How Accurate Can an AR Get?

[Crunker1337]

Thread title says it all.
How accurate can an AR platform rifle get?
For the purposes of this thread, I'll define AR-platform as any semi-automatic AR-10/AR-15 derivative weapon, and their gas-piston cousins.

Please post the caliber of your weapon, its best grouping, and also what parts you've used to make it as accurate as it is.

 

[matrem]

I'd put them in the same group as "out of the box" bolt rifles.Bolts have an advantage if you're looking to make it a sub 1/2 moa rifle.Much more you can do with bolt face ,case sizing ,seating depth.

 

[lamazza]

I saw a guy at the range shooting custom les baer AR with a nightforce scope put 5 rounds on a dime a 100' with reloads.

 

[redneck2]

How accurate can an AR platform rifle get?

IMO, significantly more accurate than most people can shoot them, assuming you have an exceptional quality barrel and hand loaded ammo.

Now, while that may seem a rather obvious statement, I suspect that one's accuracy is only as good as their view of the target and shooting style.

I have a 6.5x20 on my Bushmaster and have shot some incredible groups (dime size at 250 yards). I've posted them enough times that it probably gets tiresome to some of the members here, so I'll pass this time.

My point is, unless you've got close to bench rest quality optics, support, and ammo, you'll never wring the most out of your rifle.

YMMV

 

[browningguy]

Several people, me NOT being one of them, regularly shoot 1/4-1/2 MOA out to 600 yards with AR's. Not your off the shelf stuff admittedly, but rarely will on off the shelf bolt gun shoot that well.

 

[MyRoad]

Very, very, very. But for me it was diminishing returns, as in, once you have a 20" (or 24") bull barrel on there, there is no balance and little portability, and its hardly an "AR" anymore. If you are going to compare it to other bipod or rest only bench shot rifles, it is not any more or less accurate than the barrel and the bullets, same as any bolt gun.

 

[usmcpmi]

I spent most of my time in the USMC on the range as tower NCO, teaching Marines to improve their shooting, or on the shooting team. We would, on a daily basis shoot 20 rounds into a 18" target at 500 yards with the weapons right out of the armory. No scopes, no match ammo, no bipod, no shade...in the prone position in the dirt. Read your own wind. Watch the heat rise. Squeeze the trigger. I feel it is more about the man behind the weapon that controls the accuracy of his fire. DICIPLINE. MG
Just my 2 ct.

 

[EShell]

I assembled a .223 AR-15 flattop (A3) upper receiver for a friend using 24" Krieger barrel from Fulton Armory and adapted a DCM style float tube to clear the barrel. I put a 3.5-10x Leupold MK4 on it and installed a Rock River Arms two stage trigger in the otherwise standard A2 lower.

That rig, using Federal Gold Medal Match 69 BTHP FACTORY AMMO, is consistently shooting under 3/8 moa, with many groups closer to 1/4 moa. The two groups on the lower right target in the first post are his, and he tells me that the more he shoots it, the better it gets.:
http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=660106#Post660106

 

[Crunker1337]

How exactly does a free-float forend increase accuracy? Is it because it doesn't touch the barrel, and therefore doesn't interfere with the barrel's accuracy?

 

[Jimmie]

The free float keeps anything from influencing the barrel. A sandbag, sling, bipod, or even your hand can all affect barrel harmonics and other black magic. Free floating takes all of that away.

 

[EShell]

LOL, "black magic" . . .

Yes, a free floating barrel eliminates the influence of forend pressure variations on point of impact, thus group size.

 

[Swampy]

How Accurate Can an AR Get?

VERY.....


Best,
Swampy

Garands forever

 

[H2O MAN]

A high quality heavy barrel combined with custom hand loads does wonders for the accuracy of just about any rifle.

 

[45ACPUSER]

A while back John Feamaster won a BR match with AR using surplus AA2200 powder....So, they can very accurate. I have DPMS upper with 75gr VLD Bergers that is very accurate!

 

[Shung]

300m , the AR is a XR-15M4 clone from SDI, mounted with an ACOG TA01NSN, ammo is GP90 swiss surplus.

the outer ring of the target is less than 35 inches.

 

[GunDoctor]

My boss smacked a guy with an SR-25 at 825m on the run carrying a RPG in Afganistan. Thats good enough for me. Like has been said before, they are more accurate than the shooter.

 

[redneckdan]

Not that hard to get an AR to shoot well, chamber a good barrel and float it, thats about it.

 

[Pat McCoy]

I pulled targets last week for a fellow who shot ten shots inside 7" at 600 yards.

 

[Crunker1337]

"My boss smacked a guy with an SR-25 at 825m on the run carrying a RPG in Afganistan."

It better be that accurate... it costs like four grand, IIRC.
But then, I suppose you get what you pay for.

 

[Owen]

They cost the .gov quite a bit more than that. At least the MK11s do. I'm not sure what the Army is paying for the M110.

 

[Crunker1337]

ImpactGuns sells the MK11 for $6.5k. The "package" is nine grand, not sure what the package includes.

 

[taliv]

crunker, is that a dpms clone of the mk11 or what? The only stuff listed on their site made by KAC is a magazine and some other little doodad

My boss smacked a guy with an SR-25 at 825m on the run carrying a RPG in Afganistan. Thats good enough for me. Like has been said before, they are more accurate than the shooter.

awesome

 

[Crunker1337]

http://www.impactguns.com/store/KMC-98169-R.html
http://www.impactguns.com/store/KMC-21035.html

Says it's made by KAC.

 

[AK103K]

Out of the box, Armalite M15A4 (T) with a Leupold 1.5x5 and a Harris Bipod. Ammo was my reloads, using 55 grain Nosler BT's and Sierras, "accuracy" load (25.1grs. 4895/3000fps.) from their manual. Shot prone, off a bipod at 100 yards, 5 rounds. It will do this all day long too. Switch to GI Lake City, and the groups open right up to about 2" plus.

 

[taliv]

interesting, crunker. i just went to the "search by mfg" link and it didn't show up. given impactguns reputation for putting things on their website that they can't order, i wonder if they're really taking orders.

the article attached to that first link has some pretty interesting claims. i hate to cast dispersions on a Major, but

makes me wonder when it was written. maybe they sold them pre-ban