AR mods for accuracy

[Deleted member 115360]

It's all barrel and ammo. As long as the gas system is timed right, the bullet is out of the barrel before the gas system begins to effect accuracy.

Then there are all of the things that cause us to shoot them poorly, like trigger, scope height, and length of pull.

I have more than 10 ar rifles, and I don't own one that won't shoot well under 1 moa. The idea that 1 moa is a great shooting ar is antiquated. My 6mmarc will shoot as well as any $5k custom bolt gun I've ever seen, and it has a $250 Er Shaw barrel.

 

[Deleted member 115360]

I have an ar10 in 6.5cm that has laid down some .25 groups at 200y with my 123gr eld-m handloads.

 

[Brent21]

It's all barrel and ammo. As long as the gas system is timed right, the bullet is out of the barrel before the gas system begins to effect accuracy.

Then there are all of the things that cause us to shoot them poorly, like trigger, scope height, and length of pull.

I have more than 10 ar rifles, and I don't own one that won't shoot well under 1 moa. The idea that 1 moa is a great shooting ar is antiquated. My 6mmarc will shoot as well as any $5k custom bolt gun I've ever seen, and it has a $250 Er Shaw barrel.

I am AR jealous as I only have 4. My last is in 6mm ARC and I wanted to know if you were loading or shooting factory ammo?

 

[Deleted member 115360]

I am AR jealous as I only have 4. My last is in 6mm ARC and I wanted to know if you were loading or shooting factory ammo?

I shot factory ammo for the first year, and built up a lifetime supply of brass. Now I shoot 87gr Vmax over leverevolution and it is an amazing load. That's 200y. Getting 3050 out of a 22" barrel. Folds coyotes like napkins

 

[Brent21]

I shot factory ammo for the first year, and built up a lifetime supply of brass. Now I shoot 87gr Vmax over leverevolution and it is an amazing load. That's 200y. Getting 3050 out of a 22" barrel. Folds coyotes like napkins

I guess that group will work for a gas gun! Wow that's some good shooting and that's exactly why I got a 6mm Arc. I bought a Seekins and it has a 22" barrel so hopefully I will have similar success as I dial it in.

 

[Deleted member 115360]

I guess that group will work for a gas gun! Wow that's some good shooting and that's exactly why I got a 6mm Arc. I bought a Seekins and it has a 22" barrel so hopefully I will have similar success as I dial it in.

I'm sure you will. That cartridge is amazing. I shot that rifle in a prs match, with factory ammo, in a rifle that weighed about 8lbs complete. I wasn't in any danger of winning the match, but I was smacking 1moa targets at 1ky prone on a bipod.

 

[762x51]

i'm happy if my AR's are 1 moa guns. in my opinion, i think the trigger, barrel and ammo are all you really need to make them good shooters. there's tons of options out there that are affordable (by affordable i mean $300-$500).....rainier arms, white oak, wilson combat, faxon, etc.

if i'm looking to get all i can out of an AR, i usually will secure the barrel extension with some sort of high heat loctite. probably doesnt make any difference but if i'm changing out a barrel i figure it can't hurt.

also, i feel the smoother the gun shoots, the better shooter i am. i've been outfitting most of my AR's with adjustable gas blocks over the last couple years due to the price of ammo. that's more of a personal preference though.

 

[Brent21]

I'm sure you will. That cartridge is amazing. I shot that rifle in a prs match, with factory ammo, in a rifle that weighed about 8lbs complete. I wasn't in any danger of winning the match, but I was smacking 1moa targets at 1ky prone on a bipod.

Yes it is an impressive round. I'm shocked more people have not gotten on board. It sounds like you are a better marksman than I, but I hope to get there one day.

 

[Deleted member 115360]

i'm happy if my AR's are 1 moa guns. in my opinion, i think the trigger, barrel and ammo are all you really need to make them good shooters. there's tons of options out there that are affordable (by affordable i mean $300-$500).....rainier arms, white oak, wilson combat, faxon, etc.

if i'm looking to get all i can out of an AR, i usually will secure the barrel extension with some sort of high heat loctite. probably doesnt make any difference but if i'm changing out a barrel i figure it can't hurt.

also, i feel the smoother the gun shoots, the better shooter i am. i've been outfitting most of my AR's with adjustable gas blocks over the last couple years due to the price of ammo. that's more of a personal preference though.

I also use adjustable gas blocks, JP silent capture springs and cans on all of them. There is an art to shooting an ar well too. It's a very different recoil, especially on an ar10.

 

[Deleted member 115360]

Yes it is an impressive round. I'm shocked more people have not gotten on board. It sounds like you are a better marksman than I, but I hope to get there one day.

I'm no great marksman, I just shoot a lot, but I miss all the time. I missed a coyote yesterday afternoon 3 times. First shot was at 10'

@338 dude watched me whiff, whiff, and whiff again.

 

[Okanogan]

One of the nice things about the AR platform is how modular they are.

I have a GAP 10 that shoots well but was pretty pricey. I went a different route with most my other AR 15 platforms and just ordered very well made uppers for the lowers. I have 3 Craddock Precision uppers that all shoot competitively with the GAP 10 for a lot less money. I watched my grandson put in a 5/8" five shot group at 200 yds with my Valkyrie and I regularly get 1/2 MOA from it.

A good Bartlein barrel is approaching 1/2 the cost of a new upper and I felt more confident in a positive outcome buying a complete upper that shoots well rather than trying a variety of changes until I stumbled across the right combination of changes. I understand the complete upper route cost more than many of the suggestions above so it depends on how flexible your budget is.

One downside of ordering a Craddock Precision upper is the wait times but it was still less than 1/2 the wait for the GAP 10.

 

[Teri Anne]

I have a couple ARs. One is for the zombie apocalypse with all the goodies. I have another that shoots 1.5-2" groups at 100 yards. What would you do to make it a "shooter" ?

I have replaced the trigger and was thinking the barrel next but looking for advice. What are the 2 or 3 most common things you do for these rifles to gain accuracy? When I do my part my bolt rifles are easily sub MOA and I would love to have a semi auto that can shoot well. So….what mods would help increase accuracy?

I recently purchased an Anderson AM-15 NATO 5.56 version, which is about as Plain Jane as one can get. Keep in mind that this is pretty much a service grade rifle, nothing fancy about it. Out of the box it shot groups between 3.2" down to 0.8 inches. What was the difference you ask? The ammunition. The el-cheapo ammo that is on sale everywhere would not shoot very good while the Winchester M855 62 grain green tip, which was far from the most expensive, matter of a fact is one of the least expensive tried. All were factory loads with the 62 gr doing better than the more prevalent 55 gr cannon fodder. I have found that if you take the time to figure out what ammo your rifle likes they all shoot pretty good without a super dooper match grade barrel that costs more than the entire rifle did. I might be able to decrease the group size by hand loading but why when one can get inexpensive ammo that shoots sub MOA at a price lower than one can reload.

 

[Pacecount]

1. AMMO and barrel twist... 62 Grain issue ammo is designed to shoot 2 MOA. 77 grain OTM from Black Hills is designed to shoot sub MOA. You will want a 1:8 twist for the 77 gr ammo.
2. Free floated barrel... check it and make sure nothing is touching the barrel.
3. Is your barrel stainless or a variation of a chrome lined. Stainless will be more accurate. I prefer JP barrels which come with a head spaced bolt.
4. If you have a stainless barrel did you break in the barrel properly.

 

[azarcher10x]

An AR should, and is capable of shooting as well as most bolt guns. My predator AR was built with a 20" 1-12 specifically for light bullets. I load 36 gr. Barnes Varmit Grenades @ 3983 fps. It shoots dime sized groups all day long. I have another AR, which is just a basic A2 for things that go bump in the night. With cheap factory ammo, it groups the same. I'd say you dealing with a barrel/ammo issue, but I get the most benefit from a good trigger!