Trajectory differences between AR barrels

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cancer

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I have data from the M4/M16 US Army marksmanship manual for the 14.5" and 20" barrels, but since 16" barrels aren't common in the US military, they haven't included any data for this length.

Does anyone know what kind of ballistic trajectory differences you'd expect to see out of a 16" AR barrel?
 
There's more to it than just barrel length. Bullet weight will also play a big factor. Some people seem to think that the differences are negligable, but I've seen ball ammo change and inch or two at a 100m just from switching to a different lot, translates into big headaches at the 500m.

Best bet is to take whatever ammo you plan on using to the range and shoot it at as many different distances as possible so that you know the elevations for your particular rifle.
 
Well, you just can't be specific on this due to effects of each cartridge, but for the SAME cartridge, a 16 will shoot above a 14.5 and below a 20" all the way back, due to velocity differences created by barrel pressure and the time before the bullet exits the muzzle. This is a VERY general rule, though.

You need to test with a chrony, predict with a calc program, and go out and hit some targets.
 
16" barrels will produce 96% of the velocity that a 20" barrel will. Ammo variances obviously play in. However, the AR15 platform was not designed to be a long range precision rig. Its a combat rifle designed for combat ranges, inside 300 metres. The variantions in ammo at extended ranges are not a factor when the rifle is employed in its designated arena.

TDC
 
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here are some ballistic tables to help you get a better idea.
 
cancer said:
I have data from the M4/M16 US Army marksmanship manual for the 14.5" and 20" barrels, but since 16" barrels aren't common in the US military, they haven't included any data for this length.

Does anyone know what kind of ballistic trajectory differences you'd expect to see out of a 16" AR barrel?
Click to expand...

The ballistics difference between 16 and 14.5 is so small you really don't need to worry about it if you shoots an AR within 500m.
 
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