AR-15 benchrest accuracy

[rain164845]

What is the type of accuracy that can consistently be obtained with a heavy barreled varmint type AR in .223 fired from a bench at 100 yards?
Joe

 

[fdshuster]

Consistantly under moa with a Krieger barrel, float tube handguard, high quality scope, good front rest, all the proper benchrest procedures, high quality ammo with match bullets. Sometimes when everything goes right, 1/2 moa. All with 5 shot groups.

 

[Rock Knocker]

I was getting .5" MOA with factory Fiocchi rounds shooting the 50gr Vmax, my gun had a love affair with that round and i havent been able to reproduce those results with hand loads(im very new to loading though) trying 69gr sierras.

And this is with a $750 Model 1 sales rifle with a 24" bull upper with ERshaw barrel. With a Leupold markAR 6-18x.... Nothing fancy, just found what that rifle really liked. I was able to hit the brass heads of 410 shells from 200 yards.

 

[jkats]

I shoot a bone stock dpms with a 16in bull barrel and a slight trigger job and it will shoot .75" 5 shot groups with several different factory ammos.

 

[HolyMeekrob]

My AR setup is a free floating handguard, jewell trigger, and a .04" hooded rear sight. I, however, have not replaced the factory 20" heavy barrel. With my 77 SMK load I'm shooting 1/2 - 3/4 MOA from bags.

 

[seanhagerty]

Free Float Delton 20" SS Bull Barrel w/ 1x8 twist

I can shoot 1/2" at 100yds when I do my part.

 

[Rookie]

Like this. 55gr Vmax handload. Shot prone with Bi-pod.
200yds 5 sighter rounds and a 10shot group.

 

[Eddie Harren]

The IBS offered an AR class last year. I only remember a few shooters showing up at Fairfax and I was impressed with the accuracy of these rifles. Attendence was poor, I believe, because flash suppressors were not allowed and I think many AR rifles have these.

 

[BoydAllen]

In my opinion, many ARs are capable of better accuracy, from the bench, than there owners usually manage, and this is due to a couple of things, trigger weight, and stock bag issues. Both are fixable. With regard to the latter, you might be interested in the attachments shown in this article. http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek090.html

 

[nhm16]

In my opinion, many ARs are capable of better accuracy, from the bench, than there owners usually manage, and this is due to a couple of things, trigger weight, and stock bag issues. Both are fixable. With regard to the latter, you might be interested in the attachments shown in this article. http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek090.html

I've got a set of those. Very useful for load development. Doesn't work if you have a railed forearm, of course, but my local smith made me a Delrin bag rider that attaches to a Picatinny rail.

 

[flatlander]

It's been awhile since I've seen photos of an AR configured from the start to be shot off rests. But as has been mentioned, the AR has several things going for it, not the least of which is a multi-lug bolt & bbl. extension lock-up.

I purchased my first AR15 in 1985 - a parts gun with a cheap bbl. with rough chamber - and was still impressed with its accuracy. Have since owned several Colt ARs, customs from CLE & WOA, and have recently been chambering contoured blanks from Krieger - accuracy has been so consistently good that I've begun to take it for granted. Even the RRA 16" mid-length gas system carbine upper I bought shoots well under 1 MOA with an Aimpoint dot sight. I'd be a little disappointed with any AR upper w/custom bbl. that didn't shoot 1/2 MOA or better.

 

[trentalan34]

I have a 6x45 Dtech upper with Shilen barrel, and while it isn't going to win any benchrest matches 1/4" groups are not uncommon. I feel like consistency is as good as with some of the better bolt guns that I've shot. With the right load it hovers from 1/4-1/2" groups.

 

[Jayman_10x]

With my JP Enterprises CTR 02 (1:8 twist, 20" JP Supermatch barrel) I typically get 0.3" 5 shot groups at 100m with 69 gr. Sierra Match King's, pushed by 22.5 gr of Benchmark, with an OAL of 2.250". My prairie dog load (5 shot groups typically around 0.5" at 100m) is a 50 gr. Sierra Blitz King pushed by 24.2 gr of H322 with said OAL. I trim all my cases to 1.750". The rifle is finicky with lighter bullets but loves those 69 grainers.

 

[rain164845]

This sounds like it could work for what I might want it for.
Thanks guys.
Joe

 

[dan06]

I have had 2 different stock uppers from bushmaster that would shoot good honest consistant .5" groups at 100 yards.....with a crappy trigger and a gun not designed to be shot off bags I think this is pretty exceptable.....I have a detech upper in 6.5wssm that is an honest .75 moa rifle with some 5 shot groups around .5" but not often enough for me to call it a 1/2 moa upper.

 

[Nomercy]

My best factory performer is a Bushy Varminter Special Stainless. 1MOA with homebakes no problem, lucky days are 0.6-0.75MOA. I know I'll catch hell for it, but I predominantly use it as a varminter with a harris bi-pod with an EGW rear bag rider on the butt-stock, or sometimes I'll rest the float tube itself directly a sandbag... Not the most stable platform. My best performer is a Krieger barrel with a home-cut derlin front rider and an EGW rear rider and Geisselle 2-stage... It plays at 0.5-0.7 when I'm responsible, which is rarely, which is probably why it doesn't shoot 0.4 more often than 0.8.

Some of the guys at our gas gun matches post pretty amazing performance. Maybe I'm still young and have too much "image" in mind, but I like my rifles to at least SOMEWHAT resemble a factory model, so I haven't converted to the rail rifle design yet...

 

[Larryh128]

Think about these facts, Rock River guarantees 3/4" groups with factory ammo, Les Baer guarantees 1/2". They will both shoot much better than the guarantee. It's very hard to find a off the shelf bolt gun that will hang in the real world with these stock AR's. My only disappointment is that I didn't figure it out 30 years earlier.

 

[Rock Knocker]

What Larry just said is true. Thats why when i was trying to choose a varmint rifle i went with an AR. For the price(expecially the one i put together) high quality ARs and bolt gun are going to be neck and neck.

 

[rain164845]

I'm thinking I'll build my own lower, and go with a White Oak target upper. Seems like a good way to do things.

Are there any differences in the way you work up loads with an AR? How do you know when you are at max? What pressure signs are there?

Joe

 

[mc223]

Sounds like a good plan. Your Upper will be different than my upper or others, so pressure signs may show up at loads above or below what they show on mine. Use the book data till you know how your upper behaves.
I workup loads like for any other but tend to progress in smaller increments.
Pressure signs are the same as a bolt gun with a couple additions. Ejector marks, flat primer, pierced primer, black ring on primer hole. Unusual recoil etc.