Questions Regarding my new build

[Squirrel Master]

I am in the market to build a new rifle. I wanted this rifle strictly for 300+ meter shots. Would love to work on my long range shooting, and perhaps use it for some hunting, i.e. coyotes.

I am still researching different lowers, but I ran across the Daniel Defense, and was pretty impressed. I also done some scouting for a Spike's Tactical, and came to the conclusion, I like them also. I do believe at the end of the day, I will be choosing a DD, but wanted to know if I should add the Geissle SSA Trigger they offer, or would a CMC trigger suffice?

I wanted to be as accurate as possible (without the addition of human error), so I decided I wanted a 18 inch free floating barrel with 1/7 twist rate. My next topic of discussion was the fact, that I thought the best way to go on the gas system was mid length, but a buddy told me otherwise. I was thinking, longer barrel, more accurate, mid length less recoil, longer sight radius, longevity, etc.

My buddy tells me I should go carbine length, because the mid length works better on shorter barrels, i.e. 14.5". I asked his logic behind the statement and he said it's simple... "Bullet has longer travel period with the longer barrel. Longer the travel, the more gas is being pushed into the port." Short barrel, small gas. Long barrel, big gas.

I am a firm believer that a good accurate rifle is judged or graded on how well the entire system is tuned, and works together. Spring rate, buffer weight, bolt weight, gas tube length, gas tube size, gas tube rear port size, barrel length, etc. etc.

So my final question is, is my initial blue print of this build a bad idea? Or is my buddy a little over opinionated? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[spclayne]

Since you're on a Smith forum, I'm going to speak the obvious and tell you that you should get a Smith.

That particular Geissele trigger would be fine, but is built for a more combat related scenario than long range plinking...there are plenty of other options, but again, that one is still nice.

 

[427mach1]

I have the CMC trigger on my AR and it is very nice; smooth and crisp. Although I haven't put a trigger gage on it, it is rated at 3.5# pull but it feels much lighter. I can't comment much on barrel length vs gas system; I would suggest talking to the barrel manufacturer and following their advice.

 

[Desert Five-0]

The mid length gas system should work fine on an 18 inch barrel. If you want long range accuracy you may want to go with a 20 inch rifle length gas system. Also, what barrel material are you looking into and what type of chamber? Most would agree that a stainless steel barrel would give you the best accuracy. Different chamberings change the tolerance and can increase accuracy. Look into a barrel with a .223 wylde chamber. You can still shoot 5.56 ammo but it should be more accurate.

Take a look at Noveske barrels. Most consider them top of the line.

 

[Squirrel Master]

Thanks for the input guys. I think this is going to be a longer process, but should be worth the wait!