How does barrel length affect accuracy

I recommend buying firearms, ammo, and accessories at a reputable online dealer, like my top pick, Palmetto State Armory. Just click here to see their latest inventory. As I mentioned, barrel length affects accuracy in a variety of ways. Hunting rifles generally have longer barrels than military weapons. This is because they need to shoot from long distances away without damaging the target or using too much powder which can happen if you fire at close range.

Generally, over 30 inches Military weapons are designed primarily as close-range weapons, so their barrels tend to be shorter than hunting rifles. Instead, they need speed and power to neutralize enemies before they can get too close. Barrel lengths for military rifles typically range between inches The barrel length for a shotgun is typically inches Shotguns are used on the close-range like military rifles but with less accuracy and more power. Generally, barrel length only affects accuracy at longer distances and not so much at close ranges.

Also, sighting scope and trigger pull are critical factors determining whether someone can get steady aim with their rifle and fire accurately. Additionally, the gravitational drop due to projectile range and target distance impacts the final shot placement. A longer barrel does not automatically mean more accuracy. However, these barrels can be more accurate when using iron sights, which offer a longer sight radius and precise aiming.

When you fire the gun, the motion and pressure create a gas bubble that expands behind the projectile as it moves through space. Eventually, the gas reaches its point of equilibrium with the air around it. A inch barrel can be more accurate than another given length. Besides, suppose the gun is too heavy.

In that case, it can throw off accuracy and make for a cumbersome experience on target or in close quarters combat situations where quick movement is needed to avoid being hit.

Shortening a barrel can slightly increase accuracy. By removing mass from the surface of the muzzle, you reduce the moment of inertia since there is less of it to rotate around. This makes the rifle barrel more maneuverable and faster to react when aiming at a target on high velocities. A short barrel has more recoil than a long one. June 19th, 10 Comments. February 26th, 6 Comments. August 23rd, 0 Comments. January 24th, 0 Comments.

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Necessary Necessary. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Look at the charts and you will see that bullet quality probably has more of an effect on accuracy than barrel length. This is due to shorter length barrels has less "barrel whip" than longer ones. A longer rifle barrel is not more accurate.

The sight radius is longer with iron sights and not a scope which is better for the shooter to get a more accurate aim. Increased accuracy in a longer rifle barrel is a myth. There are many factors that affect accuracy in a rifle but barrel length is not one. Many get accuracy confused with windage, bullet drop, and velocity. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.

Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Do longer gun's barrel improve accuracy? Ask Question. Asked 5 years ago. Active 1 year, 5 months ago. Viewed 52k times. Here there is an article about the subject The question is: What advantages and disadvantages come with differences in length of the barrel?

I have made up some hypotheses. I list them here. Improve this question. Santropedro Santropedro 1 1 gold badge 1 1 silver badge 5 5 bronze badges. You can extend the site base while keeping the barrel length the same. For an example, look at Rk 62 which has got a longer sight base than the AK on which Rk 62 is based.

It seems to me that the ak 47 has got the most far away sight. But I think I got what you are saying, you can control where the "sights" are independently of the barrel lenght, and yes, that's a very good observation, I forgot to say that in the post. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. In theory, shorter barrels are more accurate. Tolerances are more difficult to hold over longer distances. Shorter barrels also are relatively stiffer for the same profile, and so the harmonics are easier to work with.

Once you get past yd benchrest, barrel lengths start creeping up. Longer tubes mean more velocity, and that means less drop and drift. This is why F-class guns have a lot of 30" barrels. For the purposes of most people on this site, you can forget about the pure accuracy advantages of short barrels. For positional shooting, it's purely a tradeoff in handling vs. Look at what velocities people are getting in various lengths and what powders help them get those velocities , and then balance that against weight and handling.

Profile obviously comes into play as well - heavier tapers are more forgiving to tune, and take rapid strings much better. Jun 13, 1, Feb 26, 1, Midwest. Reactions: jg6. Had a GAP built with a 5. A 22" PacNor 5. That's not really true. Keeping all else about the materials and diametrical contour equal, a short barrel shows lower muzzle deflection than a longer one.

In other words, it's stiffer. Stiffer barrels result in much wider loading nodes; another way of saying that is that they will put slightly less consistent ammunition into small holes on target MUCH better than a longer barrel.

I get that.