.223 Barrel length question

[Spishack357]

Hi all, I am thinking about cutting down the barrel of a newly purchased .223 with a 1 in 8 twist, SS bull barrel. The platform is an AR if that matters? The barrel is currently 24" and I was wondering what you all thought would be the shortest I should go without sacrficing too much accuracy? I had in my head 20" but I'm not sure. Thanks

[Pa. Patriot]

Properly cut and crowned, on that platform, You will not loose accuracy, only velocity.

[ar15jules]

A 24" bbl SHOULD be more accurate than a 20". But, accuracy in my opinion goes with the rifle. An accurate 20" rifle will not shoot the same as an accurate 24" rifle and so on. I would be willing to guess that you want to trim the bbl for a more "tactical" style rifle, correct? After paying a gunsmith to cut the bbl and re-crown it, you are looking at a bit of cash. Have you considered buying a shorter bbl? I would not recommend trying to cut the bbl yourself. Not knowing your background or capabilities, I may be off base there. It just isn't something that the average gun owner can do properly. Just something to consider.
Jules

[Spishack357]

Ok I hadn't really thought about getting a different bbl, maybe thats the way to go. And yes being more maneuvarable/ tactical is the reason. Thanks

[ar15jules]

Just an idea of pricing here, but then again, you could sell your 20" to help offset the costs.
Jules

http://www.rockriverarms.com/index.c...ategory_id=272

[Hawk]

+1 Keep your 24" and buy a new 16/20 inch. If you're planing on shooting 100 yards or less a 16 should meet your needs (1-2 MOA capability)

[imashooter2]

All else being equal, a shorter barrel should be more accurate because it will have less whip. Longer barrels seem more accurate with iron sights because of the increased sight radius. With optical sights, that advantage is lost.

[Lycanthrope]

Properly cut and crowned, on that platform, You will not loose accuracy, only velocity.

Length has no bearing on accuracy if the barrel is done correctly and has the right loads.

Lycan+1thrope

[kevindsingleton]

You might also run into cycling and feed issues if you go too short. You need the pressure behind the bullet to operate the mechanism, so you may have to open the port to make it work with a shortened barrel.

I cut and recrowned my Bushmaster varmint barrel, and had to open the port a few sizes to get it to function, reliably. Not a big deal, but be aware of it. Some modifications can make a rifle finicky, and require certain ammo to cycle, properly.

I'll put some pics up, when I finish threading the barrel and adding a shop-made flash hider.

[d90king]

Length has no bearing on accuracy if the barrel is done correctly and has the right loads.

Lycan+1thrope

But don't velocity and barrel length determine effective range?

I don't think if you are shooting inside 500 yds it would matter.But if you stretch out to 1000-1500 yards wont accuracy be sacrificed because of the lack of velocity?