Posted: 1/31/2012 5:20:02 PM EDT
| I'm trying to decide between the 18 or 14.5 inch PredatOBR in .308. I would like to do a little long range shooting with it, but I don't see myself using it just for long range shooting. Would the 14.5 barrel be able to reach way out and still have enough energy for take down power at distance? |
| A 16" OBR has been repeatedly run out to a mile in the hands of accomplished shooters... 1000k yards by members of this board (not that they aren't accomplished)... I would guess a 14.5" can still reach out and touch someone, but what do you consider long range? And what do you want to do at long range, poke holes in paper, or drop game? |
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Quoted: Punch holes and drop game Haven't seen any velocity numbers on the 14.5 yet, but on the face of it I would be starting to be concerned with the retained energy when getting out there... It will still have a fair amount I would think, but where do you start to consider the humane-ness of what is enough, or not, for engaging game. If you are going to hunt with it I would say 18" and I would also say you may not need a PredatOBR, but a regular PredatAR... Even if you can hunt suppressed, it would not be a high enough volume of fire to worry about needing the PST... IMO
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I would go 18". 16" would get to 1K, but you have to load your ammo hotter (if you reload) to have enough juice to consistently reach 1K. But hotter ammo would decrease the life of your barrel, your lower receiver, and more recoil. So now imagine if you try to reach 1K with your 14.5". In a perfect world, we all like to have something lighter, shorter, and shoot further. Since it's not a perfect world, there are always give-and-take, and you just have to decide what exactly your priority. |
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On the 14.5 in barrel you velocity will taper off to being subsonic at just over 800 yds in a .308 shooting FGMM 175 SMK. On an 18" you should be good out to 1K with that same round. If you consistently plan on plinking at the 1K mark go 18". If you plan to hunt and then hit the 1k range on occasion, then get the 14.5. The 14.5 is still a solid 800 yd gun and hitting 1K isn't all that difficult with it. As far as reaching 1K CONSISTENTLY with 16", its easy. The 175 SMK should go subsonic about 60-70 yds from your target (930-940 for the math challenged) which is not nearly enough distance to drastically screw up your shot. If there were circumstances that would drastically screw your shot up, there's a good chance you'd miss just as much with the 18" rifle. I had an 18" and went to a 16" for that reason.
As far as kinetic energy at that range, its not going ot be a clean kill on whatever you hit but it will screw it up, wound it, bleed it, etc... The days that these were tested on, the pressure was so low and the air was humid as hell. However, the range master during a cease fire (to repaint the targets orange at 500, 750, and 1K, stated that the piece of steel I was shooting at looked pretty rough after I had finished with it before the repaint. |
It is 940