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Sunday, October 6, 2013
Praxis: "The Truth About Barrel Length, Muzzle Velocity and Accuracy."
Interesting work. I'll have to take some time to re-read and process this. Comments?
6 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I don't think barrel length has much to do with accuracy at normal ranges. I have a Remington 600 bolt action in .308 with an 18-1/2" barrel. Normal hunting rifles have from a 22" to 24" barrel. My 600 shoots almost to 1/2 minute of angle with factory-loaded ammo. Very few rifles will do that right out of the box. At very long ranges, perceived accuracy may drop off somewhat because of slightly lower initial muzzle velocity allowing gravity and wind to affect the bullet's path more. Also, there are many things other than barrel length which influence accuracy. The greatest of these, of course, is the shooter.
Not surprising. This study confirmed that with proper burn rates, projectiles and correct rates of twist, accuracy is independent of barrel length. While there are several more variables (chambering, rifling, harmonics, recipes, etc.) involved in accuracy, target/varmint gunnies have understood this for many years. Finally, the state of the art is well into the commercial world-by consumer demand.(hear that socialists? That's how the market works.) Barrel manufacturing has also gotten better thanks to improved machinery. To the point that many expect ~1 MOA in even the cheaper barrels. Just two decades ago, 1 MOA was elusive and reserved for seriously tuned rifles with very expensive barrels. No more.
Combine this with the proliferation of the AR design and it's friendliness to kitchen table gunsmithing and you have a winner for casual shooters as well as the serious folks.
Anyone notice that the authors don't bother to tell you that any barrel UNDER 16 inches make your "shorty" an NFA weapon?(can you say "confiscation") Also no one bothers to say that 2300FPS makes you rife useless V a standard SAPI plate(not the heavier and more expensive ESAPI just the older anti-AK plates)This is a nice ploy by the NSA/CIA to castrate the "3 million deer hunters" idea by capitalizing on the current "AR-15 shorty" fad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvB2cgy7loA You may listen to my shooting story and learn that I did it with just a 5 inch High Standard pistol. A 22 mag shot out of a 5 inch will give you around 1,300 fps and then shot out of a 20 inch will give you around 2,200 fps. There is a lot more to accuracy then that, but you get the point.
The hidden advantage of barrel length was purely and simply sight radius. Nowadays with optics becoming more and more common, sight radius is becoming less and less relevant, and maybe even a hindrance.
Looking at the chart I was surprised that the 18 inch barrel was a poor performer. I assume that this barrels harmonics are terrible at that length.
Different powders do allow for burn time variables when using an SBR. The "only" reason to have a SBR is for convenience in getting in and out of vehicles, urban warfare, and other things that make it quick to aim and react with. This has nothing to do with accuracy at short ranges. I do think muzzle blast and flash are real problems, especially with shorter barrels. Being blinded and deaf is not a great thing if bullets are flying and people are trying to communicate.
Notice that the difference between the short 13 inch and the 26 inch barrel is around 400 FPS .... you cannot get those back no matter the range, period! Penetration is a hard thing to give up when trying to kill those that are trying to kill you in my way of thinking. I'm not saying that there is no place for the SBR ..... I am sure there is. I am a rifleman, I shoot rifles, I have no problem carrying a 20 inch barrel and I hit what I aim at. I need no ear plugs for this length rifle when hunting and I hear clearly..... nuff said.
6 comments:
I don't think barrel length has much to do with accuracy at normal ranges. I have a Remington 600 bolt action in .308 with an 18-1/2" barrel. Normal hunting rifles have from a 22" to 24" barrel. My 600 shoots almost to 1/2 minute of angle with factory-loaded ammo. Very few rifles will do that right out of the box. At very long ranges, perceived accuracy may drop off somewhat because of slightly lower initial muzzle velocity allowing gravity and wind to affect the bullet's path more. Also, there are many things other than barrel length which influence accuracy. The greatest of these, of course, is the shooter.
- Old Greybeard
Not surprising. This study confirmed that with proper burn rates, projectiles and correct rates of twist, accuracy is independent of barrel length. While there are several more variables (chambering, rifling, harmonics, recipes, etc.) involved in accuracy, target/varmint gunnies have understood this for many years. Finally, the state of the art is well into the commercial world-by consumer demand.(hear that socialists? That's how the market works.) Barrel manufacturing has also gotten better thanks to improved machinery. To the point that many expect ~1 MOA in even the cheaper barrels. Just two decades ago, 1 MOA was elusive and reserved for seriously tuned rifles with very expensive barrels. No more.
Combine this with the proliferation of the AR design and it's friendliness to kitchen table gunsmithing and you have a winner for casual shooters as well as the serious folks.
Bobcat
Anyone notice that the authors don't bother to tell you that any barrel UNDER 16 inches make your "shorty" an NFA weapon?(can you say "confiscation") Also no one bothers to say that 2300FPS makes you rife useless V a standard SAPI plate(not the heavier and more expensive ESAPI just the older anti-AK plates)This is a nice ploy by the NSA/CIA to castrate the "3 million deer hunters" idea by capitalizing on the current "AR-15 shorty" fad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvB2cgy7loA
You may listen to my shooting story and learn that I did it with just a 5 inch High Standard pistol.
A 22 mag shot out of a 5 inch will give you around 1,300 fps and then shot out of a 20 inch will give you around 2,200 fps. There is a lot more to accuracy then that, but you get the point.
The hidden advantage of barrel length was purely and simply sight radius. Nowadays with optics becoming more and more common, sight radius is becoming less and less relevant, and maybe even a hindrance.
Looking at the chart I was surprised that the 18 inch barrel was a poor performer. I assume that this barrels harmonics are terrible at that length.
Different powders do allow for burn time variables when using an SBR. The "only" reason to have a SBR is for convenience in getting in and out of vehicles, urban warfare, and other things that make it quick to aim and react with. This has nothing to do with accuracy at short ranges. I do think muzzle blast and flash are real problems, especially with shorter barrels. Being blinded and deaf is not a great thing if bullets are flying and people are trying to communicate.
Notice that the difference between the short 13 inch and the 26 inch barrel is around 400 FPS .... you cannot get those back no matter the range, period! Penetration is a hard thing to give up when trying to kill those that are trying to kill you in my way of thinking. I'm not saying that there is no place for the SBR ..... I am sure there is. I am a rifleman, I shoot rifles, I have no problem carrying a 20 inch barrel and I hit what I aim at. I need no ear plugs for this length rifle when hunting and I hear clearly..... nuff said.
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