What first caught my eye about the Faxon Firearms 5.56mm stainless steel pencil barrel was its ridiculously light weight. I blinked, looking at Faxon’s website’s at the stated barrel weight of 1.19lbs – just over 19 ounces. That couldn’t be right; my pencil-profile 14.5” middy weighs 21 ounces. So I called up the folks at Faxon and asked if their website was accurate or just a typo. They assured me the data was correct, and as soon as the barrels were back in stock, I ended up with one on my doorstep.