Opinions on precision shooting ar build

[FMJBT]

Sniper rifle ?

No.

It's a DMR.

Could go either way on that one. Given it's chambering for 7.62x51 and being set up to run suppressed with NV, I'd lean more towards the sniper rifle designation than DMR.

[kurac]

if you are just punching holes in paper for fun at less than 300 yards, a 16" barrel should be just fine. If you plan on competing and being competitive, then you may want to look at a barrel that's at least 20" Its true that longer barrels have more whip and that shorter ones are more rigid but practical wisdom shows that longer barrels have more "long range" accuracy potential

[russ69]

...Accuracy takes bullet stability, period.
The longer the barrel the greater the stability...

Sorry this is wrong. Bullet stability is the match of the bullet length and the twist rate. A 10 inch Contender barrel stabilizes bullets just fine.

You are not going to see any sub 20" barrels at any national match unless it is specifically required by the rules.
24" is about the minimum they shoot if they have a choice.
Most prefer 26" to 31" tubes. Some are even longer.

The reason they use longer barrels is to get increased velocity and a longer sight radius. That is the only reason. Some of the most accurate guns in the world use a 22 or 21 inch barrels.

Quit flat out not knowing, or lying intentionally, telling the guy that short barrels are more accurate, they are not.

Short barrels are more accurate because they are stiffer. Stiffness is the key, short and stiff does the job. If fact some Olympic target rifles have just a 16 inch barrel and the rest is counter-bored to make a longer barrel for mounting sights.

[russ69]

OP. You'll be fine with your short barrel. It's not perfect but it's just fine for 300 yard shooting. I would however get a longer fore-end (float tube) so you have a better rest point for more stability. And as a handloader, I'd shoot my favorite 55 grain Sierra Blitzking load. You'll have a nice compact rifle.

[Roy Mustang]

From what I've read 24" to 26" is about the longest .223 barrel you'll need. If I remember my numbers correctly 24" to 26" will give you about 200-300 initial FPS over a 20" service rifle barrel. With an AR and 80 grain bullets you can accurately drop bullets into a 6" X ring at 600 yards. The bigger question is can YOU do it... Most guns can do it; most people can't

[Bug Splat]

So.....

How many of you guys have seen a 16" barrel on a military sniper type rifle ?

Yea, I thought so.

Accuracy takes bullet stability, period.
The longer the barrel the greater the stability....to a point.

You are not going to see any sub 20" barrels at any national match unless it is specifically required by the rules.
24" is about the minimum they shoot if they have a choice.
Most prefer 26" to 31" tubes. Some are even longer.

Quit flat out not knowing, or lying intentionally, telling the guy that short barrels are more accurate, they are not.

Not even close dude

[FMJBT]

Where are you located OP? Right now you are getting conflicting advice from all directions, which is pretty much SOP for Calguns. Like many things in life, there are at least several dozen ways to skin the cat known as precision shooting. Everyone here gives advice based on what has worked for them, which may not be the way that worked so well for others. The only way for you to know for sure which setup will work best for you is to try out as many different configurations as possible and use that knowledge to decide what best suits you. I'm sure there are local shooters near you that would be happy to let you check out and shoot their rifles to get a feel for what configuration you like. Or you could do it the stubborn way like me and just build rifle after rifle until you get it right (Still working on that after, Uh...several... BTW).

[peter209]

I appreciate all the feedback guys! As far as the optic is concerned, I think I will end up going with the bushnell elite tactical 5-15x 42. I've done some more research and moved past the idea of the burris 536. I think I'm going to shoot the 16" heavy barrel for now and upgrade the barrel down the road. Maybe a black hole barrel. This is gonna be a strict bench gun. I already have another ar set up for close quarters/recon type stuff. This is for paper punching up to 300 yards, not for any type of competition.

[peter209]

I'm located in Modesto but the range I frequent the most is manteca