No such thing as a 'do it all' set up for an AR. You have to pick your poison. Trust me, I've tried.
But 18" of 1:8 get's close.
6.5 Grendel vs. .224 Valkyrie for long range precision AR build.
- Thread starter nortac
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No such thing as a 'do it all' set up for an AR. You have to pick your poison. Trust me, I've tried.
But 18" of 1:8 get's close.
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- #82
So no claim to accuracy? Yes I'm a precision nerd.-1 @300
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- #84
By -1, I assume drop.
The improved performance of the 20" grendel is also negligible relative to 18"-- less than 50fps.
If you look at the barrel length vs velocity data from AA, you'll see that going from 16" to 20" only gives you 80 fps. And going all the way to 24" only nets another 80fps. For most people, this isn't worth another 4" of barrel length and (in a heavy profile) the weight penalty it brings. Never mind 8" more barrel for 160 fps.
The Grendel case is very efficient and doesn't need a long barrel. Most of the prevalence of long barrels in a Grendel is explained as attempts to make it something it was never intended to be, performance-wise.
The difference in weight and handling with barrel length varies greatly with barrel profile. But you are correct, in general.
The argument for a longer barrel is IMO stronger if you consider stability when shooting. Moving the center of gravity away from you increases the Moment of Inertia (MOI) for the same weight. This will make you more stable shooting offhand. Going heavier on the barrel also has this effect. It's no coincidence that match shooters like longer barrels and heavy guns.
I can shoot my 26" heavy barrel 6.5 creedmoor much more accurately offhand than my 16" 22LR because the bigger gun is not only 2x the weight, but the longer barrel makes the MOI substantial. It feels very heavy in hand, but the size of the "wobble" is dramatically smaller with the heavier, big MOI gun.
No one wants to lug a heavier gun in the field for the ~99.9999% of the time you aren't shooting it. But the counterargument is that the critical shot is the entire reason you're in the field, and if that heavier or longer gun helps ensure it wasn't all a waste, then maybe it's a price worth paying to a degree. I'm sure there's a reasonable middle for most people to find.
My big bench type Grendels with 24" heavier barrels and stock are much easier to shoot accurately than the little mid lenght carbine with collapsible stock. It has a med weight barrel as I am not a fan of super light barrels. Currently I have a Aimpoint Comp 3 on the smaller and a big Leupold AR scope on the others, so the scope also gives an advantage. I don't want to carry the big one much over 75-100 feet, just not that comfortable carrying. but then they were not designed for carry.
I am getting 3/4" groups at 100 yards off the bench.
I've done that with mine, once or twice a little less, most of the times with my not great eyes, about double that. Amazing what a difference age makes along with not being able to get out and shoot as much. Some days I can see my crosshairs bounce with every beat of my heart and I know it's not going to be a great day for small groups. When I get the chance in a safe place I like the little carbine with red dot and bounce tin cans around, that's satisfaction doing that at 50-60 yards shooting from a standing position, also like to do that with my M-1.
