Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Optimal barrel length for a .223

Guys,
I am going to grab .223 bolt gun for the kids and was looking at the Ruger American Compact with the 18" barrel. Does the .223 burn enough powder to take advantage of the 22" barrel or is it just extra weight? Also is the 18" just a cut down 22" or is it a different contour as well?

Thanks for any help on this, it will be restocked as part of a project with them so the shorter pull of the compact will not be a factor.

In my experience, the velocity difference will be in the vicinity of 100 fps less in the 18" barrel, which is only 3% or so. However, you will increase the muzzle blast by somewhere around 30 or 40%, because of the much higher pressure of the gases escaping at the muzzle as the bullet exits. So I say yes, the 223 certainly can take advantage of the 22" barrel, for both reasons.

I find that young shooters are bothered more by muzzle blast than recoil, especially in smaller cartridges like the 223. Your kids will be much less likely to develop flinch problems if you stick with the longer barrel.

The 22" barrel will usually produce a better balanced rifle that is easier to shoot accurately from field positions. Muzzle-light rifles seldom handle very well.

Good on you for providing a good starting rifle for your kids. Too many men hand a kid a 30-06 that he can barely hold up. A couple of rounds are fired, and the kid is turned off by the experience. A 223 that fits the kid will hook him on rifle shooting for life.

Go for the 22 inches. You can always cut some off.
It's also important for kids to be turned on by an accurate rifle, if you really want to hook them.

I wish we had some solid research on this subject. There has to be an optimum length (for velocity effects) for every powder/slug combination, and inquiring minds want to know.

Information here -

http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2010armament/WednesdayCumberlandPhilipDater.pdf

http://www.accuratereloading.com/223sb.html

Short version:

20" is optimal for speed.
Reduction to 18" increased muzzle pressure by ~900 bar and sound by 0.2 db at the dangerously high level of 162 db (Hearing protection required at all times).

Hope this helps.

Interesting thoughts on the sound increase. I know how horrid SBR can be in .223 but I had never given it much thought going from a 22" to 18". Thanks again for all of the info.

Longer barrels have more chances of being less accurate...

20 inches is always my choice in 223.... that being said I'd go the route of 22 and chop off if needed. If accurayc is an issue, I'd chop to 21 first. Then to 20.

18 is a bit louder, but not nearly as loud as 16, thats not by my Db testing, but simply to my ears.

It is interesting that in the two very informative links above it shows that, in the first link using only ball ammo, that velocity went pretty much flat from 20" and longer. Thus, they concluded that a 20" barrel was optimum (with ball ammo).

In the second link with handloads using three different powders the velocity kept increasing right on up to 22", which was the longest length they tested, because that was the length of the barrel they started with.

A 20" barrel on a 223 may be an excellent choice for many people, but saying that length (20") is optimum for velocity, or any other reason, is still a compromise and an over-simplification.

Just about everything is life seems to be some kind of compromise, doesn't it?

Boy, this is the truth. And the easiest guns for beginners to shoot accurately have less recoil and less muzzle blast.

Within reasonable limits, extra ounces of barrel weight, and extra half-inches of barrel length, and fewer grains of bullet/powder weight all work in a positive direction toward more accurate and more pleasant shooting.

I'm partial to 20" tubes in .223. A reasonable balance of velocity and muzzle blast.

My youngest boy in the foreground with a Rem 700 youth sps 223 w/ 20" tube.



Daughter w/ a 20" WOA SDM barreled AR.

The Houston Warehouse optimum was 21.75", but they were optimizing for accuracy...

jim

You will gain speed over 20 in 223, but its generally around the group I shot with, not enough to make it worthwihle to have a longer tube, when you could stay a bit "handier" length.

all mine are 16.25's, I had some 1-12 and I think a 1-14 20 inch when they were popular, the 223 has not much report at all compared to a 22 inch 30-06 or 16 inch 308. A 16 inch 308 requires ear pro to hunt with.

Try shooting a 223 TC Contender with 10-inch barrel sometime. "Loud" isn't the right word.