What kind of accuracy can be expected out of a no-frills Bushmaster or RRA AR-15?

I have two Bushmasters; one in 6.8mm and one in 5.56mm. Both have 16" barrels. With Black Hills match ammo in the 5.56mm, with the gun in a bench rest (mechanically locked down to fire multiple shots to test for accuracy), it shoots +/- 1" groups at 100 yards. With me holding it unsupported and having to aim it (open sights) between shots, it opens up to about 3". This shows how the gun "outshoots" me. At 200 yards you can expect the 1" group to open up to 2"; at 300 yards to 3" (all other factors remaining the same). Like another poster, I shot open sights in multiple positions and found it fairly simple to hit the truncated man-sized silhouette downrange.

Different guns shoot different kinds of ammo well or not so well. Match ammo tends to be made with better quality control and tolerances and can tell you more of what your gun can do. Knowing what you gun does in your hands (not the bench rest) with the ammo you will actually use for a given purpose is a better gauge of real life accuracy than bench rest hypothetical accuracy. I use optics to help me to be much more accurate. (I don't get along well with the standard AR sight picture.)

A 20" barrel really doesn't make much of a difference at all in 5.56mm at 200 yards versus a 16" barrel. This is not to say that longer barrels won't help at greater distances, just that these combinations of caliber and barrel length at 200 yards won't make a 1/4" difference in group size. If you're reaching out to 600 yards target shooting, a heavier and longer barrel will certainly help. If you'd like a more maneuverable gun and you're staying inside of 200 yards you'll never miss the extra four inches you didn't get when you chose the 16" barrel.

I believe I can put myself in the category of "experienced shooter" with the AR platform, as I've been shooting them since 1969. I have the Expert Marksman ribbon with several oak leaf clusters, and those were all from 100 yards with open sights. For some goofy reason, the USAF even had us qualify at 600 yards, including full auto fire. Seemed stupid then, seems even more stupid now. You should be able to stay comfortably in the 9 and 10 ring without even trying hard. If you bear down, practice your breath control and trigger control, 2" groups should be a no brainer at 100 yards. I have consistently put 40 rounds in the man size silhouette target, and that includes shots from prone, sitting, standing, kneeling, barricade right, barricade left, and then moving up and shooting from the on guard position at about 20 yards or so (hey, I retired in 1989, and don't recall the entire course of fire). I have found the AR platform to be inherently stable and accurate so long as the shooter remembers the basic tenets of target shooting, i.e. breath control, trigger squeeze, and breath control. In short, right out of the box, you're going to be catching up to your rifle. If you placed it in a rest, I'm betting most AR platform rifles will shoot m.o.a., and some sub m.o.a. 20" barrell will generally give you a little tighter group, as it stablizes the projectile a bit more.

Bushmaster F.A.Q.

"Question / Issue

How Accurate is a Bushmaster?"

"Answer / Solution

We are often asked this question at Trade Shows and on our Sales Department phone lines. And though we run the risk of being called a bunch of "smart-a__es", we usually counter by asking "How well can you shoot?, because as most shooters agree, the gun is only a tool and the skill / experience of the operator is a crucial factor in the quest for accuracy.

We think we make a great "tool" The quality materials, quality control and craftsmanship we build into every Bushmaster rifle gives it the potential for exceptional accuracy. To back up that belief, we thought we'd show you some targets that were sent in recently by a gun writer friend of ours - Steve Malloy. ..."

To view the target images, visit the link below or visit Bushmaster's F.A.Q. page and use the search phrase "how accurate".

When you're buying a Colt, you're buying more than just the name. Too bad the company's not doing so well, ironically, one of the major competitors of Colt is the array of used Colt guns available in the market. There are a lot of AR-15s I shot (I cannot tell you how many some of my friends have), and I have shot quite a few of them. Just from shooting, I cannot really tell the difference, but some of the AR-15s from Bushmaster are pretty damn good. I myself own a DPMS, it's a 16 inch barrel, flat-top receiver, with M4 stock. I also got an EOTech on it.

Well the gun will out shoot the shooter, especially locked in a vice.

A 16" AR at 100yds sandbagged or viced should be able to produce 1" or sub 1" groups. going to a longer barrel and to a bull barrel should only make things better.

As you walk out to 200yds and 300yds things will start spreading out and should be expected.

My 24" Shilen Bull barreled DSA custom, shoots unbelievable groups at 100yds I have had 2 floaters in the past groups I have shot. The others have all been touching. at 150 still touching 200 they start to spread just a little. 300 they open a little more that you can see paper between the bullet holes. and so on.

It depends greatly on the shooter, ammo, conditions, humidity and the extensive or lack there of in the rifle. sand bagged, bi-pod, viced all makes a huge difference as well.

As a rule, the gun will always outshoot the shooter. The only time you'll see a difference from one kind of ammo to the next (or likely from one gun to the next) is if you're sitting in a well-supported position on a bench with some really nice optics.

For iron sights, the gun will almost certainly shoot better than you can aim it.

If you want some proof on that, see the video I link to in my source. Dude pops a steel target at 230 yards with a "Baby Glock" .40