Humm...having shot the throats out of many AR barrels in many different lengths and flavors....For me it's 18" ... I no longer have a 16" of any type. Closest I have is pinned/welded 14.5 with midgas that a suppressor lives on.
I also still have a bunch of SBRs with suppressors in 9", 10.5, 11.5, 12.5, though most are not in 556.
I'm partial to all of them, they have their uses...
But an 18" light contour is still what I'd grab if I could only take one.
Now...a lightweight 14.5 or 12.5 middy with a welded on can...hummm....might be onto something there.
As for Wylde chambers vs any other...I have found a pretty big variation in how chambers are actually cut from maker to maker, barrel to barrel, regardless of what they are called. Not sure I've had any better or worse luck with any of them. More about how well the chamber is cut.
But given how people treat their AR's in terms of barrel heat, wherever your throat is at right now is not where it will be at the end of a long shooting day.
