Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles ar accuracy problems

well, I have some good news and frustrating news considering my AR accuracy problems.

I never would have believed it, but I went to the range with a friend and he said the front end and bipod was jumping a bit with each shot. In my mind I thought even if it were true it wouldn't matter because the bullet should be long out of the barrel before any recoil could affect it. WELL, I took off the bipod and put it on the rest and immediately got 1.5" groups with my same loads.

#2. I got a chrony (awesome) .
frustrating part, my .223 hand loads are SHOCKINGLY inconsistent.
out of 20 shots with my 69gr Sierra MK's over 25 gr IMR 4895
the majority of the velocities fell between 2944-2890 with the first shot interestingly enough being 2999fps. crazy!

with the other load tested ( 62gr arms core "midway" bullet, over 25gr IMR 4895)
5 shot group
first 2 were 2878, then 2880 and those 2 shots were touching each other.
next 2 were 2901, then 2901 and those 2 were a little further away and the last at 2952 a little further away still [from the first 2].

I haven't yet tried my vargot loads I made.

also I will be weighing each charge instead of dialing in the powder thrower and trusting that.
also my brass was all of various make. will be more consistent there too. maybe I can get this thing respectable.

I know a little something about shooting ARs on a bipod. What kind of bipod are you using now? I sure hope it's not a Harris or similar.

Yeah, 4895 isn't the best metering powder out there that's for sure.

How close was your Chrony? To close can give inconsistent readings like that.

While Harris is far from good as far as competition goes, I"ve never known my bolt guns or my ARs to be any worse than MOA with a harris bipod, but you sure do have to know how to use em, IE tension em and be consistent...

it is a Harris style bipod. I did not even know about "tensioning" a bipod


and the Crony was 10 feet away from the muzzle as stated in the directions that came with it.

I put more faith in target results than chrony spreads out to 600 or so yards... beyond that you have to have small ES/SD so you don't have vertical. MOst folks don't shoot far enough or picky enough to worry about what the chrono reads.

Jeff,

What kind of bipod do you recommend for the weekend warrior? I have been using a little bench model Harris for a couple years now with my bolt guns with OK success. While my AR groups aren't as sporatic as the OPs on a Harris it still seems like I am leaving something on the table as far as consistency goes. My rifle only has a swivel stud with no rail so that might be an issue.

Well, I'm not Jeff so I hope you don't mind if I share my thoughts.

The problem with the Harris bipod is that the top of the two legs is located below the forend. When the rifle recoils, unless the rifle is held perfectly straight and the legs sit on the same firmness of ground, one leg will recoil differently than the other and since they are at an angle, the rifle will tend to torque.

Without spending money on expensive bipods that cradle the rifle, I would suggest you look at the VersaPod solution. This one provides for a single point of attachment and it is cantilevered to boot so that the rifle does not torque when fired. I actually did pretty good in F-class with a VersaPod before I moved to something else.

The other good thing about the VersPod is that it attaches to or detaches from the rifle in 2 seconds or less. And the proper model has friction locks to help in an uneven setup.

Sorry, your advise is welcomed as well.

I'll check out the VersaPod. Can you give me a link to what your referring to as one that cradles the rifle?

Listen to Denys(FTR)

I run Harris, I make sure I"m level, and have the cantable models to level up. Then I tension with shoulder pressure forward. I really think that the rubber grip part would be better if it was slick, but then you may not grab in the field.

Running level and shoulder pressure forward against the bipod my 308 and my ARs will hold MOA fairly easily. And allows me game hits out to just over 500 yards so far, though for long shots I much prefer prone over a pack with no bipod....

Ruger280, I'm happy to do that but it is NOT a tactical bipod and costs quite a bit.



http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/pid=44699/Product/Sinclair-3rd-Generation-F-Class-Bipod#

Wow that is pretty cool but what a beast. Not as expensive as I would have thought either. Thanks for taking the time.

Yep,thats the only downfall to Deny's stuff, its target range stuff, not really that usable inthe field so to speak.

Kinda back to Harris, and again, you can make all kinds of good shots with Harris, just critical to have reptitive and constant tension for it to work right..

I'll definitely try the "tensioning" thing.

I have a JP trigger on the way from Midway. Im hoping this will help a little bit since my Daniel Defense trigger is the WORST trigger I have ever used !! (and I mean that)
But, understand I have not shot many ARs' , But I will tell you this my friends. after my last session shooting my AR ( with Daniel Defense mil spec trigger) I then shot some of my bolt guns too.

That AR trigger made my ORIGINAL 98 Mauser trigger feel pretty nice in comparison.

I feel that having that bad of a trigger is note worthy.
way too much uptake
way too much over travel
too creepy
and I just plain HATE 2 stage triggers

don't get me wrong, I like Daniel Defense. I don't fault DD.

Why do I get the impression you do not fully understand the concept of a two stage trigger?

I am well aware of the principles behind a 2 stage.
also, note my comparison between the DD AR trigger to my WWII mauser
I'll let you guess what kind of trigger it has (hint, its original)

its not a 3 stage. or a 1 stage or a 12 stage

sorry I just don't like 2 stage triggers. thats my personal preference. I also happen to hate standard transmissions, mostly because I think the clutch has way too much uptake and the shifter has a ridiculous length of travel in every one I have driven. I find it all ridiculous. Im sure I don't understand the principle behind a standard either.
here is the thing

it doesn't matter

I don't like it.

sorry for being cranky. that whole thing just struck me wrong.
I may not know bipods, and I may have problems with my AR accuracy
but I do know triggers.

you do need to relise, that you are shooting a semiauto.