I've been doing some research on accurizing AR family rifles and there seems to be a lot of differing opinions. Some say all that matters is the bolt, barrel and trigger. Others say you need to blueprint the whole thing. So what i'm trying to do is piece together a 16" rifle thats good for 1/2MOA to 3/4 MOA accuracy, that will still run reliably if i decide to do some 3 gun or service rifle. What do the AR guru's do?
key to AR15 accuracy?
- Thread starter YoungGun85
- Start date
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(1) Good barrel (free floating it may help).
(2) Good trigger
(3) Good ammo
(2) Good trigger
(3) Good ammo
ar accuracy
X2 ------ proper service/cleaning as well
I have seen out of box AR rifles and factory ammo do a best group of 1 1/4" and after working up a good load shrink that group to 3/4" at 100m.
This particular rifle was a 16" Norinco of all things and i'm no NORC.fan by any means but both its owner and myself were sufficiently impressed what a little load work up and a chrony could do.
X2 ------ proper service/cleaning as well
I have seen out of box AR rifles and factory ammo do a best group of 1 1/4" and after working up a good load shrink that group to 3/4" at 100m.
This particular rifle was a 16" Norinco of all things and i'm no NORC.fan by any means but both its owner and myself were sufficiently impressed what a little load work up and a chrony could do.
no no you guys got itall wrong first is a good shooter the rest will just improve on the shooters skill level but barrel then triger and ammo-------the truth of things is that probably 90 percent of rifles made are way more capable of greater accuracy then the person behind the trigger
Thats the magic formula...
Yes, a quality barrel fitted correctly to the bolt.
If you already have a rifle, and want to do service rifle/ 3 gun (and are short of funds), you don't need a half to 3/4 moa piece (although it's certainly nice to have). Most people can't hold this standard under the fire and movement stress anyway.
So, I would suggest getting (or upgrading to) quality sights. You can start competing right away. As your ability/comfort level rises go for a better trigger if you want (single stage/double stage, each has it's advantages). I found that practicing with standard/heavier triggers made a big difference when I then switched to a lighter (easier) trigger, as heavier triggers seemed to force me to concentrate more because they were more difficult to work with.
Free float your handguard, then at least you'll know that your sling tension won't be altering your impact points. For three gun competitions, I'm not sure this will make much difference as the ones I've seen were of relatively close range, but for service rifle it's a nice thing to have (if the rules allow it in your jurisdiction).
By now, your skill level (as well as shot count on your barrel) is increased. This would be a good time to have a quality barrel installed. Don't use premium ammo on short range matches--I think it's a waste of $$$$. Premium barrels and ammo for intermediate and long ranges only.
You can get all this work done at once, but saving some of the above expense for practice ammo/time first will ensure that you can develop the ability to take advantage of your premium components. Events like service rifle for example involve positional shooting (no wussy bipods) so you'll need to work on your positions.
If you want a prone bipod varmint/target piece on the other hand, then it's probably best to get the work done all at once.
Clear as mud?
If you already have a rifle, and want to do service rifle/ 3 gun (and are short of funds), you don't need a half to 3/4 moa piece (although it's certainly nice to have). Most people can't hold this standard under the fire and movement stress anyway.
So, I would suggest getting (or upgrading to) quality sights. You can start competing right away. As your ability/comfort level rises go for a better trigger if you want (single stage/double stage, each has it's advantages). I found that practicing with standard/heavier triggers made a big difference when I then switched to a lighter (easier) trigger, as heavier triggers seemed to force me to concentrate more because they were more difficult to work with.
Free float your handguard, then at least you'll know that your sling tension won't be altering your impact points. For three gun competitions, I'm not sure this will make much difference as the ones I've seen were of relatively close range, but for service rifle it's a nice thing to have (if the rules allow it in your jurisdiction).
By now, your skill level (as well as shot count on your barrel) is increased. This would be a good time to have a quality barrel installed. Don't use premium ammo on short range matches--I think it's a waste of $$$$. Premium barrels and ammo for intermediate and long ranges only.
You can get all this work done at once, but saving some of the above expense for practice ammo/time first will ensure that you can develop the ability to take advantage of your premium components. Events like service rifle for example involve positional shooting (no wussy bipods) so you'll need to work on your positions.
If you want a prone bipod varmint/target piece on the other hand, then it's probably best to get the work done all at once.
Clear as mud?
you sure it was a Norinco ? aftermarket barrel or stock 20" cut to 16" ? m4s all came with 14.5" and old ones were all 20", so ... just saying, a 16" isnt factory Norinco.
Gunnerlove
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver Island
The 0 ring of an IDPA target is 8" across. At 50m a rifle capable of 16moa would be capable of cleaning the target. IMHO if you are taking enough time to take full advantage of a sub moa rifle you are moving way to slow to be competitive. A 2moa rifle that works everytime is a better goal.
It all boils down to the barrel, as Greentips originally mentioned.
Of course to see this accuracy, you are going to need to feed it ammo that is also capable of holding the same or better accuracy that the barrel is capable of too.
Blueprinting has been tried by the USAMU in the past and they concluded that it doesn't matter.
Trigger, floating, bedding, stocks - that is all there for the comfort of the shooter - the rifle doesn't need it.
To get that level of accuracy consistantly, you will need to source a barrel that is capable of it. There are little in the way of accuracy guarantees, but some off the shelf manufacturer's builds come with them from the factory (I think Wilson, Les Baer and the RRA Varminter are examples), but some of those will cost you a pretty penny, and may not offer you with a package you necessarily want.
Building yourself (or having one built for you by someone that knows what they are doing with ARs) can be done also.
I'd recommend getting a barrel from a known premium barrel manufacturer as a start. Krieger, Obermeyer, Lilja, and Rock Creek are all brands with known past and present quality.
Wow a ton of awesome replies overnight. I know the super tight accuracy isn't needed for service rifle, I just want to build one rifle i can dabble in long range with as well as shoot fast without killing it. I will need to put in a bunch of triggertime to get to that sub-moa standard, but since i want just one AR (due to gunsafe space) I want the best i can get out of the platform. So now to build a reliable AR with a quality barrel. Thanks again
Norc barrel
Should have mentioned that,it was a 20'' recrowned at 16" rifle was about 5yrs old at the time. Considerably better quallity than any of the ones as of late i've seen on the racks. fit and finish was impressive for a $600. gun. It looked kinda vintage with long handgaurds and short barrel.maintaining the long gas tube this thing very seldom hiccuped at all and was a pleasure to handle,nice balance. Wow listen to me giving out kuddos to a Norinco,did I mention I was no fan of NORCs haha.
Should have mentioned that,it was a 20'' recrowned at 16" rifle was about 5yrs old at the time. Considerably better quallity than any of the ones as of late i've seen on the racks. fit and finish was impressive for a $600. gun. It looked kinda vintage with long handgaurds and short barrel.maintaining the long gas tube this thing very seldom hiccuped at all and was a pleasure to handle,nice balance. Wow listen to me giving out kuddos to a Norinco,did I mention I was no fan of NORCs haha.
