Posted: 3/2/2010 7:48:43 PM EDT
|
I'm purchasing my first AR. I'm a pistol and shotgun gun guy and don't know much about the ARs. It will be used for police work and at the range for fun. I work in a rural area and I have an 870 for most of my close work. I want the rifle for everything outside shotgun distance. I do general patrol work but I also do game warden type work in the back country. I was planning on putting some sort of optic on it and back up iron sights. The department I work for requires it to be an AR design and in 5.56. this rifle s replacing my issued rifle an M16A1 as the issued one is pretty worn out. My question is I have heard barrels shorter than the 20" have problems because of loss of velocity resulting in poor terminal performance? When ordering it they asked if I wanted a 1:7 or 1:9 barrel. I was wondering what would work best for my purposes. I am ordering from Yankee Hill. Since I’m in MA I have to have a fixed stock and no flash suppressor. My questions are 20 inch vs 16 inch, 1:7 vs 1:9, Red dot vs eotech vs acog? |
|
My suggestions (the reasons why are all over the site, if you take the time to look)
20" barrel. Gets you 200-300 fps more. The 5.56 / .223 needs the extra speed as it is not a large projectile. Besides, most "16-inch" barrels are really 14.5 inches with a 1.5 inch flash hider. 1:9 twist rate... unless you will be consistently shooting 77-grain or larger bullets. Red-dot optic with a good, adjustable range BUIS (Like Matech). Red dot for the close encounters, flip up the BUIS and dial it up for longer shots. |
|
Colt 6940 ~$1200
16" barrel only is a disadvantage over 300 yards, and even then the difference is small. It is a flattop, and if you need magnification, optic choices are endless, but you could easily spend just as much on the Optic as the rifle. Entry level Trijicon is nice and maybe around $700-$800 if you hunt for it. I think that is a 4x optic. Better ammo will increase the accuracy lost to the 20" guns. I do favor a 20", but if I was LEO, it would be 16" all the way. If I had to shoot at distances where it would matter between the 16" and the 20", an AR and 5.56 is the wrong tool for the job. That is .308 or better territory. |
|
Quoted:
I'm purchasing my first AR. I'm a pistol and shotgun gun guy and don't know much about the ARs. It will be used for police work and at the range for fun. I work in a rural area and I have an 870 for most of my close work. I want the rifle for everything outside shotgun distance. I do general patrol work but I also do game warden type work in the back country. I was planning on putting some sort of optic on it and back up iron sights. The department I work for requires it to be an AR design and in 5.56. this rifle s replacing my issued rifle an M16A1 as the issued one is pretty worn out. My question is I have heard barrels shorter than the 20" have problems because of loss of velocity resulting in poor terminal performance? When ordering it they asked if I wanted a 1:7 or 1:9 barrel. I was wondering what would work best for my purposes. I am ordering from Yankee Hill. Since I’m in MA I have to have a fixed stock and no flash suppressor. My questions are 20 inch vs 16 inch, 1:7 vs 1:9, Red dot vs eotech vs acog? Even a LEO? |
|
Quoted:
My question is I have heard barrels shorter than the 20" have problems because of loss of velocity resulting in poor terminal performance? As DanTSX mentioned, the velocity difference between a 16 and 20 inch barrel isn't enough to matter, unless you're planning on taking lots of shots at 300+ yards. Red dot vs eotech vs acog?
ACOGs are superb optics, but are best suited to shooting at moderate to long distances. For under 200 yards, a red dot or reflex is probably a better choice. The Aimpoint T1 Micro is excellent, and the Trijicon RX30 is even better, IMO. Eotechs tend to be trouble-prone. |
You have me beat. 
