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AR Condundrum
223Tim
Member Posts: 2 ✭✭
All,
Like many I'm seeking advice on the purchase of an AR type target/varmint rifle. I sort of had my eye on the Bushmaster Varminter but the more I read the more confusing it becomes. Twist rate, bullet weight, barrel construction, uppers...lowers...what's up? It will be my first such rifle. Many people I talk to advise buying a bolt action like a Rem. 700 VSSF. I'm still not convinced I'll have increased accuracy with the bolt to an appreciable degree.
Opinions please
Thanks
Like many I'm seeking advice on the purchase of an AR type target/varmint rifle. I sort of had my eye on the Bushmaster Varminter but the more I read the more confusing it becomes. Twist rate, bullet weight, barrel construction, uppers...lowers...what's up? It will be my first such rifle. Many people I talk to advise buying a bolt action like a Rem. 700 VSSF. I'm still not convinced I'll have increased accuracy with the bolt to an appreciable degree.
Opinions please
Thanks
Comments
The lower reciever is the register part. The butt stock and pistol grip attach to the lower receiver. The mag gets inserted into the lower receiver and the mag release is loacted in the lower. The lower reciever also holds the hammer, selector and those such parts.
The upper reciever attacks to the lower with two pins. The barrel attaches to the upper. The handguards attaches between the upper and the front sight/gas block. A gas tube runs from the front sight/gas block into the upper reciever.
The bolt and bolt carrier ride in the upper reciever. The gas flows from the barrel, through the gas block, down the gas tube, where the gas contacts the bolt carrier. The gas moves the bolt carrier back, and contacts the buffer tube in the butt stock.
The nice part about the AR-15 is the ablity to have multiple upper reciever and barrel assemblies. So you can have a shorty one minute and a 24" free float heavy barrel setup the next.
The Gov't. originally specified a 1 in 7" twist but we have found that the 1 in 9" twist gives the best results with the widest range of ammunition, and will stabilize most bullets up to 72 grains.
Bushmaster provide info on their website.
I found that 1/9 twist rates won't stabilize 55 gr bullets for me but my heavy-barrel DPMS shoots 69 gr Sierra HPBTs into 0.625" or better all day.
For a little less $$ than Bushy, consider DPMS or Rock River arms. The cool thing is you can switch out from a heavy barrel varmint upper to an A2 in about 15 seconds. And that doesn't even cover uppers in 7.62x39, 9mm, 45 acp, 22 lr, etc.
E-bay is great for finding mags, also get the delrin pin-punch from RBPrecision for quick upper changes.
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