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Want the lightest 16″ barrel setup on your AR-15?
You can’t go wrong with Faxon’s 16″ 5.56 mid-length pencil ($175) that weighs in at just a tad over 19 oz.
$175
at Faxon
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
About Faxon
Faxon started out in the aerospace manufacturing business so they know their stuff. And all their barrels are made in-house…”cradle to grave” as they call it. Plus…several other well-known brands use their barrels. I reviewed a previous barrel…their 14.5″ pencil with a permanently attached muzzle device in my ultimate lightweight build.
Who Is It For?
- Someone looking for the lightest 16″ barrel out there
- Someone looking for a softer recoil impulse with a mid-length barrel
- Someone cost-conscious but wants a well-respected brand in the AR builder community
Fit, Feel, & Install
I’m currently testing a bunch of Faxon barrels…
Best Goldilocks Muzzle Device
$35
at OpticsPlanet
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
How It Shoots
It handled very well since there was still enough weight from the standard 16″ of barrel and a lightweight handguard. Recoil was also very manageable without an adjustable gas block. My previous build with the 14.5 and carbon fiber handguard was a little TOO light and made me feel the recoil…even though I had an adjustable gas-block (Best AR-15 Gas Blocks).
Accuracy
I used my standard testing setup to take as much human element out as possible.
- Lead Sled DFT ($200)
- Schmidt & Bender PMII 5-25x Scope ($3500)
- Hiperfire Trigger ($250)
Specifications
- Barrel Material: 4150 CMV Steel
- Barrel Type: Button Rifled
- Barrel Caliber: 5.56
- Barrel Twist: 1:8
- Barrel Length: 14.5”
- Barrel Profile: Pencil
- Barrel Gas System: Mid
- Finish: QPQ Nitride
- Gas Block Diameter: .625″
- Weight: 1.2 lbs
- Magnetic Particle Inspected
By the Numbers
Reliability: 5/5
No failures of any kind in 600 rounds. Feed ramps were cut well, gas block holes were in the right place, and it was easy to install onto my upper, handguard, and brake.Accuracy: 4/5
Does the best with PMC Bronze .223 ammo (even better than match) at 1 MOA while others open up to 2-3 MOA.Looks: 5/5
Great Nitride finish that’s so much better than standard phosphate. No defects or unevenness I could find.Bang for the Buck: 5/5
An awesome barrel for around $165 (after coupon below)…I’d expect it to compete with barrels $100 more.Overall Rating: 5/5
Conclusion
Fit, finish, and reliability are all up there.
$175
at Faxon
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
$12
at Ammunition Depot
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
4 Leave a Reply
My wife and I shot 3 gun back to back with my Faxon pencil barrel 16in. The free float handguard got so hot she had to hold the magwell at the end of her run. This was probably 240 rounds in a 20 min span. She still nailed the steel plates they had at 75 yards. That barrel remains on the rifle, we now pack a pair of gloves and the SHTF rifles have standard heat shielded handguards.
I used the Faxon pencil and found it could do 1.25 inch 5 shot groups with some mediocre 55 gr. gun show reloads repeatedly using my rolled up jacket over an ammo can, with a 4 power scope at 100 yards. I did not see any POI shift as the barrel heated after a dozen rounds or so.
I met the president of Faxon at the NRA show in Atlanta and was impressed with his sincerity of pleasing is customers.
I've built 3 builds based on that exact barrel (2 for sons, 1 for wife), and one on the 10.5" version as well (ULW SBR). I've been very pleased with Faxon's pencil barrels. Not quite as accurate as the slightly heavier Ballistic Advantage pencil offering (anecdotally) comparing directly to two other builds in which I've used the BA middy pencil. However, what has impressed me the most has been how little heat shift that occurs with the Faxon from cold barrel to hot barrel, related to PoI shift. Faxon really got it right in that dept as all three of the 16" Faxon pencils I've built have had very very little PoI shift from cold to hot. Very unexpected for such a ULW profile.
Nice, thanks for sharing your experience! I also didn't see a lot of shift compared to my Faxon 14.5 pencil.