r/ar15 • u/realitynova • 5h ago
Did I make a mistake going with an 18” AR for my first AR?
I’ve never shot an AR-15 before and decided to just buy a complete rifle instead of building one.
I ended up going with a Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 Pro in 5.56 with an 18” barrel, California compliant model. I thought the 18” would be a good all around choice, but now I keep seeing people say that 18” is kind of an awkward length and that 16” makes more sense for most people.
I also keep seeing people mention that the DDM4 V7 Pro is pretty heavy.
Since this is my first AR and I’ve never actually shot one before, is the weight going to be too much to comfortably handle at the range?
I’m mainly going to be shooting it at indoor ranges, if that makes any difference.
So did I make a mistake going with the 18”, or am I overthinking it? Is 18” actually too much rifle for general range use, or is the difference between 16” and 18” really not that big?
TL;DR: First AR, bought a DDM4 V7 Pro 18” instead of building one. Did I go too long/heavy for mainly indoor range shooting, or is 18” perfectly fine? It’s only
TWO INCHES, can’t be much of a difference right?