Why does barrel length affect accuracy

And nearly any household with even a modicum of firearm interest harbors one, if not several. Further evidence is revealed by the fact that Americans annually burn through upward of three billion.

Whether poking holes in paper, plinking cans, collecting small-game table fare or eliminating pests, most reach for a. Western burrowing-rodent shooting has spawned an intense interest in. Velocity, bullet design and associated energy delivery become pivotal in choosing ground squirrel loads. Not all. When punching paper or plinking cans, velocity and bullet design means very little, and milder, budget-priced, bulk-pack fodder is perfectly acceptable.

However, do certain. My greatest curiosity was how. Recently, chatting with a gun-counter expert and noting the inch barrel worn by a particular.

My theory followed that the weak starting velocity and energy friction actually slow. The expert scoffed, insisting that. Which of us was right? Finally, one aspect of real-world. So, what is the maximum effective range of common. Three barrel lengths were included in my order: Extra-hot ammunition from Aguila and CCI were used to demonstrate hyper-velocity performance, and an Eley subsonic load was tossed into the mix for good measure.

Shooting started with the CZ American Eagle hollow-points proved the exception—stringing vertically; and surprisingly, the mid-length tube produced lackluster results with both Eley loads. All Winchester loads clustered well. Fitting the CZ with the A bore snake was run through each barrel between ammo strings.

Nevertheless, I did come away with generalities: Generally, the auto-loader posted lower average velocities than the bolt. As a result, many long-distance hunters or sharpshooters will swear by long barrels, even to the expense of other features. But does this really matter? In truth, yes, but not necessarily because of what you think. Instead, longer barrels usually produce more accuracy since they offer longer sighting planes whenever you combine a gun with excellent sights or optics.

The longer the barrel distance between those sights, the more accurate the sighting plane and, thus, the gun will end up being. A firearm with a longer barrel will have less recoil only because such a firearm is likely heavier than an identical counterpart with a shorter barrel. If the gun is heavier, it takes more power for it to produce the same amount of recoil. How much does barrel length matter for recoil? Some guns use naturally heavier materials, while others use really lightweight materials.

Some firearm enthusiasts think that the myth of the barrel length affecting muzzle velocity is overblown. Specifically, your cartridges use either fast or slow-burning powder. So score one for shorter barrels. At longer distances, ballistics become important.

Faster bullets drift less in wind, have less drop, and have shorter flight time. How can you get more velocity out of the same cartridge? Use a longer barrel and an appropriate powder charge to get more velocity.

Still, score one for longer barrels, especially at longer ranges.