Daniel Defense 14.5″ Cold Hammer Forged Barrel, 5.56 NATO, 1:7 Twist, Government Profile, Mid-Length, with Low Profile Gas Block

Product Description

The Daniel Defense 14.5″ Cold Hammer Forged Barrel, Government profile, mid-length, with low profile gas block is a 5.56mm NATO, 1:7 twist barrel that Daniel Defense lists at 1.58 lbs in this configuration, built on a mid-length gas system for a softer cycling impulse than the carbine-gas equivalent.

Mid-length gas on a 14.5″ barrel is the configuration serious carbine builders keep coming back to. Moving the gas port about two inches further from the chamber than a carbine system drops peak port pressure and extends dwell time, and the result is a flatter, more linear recoil impulse and less violent treatment of the bolt carrier group.

The second benefit is handguard length. Mid-length gas puts the block further out, which supports a longer free-float tube and a more natural extended support-hand position. With the low profile gas block configuration, that tube can run continuously over the block, giving one unbroken top rail and a clean forend for lights and lasers.

Key Facts

• Brand: Daniel Defense
• Model: 14.5″ 5.56mm, Mid-length, 1:7, GOV
• Manufacturer Part Number: 07-077-07308
• Caliber: 5.56mm NATO
• Barrel Length: 14.5″
• Twist Rate: 1:7
• Barrel Profile: Government
• Gas System: Mid-length
• Manufacturing Process: Cold Hammer Forged
• Material: 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium (CMV) steel
• Bore Finish: Chrome lined
• Exterior Finish: Mil-Spec Heavy Phosphate
• Muzzle Thread: 1/2×28 TPI
• Diameter at Gas Port: .750″
• Barrel Extension: A4
• Barrel Weight (with low profile gas block): 1.58 lbs
• Barrel Weight (stripped): 1.50 lbs
• Barrel Configuration: With low profile gas block

Mid-length at 14.5 inches: the trade-offs

Mid-length gas on a 14.5″ barrel leaves a shorter stretch of barrel forward of the gas block than a carbine system does. That is normally fine, but it constrains how long a handguard you can fit if you also need exposed muzzle for a pinned device or suppressor mount.

What 14.5 inches means legally

A bare barrel is a part, not a firearm, so no FFL transfer, 4473 or background check applies to buying it. The regulated step is assembly. Fitted to a rifle-configured receiver, a 14.5″ barrel creates a short-barrelled rifle under the National Firearms Act unless a muzzle device is permanently attached to bring overall barrel length to 16 inches or more. Alternatively the firearm can be registered as an SBR, or configured as a pistol, in which case the threads stay free. Our gunsmith does pin-and-weld work in house and we hold an SOT, so both paths are open. Call 817-393-4000 if you want to talk it through first.

Pick a longer tube from our rails and handguards, choose a pinnable device from our muzzle devices, or compare configurations across our Daniel Defense barrels.

Ordering from Western Sport in Roanoke, TX

Based in Roanoke, Texas and licensed as an FFL and SOT since 2007, Western Sport is a Daniel Defense master dealer with a gunsmith on site for barrel installation, headspace checks and permanent muzzle device attachment. Call 817-393-4000 with your build details and we will make sure the gas tube and rail match.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why choose mid-length gas over carbine gas at 14.5 inches?

A: Lower port pressure and longer dwell time. The gas port sits about two inches further from the chamber, which softens the recoil impulse and reduces the beating the bolt carrier group takes. Mid-length also supports a longer handguard. The cost is a shorter section of barrel forward of the gas block and the need for a mid-length gas tube.

Q: What does this barrel weigh in the low profile gas block configuration?

A: Daniel Defense lists 1.58 lbs. The same barrel is 1.50 lbs stripped and 1.81 lbs with a front sight base fitted, so the low profile block adds roughly an eighth of a pound over bare while the front sight tower adds nearly a third of a pound.

Q: Do I need a mid-length gas tube for this 14.5″ barrel?

A: Yes, and this catches people out. A carbine gas tube is too short for a mid-length gas system and will not seat in the gas key, so the rifle will not cycle. Order a mid-length tube specifically. Most generic parts kits include a carbine tube, so check what you have before assembly day.

Q: Does a 14.5″ barrel need a pinned muzzle device?

A: For a non-NFA rifle build, yes. A muzzle device permanently attached to bring overall barrel length to 16 inches or more keeps the firearm an ordinary rifle. Without that, a 14.5″ barrel on a rifle-configured receiver is a short-barrelled rifle requiring registration.

Q: How long a handguard can I run?

A: Mid-length gas at 14.5 inches puts the gas block further out than a carbine system would, so handguard choice is limited by how much muzzle you need exposed for a pinned device. Many builders land between 12 and 13.5 inches.

Q: Is the muzzle thread the standard 5.56 pattern?

A: Yes, 1/2×28 TPI. That is the common thread for 5.56 AR-15 barrels and it accepts the usual flash hiders, brakes, compensators and suppressor mounts. Daniel Defense notes that 300 Blackout and many 7.62-pattern barrels use 5/8×24 instead, so devices are not interchangeable between those calibers and this one.

Additional information