Buffers - heavy VS hydraulic VS spring

[MaDuce]

First off, let me point out that this refers ONLY to carbine buffers, NOT rifle length buffers.

Mr. Robobot and I had a discussion about this. Unfortunately, I now realize it wasn't AS conclusive as is probably necessary.

I like the idea of a heavy buffer because; 1 - Money is extremely tight right now and I found them for as little as $25, 2 - I read that they greatly help with reliability and it IS my experience that heavier action generally means better reliability. However, I am doubtful that it's going to have as great of benefits in reducing recoil as the others.

On the matter of spring buffers, they too sound great, both for reducing recoil AND shooting the action back forward, but as you probably guessed, they're pretty much beyond my budget at the moment.

So; price aside, I would like your take on how these 3 compare. What the advantages are, what the disadvantages are and how you think their ups and downs make a real world difference.

Thanks in advance.

[98Z5V]

My opinion - man up and eat recoil.  It's a damn 5.56, so recoil isn't poop.  Reduce moving parts - don't invite problems.  More moving parts directly equal more things to keep track of, maintain, and that can go wrong.  If your buffer fails - you fail. 

Don't complicate poop with complicated poop.  That's my opinion.  <thumbsup>

[unforgiven]

Don't complicate poop with complicated poop.  That's my opinion.  <thumbsup>

    Ain't that the truth.

[98Z5V]

MaDuce, you typed "carbine" and I read "5.56."    My bad.

Eat the recoil on the .308.  It ain't really that bad, either.  <thumbsup>

[imschur]

and minimally follow Slash's advice of running with Armalite buffers and Springs if you cant afford his stuff. He was dead on about the springs being inconsistent from folks like DPMS.

Armalite LPK's are good too  <thumbsup>

[98Z5V]

Every spring in every AR I have is from Armalite.  Little ones, big ones, all of them - all Armalite springs.  I don't deviate from that.  <thumbsup>

(Disclaimer - trigger/hammer springs not included in that public blanket statement)

[MaDuce]

Well, I went ahead and ordered what I still needed.

The additional stuff was a little more expensive then I expected (mainly because I wound up buying from multiple sources and ended up with allot of shipping charges) so I more or less had to settle with a shark brake for now and I'll get something a little nicer later on when I can afford. That doesn't bother me since I am eventually going to build a second rifle out of the parts I gradually replace on this one.

I DID take your advice as much as I could on Armalite and ordered 2 springs from them so one will be available for the .308 rifle I'm going to build out of the parts I gradually replace on the current gun and shipping cost more then both springs combined, so I figured I'd get my money's worth.

After looking at the weight difference, I wanted to get an Armalite buffer but they're out of stock, so I had no choice but to settle with DPMS for now.

Anyway, I wound up spending around $110 for everything out of about $140 I could have afforded.

[survivalshop]

The std carbine buffer from DPMS has worked my 16" for years now . The spring is a flat wire spring now (Superior springs ), but the DPMS one worked with no problems .

Spikes & others make heavy buffers that will work in a 308 carbine also.

[tackleberry2000]

I tried an endine buffer in my 556 carbine and hated it. Went with a heavy buffer. For the ar308 I went to Slash. It tamed down my AP4 big time. Didn't notice much more in recoil than i get from my 556.