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Posted: 9/21/2015 10:17:01 AM EDT
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So my paperwork is in the process of being approved by the ATF and I will have the barrel of my rifle threaded to fit it. My rifle is a DPMS GII Hunter with an unthreaded 20" barrel in 7.62x51/.308. It has a rifle length gas system with an adjustable gas block. My concern is the suppressor is 9 inches long (Mack Brothers Dakota Varminter 3.0) and will make for a really long rifle with the 20" barrel. My other concern is weight. I'd like to cut a bit off of the barrel as it's not a light weight barrel but not a bull barrel. I was thinking of cutting the barrel down to 18" and having it threaded but wanted to know if I could push it to maybe 16" and would it negatively impact how it shoots. I used it for target shooting but bought it mainly to have an AR platform rifle in .308 to hunt deer with. Would going to 16" with a rifle length gas system cause issues with cycling timing and force?
Any input would be helpful. Thanks! |
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Probably not because the suppressor will create more back pressure than the original barrel did.
ADCO Firearms, Sylvania, OH does great work and I recommend them highly. Make sure whoever does your threading that they understand a suppressor is part of the plan. They have very little room for error when cutting the threads. Simple threading for a flash hider doesn't cut it. The threads must be cut dead true to the bore. |
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I think the general consensus nowadays on barrel length is that short can shoot just as good as long, if not better when speaking purely in terms of accuracy.
The issues presented by barrel length for hunting are velocity, range, and what kind of velocity your projectile needs to perform at whatever distance you intend to hunt at, outside of things like weight, handiness, etc. You don't lose a ton of velocity by chopping a few inches off the barrel, but at the extreme end of the projectiles effective velocity, 100FPS more at the muzzle can buy you another 50-100yds. Based on common velocities from a 16" barrel, something like a Barnes solid would be good to about 350yds (1800FPS min to perform properly). A non-solid might be able to stretch that out to 500yds if it will work at ~1600fps. I'm guessing you don't need that sort of range for most deer hunting, but hunting makes it very easy IMO...your max range is determined by the projectiles minimum effective velocity. If you know what your furthest shots will be, then it's easy to determine what min barrel length you need. |
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