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Posted: 11/13/2012 12:35:57 PM EDT
| What are the best components and other tips you recommend to build for the best possible accuracy? |
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Its all in the accuracy of the barrel. That and the handguard. Free float has an advantage. As the bullet travels through the barrel it creates a whip and anything impeding that whip will change the harmonics of the barrel. Thats the short and laymens explanation. |
| So for my build I would be ok with a MP, bushmaster, etc. lower, but would benefit from the Noveske upper? I intend to spend as much as I can on the upper w/ barrel, but am trying to assess what I need for a lower. I'm currently considering Noveske upper and lower, but am not sure I "need" to spend the money on the lower if another stripped lower with MOE build kit will do just as well. |
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For accuracy the money should go towards the barrel. A milspec lower shouldnt impact that accuracy. I build my own uppers and my own lowers. So if you are not comfortable building your own upper then a Noveske would be a good choice for a setup designed and built around accuracy. Thats all relative though. How accurate do you wnat to get comes into play. I dont own any noveske parts or rifles. Its all in the name. They are known though for quality. Im sure they do build rifles though that are more accurate than others. |
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barrels that come into mind that are considered accurate. Noveske is one, WOA ( white oak armament is another), there are more but, the market is tight and sourcing parts is hit or miss. Look for match barrels. They are usually stainless and dont have as long as barrel life as others but its all relative. If youre ok with a barrel that starts to wear at 7500 rounds then you are going to get better accuracy. Even after 7500 rounds as that accuracy begins to degrade youre still talking about accuracy that exceeds a barrel designed for combat, eg chrome lined, etc... Barrels to stay away from with accuracy in mind IMO and experience are like Bushmaster, DPMS, and other lower tier manufacturers... Look for suppliers and whats available is my opinion... Rainier Arms makes boutique parts, Noveske, BCM, as long as you shop for what you want. Dont be afraid to contact the suppliers and tell them what your requirements are and express to them what you want. Sorry I havent taken the time to post a link to say, "here, buy this"! It takes some research time and what is available vs. what is advertised for what is available someday due to production times and availability. |
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A thought comes to mind. If you are looking for relatively good accuracy, I mean hitting targets out at 500m and beyond, for the money you really cant beat a Colt 6920 they are going for about $1100 dollars and can be had at Walmart and other purveyors online. 2 or 3 moa can be expected. that means a 2 or 3" group at 100 meters, a 6-9" group at 300 meters and so on. if you want to shoot motherfuckers in the eye at 200 meters with a $1,000 + optic of choice then a different solution is in order, ie. match barrel. |
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all out accuracy with no consideration to weight or length?
or do you want this to still be a light/ semi light rifle and accurate? what exactly do you want out of it? All of my rifles I pieced together on stag lowers and whatever parts suited my needs. I have a stag arms model 6 upper with the 1/8 twist 24" bull barrel and a wylde chamber it'll eat just about anything i put in there. it lives up to it's sub moa guarantee with ease on several types of factory ammo but it's a heavy pig and not fun to hike/lug around with. My 14.5" middy has a rainer match barrel on it, also 1/8 and a wylde. i believe it came with a sub moa promise as well. and if i do my part it'll live up to it but without a big optic and a bipod or rest it's not as easy to make tight groups although it's still more than capable as a battle rifle. I assembled a budget AR as a present for my stepfather with a used SAA upper that had a 1/7 twist 16" 5.56 barrel on it. That one was not sub moa but still plenty accurate and could make good hits majority of the time. I ended up liking that rifle more than i had anticipated. most match barrels are a heavier profile than m4 or pencil/lightweight barrels. so the accuracy comes with some weight as well as a shorter service life. |
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Definitely look for match barrels, BCM's SS410 are another to look at. I've got a 11.5" stainless from globaltactical (used to be a sponser) - made from a douglas premium blank and machined at compass lake engineering, very accurate with premium ammo. I load 95% of my match ammo, which is always a plus when going for all out accuracy. 2 loads are 20 rd ragged hole accurate, and even my budget loads (using prvi 75 bthp - they vary a lot) I'm good out to 600 meters, if the wind cooperates.
can't see the 10" plates, which are 230 meters or so out - 
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Quoted: Thanks again ST. For this one I'm looking for accuracy  I would also like to have the satisfaction of building it. Just seems like fun and I'm not in a big hurry. Thanks for the tips on WOA. I'll do some research on them. No problem man, glad to help. I like building my own rifles as well, "Hobby Rifles" as Travis Haley calls them. (inside joke)... Have fun, take your time, shop for the right deal, buy it piece by piece and do it right... |
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AR "Ultimate Varminter"
2/3 way down the article the builder, one of the most respected accuracy AR builders around, tells a little about how he builds accurate AR's. |
| I can answer that last question. Yes you just wouldn't install the trigger portion of the (L)ower (P)arts (K)it -LPK. If you do some looking around some companies have LPK's minus the trigger. If you are a new builder that's the way I would go. After you build a bit ,and most likely you won't just build one, you can get parts from companies like Citizens Armory. I actually buy the individual parts separately now. It is a pain getting a Stock handle when you know you are going to change it out immediately and also getting a after market trigger.... |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the link Dan. Stupid question - if I intend to use a higher quality trigger do I just buy a lower parts kit and use everything but the trigger? Is that the best way to acquire parts? Palmetto State Armory is an excellent place to buy your Lower Parts Kits. They are excellent quality and they offer them in many different configurations with things such as Magpul grips and trigger guards, Ergo grips, with our without trigger and fire control groups, they even offer kits that come with Geissele triggers as part of the Lower Parts Kit. Prices are some of the best as well. Here is a link to their LPKs Palmetto State LPKs ... You will have to click on each kit to see exactly what is included with each one. They also have a lot of other nice AR components to help you along the way. You may have to wait a few weeks for delivery on some items, or wait a week or two for something to come back in stock, but it is worth the wait especially since you aren't in a hurry, |
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I set out to do the same thing a few months ago, and decided to do an SPR-inspired build. I have 20" SS HBAR (Rock River Arms) that I tired of carrying the [not really] long walk from the car to the bench, and i wanted to see if I could match/ beat its accuracy with an 18" barrel that wasn't as heavy. Mostly, I got the itch to build an upper and this is how it played out.
Mentioned in a previous post was Rainier Arms, from whom I had a very good shopping and customer service experience––no affiliation with them. I considered WOA and Noveske barrels, both having the 1:7 twist I wanted. I ponied up a little extra for a fancy BCG, but I don't think it was necessary. Mostly, good barrel, good free float tube (I choose a Seekins Precision because I liked the attachment stye, and the machining really showed off the barrel), and nice clean breaking trigger. I have found that a light-breaking two-stage is usefull for consistant accuracy. Clear glass/ crisp reticle if you're going to scope the rifle. I also found that my 20" (a 1:8) seemed to like Hornady's 75gr match, while the 18" likes it less, seeming to prefer 77 gr. My testing is incomplete and I haven't been able to shoot beyond 100. Also to the list is practice. I have shoot a number of pretty good groups, but often shoot a flyer, or flub the next group. So for me, getting to the range, relaxing and working on my form to get consistent and accurate groups is a goal. |
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Quoted:
What are the best components and other tips you recommend to build for the best possible accuracy? As others have indicated: 1. A good barrel - I like Krieger 2. Proper fitting of the bolt, barrel extension, upper receiver and barrel nut (I.e. the bolt and barrel are properly head spaced, everything that's supposed to be parallel or concentric are parallel or concentric, and the barrel nut is properly torqued. Also, the gas block, front sight base and any muzzle device should be firmly mounted) 3. A good trigger - I like Geissele's two stage triggers and JP Rifles' single state trigger (there are several sources of LPKs without the trigger––I generally use White Oak) 4. A good free float handguard, properly installed (Again, make sure the barrel nut is properly torqued.) After that, I'd go with the best sights or glass you can afford. IMO the following books are worth the money and time: AR15 Complete Assembly Guide Lots of good photos and notes on "tips and traps". Well worth the money and time for any would be AR builder. Black Magic: The Ultra Accurate AR15 The Complete Guide to AR15 Accuracy By Derrick Martin of Accuracy Speaks. If I could only pick one accuracy book, I'd choose this one. YMMV. The Competitive AR15: The Mouse That Roared The New Compeititive AR15: The Ultimate Technical Guide |
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IMHO, these things will make your AR as accurate as possible:
- Quality BR barrel blank from Krieger(or a very select few others) 1:8 - 1:10 twist - Top rate gunsmith to chamber, crown and perform other machining - Tight chamber, which will still feed, but will allow seating 50 - 60gr match flat base bullets to near lands at mag length - Headspace set knowing the exact bolt which will be used. Maybe the bolt could be trued, also, if needed. - Free float forend If you want longer range accuracy, I would do the same basic thing, but work it all around the 77gr SMK, 75 gr Hornady or 69 gr SMK. This is going all out and you will have ~$600 in a bolt and barrel! |
| FYI OP, Krieger will do a "complete fitting" of your barrel for $190 (or $170 if you buy the hand guard from them). See "DCM & AR15 Products & Services" near the bottom of their DCM & AR15 page. |
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I totally agree with Storm_Tracker. It's all in the barrel. My 2 Mega-10 builds both have custom Krieger Stainless barrels on them. I can't shoot as good as either of those rifles are capable of.
But they both have top notch other components in them. I'd say put as much money into the barrel as you can, personally! |
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A while back a well respected builder gave his recipe....the following is from memory
1. DD stripped upper receiver - IIRC said they are the best and truest he has seen. 2. LMT bolt 3. Noveske barrel 4. set headspace to .001" - IIRC said he had a bucket of bolts to try until it was perfect I can't see how anyone could go wrong doing it that way. YMMV advntrjnky |
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Quoted:
How about squaring the upper receiver face? I plan on using a Noveske forged upper receiver and Noveske SPR Barrel Facing the upper is good, it may or may not make a difference. I face everyone I have my hands on. Some reading at the Grendel forum may give you some assembly tips that are not discussed much here about the 5.56 rifles. |
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for example: IIRC Bill Alexander has mentioned that bedding the receiver extension to the upper with LockTite was essential to gain very good accuracy out of the Grendel.
advntrjnky Quoted:
Quoted:
How about squaring the upper receiver face? I plan on using a Noveske forged upper receiver and Noveske SPR Barrel Facing the upper is good, it may or may not make a difference. I face everyone I have my hands on. Some reading at the Grendel forum may give you some assembly tips that are not discussed much here about the 5.56 rifles. |
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If you are having a quality barrel made for you. Send them your bolt. They will head space it for you. Head space is between the barrel face and the inside face of the barrel extension. Tough to set that yourself.
Other places like JP will find you a bolt that will head space with their barrel, providing you buy them together. I go the first route. But then again it's not the cheapest |
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