I bought a midlength Faxon 16" group buy barrel and have since bought an 18" Faxon group buy midlength barrel. My 18" Faxon seems to have the ideal gas port diameter for shooting thus far. Since I completed this build in January I have not shot it in hot weather.
So far my 18" Faxon has a smoother feel when firing than my 16" midlength Faxon. I added an H-2 buffer to my 16" Faxon which has proven reliable. The 16" barrel threw the spent cases to 3-4 O Clock but the recoil seemed harsh compared to my other 6.5 Grendel AR-15's so I tried the H-2 buffer. I don't run suppressors but from my intial shooting I really like the way the Faxon 18" barrel shoots. So far I'm completely satisfied with both my Faxon barrels. One difference between my 16" Faxon build and my 18" Faxon is the Bolt carriers. I'm using a Precision Fierarms 6.5 Grendel BCG which is really a nice slick carrier with my 16" Faxon. I'm using a Nitride PSA carrier and Monster bolt in my 18" Faxon. I'm really surprised the 18" Faxon feels smoother shooting than the 16" Faxon considering the 16" has the more expensive better finished PF bcg.
So far my 18" Faxon has a smoother feel when firing than my 16" midlength Faxon. I added an H-2 buffer to my 16" Faxon which has proven reliable. The 16" barrel threw the spent cases to 3-4 O Clock but the recoil seemed harsh compared to my other 6.5 Grendel AR-15's so I tried the H-2 buffer. I don't run suppressors but from my intial shooting I really like the way the Faxon 18" barrel shoots. So far I'm completely satisfied with both my Faxon barrels. One difference between my 16" Faxon build and my 18" Faxon is the Bolt carriers. I'm using a Precision Fierarms 6.5 Grendel BCG which is really a nice slick carrier with my 16" Faxon. I'm using a Nitride PSA carrier and Monster bolt in my 18" Faxon. I'm really surprised the 18" Faxon feels smoother shooting than the 16" Faxon considering the 16" has the more expensive better finished PF bcg.