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Posted: 7/30/2011 8:22:53 PM EDT
I'm a fresh A2 owner, so pardon the noob-esque question  , but how much in range accuracy does a 16" to a 20" barrel differ? Mines got a 16" which im happy with but just curious. Thanks.
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| I do not know what you use your rifle for, but I would be more concerned with terminal velocity than accuracy. Even SBR's will shoot accurate enough at extreme distances, but your velocities will be much lower. Without enough velocity, your teminal bullet performance will not be sufficient, i.s. your bullet will do no greater damage than a .22 lr. For making paper bleed, this is not an issue though. |
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"Effective" range, yes. "Practical" range, no.
5.56 needs velocity to effectively fragment. I can't remember the actual velocity, but I think it's in the 2200 fps range. A bullet will carry more velocity out of a 20" at the muzzle than a 16" barrel, so one can figure that it will slow to the "minimum" 2200fps at a longer distance - but not my much. Parasite drag increases with velocity, so the faster bullet is actually slowing down at a faster rate than the slower bullet. So, velocity is king, and a 20" is better than a 16", which is better than a 14.5, etc. You're really taking a hit when you get down to the 10" guns and pistols. As far a better groups, it's hard to say. Things like the shooters ability, sight radius, weight, etc all come into play to make the longer guns seem more accurate, when not necessarily so. |
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Quoted:
"Effective" range, yes. "Practical" range, no. 5.56 needs velocity to effectively fragment. I can't remember the actual velocity, but I think it's in the 2200 fps range. A bullet will carry more velocity out of a 20" at the muzzle than a 16" barrel, so one can figure that it will slow to the "minimum" 2200fps at a longer distance - but not my much. Parasite drag increases with velocity, so the faster bullet is actually slowing down at a faster rate than the slower bullet. So, velocity is king, and a 20" is better than a 16", which is better than a 14.5, etc. You're really taking a hit when you get down to the 10" guns and pistols. As far a better groups, it's hard to say. Things like the shooters ability, sight radius, weight, etc all come into play to make the longer guns seem more accurate, when not necessarily so. +1, a 10 inch barrel never reaches the proper velocity for good terminal performance, its muzzle velocity is too slow |
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Quoted:
I do not know what you use your rifle for, but I would be more concerned with terminal velocity than accuracy. Even SBR's will shoot accurate enough at extreme distances, but your velocities will be much lower. Without enough velocity, your teminal bullet performance will not be sufficient, i.s. your bullet will do no greater damage than a .22 lr. For making paper bleed, this is not an issue though. Good input. Its all making more sense. 
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