Quote:
Originally Posted by blackjack21
I really really wish there were verifiable consistent lab quality tests of all these setups. The contradictory information makes choosing what internals to get impossible. For what ever reason my groupings came down an average of 2 inches at 150 feet, and I felt (but did not test) my effective range improve.
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Too many variables at play.
Platform variations, installation skill, tuning time, consistency, manufacturer tolerances, I could go on.
All else being equal, the best possible AEG barrel group setup has been accepted to be an ER-hopped/EM-nubbed 455mm 6.03 stainless barrel with the barrel consistency as high as possible and a good-sealing rubber. I've tested this theory personally by swapping an identically set up 363mm and 455mm barrel group, keeping the same lower receiver the same. Ignoring barrel volume for a second, the grouping size and range was noticeably better with a 455mm barrel. I do recognize that not everybody wants to run a 16" barrel AR-variant or a full-length AK, etc. so the 363mm is a good tradeoff. I have another barrel group at 230mm that I'm going to try when I get back.
Flat-hops are nice but it's just an evolutionary step towards the R-hop. I'll say this again: a proper R-hop install should not take more than 10 minutes more than a Flat-hop setup (excluding dry time).