What contributes most to accuracy? And what could i do to make an existing rifle more accurate? The rifle is a ff 18" fluted bull with prs stock, jp trigger, and nikon glass. Thanks

Quoted: What contributes most to accuracy?

#1 the barrel and head spacing

#2  trigger

#3 (IMO)  The bullet you are using

#5 crown

#6 bolt and gas system

#7 upper reciever and fit

Those are the items that I feel create an accurate rifle there may be others that will disagree but the barrel is the true heart of the AR.....

#1 SHOOTER SKILL and TECHNIQUE

all the other stuff is secondary, practice is the best value for your money.
i'd say barrel and crown are probably number 2

Quoted: What contributes most to accuracy? And what could i do to make an existing rifle more accurate? The rifle is a ff 18" fluted bull with prs stock, jp trigger, and nikon glass. Thanks

What level of accuracy are you looking for? and how much are you willing to spend? What's the intended use? Varmints? Targets? 3 Gun?
Are you willing to dedicate it to a single purpose?

A little more info, and people could give you more specific ideas. How many rounds down the tube? Who built it? What chamber? .223, 5.56, Wylde, or something else?

FWIW, the barrel and trigger/trigger control are esential. The JP is a decent trigger. I think more good barrels are ruined through improper cleaning than ever get trashed from shooting. Check the crown of the muzzle with a magnifying glass. Any marks?

Hopefully folks can give some suggestions, but minute of Haji is different from minute of pocket gopher, or killing black flies at 100yds.

Good luck
Mark

the rifle is already 1/2-3/4" @ 100. I was just wondering what kind of things i could do to improve accuracy. My intended use is varmints. i have 1k down the tube. I built it myself and it has a .223 chamber. The barrel is threaded with a vortex flash suppresor.

Gas system
Good round quality
Shooter

Do you reload?

A person who can read and follow directions can make ammo specifically tailored for their rifle that is more consistent in quality than most factory ammo and therefore more consistent on paper.  

Quoted: #1 SHOOTER SKILL and TECHNIQUE all the other stuff is secondary, practice is the best value for your money. i'd say barrel and crown are probably number 2

+1

Quoted: #1 SHOOTER SKILL and TECHNIQUE all the other stuff is secondary, practice is the best value for your money. i'd say barrel and crown are probably number 2

I wouldn't say barrel and crown are #2 though close, unless specifically in regards to the AR.

Otherwise the gas system & recoil mechanism would probably be the primary contributor to accuracy.

You can put a Krieger barrel on an AK and you won't notice much.

Tight and precise tolerances.

If the same parts are in the same place doing the same thing every time, you'll have an accurate rifle.

You want everything to mate up perfectly and be perfectly straight.

You could build an AK to tight tolerences and shoot match-quality ammo out of it and it would be just as accurate as any other semi-auto rifle.  (Good ammo, like handloads will actually do a lot to bring down groups in an AK..  most x39 ammo isn't that consistant).

Quoted: the rifle is already 1/2-3/4" @ 100. I was just wondering what kind of things i could do to improve accuracy. My intended use is varmints. i have 1k down the tube. I built it myself and it has a .223 chamber. The barrel is threaded with a vortex flash suppresor.

That's a damn good place to start!

2 suggestions.

1. Barrel: Dump the vortex. Get a benchrest gunsmith to cut off the threaded section, put an 11 degree target crown on the muzzle. You're not hiding.
Cost: Probably 100.00 or less.

2. Handloads. It's a bit of work, but if you are looking for the best, it's requiered. Some folks luck into a factory load that shoots like stink, but it's rare.

Other things to consider:

That barrel probably has between 1,000-3,000 (Optimistic) ultimate accuracy rounds left in it. Hot loads work, beat barrels into tomatoe stakes faster.

You still didn't mention a budget.

I'd love to try a BR contour Kreiger, chambered by a BR 'Smith, absolute minimum chamber, fitted bolt, feed it handloads, turned necks, the whole deal. But, that's not my interest with AR-15's. I've a BR rifle for that. My obsesive-compulsive needs are well met.

That's 1/4 inch 5 shot groups @ 100 yards, and a pile of money. If you're a true accuracy addict, get into benchrest shooting. The cost is potentially outlandish, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. I've 2 confirmed kills on black flies @ 100 yds. Blew my competition groups, but well worth the fun!

If I had the rifle, I'd start with the 2 suggestions above, maybe do a chamber cast to figure out what the exact dimensions are. With luck, that might get me to .25-.35.


As in all this stuff, Your mileage may vary.
Just some thoughts from another accuracy fiend.

Regards,
Mark

Quoted: Tight and precise tolerances. If the same parts are in the same place doing the same thing every time, you'll have an accurate rifle. You want everything to mate up perfectly and be perfectly straight. You could build an AK to tight tolerences and shoot match-quality ammo out of it and it would be just as accurate as any other semi-auto rifle.  (Good ammo, like handloads will actually do a lot to bring down groups in an AK..  most x39 ammo isn't that consistant).

Wrong,

You'd have to redesign the entire gas system, for the AK to be accurate.