I’m going to break down and get me a AR. After seeing all the talk on here, and shooting my friends a few times the last couple weeks.
My question for all you guys that have them and know allot about them is.
What do you think the “best” barrel length is. I would like to get decent range out of it I was thinking about 18 or 20 inch. I see you can get a 24 inch as well. What kind of range can a guy get with a 18 or 20?
I would just hate to spend that kind of money and not be happy.
Another thing I’m unsure about is I see you can get a few different calibers .223, .308. Don’t know what would be the best choice?
I have been looking pretty hard too. I think I have it narrowed down to rock river arms. Gonna go 20″ in . 223. Haven’t checked prices on .308 rounds but I’m sure they are substantially more than the later.
Head up to Element Arms in Becker. That’s pretty much all they do is AR15’s. They’ll beat anyone hands down.
First decide how you are going to use it. That will determine barrel and caliber. More information would be of great help. You sure as heck would not want a bull barrel if your going to carry it all day.
Calibers 223 combination 223/5.56 308 and now Olympia arms is offering 22-250
I just want a fun gun to shoot, I like shooting longer ranges 300 yards on average. I would probably do some coyote hunting with it, but don’t want to rip them in half either. I think it would also be fun to deer hunt with one. That is where the .223/5.56 makes me a little worried I know you can use .223 but makes me worry a little bit.
.308/7.62 I don’t know allot about as I have never owned a gun in that caliber. I don’t want to break the bank every time I wanna go screw around at the range. I don’t know how the two calibers compare in price I haven’t had a chance to look much.
The .223 is certainly going to be the cheapest to shoot. I would not worry about shooting a deer with this caliber either. I’ve seen many, many deer shot with this gun. It’s a very popular prairie caliber.
I dont know what to tell you on caliber. 223 is the original and most popular along with cheapest to operate. Like others have said you need to decide what you will most likely use it for. That’s the beauty of an AR. If mostly for target then 223 is the way to go. For anything else you can match it to your quarry. My current next AR wish list is a 6.8
I wouldn’t be as concerned on the barrel length as much as I would consider the twist rate. In an AR, I would go .223 as they are fun to shoot. You’ll go through a lot of ammo when plinking tragets.
But for shooting accuracy, you can get them barreled in 1:7 to 1:14 twist rates. So knowing the approx gr bullet you’ll be shooting is key to matching that up. Most common bulk ammo (assuming your not reloading) will be 55gr followed by 62gr. You can get 35gr to 90gr bullets for this rifle.
The 1:12 is a common twist and is great in that caliber for the 40 to 55 gr bullets.
the 1:9 or 1:10 is best suited for the 62 gr, but you loose the ability to maintain good accuracy with the lighter stuff, such as 35-40 gr bullets.
The 1:7 is needed for the heaviest bullets in the 70 to 90 gr.
Naturally the other end of the scale is the 1:14 which handles the light stuff like the 35gr varmint grenades.
My suggestion is a 1:12 twist with the 50 to 55 gr bullets. Heavy enough to handle 300yrd shots, plenty of velocity and punch, ans won’t do too much damage to a coyote pelt with good bullet placement.
I load for a couple friends, and between the couple different AR’s they have, loading is pretty consistent. All the recipes are 50 to 55 gr Sierra or Hornady V-Max bullets, Varget powder in the 26.6 to 27.9grns, and the chronograph is showing us 2979 to 3240 fps. I had a load with a 45 gr Sierra bullet and Varget that was producing almost 3600 fps, but we couldn’t get it to group any tighter than 1-3/4″ at 200yrds.
Hope this helps 
Quote:
I wouldn’t be as concerned on the barrel length as much as I would consider the twist rate. In an AR, I would go .223 as they are fun to shoot. You’ll go through a lot of ammo when plinking tragets.
But for shooting accuracy, you can get them barreled in 1:7 to 1:14 twist rates. So knowing the approx gr bullet you’ll be shooting is key to matching that up. Most common bulk ammo (assuming your not reloading) will be 55gr followed by 62gr. You can get 35gr to 90gr bullets for this rifle.
The 1:12 is a common twist and is great in that caliber for the 40 to 55 gr bullets.
the 1:9 or 1:10 is best suited for the 62 gr, but you loose the ability to maintain good accuracy with the lighter stuff, such as 35-40 gr bullets.
The 1:7 is needed for the heaviest bullets in the 70 to 90 gr.
Naturally the other end of the scale is the 1:14 which handles the light stuff like the 35gr varmint grenades.My suggestion is a 1:12 twist with the 50 to 55 gr bullets. Heavy enough to handle 300yrd shots, plenty of velocity and punch, ans won’t do too much damage to a coyote pelt with good bullet placement.
I load for a couple friends, and between the couple different AR’s they have, loading is pretty consistent. All the recipes are 50 to 55 gr Sierra or Hornady V-Max bullets, Varget powder in the 26.6 to 27.9grns, and the chronograph is showing us 2979 to 3240 fps. I had a load with a 45 gr Sierra bullet and Varget that was producing almost 3600 fps, but we couldn’t get it to group any tighter than 1-3/4″ at 200yrds.Hope this helps
What would you choose for a barrel length when it came down to it? Your info is very helpful! I have a buddy that is a reloading nut! So I could have the option to have hand loads done up for me. 
I called a buddy of mine to get his opinion, since he shoots them. ( I don’t own one). He suggested 18″ with a 1:9 to a 1:12 twist. Start at the 55gr bullets, and figure out what you want from there. I was wrong in thinking he only had the 1:12 – He has both the 1:12 and a 1:9. Both shot the 55 gr very well, but the 1:12 twist will shoot his varmint grenades. The 1:9 patterns like crap with the light stuff.
Quote:
I called a buddy of mine to get his opinion, since he shoots them. ( I don’t own one). He suggested 18″ with a 1:9 to a 1:12 twist. Start at the 55gr bullets, and figure out what you want from there. I was wrong in thinking he only had the 1:12 – He has both the 1:12 and a 1:9. Both shot the 55 gr very well, but the 1:12 twist will shoot his varmint grenades. The 1:9 patterns like crap with the light stuff.
Thanks Randy this will help me a little more in my search! 
For ammo Google cheaperthendirt.com. full range of shells for any caliber runs the gamut from cheap to match grade.. Has a good customer review section of each bullet. There is some very accurate 223`s on there for less then the cost of reloading, there service seems to be excellent.
If looking at the 223`s I would make sure it is built to handle the 5.56. The 5.56`s chamber is a tad different then the 223 and also produce higher breech pressures of 3,000 plus over the 223. 5.56 a little hotter load.
Good luck let us know what you get.
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