AR Sponsor
Posted: 4/15/2008 7:23:00 AM EDT
| i am going to buy a noveske bbl group and cant decide if i want a 16.1 recon or 18 spr bbl. i want the mid-length gas tube. what would the accuracy difference be at say 500m on the two because of the velocity difference of the two different bbl lengths? would there be any? also i would like some of the badger ordinance stabilizer hand guards but am confused to whether it would work for an 18 bbl with mid-length gas tube. thanks for your help, this is on bushmaster upper receiver. |
| if the velocity of a bullet is higher from being shot from a longer barrel would this not decrease the rate of drop on said bullet therefore increasing accuracy over distance? does velocity even effect bullet drop? would the difference even matter on above setup? |
|
Accuracy is the repeatability of bullet impact with a fixed aim point. Accuracy of a given weapon is affected by the combination of mechanical accuracy - the absolute accuracy of a weapon as fired from a fixture w/o human variations and practical accuracy - how ergonomically designed it is so that the shooter can gain repeatable hits. Accuracy is not affected by the predicted trajectory of a given bullet at a given velocity. Just because you have to aim higher with a slower velocity doesn't mean that the accuracy will also suffer. Velocity influences max effective range, not accuracy. Rather the barrel harmonics, trigger pull, shooter's technique, bullet stability, bullet's resistance to wind drift, etc., etc. all affect accuracy. Many say that a 16" HBAR barreled AR has more mechanical accuracy than a longer barrel (given all other variables are the same) because it has less harmonic variation. Given the above, I'd be more focused upon how you plan to employ the AR. Shorter HBARs (while still heavy) are lighter than longer ones and more suited for use when one plans to be moving around. While a longer barreled AR, like a 24" long HBAR would be better suited to benchrest shooting at max range. 16" vs 18" comes down to what you plan to use it for. |
That is one of the best short descriptions of accuracy variables I've read. Nice work. I would add one thought. Longer barrels tend to allow powder to burn more uniformly. This sometimes leads to less deviation in velocity between shots. That is certainly an effect in repeatability at greater distances. It's probably a wash, with the shorter barrel being stiffer. |
AR Sponsor