ideal 223 barrel length

SSG RED

New member
Ok sifted through 20 pages and didn't find it in the arcives.


what would be the max efficient barrel length for a 223?
I know the m-16 leaves alot of powder unused in the form of muzzel blast and flash.

I have a t/c encore and plan to add a 223 barrel to the collection should I go 26 or go for the 28 inch pro hunter barrel?
 
If you reload, I think that will be dependent on the powder burn rate that you use..faster for shorter barrels, slower for longer ones...

If you are restricted to factory rounds, I would think that 20"-22" would be a possible minimum for efficiency, but that's just a guesstimate..

All my ARs in that caliber are now 16" barrels and I use a couple of pretty fast powders and am not bothered by much flash...
 
I would say 24-26" my VS has a 24" and it seems to do fine, my VLS has a 26", none of them seem to show any flash.
 
I think with an encore you can use a little longer barrel & still not be bad on over all gun length, because of the short breech/action. For the MI woods I like to stay at 22" or less with the average bolt action. If it was me I'd look at overall length & not go over 24" with your encore. The few times I carried a 24" bolt gun I thought it was longer than I cared for.

I've gone down to 20" with some of my favorites, classic compact 70, model 7, & a micro-hunter. These are guns you carry a lot & shoot little. Personal preference is a large factor.
 
The ideal length is whatever fits your use for the rifle. For me it's 18". The optimal barrel length is probably around 24" for a 223.
 
wonder how much im losing using the 15 in encore pistol bbl
i reload using if i remember without checkin my book 26.5 grains of rl 15 under a 55 grain nosler ballistic tip
the guns is very accurate but i dunno about muzz flash as ive only shot it in bright sunny days
 
Much thanks! I want all I can get from the rifle, but no point dragging more than is needed.
I bought a rifle someone else had built with a 30" barrel chamberd in 308. I had a smith shorten the barrel and it actually cronigraphed faster! extra barrel length actualy slowed it down w/factory loads.

once again much thanks.
SSG RED
 
Ballistically, I have no idea what is the ideal length in a 223. But for hunting and firing at coyotes, I have to admit my 24 inch Remmy 700 is by far the most pleasant to shoot. Getting that blast away from your ears a bit is a big plus to me.

No, I don't use earmuffs while hunting.
blushing.gif
 
If it was a Heavy barrel, slow twist bolt gun, I'd say 22"
Fast twist AR, I'd say 20".
But I really liked my 16" CAR Hbar for calling.

How much barrel do you really need to burn 27 grains of powder.
 
Last edited:
efficient to me when I chose between a 20" ss bull barrel and fluted 24" ss barrel was how the rifle felt(wielded?)when handled, the 24" felt clumsey.
 
I recall from somewhere that a 20" barrel is generally considered optimum, but there's more to it than that, especially with a .223.

For some reason a .223 doesn't lose as much velocity with a shorter barrel as most centerfires, meaning you can go shorter (more inherently accurate) without losing much velocity. A 16" "M4 length" barrel still works pretty well for velocity, allows a larger diameter barrel within the same weight limitations (even more accuracy), easier handling in close quarters, etc, but it's loud...REALLY LOUD!!!.

Interestingly enough, ballistic tests of the 5.56/.223 have shown that (with some ammo) penetration and wound damage actually increases with a lower velocity.
 
Back
Top