16 verses 18 or 20 in barrel

Ernest: Yes a 16" will shoot just as accurately as a 18" or 20" all things being equal.

Some fellers don't care for a 16" normally they say the muzzle blast is considerable louder and bothers them.

I have a 16" heavy varmint the noise isn't an issue for me, but thats me.

I don't think a 16" looks goofy at all.
 
Originally Posted By: scottmilk9I would like to interject my opinion.

Barrel length = velocity
Velocity does not equal accuracy
accuracy = good barrel, good ammo and good trigger puller.

Now that i sound like a math teacher, the optimal barrel length is a matter of opinion.

If i lived in Wyoming or any other place where i commonly take 500+ yard shots, i would go with a longer barrel.

It would also depend on caliber i choose as well.



Yup, that is were I am in life.
 
I'm of the opinion that shorter barreled guns are indeed less accurate, unless the gun is fired by a shooting machine.

It's simple geometry.
 
Originally Posted By: scottmilk9I would like to interject my opinion.

Barrel length = velocity
Velocity does not equal accuracy
accuracy = good barrel, good ammo and good trigger puller.

Now that i sound like a math teacher, the optimal barrel length is a matter of opinion.


This.

There are some fine articles by reputable writers/gunsmiths on the Internet that show velocity to bbl length comparisons.

Researching those would serve you better than some of the responses you've gotten so far. Being easy on the noobs isn't easy for some of the folks on this forum.
 
I get all tacticool when clearing barns lookin for groundhogs.
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Originally Posted By: Widow maker 223I get all tacticool when clearing barns lookin for groundhogs.
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I hate the thought of being rushed by a pack of non-compliant rockchucks.

My pistol barrel is pretty short, maybe it's more accurite than my 28" barreled rifle?
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Originally Posted By: Widow maker 223I get all tacticool when clearing barns lookin for groundhogs.
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Throwing flash bangs in after kicking the door in with laser sight scanning the room! Oh no jam switch to the secondary! Cleared, next barn!
 
I agree with Scott. I believe there may be some confusion as to whether longer barrel = better accuracy because of the fact that the shooter would have a longer sight plane with the longer barrel if he were using open sights. (There is geometry used in that arguement I believe) Mount any type of optic, which most of the guys here do, and that point is no longer relevant.
 
Originally Posted By: JB55I agree with Scott. I believe there may be some confusion as to whether longer barrel = better accuracy because of the fact that the shooter would have a longer sight plane with the longer barrel if he were using open sights. (There is geometry used in that arguement I believe) Mount any type of optic, which most of the guys here do, and that point is no longer relevant.

If anything the shorter barrel might hold the edge due to being stiffer and less flex. Generally benchrest rifles have shorter barrels in comparison to varmint rifles. The benchrest crowd wants pure accuracy whereas the varmint hunters often want/need more velocity.
 
I have a few AR's. 3 are 5.56/.223, .308, and one is a .243 WSSM (for sale
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). Here are the configurations;

-Bushy Varminter 5.56/.223 with a 24" barrel
-Home built 16" carbine in 5.56
-Cheap DSA Arms 16" carbine upper with home built lower
-DPMS AP4 in .308 w/16" barrel
-Oly Arms .243 WSSM with a 20" 1:8 twist barrel

I have found so far that for the most part, my 16" home brew is more accurate than my 24" Bushy. My AP4 is also a very accurate shooter with handloads and match bullets). My .243 WSSM is also a great shooter (handloads of course), but it also has a heavy barrel which is very stiff.

So really, barrel length has absolutely nothing to do with accuracy. It will effect velocity, but that's it. If you are shooting open sights, then the longer sight radius of a longer barrel would be an advantage. But as one member posted already, throw optics on, and that rule goes out the window.

If I were to build a dedicated hunting rig in 5.56, I would choose a medium to "lighter" weight contour in an 18" ss barrel with a 1:8 twist. Also, on twist, 1:8 will shoot the heavy stuff all the way down to the light stuff just fine.

There was actually an article in shooting times or one of those magazines about this very subject. They test various rifles with different twists and a multitude of bullet styles and weights. Even a 1:7 was good to go with the 45 grainers!

Here is my home built 16" 5.56. I absolutely love the way it shoots and handles. It's light and easy to maneuver.
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I'm surprised how many people here don't understand barrel harmonics and how it affects accuracy. Barrel length/stiffness directly affects barrel harmonics. As a GENERAL RULE a stiffer barrel will be more stable and that directly relates to accuracy/consistency. A longer barrel will generally have more whip/movement than a shorter barrel.

50 BMG barrel length has nothing to do with accuracy and everything to do with getting maximum powder burn/velocity while having to use the slowest burning powders on the market. I have owned several 50 bmg's including a 22" ferret and 30"+ barrels. You will not lose accuracy with a shorter barrel, only velocity.


Twist rate/bullet weight is a totally seperate issue than barrel length vs accuracy.
 
I have tested this with rifles in a shooting vice and a mechanical trigger release (one I use on bows too) to get all human factor out of shot. You would be surprized at what I found. The three rifles tested were as follows 24" stainless heavy bull barreled ar( .960"), my build for me, 20" stainless heavy barrel for my wife (not bull, .750")and a light 16" chromoly barreled ar (first ar puchase before building four others for me but cant seem to bring myself to part with it).

All 3 are 1/9 twist and all like the same bullets (roll my own). Through chrono at 10 feet the 24 gets 3250 fps average, the 20 is 3200 fps average and the 16 is 3120 average. The 20 and 24 are very close because there is very little unburned powder left when 20" is fired.

Now to the shooting on paper, at 100yds there is vey little difference between the three. MOve out to 200yds and the 20" and 24" are about the same group, just under 1", but the 16" has gone just over 1". At 300yds the 16" has opened up a little more than the longer barrels, but still sub MOA, but considerable difference to longer barrels. At 400yds, the 24" was a little tighter than the 20" and I did not shoot the 16" at that distance, was a head to head with wifes build at that point, both rifles still well under MOA. At 500yds my 24" heavy bull barrel was about 15% smaller groups than my wifes 20" heavy barrel, but hers was still a very, very good group.

This was done on a windless day, 5 round groups for each round, without human factor in it. I found it interesting that the longest barrel made as much difference as it did, but in reality it wasnt as much as I had thought it was going to be. I dont think it was the velocity that made mine more accurate, but the weight of rifle, there was much less fiddling between shots to center crosshairs between shots with the heavier rifles, which meant to me there was less jump the heavier they got. But there is a trade off, it is fine if you are going to always shoot from a stick or bench to have a heavy rifle. I can tell you from experience that a heavy rifle is a bear to shoot offhand at a stationary target. My rifle is great for moving shots (will make you follow through) but is not fun offhand, my wifes on the other hand being about 3 lbs lighter is not bad to shoot offhand, and the carbine is a breeze.

My recommendation to you is to think of what it will be MAINLY used for and figure out from there what you need for that task. If it is a hunting rifle where offhand shots will be normal maybe a 16" or 18" heavy bull barrel or 18" heavy barrel would be the right choice. If you think it may end up being shot off bench mostly then a longer heavier barrel may be your thing, just remember the heavier it is, the harder it will be to shoot without rest.

If I, knowing what I know now, were to build mine over again, I probably would have got the the 20" bull instead of 24" for a little weight reduction. And I may rebarrel it anyways, but I have been thinking I may end up building a new uppper in something in 6 or 6.5 mm anyways, who knows, but it will be lighter.

Hope this helps and good luck on picking your barrel.
 
Quote:If barrel length has nothing to do with accuracy why is a barrett 50cal barrel so long why can't they just make it 14" long.

Probably has nothing to do with having adequate room for gas expansion given the case capacity and bore diameter though, eh?

Cool test GMM. Thanks for sharing the results.


 
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