I am thinking of having an AR built and have been told I need to go with an 18" barrel with a 1:8 twist. Others have recommended 16" with 1:9 twist. I am leaning toward the 1:8 twist but what length would be best?

You're asking a "what's better, a van or a sports coupe" question. We can't answer without knowing what you plan to do with your build. And you should not believe anyone who can "tell" you what your ideal rifle is without knowing what your ideals are.

What are you trying to do with the final build? (Tactical? Non-NFA home defense? 3-gun? pop-can-plinker?)

What engagement range?

What are your expectations with regard to accuracy?

What kind of ammunition will you feed your rifle, for the most part?

Do you plan to free-float the barrel?

How much do you plant to spend overall?

What kind of trigger are you thinking of pairing with this bbl?

Do you plan to add optics? If so, what kind (magnified or un-magnified)?

Do you have a preferred bbl profile?

It will be a fun gun and home protection with the occasional varmint(cyote) shot. I will be shooting 223 and 556. Fixed sights to start with and maybe 100 yds for most shots. I will probably spend 700 to 800 dollars.Standard double action trigger. Maybe 4 to 6 inch group at 100 yds. Hope this helps.

I'd recommend 16" bbl, 1:7 twist, and a mid-length gas system.

Why would someone recommend a 18" barrel for HD ?! That's a long ass barrel your going to be swinging around. Since you can shoulder braces again, I would build a pistol of sorts. I'd be looking at something between 10-12" barrel in 223 Wylde.

For the kind of money you're looking to spend, you could buy two or maybe even 3 complete uppers and a lower from palmetto state. It would certainly give you some flexibility to figure out what you like in an ar and for what purposes.

Why are you having someone build it for you? They are stupid easy to build yourself.

There are also very good deals right now on factory rifles. Ruger 556 can be had for 499

700-800 bucks can get you top tier complete upper, 14.5 pinned or 16 is what I would choose. BCM, Colt, DD to name a few you can't go wrong with.

quote:

Originally posted by walker77:
Why are you having someone build it for you? They are stupid easy to build yourself.

There are also very good deals right now on factory rifles. Ruger 556 can be had for 499

I know nothing about building one. I never even fired one, just decided I want one and I know this LGS builds a quality weapon with top of the line parts.

quote:

Originally posted by lmacrichter:
It will be a fun gun and home protection with the occasional varmint(cyote) shot. I will be shooting 223 and 556. Fixed sights to start with and maybe 100 yds for most shots. I will probably spend 700 to 800 dollars.Standard double action trigger. Maybe 4 to 6 inch group at 100 yds. Hope this helps.

You can buy a factory built rifle for less than that. At $800 you are paying them $300-$400 to build it for you unless you specify a high end barrel like a Krieger.



Most all around utility is realized in a 16" barrel in my opinion.

I prefer a 18" .223 Wylde barrel for 3 Gun. But for general shooting, 16" 1:7 twist would be my preference. But I shoot heavy bullets that are 68gr and up.

quote:

Originally posted by ed308:
I prefer a 18" .223 Wylde barrel for 3 Gun. But for general shooting, 16" 1:7 twist would be my preference. But I shoot heavy bullets that are 68gr and up.

I agree with this. But my 1:7 twist barrels all work just fine with 55gr ammo as well as heavier stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by lmacrichter:
It will be a fun gun and home protection with the occasional varmint(cyote) shot. I will be shooting 223 and 556. Fixed sights to start with and maybe 100 yds for most shots. I will probably spend 700 to 800 dollars.Standard double action trigger. Maybe 4 to 6 inch group at 100 yds. Hope this helps.

For your purposes I would go with a 16" barrel.


Just FYI for your price range you could have an AR with a decent red dot and maybe even an upgraded trigger as well.

When the cost of iron sights approaches the cost of a red dot like a Vortex SparcAR, there is little reason to use iron sights any more.
http://palmettostatearmory.com...e-kit-516445295.html

Add a $50 dollar lower and a Vortex Sparc AR for $200.

Have money left over for 500 rounds of ammo.



I built an AR around the same barrel that is used in the kit in the link I posted above. It has been excellent. Reliable and accurate with factory 55gr ammo.




I was putting hits on full size IPSC targets at 550+ yards a few weeks ago, with a 1-5x scope. Great barrel for the money. It's not a Krieger, but it isn't intended to be.

quote:

Originally posted by lmacrichter:
It will be a fun gun and home protection with the occasional varmint(cyote) shot. I will be shooting 223 and 556. Fixed sights to start with and maybe 100 yds for most shots. I will probably spend 700 to 800 dollars.Standard double action trigger. Maybe 4 to 6 inch group at 100 yds. Hope this helps.

If you're mixing calibers (though my understanding of the difference is small, something about the shoulder and possibility of too much pressure in commercial .223 loads?), you'll want a .223 Wylde chamber.

Virtually any AR worth its name should shoot well under a 4" group at 100yds. Unless you're shooting during an earthquake.

I'm not sure what you mean by a "standard double action trigger". "Standard" would be a USGI, single-stage trigger, which can be drastically improved with any number of aftermarket triggers, from $30-$200+. I suspect you mean a two-stage trigger, which in my opinion would be kind of overkill for an HD/plinking gun and not "standard."

I would also say given your inexperience with the rifle, you might be better off getting an S&W M&P-15 and a case of ammo. Add an Aimpoint Pro with some Magpul MBUS, and you're good to go.

For HD, 16" makes more sense than 18" unless you've got a lot of acreage to cover and plan to be setting up overwatch on the roof.

One of the members posted a deal on a Colt 6920 OEM for $625 shipped, just add a stock, handguard and trigger guard. +1 SW M&P Sport II, as the others have said, use the rest of your money for ammo and a scope/mount.