gun gurus; tell me about accuracy in a 16" AR in 5.56

[cruisin]

greetings all, I am contemplating adding an AR (5.56/223) to my arsenal and would like to hear from shooters what kind of accuracy you are seeing in those with a 16" barrel. Seems the 20" versions are running about 50% higher than the 16s. Can good 200 to 300 yard accuracy be achieved with precision bench loading out of a 16" barrel?

[ODDJOB UNO]

it ALL DEPENDS on if its a stationary POODLE or a MOVING POODLE!

[cruisin]

Originally Posted by ODDJOB UNO

it ALL DEPENDS on if its a stationary POODLE or a MOVING POODLE!

hehehe

[lane912]

are you shooting at something close, 2-100yds or 500yds?
that is the difference

[blk911]

A quality barrel and trigger will help with accuracy. There are ARs with 16" barrels that shoot sub minute(groups under 1" at 100 yards) so at 200-300 yards, you could achieve 2-3 inch groups if you are a competent shooter.

[Rick V]

Mine does very well as long as I use 55gr 5.56, the standard 62gr stuff is all over the paper at 300 meters

[on2wheels52]

"Can good 200 to 300 yard accuracy be achieved with precision bench loading out of a 16" barrel?"

Compared to what? Or perhaps better, what do you expect, MOA? And have you already beat factory ammo with your reloads?
Jim

[Rick Lee]

I wouldn't use an AR for shooting at over 200 yds. Why not get a bolt gun for that kind of stuff?

[blk911]

Crusin,

What are you shooting at? Is this for 3 gun competition? Read up on barrel twist rates and the ammo you are shooting. Makes a difference downrange. Also, what is your definition of accurate?

[id10t]

The one I owned (early 90s Olympic w/ short heavy barrel and fixed stock) was shooting 1-1.5 MOA with nasty cat pee smelling Norinco ammo.

The only thing barrel length really does for accuracy is give you a longer sight radius when using iron sights. Go for the Dissapator look (full length handguard, short barrel - a mannlicher!) and your sights are the same as on the A2 configuration.

[HHI944]

A dissipator would require the firearm either be an SBR or a Pistol.

2-300m will be fine for a 16" Even a cheaper barrel with heavier ammo will still be capable of LGM hits at 300m. A better barrel with good ammo and a scope will be capable of fairly tight groups at 300m.

[John Rogers]

A general rule of thumb is shorter barrels equal lower accuracy, longer barrels are better. We have a sign at our shooting range over the urinal that says:

Men with short barrels and/or lower velocity please stand closer to the target!

[KaptKaos]

Originally Posted by Rick V

Mine does very well as long as I use 55gr 5.56, the standard 62gr stuff is all over the paper at 300 meters

What's your twist? I am betting 1:9. If you want to shoot 62, you should look for a 1:7.

[fred cook]

My AR is a civianized Colt A2 (new lower receiver, trigger group and milled bolt carrier). It seems to like the 62 grain ammo better than the 55 grain. With a scope, it will approach (and sometimes make) 1 moa at 100 yds. A lot depends not only on the hardware, but also the eyes and steadiness of the shooter. A custom handload should also improve results.

[berettafan]

This is my Colt 6920 at 100yds with PMC and a just installed 3x32 Nikon P223 scope.

I'm clearly not a rifle shooter and have no doubt a 3-9 scope would yield much better results but for a 3x I think the results are pretty darned decent.




For ****s and giggles here is a 100yd target from my Glenfield 22lr rifle with the cheap 4x Glenfield scope on it.

[matt711]

16-20 inch barrel in 1:9 with 72-77 grain bullets will give you very good accuracy if the components are of good quality and you do your part as the shooter. Order a barrel chambered in .223 Wylde for slighlty better accuracy. A good trigger is also important.

Remember that a standard issue m4 has a 14.5 inch barrel and part of the qualification course is 300 meter targets. These are 1:7 with 62 grain bullets. Most are either topped with a red dot sight or a 4X ACOG. Of course you are talking about hitting a man size target at this range not a coyote or rabbit.

[yazhound]

huh, from prone was able to hit 500 meter targets without scope with A2, so what's problem with 200 meter targets?

[berettafan]

The iron sights on my 6920 (magpul version) are great. I can hit clay targets at 200yds with the irons. 300yds I can't even see a clay target much less hit it with irons.

[flipper35]

A shorter barrel is also a stiffer barrel. Different harmonics as well.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Man, there is some weird stuff in this thread!