AR 10 - 16 inch barrel - seems kinda short

[Triathloncoach]

I am not much of a shooter, but I am guessing 16 inches is well short of the optimal barrel length for the 7.62 Nato. Isn't 20" the best for getting close to the most from a 556 round? I can miss just as easily with any of them but for you guys who know how to shoot, is 16" noticible?

 

[500mag]

20" gets pretty muzzle heavy, would be OK for tripod shooting.....18 is better for carrying IMO.

 

[fattboyzz]

A 16 inch barreled 308 is deafening !

Range toy only !

 

[J Rob]

I have a bone stock armalite ar 10 16 inch barrel with a m 308 Nikon scope. I like it use it all deer season. Heavy but short and easy to maneuver in a deer stand, walking through the woods etc. I did miss at 200 yards this year. I want to free float the barrel and see if this helps.

 

[SpeedyR]

I picked up a PWS MK216 recently. Reviews I read said that you give up a bit of velocity at long distances, but I'm hoping it can make hits at 1k yards. I wanted something lighter and easier to carry around, so stuck with the 16". I'm sure I give up some to longer barrels but with their flash hider/comp on the end it's very smooth shooting and doesn't kick like I expected. I hand load so might try to tailer loads to the shorter barrel but overall I like it.

 

[Kaotiktribe]

My .308 is 16" and is extremely accurate. Not as much of a kick as i would have expected for the barrel length, but after shooting bolt guns for a long time these semi's all seem much more tame.

 

[Dirty J]

I would say 16" if you plan to suppress.

18" for all-around shooting.

20+ for only bench shooting.

 

[rockyfatcat]

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/...u8XCR2Kjg5GGLeUBWNktrK3F-YEDH6fAXhE2GQSwN8lIg

The data for each additional inch of barrel length indicates less than 50 fps additional after reaching 16"

 

[ReservoirDawg10]

I am having one chopped down to 16 inches now. Will have a can on the end. You are not truly loosing accuracy, just velocity. Depending on how far you plan on shooting it, it may not matter to you.

 

[freedom]

The longer barrel equals greater accuracy comes from the days when it did equate to a longer sight radius.

As said, you're losing a bit of muzzle velocity, which will shorten maximum range, but 1000 yards won't be a problem for the rifle.