realistic velocity out of 16" barrels

[subhuman]

I was wondering if anything of ya'll had chronoed some of the factory 120-129 grain loads out of the 16" Ruger Ranch or Howa rifles, my Hornady Black and PPU 120 HPBT boxes are both claiming 2600 fps+ on the box but I figure that was from a 22 or 24" barrel and I was wondering what ya'll were getting in the real world out of the shorter carbine length guns

[LRRPF52]

The Hornady factory ammo data is from a 24” pipe.

I had a Howa 22” Grendel, and it showed 16” velocities compared to my ARs with factory Hornady 123gr American Gunner:

2469
2456
2465
2463
2437

Avg: 2458 (15ft from muzzle)

With 31.2gr of CFE223 2.253” COL Lapua brass, 123gr Hornady
2599
2557
2582
2617
2617
2564
2586
2608
2619
2566

Avg: 2592fps

129gr SST hand loads, Lapua brass, Rem 7.5 SRP, Leverevolution
COL 2.310”
31.7gr gave me 2534-2545fps

I never chronod a factory 129gr load from it.

From several 16” and 18” AR-15s, I see 2440-2500fps with 120-123gr factory ammo from Hornady and Precision Firearms.

[arnie]

LRRPF52 How accurate did you get your Howa Grendel to shoot. Mine so far has disappointed me. My AR's are better and one with a cheap barrel. So far it seems to show most promise with SMK 107 bullets.

[LRRPF52]

LRRPF52 How accurate did you get your Howa Grendel to shoot. Mine so far has disappointed me. My AR's are better and one with a cheap barrel. So far it seems to show most promise with SMK 107 bullets.

I never really tried working up loads with it for accuracy because every time I pulled the trigger, it didn’t do the thing like my gassers, so I sold it. Ha ha!

The universe did everything in its power to form me into a bolt gun guy, but deep inside, I’m a filthy gas gun lover.

My Howa had the sporter lightweight profile barrel and a very generous throat. I was thinking about working up 140gr A-MAX bullets I have that I’ll never shoot through the .260 Rem, but sold it before doing any of that.

Off the top of my head, I think it was shooting around 1.5”. I would have to go back and look at my review.

[Stinky Coyote]

my ruger American ranch 16.1" barrel does 2386 fps average with hornady black

[Mark k]

My Ranch never gave me velocitys above 2300fps with either factory Hornady, or handloads. It’s stupid accurate and that’s the only reason I keep it.

[LRRPF52]

It’s kind of weird that many of the factory bolt guns show noticeably-lower velocities with factory ammo than shorter barrel AR-15 Grendels.

I noticed it with the 22” Howa as well.

22” Lilja AR-15
2550-2600fps with 123gr

17.6” Lilja or LaRue 18” Stealth 2.0:
2511fps with 120gr Scenar-L factory
2441fps with the 123gr American Gunner
2457fps with factory 123gr Hornady SST
2490fps with 31.2gr CFE223 under 123gr A-MAX

Howa Mini 22”

2458fps 123gr American Gunner
2592fps with my 31.2gr CFE223 123gr A-Max load, which is what I see from the 22” AR-15

I wonder if the chambers are just more loose on some of these bolt guns. My shoulder data with fired cases was interchangeable between the Howa and AR-15s when I measured them with my Hornady comparator. I should have measured fire neck diameters.

[rickt300]

Ammo I have loaded that gives 2543 fps with the 120 gr. Matchburner from a 20 inch AR barrel gives almost exactly 100 fps less from a 16 inch AR barrel. I never chronyed any from my three Howa rifles. Wish I had but I played with them for accuracy and nothing else.

[grayfox]

My theory is that some rack grade barrels, like howas etc, have more internal frictions, the extra heat lost in that means less available to push the bullet.
most of my 16” barrels, ARs, shot the hornady factory loads 2387-2420, depending on the box/lot, etc. the same would chrono in my lilja at 2485-2500, a 20”. I bore polished my Howa 20” and then it was close to the lilja. Accuracy, not so much, at least for me.