In earlier decades, everyone knew that the most accurate rifles were bolt action models. However, you can now build or purchase AR 15 rifles that are so impressively accurate that they give even the most sharpshooter-friendly bolt action firearms a run for their money. But if you want your AR 15 to truly give a fly a haircut at 300 yards, you should be accurizing your AR-15. Here’s how.
Tips on Accurzing the AR-15
What Is Accurizing?
Accurizing is basically tinkering with or building a rifle (or another firearm) to boost its accuracy as far as you can.
Accurizing comprises multiple steps or techniques.
There isn’t a single way to accurize a firearm, so instead, you’ll combine multiple methods for the most results.
1. Buy a Great Barrel
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First and foremost, make sure that you buy and use a fantastic barrel.
Nothing impacts the mechanical accuracy of your AR 15 more than the barrel, particularly the materials used for its construction and its rifling.
You’ll always want AR 15 barrel with some manner of rifling on the interior to facilitate good bullet spin.
This helps your bullet maintain its trajectory over longer distances.
Furthermore, it may help to purchase an AR 15 barrel made of carbon steel or similarly high-quality materials.
Such a barrel will last much longer and provide consistent, accuracy boosting benefits over the long-term.
2. Make Sure the Barrel and Receiver Are Super Tight
The way your barrel and receiver fit together can dramatically impact how accurate your AR 15 is overall.
If you’re building your own AR 15, make sure you buy parts that are well-suited for a super tight fit.
You can alternatively set your barrel in your freezer overnight and, right before you put the parts together, heat up your upper receiver using a blow dryer.
This compresses and expands both parts and allows them to fit together more snugly than you would imagine.
3. Get a Smooth Trigger
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The smoothness of your trigger pull can impact your accuracy.
A smooth trigger pull will prevent you from moving your rifle every time you take a shot, while a clunky trigger will constantly cause you to jerk your rifle back and up, affecting your accuracy.
4. Use Exceptional Parts
This is more of a general rule than anything else. Always look for exceptional parts when building your AR 15.
In other words, buy for performance instead of for budget.
It's a fact of life that the highest quality gear will necessarily cost a little more and if you want a top-tier, super-accurate AR 15, you'll need to shell out a little more than if you were making a budget build.
5. Build Your AR-15 with Top Tools
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Similarly, construct your AR 15 platform using high-quality tools.
It’s not a terrible idea to enlist the services of a gunsmith when accurizing your AR 15 as they usually have top-tier mechanical tools that will let you fit all the pieces together more tightly.
You can even have the gunsmith do it for you.
They have the experience necessary to make sure everything is fitted securely before handing a rifle over.
6. Don’t Discount User Accuracy and Ammo
Accurizing your AR 15 entails more than just buying top-tier parts.
You’ll also need to properly sight the weapon, and consider using match grade ammunition.
Match grade ammunition gets its name since it’s “ready for a match,” like a target shooting competition.
This ammunition is usually pricier than the bulk stuff you can use for casual shooting at the range, but it performs a lot better.
Combine it with accurate AR 15 rifling, and you’ll see a fantastic performance.
7. Practice
Beyond all these tips, don’t forget to practice with your AR 15. After all, a rifle is only as accurate as its user!
Have you tried accurizing an AR-15 before? How did it improve your shooting performance? We'd love to hear about your experience in the comments section!
Up Next:
- A 5 Step Shooting Training Regimen To Become A Better Shooter
- Accuracy vs Precision: How Do They Differ?
- Top AR-15 Optics For The Best Shooting Experience
This is the worst article I’ve ever seen on AR-15’s.