“Short” Barrels, why not?

[hereinaz]

I actually came out very well on the 25-06 and .17 HMR, didn’t lose a dime on either. It was more than just barrels, it was stocks and streamlining as well.

The PRC I’m selling is a Bergara Premier Mountain 2.0, and I’m for sure going to get hosed on it, but once again it isn’t just the barrel. The stock doesn’t fit me well, and the amount I’d recoup selling the stock and barrel isn’t worth it. I’ll take the loss, I have a spare Tikka to build the PRC on and a 700 SA to build the 6 CM on, so selling the Bergara to fund one of those doesn’t bother me.

I did the same. Sold a bunch of rifles I rarely shot and consolidated the money on one awesome rifle I love to shoot. I am able to swap barrels on it once or twice a year if needed.

I have picked up a couple other rifles, but built them for a specific purpose where there is no overlap with the awesome rifle.

Having rifles in the safe that never get shot and take up space are a waste to me. They aren’t investments to me.

 

[Antares]

My main hunting rifle right now is a 20" .308 with a 7" can. I thought about going 18", but I'm real happy with it as is. I think 20" is a good compromise. I just shoot soft bullets to compensate for the low velocity. I'd like to have the same setup in 300WSM someday.

 

[roosiebull]

That’s pretty good! How many pins do you need for 400 yards? And what is your pin gap between 300 and 400 yards?

If you get over 50% foc, your arrow doesn’t drop, so 2 pins should be good to at least 500yds… a very reputable eye doctor said so

 

[Mike D Texas]

I built a 264 Win Mag Improved on a 28”
barrel and it delivers the goods in a hurry. I have a Nomad Ti in jail for it. 156 Berger EOL @ 2985fps avg with reduced fireform loads.

I’m in the process of a 20” 6.5 SAUM. Expecting ~2950fps with 156 EOL.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[BLJ]

Hopefully relevant to the thread. Does anyone have before and after velocity numbers? I'm really considering cutting my 7mm Remington mag from 24" to 20". Maybe even 19". I've read the general rule of 25-30 FPS lost per inch. I didn't know if that was close enough to reality to bo with or not.

 

[Marbles]

Hopefully relevant to the thread. Does anyone have before and after velocity numbers? I'm really considering cutting my 7mm Remington mag from 24" to 20". Maybe even 19". I've read the general rule of 25-30 FPS lost per inch. I didn't know if that was close enough to reality to bo with or not.

.308 Win Barrel Cut-Down Test: Velocity vs. Barrel Length « Daily Bulletin

With barrels, one wonders Can a little more length provide a meaningful velocity gain? To answer that question, Rifleshooter.com performed an interesting test, cutting...

bulletin.accurateshooter.com

7mm will probably loose slightly more per inch due to smaller base.

 

[BLJ]

Thanks. I checked out the link to the 300 Win mag and it averaged losing about 39 FPS per inch. Probably a better comparison to the 7 mag than the 308.

 

[madcalfe]

id say a 7mag probably isn't a good candidate for a 19-20" barrel

 

[HaydenLane]

.308 Win Barrel Cut-Down Test: Velocity vs. Barrel Length « Daily Bulletin

With barrels, one wonders Can a little more length provide a meaningful velocity gain? To answer that question, Rifleshooter.com performed an interesting test, cutting...

bulletin.accurateshooter.com

7mm will probably loose slightly more per inch due to smaller base.

id say a 7mag probably isn't a good candidate for a 19-20" barrel

Every rifle and load is different, but less than 30fps/inch here.

 

[BLJ]

Totally agree on every rifle and load being different. With that said, my rifle shoots 160/162 very well. If I could be around 2850 with a 160 class bullet and a 20” barrel I would be good with that. Even 2800 with a 19” would be okay for me.

 

[156821]

Hopefully relevant to the thread. Does anyone have before and after velocity numbers? I'm really considering cutting my 7mm Remington mag from 24" to 20". Maybe even 19". I've read the general rule of 25-30 FPS lost per inch. I didn't know if that was close enough to reality to bo with or not.

Here is my experience
30-06 150gr accubond 58gr IMR 4350
24” average 2860fps
20” average 2760fps

+\-30 fps for velocity spead.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Totally agree on every rifle and load being different. With that said, my rifle shoots 160/162 very well. If I could be around 2850 with a 160 class bullet and a 20” barrel I would be good with that. Even 2800 with a 19” would be okay for me.

That should be very easy to achieve especially if you're a handloader.
I'm sending 175/180s at 2800 from an 18" barrel in my 7-300 wsm improved

 

[hereinaz]

id say a 7mag probably isn't a good candidate for a 19-20" barrel

It will be better than a 20 inch 7-08… if you have a 7mm and that’s all you have to cut down, do it. Many 7mm are already 22” from the factory. 2 inches isn’t more than 70fps and that isn’t gonna make a huge difference in range.

 

[Lawnboi]

Is it just me or does it seem like the saying of X cartridge losing less velocity per inch than Y cartridge is a bunch of bullshit? The 308 crowd loves this one.

More powder=more boom.

 

[BLJ]

Thanks for all the response. Seems pretty definitive to me that I won’t be losing that much. Especially with hand loads.

 

[RonEgg]

Thanks for all the response. Seems pretty definitive to me that I won’t be losing that much. Especially with hand loads.

Among about five .308’s, two have shortened barrels, both 16”. The first was for a scout rifle and making specs. Second was a heavy barreled Ruger that I have yet to shot for want of an appropriate scope. That little “scout” has killed many deer until I rescoped due to my aging eyes. 200 yards max out of blinds in central Texas, the handiness of a short rifle cannot be dismissed.

 

[CoStick]

I will be cutting my fieldcraft.270 win to 20” soon to add a suppressor. From what I have read they seem to lose very little velocity with a shorter barrel.

 

[deerhunter628]

Is it just me or does it seem like the saying of X cartridge losing less velocity per inch than Y cartridge is a bunch of bullshit? The 308 crowd loves this one.

More powder=more boomg

Gunwerks has a podcast about shorter barrels. According to them some cartridges lose more velocity than others when you shorten the barrels. They talk about the 7’s. Its a good listen. It is an older podcast.

 

[Marbles]

Is it just me or does it seem like the saying of X cartridge losing less velocity per inch than Y cartridge is a bunch of bullshit? The 308 crowd loves this one.

Feel free to post data. A larger diameter should give more surface area for gas to act on, meaning less velocity loss cutting down larger calibers. Theory and reality do not always like up though as there are more factors at play, but if that is the case, data will show it to be so.

More powder=more boom.

No one has argued that a 16 inch 308 is faster than a 16 inch 300 mag. Though, due to loss of dwell time, a 300 mag is likely to loose more velocity if 10 inches is chopped off the barrel as there is less time for more power to burn.

 

[Lawnboi]

Feel free to post data. A larger diameter should give more surface area for gas to act on, meaning less velocity loss cutting down larger calibers. Theory and reality do not always like up though as there are more factors at play, but if that is the case, data will show it to be so.



No one has argued that a 16 inch 308 is faster than a 16 inch 300 mag. Though, due to loss of dwell time, a 300 mag is likely to loose more velocity if 10 inches is chopped off the barrel as there is less time for more power to burn.

I’m not in the game of wasting money for internet experiments that I find impractical. That said having a short rifle sure is practical, but overall I don’t think caliber of choice should have any bearing on how short you should go based on it being better at being short.

Simply stating what Iv found with the rifles that I have used. Cutting them down regardless of being a caliber that in internet theory losses less velocity, does the same that most other ones do.

I think barrel to barrel speed and SDs make this an exercise in futility without spending more than is reasonable for most. Iv read plenty of articles, and seen it on here plenty. 20-40 fps per inch I believe could happen with about any caliber.


Your 300 win mag example assumes that both cases are making the same velocity. The 300 is creating a lot more energy, it only makes sense that it would lose more in fps, and could be the same proportionally. Both cases losing 10% of velocity is not the same number.



That said I think people need to look at what they need for impact velocity at their given range and choose a realistic and safe to run round. If I want 2800 out of a 18 or 20” rifle I wouldn’t be basing my decision on how much the caliber is supposed to lose per inch or reloading the difference.

Reloading is a whole different conversation. I can make my creedmoor shoot closer to a PRC too. But then I’d have to carry a hammer to open my bolt when it rains.