12-29-2011, 01:14 PM
Deezil Wrote:alot of people have 20"+ barrels, Id love to see some 16-18" barrels at longer distances (3-400+yds), anyone out there doing it? Pics and specs?
Deez:
Here is the bottom line with short barrels. Maybe a couple of bottom lines?
If you are using iron sights, the shorter the barrel the shorter the sight radius -- the more prone to sight alignment and picture error = poor consistency that gets worse as you head down range. I had to mention this although most guys here use optics / single point aiming systems. Also, most guys who do have irons on the forum have back up irons which aren't intended to do anything but get the guy out of trouble until he can fix or replace his aimpoint or optic.
More importantly, velocity. The shorter your barrel, the less velocity. The less velocity, the more prone the wind is to push your bullet around. A nice sunrise in the desert when you have no wind and you are only limited by the accuracy potential of your ammunition / rifle / and you. Let the wind pick up and the higher your velocity, the more mistakes you can make doping the wind and get away with it.
If you want a comparison, today people who shoot competitively at 600 view about 2800 fps with a bullet having a .5 or higher G-1 BC to be sufficient but 3K fps is much better. Bullets with this type of BC for the Grendel mean those in the 123 grain range and given a 24" barrel Grendel hot loaded enough that your bolt won't last more than 1K rounds, you may get 2650 but more likely around 2600. So, you can compare the two.
To 300 or 400 yards, unless the wind is really moving or you are shooting at a target that is under 2 MOA, it probably won't matter enough for you to want a longer barrel. Let your target size get under 2 MOA and shifting winds of 5 + MPH and you will probably want the highest possible velocity from the Grendel as you can safely get.
LR1955