[Dubs Chops]

I know that a socom 16" barrel probabbly is not going to be as accurate as a 22" barrel. I am wondering how much accuracy you give up by going to a 16"-18" barrel? I am trying to make up my mind on what kind of build I am going to do out of this polytech I just got.

thanks for the info gang.

 

[davidgcalderone]

Barrel length does not affect accuracy. Quality of barrel and shooter is what matters.

Length will affect bullet speed/drop. etc. but not accuracy.

 

[ripsaw]

accuracy

Barrel length does not affect accuracy. Quality of barrel and shooter is what matters.

Length will affect bullet speed/drop. etc. but not accuracy.

True...but speed and drop do effect accuracy...he might want to get a cup of cocoa and sit down for a nice long read here

http://m14tfl.com/upload/showthread.php?t=63890

 

[Rawnerves]

Barrels, conditions, maintenance, twist rates, fouling, cleaning method, lots of things affect a barrels accuracy. In general the longer barrels with everything else being equal will be more accurate at least at the longer ranges. Take a look at what snipers use worldwide, long barrels and long shots.

 

[canman]

Most sniper rifles are about 24". The trend now is shorter between 20" to 24". F class and Palma tend to still be long out to 30". That extra velocity can and does help at longer ranges, just weighs more and maneuvers harder.

 

[JayKosta]

With iron sights, a longer barrel (and sight radius) can make aiming easier and more precise.

For distances beyond about 600 yards, the higher MV from a longer barrel is good, and for beyond 800 yards the higher MV can be critical to keeping the bullet stable in flight.

Also, a short barrel usually produces more muzzle flash and noise (as heard by the shooter and others nearby).

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

 

[jameslawson71]

Barrel length does not affect accuracy. Quality of barrel and shooter is what matters.

Length will affect bullet speed/drop. etc. but not accuracy.

Length affects speed, speed (particularly for heavier bullets) effects stability, stability effects accuracy.

Bullets (especially long heavy ones like VLDS) can go into a serious wobble if they are not driven at higher rates of speed. If a barrel is short enough, the speed that "could" be gotten from a particular load "may" be lost because the barrel did not allow all the potential energy from the powder in the case to be used....

Of course all this matters in terms of "range". A 20" barreled 308 Winny compared to a 30" barreled 308 Winny is going to be all over the place at 1000 yards. It WONT be as "accurate". If 100 yards is all that matters, then that's a different story.

So the conclusion is this, if we are talking about barrel length in terms of accuracy, range has to be involved in the context....

 

[Trung Si]

The Longer the Barrel, the more accurate it will be at a Longer Range, End of Story!SOAPBOX1
PS Don't give me a Sermon about Barrel Harmonics and all that other Statistical BS, like the Man said Above, at a couple of Hundred Yards it don't matter worth a Hoot, but get out beyond that and see what happens!

 

[Dubs Chops]

Okay I guess I should ask my question like this.

What would the max effective range be on ea. barrel lenght. I am not talking to the extreme either just you average consistent effective range.

16"
18"
22"

thanks guys, I have been learning a lot reading on here already.

 

[davidgcalderone]

Longer barrels do not improve accuracy! longer barrels, to a point, add to muzzle velocity which means less drop and less wind drift at long ranges. But those are the shooters job to compensate for, not the barrel.

A longer barrel is easier to shoot accurately, but the barrel itself is no more accurate.

As for stability of the bullet, that is a rate of twist versus bullet speed and weight issue.

A short high quality barrel will out shoot a standard long barrel every day.

 

[ripsaw]

whoa

The Longer the Barrel, the more accurate it will be at a Longer Range, End of Story!SOAPBOX1
PS Don't give me a Sermon about Barrel Harmonics and all that other Statistical BS, like the Man said Above, at a couple of Hundred Yards it don't matter worth a Hoot, but get out beyond that and see what happens!

Geez, who peed in your cherrios ?...I wasn't giving sermons, thats what preachers do, I was merely suggesting some reading, to let the OP research, and make up his own mind.

 

[JayKosta]

If using 'iron sights' the shooter's ability to see the front sight and the target will be a limiting factor with shorter barrels.

With a scope, my 'estimate' is:
22 inch barrel - 900-1000 yards
18 inch barrel - 800 yards
16 inch barrel - 500 yards
and this would be with a 175 grain SMK bullet loaded near the maximum pressure for safe & reliable function IN AN m1a (below the MAX loads that are shown in most manuals).

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

 

[kmcintosh78]

There have been numerous articles, published by credible sources on this topic.
Most have come to the same conclusion that barrel length does not have the largest role in accuracy. Now granted, trying to push a 308 out of a 10" barrel would result in failure, the old idea of a 26" barrel is not what it used to be.
Check out this website http://www.sniperschool.com/sniper-rifle-barrel-length
I am very inclined to take them on their word. Along with other articles written, I gotta say that the accurate sniper rifle can be fielded with a 18" barrel.,

 

[kmcintosh78]

As for the "longer the Range" argument, the maximum affective range of the 308 round is within the 800 yard range. The 18" barrel did just that.

 

[perazziboy]

I am new to the forum here and alot of people here know much more than I, so someone please check me. I have always been told that the powder does not compltely burn in 16 inches and have never seen a 16 inch barrel shoot well. I however own both 18 and 22 inch barrels and they shoot great! MC1

 

[copterdoc]

I am new to the forum here and alot of people here know much more than I, so someone please check me. I have always been told that the powder does not compltely burn in 16 inches and have never seen a 16 inch barrel shoot well. I however own both 18 and 22 inch barrels and they shoot great! MC1

The powder doesn't completely burn in 22" either!

The bullet is accelerating the entire time it is in the barrel. As soon as it clears the muzzle, it begins decelerating.

The principle is the same as a drag race. A car is going faster at the 1/4 mile mark, than it was at the 1/8 mile mark.

 

[Al Mack]

I don't see useful information here. What I do see here are some taking it as a challenge to there shooting ability. So not much of use has been done.

 

[jpk1md]

As for the "longer the Range" argument, the maximum affective range of the 308 round is within the 800 yard range. The 18" barrel did just that.

Don't take this as an attack but I'll tell you what....you stand out at 1k and let folks lob a couple of 308 pills at you and you tell them how "effective" they are.

You might change your mind.

 

[Wayne M]

What do you want to shoot and how far away do you want to shoot it? For this young man, 600yards is a LONG way out there even behind a Remington 700 in 300Win Mag under a 6.5X20 Leup when the target is a water filled milk jug. Now if you're talking a torso target it ain't quite so far. The barrel you can get that burns your powder the most effeciently will normally be the most accurate LONG RANGE barrel. The observations already made about 200yards and closer are correct: barrels of equal quality plus accuracy mods done will make it a toss up as to length. If you want to shoot long range get the longer barrel and spend the money to do the modifications to the rifle to make it work.