ar15 effective range and scope help

[GotAmmo21]

Hi guys gotammo21 here i got a question.
So ive got an ar15 build in the works its a 20'' cmmg upper with a 1in7 twist and government profile barrel and i really wanna make it a DM rifle not a super accurate target rifle just more accurate than your average ar15 meant to be used at longer ranges with a scope.
Now then what i intend to put on it is just a free-float rail and a good scope. That being said im a nood when it comes to scopes and longer rnge accuracy such as 600+yrds.
So bassicly out of said rifle what effective range could i expect from a .223 55gr fmj and 5.56 62gr green tip ammo (what i regularly shoot) with a good quality scope.
Also i need help choosing a good scope that would help me get as much effective range as possible out of my rifle. My budget is around $500-$750 (willing to streach out to $1000) but will take me longer to save up.
Thanks for any and all imput guys. Texas Pride



Pic related: My current Main Battle rifle

 

[chubbyzook]

you will need heavier bullets to see awesome accuracy at 600 yards but there are quite a few long range scopes in your price range
this is the one i use: Amazon.com: Nikon Monarch Riflescope 6-24x50SF (Matte Nikoplex): Sports & Outdoors
it will definately help you see those long ranges

 

[Mikewood]

I can't stress highly enough how important it is to have good glass when shooting at distance. Some folks want high power instead of glass but it's really about the glass. You also want solid turrets, and a good fixed power scope. You can get an adjustable night force scope for 1500 but a good fixed 10x scope will do. I would stick with Leupold.

 

[Angered_Kabar]

I'll probably go with a Leupold MK4 scope for an SPR build if I can ever get enough saved up. Not a huge scope, magnification is probably more than I need but not too much, and it's pretty good glass.

 

[OLDVET]

I shoot 55 grain Sierra Match King boat tail hollow points out of my 20" Rock River Rifle. I get good groups out to about 300 yards. My son-in-law is currently in the Marines and he trains with an M4 carbine. They do not train past 300 yards because most combat is less than 100 yards today. The maximum effective killing range for the 5.56 Nato round is 500 yards. Most returning military people I have talked with think that distance is over stated. One Marine I talked with told me he had a 150 yard window shot at a bad guy in Iraq. He hit him dead center and the guy ran away. He was later spotted and killed by another Marine. It seems the guy had a lot of clothing wrapped around his torso so the first bullet impact did not have enough penetration to terminate him.
As far as the scope goes, most people are correct that quality scopes such as Leopold and Nixon are sufficient for the AR. The new Red Field scope is made by Leopold and is supposed to be very good. Last year I thought about getting into long range competition shooting. I bought a Rock River National Match rifle and a Leopold 6.5x25 scope. The scope cost about $800 dollars. The scope was very unforgiving at distances less than 300 yards at full magnification. This was one time cost did not provide a good result.
Be careful when you buy your MK4 scope. The market is flooded with Chinese knockoff scopes. A local gun store took an AR with a MK4 scope in trade recently. They then sold it to another customer. The customer had some issues with the scope and contacted Leopold for assistance. Leopold told him his MK4 scope was a knockoff and they could do nothing to help him. He returned to the gun store fuming about his purchase. The gunsmith at that gun store is a friend of mine. He told me they checked the score when they took it in trade, but it was such a good copy that it fooled even them.

 

[Charlie]

Don't hesitate to look into Burris scopes. In my opinion is they are every bit as good as Leupold scopes and not quite as expensive. Burris has a "forever" warranty with no questions asked. They are made in Greeley, Colorado here in the US of A! I have Leupold and Burris on my rifles and have never been dissapointed with either. I use a Euro Diamond Burris 1.5 x 6 on my Colt AR. It has a 30mm tube, and an illuminated reticle (with the red dot part no bigger that the size of the intersection of the crosshairs........NOT a big fuzzy dot!). It shoots a great deal more accurately than I can.

 

[ROGER4314]

I don't use anything but iron sights on an AR-15 so I can't help you there. I will say that with iron sights at 200 and 600 yards, the AR does a great job. Most of my experience is with 20" heavy barrels but I have used some 16" heavy barrels that shoot very well, too. I have no use for skinny barrels.

My concern is your choice of 1:7 twist and planning to shoot 55 grain bullets at long distances. I'm afraid that won't work well for you. 1:9 is a great all around twist which allows you to shoot the least expensive and most common ammo....55 grain. That twist will handle 69 grain bullets fairly well, too.

My 1:8 twist AR does great with 69 grain bullets but unless you reload, those will be harder to find. That rifle will shoot 55 grain slugs at close ranges but will absolutely barf on 55 grain bullets at longer distances. You may as well be shooting them out of a slingshot as they are totally inconsistent at 600!

1:7 will require even heavier bullets and won't tolerate 55 grain slugs. OK....the bullets will pass down the barrel but at any distance........you get poor accuracy. Shots will go high, low, right and left as the 55 grain slug wanders out of control. That is a BAD plan at 600 yards.

Remember, as the bullet gets heavier, it gets LONGER as it can't grow in diameter due to the barrel diameter. That longer slug requires a faster twist to stabilize it and that's what a 1:7 twist is for. In fact, some of the 600 yard shooters use bullets that are so long that they won't feed through the mag and mag well. They single load those on the firing line.

By choosing a 1:7 twist, you pretty well lock yourself into bullets/loads that are hard to find and expensive unless you load them yourself.

Hope that helps.

Flash

 

[GotAmmo21]

I don't use anything but iron sights on an AR-15 so I can't help you there. I will say that with iron sights at 200 and 600 yards, the AR does a great job. Most of my experience is with 20" heavy barrels but I have used some 16" heavy barrels that shoot very well, too. I have no use for skinny barrels.

My concern is your choice of 1:7 twist and planning to shoot 55 grain bullets at long distances. I'm afraid that won't work well for you. 1:9 is a great all around twist which allows you to shoot the least expensive and most common ammo....55 grain. That twist will handle 69 grain bullets fairly well, too.

My 1:8 twist AR does great with 69 grain bullets but unless you reload, those will be harder to find. That rifle will shoot 55 grain slugs at close ranges but will absolutely barf on 55 grain bullets at longer distances. You may as well be shooting them out of a slingshot as they are totally inconsistent at 600!

1:7 will require even heavier bullets and won't tolerate 55 grain slugs. OK....the bullets will pass down the barrel but at any distance........you get poor accuracy. Shots will go high, low, right and left as the 55 grain slug wanders out of control. That is a BAD plan at 600 yards.

Remember, as the bullet gets heavier, it gets LONGER as it can't grow in diameter due to the barrel diameter. That longer slug requires a faster twist to stabilize it and that's what a 1:7 twist is for. In fact, some of the 600 yard shooters use bullets that are so long that they won't feed through the mag and mag well. They single load those on the firing line.

By choosing a 1:7 twist, you pretty well lock yourself into bullets/loads that are hard to find and expensive unless you load them yourself.

Hope that helps.

Flash

yea i got you but the 55gr is really just for plinking with cheap wolf or tula ammo what i shoot when i want good accuracy is my own little batch
an 80gr sierra matchking hpjbt with 24.5grns of accur 2520 my ar drives tacks with that load so when im shooting for moderate accuracy i use like lake city 62gr steel core ammo or something a bit heavier and it works great and a 1in7 suits me fine for what i do i may get a 1in9 11.5in sbr since it will be a plinker and not a target rifle but for my needs a 1in7 is top choice thanks for the imput though

 

[jsimmons]

I got a Nikon M223 3-12x42 on mine:

Shooting 62-grain cartridges, it makes a 1.5-inch group at 100 yards. That's almost minute-of-anal-pore accuracy.

 

[M. Sage]

I don't use anything but iron sights on an AR-15 so I can't help you there. I will say that with iron sights at 200 and 600 yards, the AR does a great job. Most of my experience is with 20" heavy barrels but I have used some 16" heavy barrels that shoot very well, too. I have no use for skinny barrels.

My concern is your choice of 1:7 twist and planning to shoot 55 grain bullets at long distances. I'm afraid that won't work well for you. 1:9 is a great all around twist which allows you to shoot the least expensive and most common ammo....55 grain. That twist will handle 69 grain bullets fairly well, too.

My 1:8 twist AR does great with 69 grain bullets but unless you reload, those will be harder to find. That rifle will shoot 55 grain slugs at close ranges but will absolutely barf on 55 grain bullets at longer distances. You may as well be shooting them out of a slingshot as they are totally inconsistent at 600!

1:7 will require even heavier bullets and won't tolerate 55 grain slugs. OK....the bullets will pass down the barrel but at any distance........you get poor accuracy. Shots will go high, low, right and left as the 55 grain slug wanders out of control. That is a BAD plan at 600 yards.

Remember, as the bullet gets heavier, it gets LONGER as it can't grow in diameter due to the barrel diameter. That longer slug requires a faster twist to stabilize it and that's what a 1:7 twist is for. In fact, some of the 600 yard shooters use bullets that are so long that they won't feed through the mag and mag well. They single load those on the firing line.

By choosing a 1:7 twist, you pretty well lock yourself into bullets/loads that are hard to find and expensive unless you load them yourself.

Hope that helps.

Flash

+1. For long range, 1 in 7 is a great choice because it allows (almost requires) you to use heavier bullets. Something in the 70 grain range would work for what you want.