Range Report barrel length in 223, when does it burn all powder

[LibertyArms]

Off the wall question, and wasent sure how to figure it out. lets say factory mil-spec LC ammo. At what barrel length would it burn all of the powder. I was just wandering as i was thinking of a heavy bbl build, and if it has a complete burn at say 21" there would be no need for extra length unless it would help stabilize the bullet.

Right ?

 

[Jered Joplin]

Re: barrel length in 223, when does it burn all powder

The 223 can easily do the majority of it's work in 16"-18". That being said for all around field use 20" is nice. The only time I would consider going longer personally is if I had a statement to make at 1k. I know that doesn't truly answer the question mainly because I couldn't answer it and know 100% my answer was the truth. I can only speak of my experience with it's performance on our range at 700. The 20"ers handle it well. The 16" & 18" will still shoot well there but they are huffing and puffing just a little bit more. The only true test would be to start with one at 28" and cut 1" off at a time and see where you hit a slight velocity gain.

 

[jbailey]

Re: barrel length in 223, when does it burn all powder

I had a 18" barrel and a 20" barrel. The 20" barrel did about 40fps more than the 18", so clearly there is some gain in going those extra 2". I also have a 14.5" barrel and that is showing nearly 300fps slower than the 20" barrel, so there is a massive difference there. I have no experience with 223 in barrels longer than 20".

 

[TiroFijo]

Re: barrel length in 223, when does it burn all powder

Based on three of my friend's rifles, you gain about 20 fps per inch from 20" to 24" barrels, with 55-69 gr loads.

 

[gstaylorg]

Re: barrel length in 223, when does it burn all powder

The answer depends completely on the burn rate of the powder you're using. For a given barrel length, you can optimize performance (within reason) by using a powder with an appropriate burn rate for that barrel length. It's one of the many advantages of reloading over factory ammunition. Here's a couple links that may provide a little more detailed info:

www.hornady.com/assets/files/superformance-technology.pdf

http://www.hornady.com/ammunition/superformance-in-gas-operated-firearms

 

[PanaDP]

Re: barrel length in 223, when does it burn all powder

One method I've used with black powder rifles is to place a couple cheap white sheets on the ground so they cover an area from around 15-25 feet in front of you. Load charges in the range you want and see what gets left on the sheet. I see no reason why it won't work with smokeless powder, too.