great with h2 which most prebuilt AR's these days come with the lightest possible buffer weights.
You don't happen to have a link where I can pick the system up
@jason hensley considering this is a Brownell's video...I bought a Sons of Liberty barrel from Brownell's
@@jasonhensley3071 You can save money by not buying the complete VLTOR kit. Order their buffer (They're the only ones that make it) any rifle length spring, I HIGHLY recommend a flat wire from Tubbs or Strike Industries, and the AR-10 buffer tube.
I got a Magpul Buffer tube
Strike Industries spring
and the buffer for right around $80.
I switched near every one of my carbines over to an A5 setup and guys that have fired those guns at the range were amazed at how smooth they are to shoot.
@@deangullberry5148
Primary Arms has the buffer and the extension
I have never heard AR15 and algebra spoken of simultaneously....excellent!
I installed the A5 buffer system on one of my ARs, now I have at least 5 or 6 ARs that I have swapped over to the A5. It really does make a big improvement in the operation and cycling, And especially reliability and increasing the operational window. And who doesn't want smoother recoil?
Do you think it’s worth upgrading on a 16 inch carbine length gas system?
A5 springco green
Steve hears "auto-tune" and starts to wonder if he knows so much about guns he's starting to forget things.
i dont own a solgw rifle or any parts but i appreciate mike for putting good, sound information out to the public.
Great video, use nothing but a5’s since getting to meet Mike and having an awesome two day course about the ar15. Never stop learning, he is truly an encyclopedia of knowledge.
Agreed 100%
Outstanding series with Ol’ Mikey!!
Guru right there. I'm happy with my smooth and reliable 20 inch AR with rifle buffer and gas system
From my understanding Caleb had horrible accident involving his hair and now they are 3D printing him a replacement headcovering. According to the printer it will have keymod on the sides, and a picatinny rail on the back.
Great video thanks. To this day I prefer my 20" AR for just plinking around as it is so smooth. I served '86 to '91 and used the A2. When I grabbed a carbine for the first time I was thinking something is wrong with this firearm. 😆 Now I'll have to make sure my carbine have the A5 extension to see if it helps.
Night and day difference. An absolute dream with a mid-length gas system, and adjustable gas block.
Thank you for your service Sir.
Exactly what you said! After a 25 year sabbatical period from firing an A2, I fired a modern carbine and thought "WTF!!!". Now all my AR's have this A5 buffer tube.
Hey Mike take a deep breath, relax and smile.
VLTOR A5 system is hands down one of the best upgrades you can do for a carbine.
I like that he mentioned the "mid-length" gas system. So many people don't know about it...Its what I prefer.
My first AR was a Aero Middy “build”. I can’t remember if I had put a H1 or H2 buffer in it, but it was a smooth shooter. Only problem I had was the FSB was canted. And I had only found out after I replaced it with a picatinny gas block, that the gas port was drilled off center.
I have a KS-47 build that I did something similar on. I didn't know about the A5 system, so I took a rifle length buffer spring and paired it with a KAK variable buffer, using the 3 tungsten weights. It really took the snap out of the 7.62x39 and has become my go to.
Just swapped to a Solgw A5 kit a few weeks ago, fantastic improvement
100% agree, the A5 system was a huge improvement to my 11.3 Suppressed upper. Definitely well worth the money.
What length spring and what A5 buffer are you running on the 11.3” suppressed upper? Also what gas system is it?
i also would like to know which buffer weight youre using. im assuming you cant run a spring that is shorter than the rifle buffer spring since the buffer tube is slightly longer than a carbine length
Great stuff. I've owned plenty of guns over the last 30 years. I only got my first AR about 5 or 6 years ago. I built my first in 2020 and am now on my 4th and 5th (Yay for that!). Videos like what this channel puts forth are very informative for someone relatively new to AR's like myself. As an engineer and scientist, I'm becoming even more "caught up" in this hobby as I learn more about the inner workings. Thanks again to you both.
As an owner of a 20" A2 style AR, I can confirm its very smooth and soft shooting.
I love these videos, very informative and put in plain language that my tiny mind can comprehend
I got a BCM Intermediate tube and a Griffin Armament SOB A2 intermediate buffer. My 14.5" is noticeably smoother.
This is my future upgrade for my build, I've been a fan of this company for years. I'm running VLTOR MUR upper receiver, gas block, charging handle and honestly they make the best uppers, I use them on both my rifles. You have to take a piece of 2x4 and tap the receiver onto the barrel because the tolerance is so tight and when you work the bolt carrier it is very quiet and smooth right out of the box. The parent company makes Aerospace products and other things for the defense industry.
I like that someone actually engineered this to be correct, not just a cut it down and tweak it enough to run.
I wish Brownell's would manufacture an adjustable gas block for various weapons. The AR would be good and I personally would like to have them for AKs. A lot of weapons are 'overgassed' as a 'band aid' for reliability issues. A correctly gassed weapon doesn't slam it's internals against the rear of the action.
Nice video. Ya'll Take Care and be safe, John
Brownell’s 180 has an adjustable gas block.
I’m glad mikes there with the more modern knowledge
Great discussion. Also the hotter calibers like 6.5 grendel/ 6mm ARC do not like the carbine length and work better with the longer buffer system
My grendel build has a rifle buffer kit and it short strokes, won't eject the brass.
@@Mrjaspgu I would start by making sure everything moves free and nothing binds. Then I would go over the entire gas system. Double checking my gas block and gas tube alignments, and check the chamber for burrs. I'm sure you have cleaned and oiled the BCG and checked the gas rings already.
Always wondered did I need the A5 system, this video just answered my question.
This makes perfect sense. A longer buffer tube & spring, allows the buffer weight to cycle better and easier. Without slamming the back of the buffer tube. So it probably operates as smooth as a sewing machine! This would be nice on big bore guns, with heavy recoil.
Almost 10 years ago now I put a rifle length buffer assembly on my 16 inch bushmaster. The difference was night and day from the carbine.
The a5 tube and standard carbine buffer is a terrific alternative on a 308/ar10 type rifle as well
I wish I had seen this before I invested in an aftermarket spring and adjustable buffer for my carbine. What he says is pure common sense but my mind was fixated on "carbine parts".
I like the a5 buffer idea, rifle length ARs are smooth as silk
S O L G W is truly refining America's favorite rifle and keeping the men and women behind every blade of grass as dangerous as ever.
Excellent presentation.
That explains so many things as many people think they connect any upper to any lower is not correct. You need to get proper buffer & spring to match the upper.
A carbine upper will work on a rifle lower and a rifle upper will work on a carbine lower.
Good golly I just bought buffers springs and tubes for my future builds , wish I new this three weeks ago
I guess I am just Old Corps, but I love the rifle version of the AR15/M16. I have never been fond of the adjustable stock on the carbine. My carbines both have fixed rifle length stocks with rifle buffers on them. I noticed a real improvement in the recoil department when I changed stocks. Just my two cents worth.
Black Rifle Coffee Company is not a 2A friend. They pissed on Kyle so they can FOAD.
Hi Mike, we love you ❤️
You can use a carbine spring and buffer in a rifle buffer tubes by inserting a plug into the tube of the rifle stock equalizing the internal capacity of the carbine
Well explained for a newbie thank you!
I needed to use an A5 extension with a shorty carbine buffer in my 308 AR10. A standard carbine buffer/extension combo didn’t have the really estate for the carrier to go all the way back to grab the next round or even to lock the bolt to the rear.
Love the A5. I just wish they were more available.
Piece your kit together., easier to find, and save some $$$$
I run a Strike Industries flat wire rifle spring, Magpul buffer tube, and VLTOR A5 -2 buffer. Runs like a sewing machine, and saved around $40.
I run an A2 butt stock/buffer on my AR15 - 16" barrel with mid-length porting.
Yeah I need to get an A5 .
I've been using SPRINGCO Blue and Colt H2 BUFFER for long time.
Next build I'm going with A5 and definitely using SPRINGCO Spring because them and Colt are the only Springs I trust .
A5H2 and Springo Rifle Green Spring I hear is the best setup for mid length gas systems
@@josh48315 I'm running Can so SPRINGCO BLUE with H2 works the best for me on Car or Mid. I also use BRT Tuned Gas Tubes . On my Comp Rifle I'm using 0.66 Brt Tuned gas TUBE with SPRINGCO BLUE and H2 . Super soft shooting .
@@seanwhite304 thanks. I grabbed an A5H2 for my 13.9 mid length gas and an A5H3 for 11.3 carbine length gas, both Springco Green Rifle springs. Haven’t installed them yet but heard this was the best setup for those barrel lengths.
@@josh48315 A5 system is awesome . I've shot plenty of ARs that utilized A5 . I've personally never used one in any of my rigs . I will more than likely try A5 in Comp rifle sometime this year
If it’s good enough for mike it’s good enough for me
Nice! I leaned something new today!
It'll be great if he breaks down the different A5 weights down to A1.
I really like Mike, I miss Caleb's slick hair. Where has Caleb been?
The M16 gas system was never re-timed for the shorter barrel. It has become nothing but a box of band aids since the barrel was shortened.
I have a bcm mk2 intermediate buffer tube and a springco green spring and a a5h2 buffer on my 13.9
Thanks fellas!!!!!
GREAT information! Thanks for sharing!
Correct information.
Ya taught him well, Steve. Got the sync coffee down well. 😁
It's in the contract.
This will also give me some extra LOP!
Mike is a boss
Buffers are being used for things they were not engineered for originally. They are there to stop bolt bounce when firing full automatic. You don’t get automatic fire when the bolt bounces it just quits. Not originally used to control bolt speed or reduce recoil. Never change buffers on full auto guns, they will not function as needed. The way Mike explains why there is a buffer shows he doesn’t know why or forgot, “more mechanically forgiving opening up the operational envelope “ that’s convoluted way of not explaining the Why.
But it does slow the rate down in an M4 in full auto. That's how the got rid of the bolt bounce.
@@MF-Rell no
@@HypocriticYT ruclips.net/video/DYf-MLMODhA/видео.html
@@HypocriticYT Well I'm sorry bro I'm gonna take his word over yours but Good talk.
@@MF-Rell I'm not here to convince anyone. Just remember they are describing semi auto AR, not full auto
Interesting, thanks.
Thank you very much.
I noticed that even with the carbine spring shown, it's still a high quality Sprinco Blue. It's the little details that matter.
That being said, A5 all the way!
Eugene Stoner knew what he was doing…
Great stuff as always
Wow it would be nice if you actually did a shout out to the makers of the A5!?! Vltor.
Huh I’ll have to look into this, thanks for the info
Great information. Thank you.
This is of course just my opinion but what the A5 system does the Geissele Super 42 buffer and spring does better. Now that Geissele is offering a Super 42 spring for rifle buffers you get the best of both worlds.
I run an a5h2 with geissele super 42 rifle spring in both my ar's
I like smooth
This is one area I disagree with Mike. Adjusting the gas to the buffer gives better recoil impulse results.. With a pinned Rifle Speed adj gas block, it is quite easy to adj the gas without tools or fear of carbon lock on the adjuster plunger...
I really like this video , made a lot sense to me.
my favorite build is a 20” with carbine rear stock
JP makes an A5 spacer for their silent captured spring. Highly recommended
@Frank Petronio I’d love try it out but the absolute obnoxious pinggggggggggggg from my surefire 3p makes that a mute point for me unfortunately.
Great video
Good points. Although I don't shoot suppressed or have short barreled guns, I have various heavy buffers on all my mid-length and rifle length rifles. Less recoil, stronger charge back into battery, and easier on extractors.
Feels weird to buy a 13.7" over a 14.5" just to add back length with a longer buffer tube. Seems like M4-EX03 has carbine length buffer tube
Seems like A5 might be still worth it. Really trying to keep length down for home defense rifle.
Need to throw that coffee mug in the garbage. They were against Kyle.
Great info thank you!!
true
A5 master race.
Interesting indeed
Good video
Free Kyle
Also you can use standard buffers in 308 lowers fyi
Only with the A5 receiver extension...which is actually just an Armalite AR-10 receiver extention.
I just want an adjustable length rifle tube. That's it
I've used milspec carbine buffers & tubes on 5# different 20" uppers. They work perfectly fine.
There is fine, then there is better.
I miss my m16a4 from basic.
Does the A5 buffer system only reliably work on overgassed systems? I'm wondering if this buffer system would stop cycling the next round on a 16" midlength with steel case ammo.
Nope. It's more reliable than the carbine system in every respect. Works 100% on my 16" KAC upper with intermediate gas.
@@DBravo29er was it money well spent? How much smoother did it make the rifle fire?
Informative
NEVER heard profanity on a Brownells video of from a tech on the phone.
You need to be careful putting heavier buffers in your gun especially if you use it for military or law enforcement or self defense in that matter. Had a h3 in my carbine ran fine in summer. Went to go shoot in winter and I was having short stroking. Threw my h buffer back in and it cycled fine. So the h buffer stays.
I haven’t tested that set up in those conditions so, this is just speculation and curiosity, do you happen to run a grease in your guns that might be prone to getting stiff in cold weather? I know I’ve heard of that making or breaking a cold guns performance. Maybe test it with a thinner oil in the cold to see if that’s the case?
I’ve honestly thought of that and the only way I can think to check that is go to a totally different climate and shoot drills as I normally would. Good idea 👍🏾
Great fix for the devastating recoil of 5.56/.223
Softer is softer. Can you fire 6 rounds of aimed fire per second in semi automatic? It gets easier to hit your target when the gun doesn't move as much.
🤣🤣🤣
It's not so much the devastating recoil as it is less wear on parts. Carbines are known to break extractors, virtually unheard of on the rifles.
I’d like my rifle to literally not move at all when I shoot it tbf.
If only I could ever find them in stock
You can by piecing them together. Anybody has rifle length springs, bravo company usually has their intermediate receiver extension, and then you need an A5 H2 buffer.
Do you have a video on hydraulic buffers advantages and disadvantages... Keep up the good work 👍
How would the A5 system compare with the Geissele Super 42 buffer system? I realize the A5 is longer with a longer buffer, but curious about any other important differences in cycling and reliability and flexibility (running suppressed or different barrel lengths).
Question about the A5 system. If you have an AR that will fire and eject the spent casing but not pick up a new round from the magazine unless you use a lighter buffer and spring, what will the A5 system do to it? I imagine with the extended stroke it would make it fail to pick up a new round. But I’m not sure I completely understand this system
Well, the A5 system has more consistent spring tension from in-battery to out of battery. Meaning tias it's less dependent on spring strength more dependent upon buffer mass. This is a much more reliable way to regulate function.
For you, what buffer are you running now, with what spring?