Long Range AR Accuracy?

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • tech24

    HP rifle shooter
    Dec 15, 2011
    895
    Frederick, MD
    That seems a bit large but without knowing the rifle its impossible to say. If you wanna really see its capabilities try to get some handloads. 69smks over 24.5g of varget any case any primer (thicker cups preferred. I havent seen a 1:9 ar not perform well with this load. Pm me we can do some testing if you want. A ar with match barrel and good trigger should be in 1-2" grouping at 200yds. Standard ligher maybe 4 like stated.
     

    the Javid

    Part time baby killer
    Mar 20, 2012
    199
    Bowie
    What really helps me with long range AR shooting (bench or prone) is having my thumb on the right side of the grip (I'm right handed). It's best illustrated by watching this video, you'll see a shooter doing it in the first few seconds:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKP5hg-B1N8

    The magpul videos explained it like this: it's hard to just move your trigger finger and not have the thumb move slightly too. Practice doing a trigger pull at home without holding a gun - just watch your fingers, even if your thumb doesn't move when you practice a trigger pull, you'll feel it tighten up. That little bit of movement translates to a lot at long ranges. For some reason this isn't as much of an issue if it's on the right side.

    Doing this grip and practicing trigger follow through like the other poster stated has helped me.

    That's for hitting a target at about a mile though and only with bolt action or OBRs an M110 however they recommended putting the thumb around and squeezing the whole weapon tight in order to keep all the parts tight and consisent every shot. His AR is probably not as tighly put together as an OBR so he might have to take the advice they recommend for the M110.

    Long range for an AR-15 shooting 5.56mm is more like 300+ yards/meters. It might be at the long range end of what you are used to, but it is more medium range for that weapon shooting a 5.56x45mm round.
     
    Last edited:

    Bolts Rock

    Living in Free America!
    Apr 8, 2012
    6,123
    Northern Alabama
    Get a Geissele trigger, you will not be sorry. Highpower shooters that have good technique can move just the trigger finger that extra little bit needed to break the shot without moving anything on the rest of the hand but we dryfire, a lot!
    I don't know about an M4 but a 20" match H-bar and match ammo should easily hold 2" or smaller groups from a rest at 200 yards with irons. Being a tad on the ook, ook side of things the left lobe of my charging handle is in my right nostril offhand and sitting giving me a rock solid and consistent cheekweld.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,877
    It's not horrible. If you haven't any experience with long-ish or precision rifle shooting , it's a safe bet that you have *some* room for improvement in your technique. What percentages are you/ your gun are hard to say from a distance without a shooter of known ability , with known ammo testing the gun.

    My Colt Sportster (non-HBAR) totally stock w/ iron sights will do 1.5 MOA w/ Milsurp , and 1.0 w/ handload developed for a different (similar) gun.

    I believe that there is a video advocating a non-grip with firing hand , but by no means is a conventional grip ineffective . In addition to my own experience , my #1 shooting and handloading partner was formerly USMCR Rifle Team , and he uses normal hand position also.

    Prctice your dryfiring , and bench/ bipod/ prone w/ sling technique also.

    Trigger smoothnes and consistancy is more important that the abstract poundage.
     

    Nubz

    Yankee Trash
    Mar 16, 2012
    181
    You never shot beyond 25 yards before as you said so the fact that you hit the target at all at 200 says something

    More practice at that distance is all you need in my opinion
     

    BigMBobbyOP

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 30, 2011
    1,021
    PA
    Shooting groups at distance takes some practice.

    I agree with what a lot of the responses are saying, but, I need to add:

    "Aim small. Miss small."

    In other words. . . . IF you are shooting at an 8" paper plate, you are going to be aiming at an 8" target.

    Now, IF you put a 2" 'dot' in the center of that 8" plate, you will concentrate on the 2" 'dot', which WILL cause you to be more accurate.

    Just like hunting. Don't aim at the deer. Aim at a particular HAIR, on the shoulder of that deer.


    Example:

    This is a target fired at St. Charles Sportsman's Club, by me.
    Colt Sporter Match H-BAR.
    3 shots. 100 yards. Open sights. Off of sandbags.
    Handloads. Sierra 69 gr BTHP MatchKing, using H-335 powder, in Winchester cases, Federal 205M primers.
    (Group measures 5/16" center-to-center.)

    CIMG0520.jpg

    Granted, this group was fired a BUNCH of years ago, when my eyesight was good.

    This is super impressive!

    I can barely zero in on the target w/ irons (tech sights) let alone pull a 5/16" group.
     

    dist1646

    Ultimate Member
    May 1, 2012
    8,758
    Eldersburg
    200yds is the shortest distance highpower competitors shoot. 600yds=midrange, 1000yds=longrange. If you really want to get good at it, hook up with a highpower shooter and shoot with them. A really good highpower shooter will shoot around 75% X count on the mr52 target, prone with a sling and iron sights. (the X ring is less than 2")
     

    Forest

    The AR guy
    Jul 13, 2011
    985
    I was on vacation last week at my in laws. They have a nice 200yd backstop on one of their fields. I took my 16" AR-15 with me to give it a shot. A little background, I've never shot at anything over 25 yards away. I got a 4-12x Redfield scope for the occasion (thanks Dan!) and sighted it in at 50 yards. I then moved up the hill and used a bench to shoot from. After a little tweaking with some match ammo I was able to keep 20 rounds on an 8" target (barely). I was expecting a lot better accuracy. Am I skill or gun limited at that range?

    Skill limited. 200y is nothing for a 16" AR
     

    guthook

    Grrr.
    Apr 7, 2008
    7,056
    St. Mary's
    You can also use a rear bag to steady the rifle. 2 points of contact, handguard and buttstock is a lot steadier than using your hand to support the rear.
     

    -Z/28-

    I wanna go fast
    Dec 6, 2011
    10,647
    Harford Co
    You can also use a rear bag to steady the rifle. 2 points of contact, handguard and buttstock is a lot steadier than using your hand to support the rear.

    From the bench, this helps a lot. I don't use a bag though; I use my non-dominant arm. Basically my left hand ends up in my right armpit with the stock resting on my left arm.
     

    damosan

    Active Member
    Feb 21, 2009
    261
    While in the military I could do dime sized groups with my 16 at 25 meters (which isn't impressive really -- it's about technique) -- and that POS had been used and abused for years before I got it.

    In my experience the AR platform requires consistency -- shouldering, cheek weld, breathing, trigger pull, etc. If you nail all of these your groups will get tighter and tighter -- that also means practice, practice, practice.

    Which isn't a bad thing. :)

    D.
     

    Af_catfish

    Abandon All Hope
    Sep 6, 2011
    261
    Bremen, Ohio
    A little trick I learned in the service was to have the tip of my nose touching the charging handle. That way cheek weld is consistent from shot to shot. As others said try diffrent ammo too yours may not like what you were shooting.

    When I first shot my Colt 6920 I rested my nose on the charging handle because I did that with M16s and AR15s. The charging handle whacked me pretty good. Be careful doing this with carbines, the lighter weight increases the recoil.
     

    cobra

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 26, 2009
    2,058
    White Marsh
    When ever testing or sighting in a new rifle.
    I allways use a gun vise to not only sight in a new scope but to test accuracy of rifle.
    This takes all human error out of the equation. It holds the rifle in the same position shot after shot.
    Now what size groups you shoot afterwards without one?:)
     

    BigSteve57

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 14, 2011
    3,245
    When ever testing or sighting in a new rifle.
    I allways use a gun vise to not only sight in a new scope but to test accuracy of rifle.
    This takes all human error out of the equation. It holds the rifle in the same position shot after shot.
    Now what size groups you shoot afterwards without one?:)

    Who makes a good gun vice?
     

    Rockerspsl

    Active Member
    Apr 10, 2011
    230
    Glen Burnie, MD
    As damosan said, breathing is very important, it can control the up and down of the barrel. I try to fire when I'm pausing after exhaling. Make it natural. don't hold your breath, but pick that moment before you inhale to shoot, it will stop your shots from straying too much vertically.
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,915
    Messages
    7,258,430
    Members
    33,348
    Latest member
    Eric_Hehl

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom