AR question from 3 gun competition

[ut755ln]

I went to a 3 gun competition with two friends and enjoyed the day at the range. While I spent most of my time on the pistol course, I got to look at and try some of the equipment being used. The thing that stuck out to me was some of the AR and how they shot.

I shot two ARs, and without exaggerating they felt like I was shooting a .22 rifle. They were significantly less snappy than any AR I own and the dot did not really move, it certainly never left target. It was such a surprise and pleasant experience that I was wondering if some of you with more experience can explain to me how they did this. I don't think that I want to make an 18 inch AR but I have 13.7 that I would like to try and make as soft shooting as possible.

 

[CK1.0]

Most guys shooting ARs in competition are running rifle-length or at least mid-length gas and have probably sunk a few bucks into their buffer system, usually running an A5 tube and playing with springs and/or buffer weights, maybe using a hydraulic buffer or a JP SCRS… beyond that there’s low-mass BCGs and tunable gas blocks, etc… all of that stuff done right will turn an already light-recoiling AR into a Nerf gun.

...and that’s before adding an obnoxious brake like a Lantac Dragon or something lol.

 

[GeoDude]

gas length, adjustable gas blocks, and a good muzzle brake.

 

[buffalowinter]

Get a good brake.

This year, the shooters were more evenly split among a few companies, with American Precision Arms (APA) taking the top spot. 8 shooters were using a muzzle brake made by APA. 2 guys were using APA brakes in the top 20, and those were actually both in the top 5 (#3 and #5). Muzzle brake design is still an emerging science, and there are a ton of different designs on the market. APA has released a lot of new designs in the past couple years, and they’ve become very popular. Here is a look at the 2nd generation of one of APA’s bestselling brakes:

Precision Armament M4-72 Severe-Duty Compensator​

 

[LRRPF52]

I went to a 3 gun competition with two friends and enjoyed the day at the range. While I spent most of my time on the pistol course, I got to look at and try some of the equipment being used. The thing that stuck out to me was some of the AR and how they shot.

I shot two ARs, and without exaggerating they felt like I was shooting a .22 rifle. They were significantly less snappy than any AR I own and the dot did not really move, it certainly never left target. It was such a surprise and pleasant experience that I was wondering if some of you with more experience can explain to me how they did this. I don't think that I want to make an 18 inch AR but I have 13.7 that I would like to try and make as soft shooting as possible.

If you’re trying to get as much of the shootability performance out of a 13.7”, it really should be MLGS and then mimic as much of a JP SCR internally as possible. One thing to consider is not sacrificing reliability though. Many race guns are set up to run 1-2 loads reliably in the regional temperature conditions they will be shot, which might be a narrower window than a highly-reliable TDP gun that will run arctic and hot climate with Military ammunition.

One thing you will notice with .223 Rem and 5.56 ammunition in the civilian sector is a very wide range of muzzle velocities that result from different charge weights and powder types. You really have to narrow what you feed a tuned high performance race gun once you dial-in the gas system and recoil system.

If you get behind a JP SCR though, you will have that flat, no-recoil, no sight picture disturbance experience that is night and day compared to a mass-produced CLGS 16” VISMOD M4orgery beater. The other race gun builders are trying to duplicate that JP set of components whether they admit it or not.

A good trigger and the JP SCS can get you part way there.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

I don't think that I want to make an 18 inch AR but I have 13.7 that I would like to try and make as soft shooting as possible.

Hopefully your 13.7" is mid gas. Carbine will leave a lot to be desired. After that it's aggressive brake, gas tuning, low mass carrier and buffer and spring rate. In that order, from most to least noticeable performance gains. You'll need to do all those to get the most out of it, but just an angry brake will do so much you could just add that and spend the rest on practice and you won't be at any real disadvantage till you're losing podiums by fractions of seconds.