AR Velocity Testing

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Hunter Customs

New member
Sometime in the future I'm going to have to downsize my gun collection and limit myself to three to four guns.
The reason for this is the wife and I plan on selling the place, buying a 5th wheel camper and traveling around the country, therefore we will be limited on the amount of weight we can take with us.

I will not be doing any big game hunting but would like to do a little varmint hunting and some informal target shooting in some of the places we plan to visit.
I've decided that most likely I'll take three rifles chambered in 223, a bolt action Savage and a couple of AR's, also a handgun or two.
So I've been shooting Black Hills 55gr SP and their 52 gr Match ammo, these most likely will be my main selection in rifle ammo as my AR's shoot them well.

So I decided to do some velocity testing before it comes time to sell the chronograph, reloading equipment reloading supplies and guns.
The first rifle I tested was my Armalite VSR with 18" barrel, the 55gr SP averaged 3031 FPS, the 52gr Match averaged 3218 FPS.
The second rifle tested is a DPMS Oracle 16" barrel, the 55gr SP averaged 2842 FPS, the 52gr Match averaged 3024.
The Bolt gun with 20" barrel and my reloads averages 3300FPS with a 55gr Blitzking.

As for accuracy the Armaite prefers the 52 gr Match, the Oracle prefers the 55gr SP, the bolt gun prefers my reloads.
I plan on leaving here with at least a 1000 rounds per rifle but may have to cut that back.
I was surprised at the velocity difference between the VSR and the Oracle when there's only a two inch difference in barrel length.
By the way Black Hills list the 55gr SP at 3200 FPS and the 52gr Match at 3250 FPS, it does not state what length barrel their ammo was tested in.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
 
D

DaleA

New member
Congratulations and good luck!

But...don't you have someone that would store your stuff for you? Kind of a home base that you could swing back to once in a while and change out the stuff you've got bored with, with some of your other stuff.

A public storage unit is probably a slow way to go bankrupt but maybe a friend or relative or trustworthy 3rd party couldn't be used...years ago in his retirement my dad used to rent out one stall of his garage for next to nothing.
 
H

Hunter Customs

New member
Thanks for the replies and concerns.

DaleA,
Yes someone I trust will be here, my oldest Grandson is planning to buy the place.
He's already made a list of what guns and equipment he's wanting to buy.
What's left after the one's I'll give to other Grandkids will be sold off at a public auction, along with a large lot of equipment and supplies.

swmike,
A bigger truck is not the issue it's the payload the camper can handle.

bfoosh006,
Yes I understand about different barrels, barrel lengths humidity temperatures, elevation and all that.
I was just kind of amazed that there was almost a 200 FPS velocity difference from the 16" verses the 18" barrels testing the same ammo same day and temp.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
 
M

Mobuck

Moderator
Hey Bob,
Have you considered one AR in .223 and the other in 6.8 SPC or maybe a single lower and two uppers? The 6.8 has become a favorite of mine as a compromise between the bigger bore of the 300AAC and the fast flat trajectory of the .223.
 
K

kraigwy

New member
I was just kind of amazed that there was almost a 200 FPS velocity difference from the 16" verses the 18" barrels testing the same ammo same day and temp
Click to expand...

That's where reloading comes in handy.

Different companies use different powders. A certain powder my burn completely in an 18 inch barrel, but not in a 16 inch barrel, meaning some of the energy from the burning powder my be wasted as it would be burning after the bullet leaves the barrel.

A fun (and educational) program to use, is QUICK LOAD. You put your data in, the bullet, powder brand, powder charge, barrel length, etc and it produced results which is pretty accurate.

You can use X powder, X bullet and X barrel length and get a certain velocity.

The you change the barrel length, and you'll get a different velocity.

Lets take your 200 ft difference between an 16 and 18 inch barrel. Switch to a faster powder, which may burn more efficient in a 16 inch barrel and you will end up with less difference in velocity.

In theory the best case scenario is to find a powder the fills the case, and burns completely at the point where the bullet exits a given length of barrel.

That's in theory of course, nothing works exactly like it does in theory.

For example, I have an 18 inch Mann accuracy device (was use to test ammo for the military). its in 5.56.

I also have a Model 700 varmint rifle with a 24 inch barrel. I can fire the same round out of the Mann and Rem, and the velocity would be faster out of the 18 inch Mann.

Why, because the Mann had an extremely tight chamber, and tight barrel. Something my theory above didn't take into account.

In short, I wouldn't worry about the slight difference in velocity, I'd be more concerned with what is the most accurate, if some velocity, and powder is the cost, so be it.
 
M

ms6852

New member
Congratulations on your new adventures! My wife and I have been researching RV's for about 3 years and the conclusions we reached when it comes to to firearms was to leave all semi automatic weapons behind. Especially since many of the national parks are in California. We figured bolt rifles and lever actions would be less of a hassle should unforeseen circumstances occurred involving the law. As for handguns I would use my revolvers. And in the strictest of states we would visit we would carry only a shot gun and revolver or maybe just totally avoid them.

Regardless best wishes, and best of luck in your travels, who knows we might run into each other on the road.
 
H

Hunter Customs

New member
Thanks again for the replies.

Mobuck,
I'll be staying with 223 as I can't think of anything I intend to shoot that will require a larger caliber.
I have considered one lower with two uppers, one more a utility type upper like my 16 or 18 inch barrel guns I have now, the other upper would be something with a heavy longer barrel for target longer range accuracy shooting.

bfoosh006,
Thanks for the additional info it's very interesting and I appreciate it.
I did notice in your testing of the blue box Black Hills 52gr match ammo which is the ammo I'm shooting, the difference between your 16 and 20 inch barrel equates to 34 FPS per inch of barrel length which pretty much holds true with the old rule of thumb of 40 FPS per inch of barrel difference.
However with my rifles there's a two inch difference in barrel lengths which equates to 97 FPS per inch barrel, I was just kind of amazed to see it that high.

kraigway,
I agree that reloading is handy I've been doing it since 1970.
However that will no longer be an option with the camper.
I also agree that accuracy is paramount over velocity, anyway it always has been with me.
My Armalite VSR shoots the 52gr match ammo very well where as the DPMS shoots the 55gr soft point better.
I don't know if I'll be where I can do much shooting so I most likely will not be burning up a lot of ammo. However I know I'll have to have my shooting fix every now and then, especially if I can find a place to hunt a few coyotes.

ms6852,
Maybe we will cross paths out there.
I'm not planning on going to the West or East Coast, I figure we will summer in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, then drop down through Utah to visit my Sis, then winter in Arizona, Nevada or West Texas.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
 
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