Hey all been looking at picking up a .223 for my coyote hunting addiction. Up till now I have been using a 26" PSS in .308 for coyote hunting. Not the most agile rifle out there. Anyways the idea of a nice short .223 has been sort of appealing to me. I wondered if anyone had experience with either of these rifles, the 16.5" AACSD or the 20" SPS Tactical. How can I expect their groups to be? I imagine the longest shot I would ever take on a coyote would be 400m, and ideally not more than 200m.
Accuracy difference between 16.5" and 20" .223 SPS `
- Thread starter longarm21
- Start date
The longer barrel WILL give you slightly better ballistics, due to increased velocity (cartridge loads being equal).
The shorter barrel MIGHT give you SLIGHTLY better accuracy, due to slightly increased stiffness.
It's likely that you won't be able to shoot the difference between the two, so you should buy what you like, especially if ranges won't be beyond 500 yards.
The shorter barrel MIGHT give you SLIGHTLY better accuracy, due to slightly increased stiffness.
It's likely that you won't be able to shoot the difference between the two, so you should buy what you like, especially if ranges won't be beyond 500 yards.
ultimate_monkey
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- victoria BC
^^^ this
shorter barrel - less velocity = easy to compensate for , with canted bases and knowing your wind drift, which you should know regardless if you plan on shooting any animal.
accuracy - both factory barrels so you have the chance to get somthing amazing, or just another factory gun so only shooting it will tell you
shorter barrel - less velocity = easy to compensate for , with canted bases and knowing your wind drift, which you should know regardless if you plan on shooting any animal.
accuracy - both factory barrels so you have the chance to get somthing amazing, or just another factory gun so only shooting it will tell you
As noted, it will be a wash between the stiffer, shorter barrel, and the longer, faster one.
Also as noted, accuracy with factory barrels is a crap shoot, but even a mediocre one should have the means to make the kinds of shots you're anticipating.
Also as noted, accuracy with factory barrels is a crap shoot, but even a mediocre one should have the means to make the kinds of shots you're anticipating.
length of barrel does not determine accuracy, it determines speed, a shorter barrel does not always allow for full powder burn so some energy is expended in muzzle flash (powder burning outside the barrel instead of inside the barrel) Shorter barrels tend to be stiffer so in fact may be more consistent than longer barrels.
When dealing with factory, run of the mill, mass produced barrels, accuracy is the luck of the draw. All this to say you cannot make an accuracy determination based on the length of factory barrels. Buy what you need for your purposes, and go shoot.
When dealing with factory, run of the mill, mass produced barrels, accuracy is the luck of the draw. All this to say you cannot make an accuracy determination based on the length of factory barrels. Buy what you need for your purposes, and go shoot.
"...shorter barrel - less velocity..." Yep, also less sight radius with iron sights. Short barrels aren't about accuracy. They're about fitting into armoured vehicles and reducing the load for the PBI. In any case, the barrel is only part of the equation. Granted a big part, but the trigger, sights, bedding and ammo are serious factors too. No one can be scrimped upon.
"...a 26" PSS in .308..." That's almost a target rifle. Definitely not a small game rifle. Not that using it for that is a bad thing.
"...a 26" PSS in .308..." That's almost a target rifle. Definitely not a small game rifle. Not that using it for that is a bad thing.
boss351cleveland
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Down by the river
I would not go shorter than a 18 inch barrel , longer barrels will stabilize bullets better at longer range , you want the bullet to stay supersonic for as long as possible because many bullets tumble once they go transonic at long range ..
rnbra-shooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Brunswick
There won't be any accuracy or performance difference between the two. Choose whichever one appeals to you most, or is cheaper, or is available sooner,or looks better, or comes in a colour you like, etc.
A factory bolt action rifle could be a 0.5 MOA rifle, it could be a 1.5 MOA rifle, it could be anything in between. The accuracy you get from one particular factory rifle to another is highly variable. It's the luck of the draw, it could be anything in that range and it would be delivering acceptable to-spec accuracy. Even if you happen to hit the worst case (say, a 1.5 MOA rifle), you'll be able to hit coyotes out to 400m.
At these sorts of distances (out to 400m), the effect of one barrel perhaps being 100fps quicker or slower than another one will be inconsequential and undetectable. If you are thinking about shooting beyond 600m it *might* be worth revisiting this.
Buzzballer
CGN Regular
- Location
- Southern Ontario
I'm just shooting from the hip here, but I have an SPS tactical 20" in .308 and love the rifle. I'm pretty sure it's a 1 in 12 twist, and consistently gets around 1" groups (still working out hand loads) . Correct me if I'm wrong but isent the AACSD a 1 in 9 twist? Depending what weight of bullet your shooting that might be better for lighter rounds. I'm wishing I had a 1 in 9 to try with my 155 Amax's.
Just a thought.
Just a thought.
abbynormal
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- West Coast
Good advice - well presented.
