308 barrel length; 22", 24", or 26"??????
- Thread starter Rob96
- Start date
barrel length
For the 308 I think 22" would be optimum but I would be guessing that 26" would still give you a slightly faster barrel than either 22" or 24" but barrel length is alway a compromise between what gives top performance and what is easier to handle in the field. The thing to watch if you do decide to go 20" is how much more noticable muzzle blast is. A friend cut down a No 4 mk1 Lee Enfield in 303 British to 19" and the increase in noise and muzzle flash was amazing. If you are going to cut it down it might be better to cut one inch at a time off it and see how you go because you can't glue it back on after you have cut it off.
As a predator and precision shooting gun and if it shoots ok now I would probably leave it like it is.
For the 308 I think 22" would be optimum but I would be guessing that 26" would still give you a slightly faster barrel than either 22" or 24" but barrel length is alway a compromise between what gives top performance and what is easier to handle in the field. The thing to watch if you do decide to go 20" is how much more noticable muzzle blast is. A friend cut down a No 4 mk1 Lee Enfield in 303 British to 19" and the increase in noise and muzzle flash was amazing. If you are going to cut it down it might be better to cut one inch at a time off it and see how you go because you can't glue it back on after you have cut it off.
As a predator and precision shooting gun and if it shoots ok now I would probably leave it like it is.
N00b_Shooter
New member
20" is enough unless ur gonna be shooting at long range targets. Ur only gonna see a reduction in velocity.
Do you have a source for this? I mean, an experiment where someone took a 26" barrel and chronographed some loads then cut it down and repeated the test. Granted, the velocity gain is not much past 16-20" or so, but velocity does not decrease at 26" with most loads.
I have not wrung mine out much, but 20" is the length for a bunch of "tactical" 308 rifles, but those are more for carrying in odd places than hunting. Knowing your zeroes at distances will be more important than a couple inches of barrel length.
Lee
Long range gun and not a woods gun go with the long barrel, 26". I use a 20" barrel on my 308 but I am shooting 180 gr hunting bullets and rarely shoot it more than 300 yards and hunting distances its more like 60 yards to 150 yards. Here is an article you may be interested in.
http://www.riflebarrels.com/articles/longrange_shooting/ideal_barrel_308_tactical_rifle.htm
http://www.riflebarrels.com/articles/longrange_shooting/ideal_barrel_308_tactical_rifle.htm
N00b_Shooter
New member
I dont exactly know what your asking me there but its common knowledge that every inch gives you a velocity gain, why do you think Palma shooters use 28" - 32"? If it was the same as a 26" barrel they would just use that, and if that was the same as a 20" barrel (Which is what i think your saying), why wouldn't they just use a 20" for there 1000 yard shots? So yes, velocity does actually decrease when cutting a barrel down.
Rob,
Just personal preference but I preferred 22" barrels on my .308 caliber rifles. To me, that was a good compromise between velocity, handling, accuracy, and looks. When I tired of the gun/caliber and wanted to try something else, I had no problems selling either of them quickly.
Just personal preference but I preferred 22" barrels on my .308 caliber rifles. To me, that was a good compromise between velocity, handling, accuracy, and looks. When I tired of the gun/caliber and wanted to try something else, I had no problems selling either of them quickly.
NikonHunter
New member
lmccrock said:
It's almost as if he thinks having a shorter barrel will make it faster. ??
NikonHunter
Thats cause they use iron sights, the longer the sight radius the better with irons. However even in long range (800-1000) the 22 in barrel is fine for the 308.
Tons of good scores were fired at 1000 using the 22 in M14/M1A barrels.
I suppose if you are using slower powder like 4831 or 4350 the longer barrels may be needed but normal 308 powders, 4895, R-15, etc, dont need the extra barrel.
trooper3385
New member
Your going to reduce the velocity a little going to 26in to 20in but probably not as much as in some other calibers. A 308 burns up most of it's powder in about 18in. I checked into this quite a bit several years ago when I was looking into buying a Remington 700 LTR. If your looking at a 600 yds to a 1000 yd gun, it would be an issue. Under that, you probably won't notice much of a difference.
Maybe sell the gun?
If you take the value of the gun if you sold it and add it to the amount it would cost to alter it is that enough to buy what you really want? The only reason I suggest this is once you shorten the barrel you still have a heavy rifle. Also you say you want a "precision/predator control gun" then you could get a .223 (cheaper ammo). I love the .308 but this is just another idea.
If you take the value of the gun if you sold it and add it to the amount it would cost to alter it is that enough to buy what you really want? The only reason I suggest this is once you shorten the barrel you still have a heavy rifle. Also you say you want a "precision/predator control gun" then you could get a .223 (cheaper ammo). I love the .308 but this is just another idea.
Using 45.0 gr of Re15 and 180 gr bullet, the No.12 Speer Reloading Manual states a muzzle velocity of 2613 fps. The test rifle is a Remington 700 with a 22" barrel.
Using the same load in my 18" barrel Ruger Mk II International, I get 2565 fps - only about 50 fps less. It's an efficient cartridge.
Using the same load in my 18" barrel Ruger Mk II International, I get 2565 fps - only about 50 fps less. It's an efficient cartridge.
Don't forget about harmonics. A longer barrel also needs to be a heavier profile to keep the "barrel whip" effect under control because the longer distance to the muzzle reduces the relative stiffness.
Checkout this link for more technical discussion, or at least some cool animations of what I'm talking about.
http://www.varmintal.com/atune.htm
If the rifle has a lightweight barrel contour, then the smaller close range groups from a shortened barrel may outweigh gains of attaining maximum velocity.
Checkout this link for more technical discussion, or at least some cool animations of what I'm talking about.
http://www.varmintal.com/atune.htm
If the rifle has a lightweight barrel contour, then the smaller close range groups from a shortened barrel may outweigh gains of attaining maximum velocity.
Barrel length
I just ran the figures through the ballists program and all things be equal velocity from 20 inches to 26 velocity does keep climbing.
20" - 21" increase = 45 ft per second
21" - 22" increase = another 40ft per second
22" - 23" " = " 36 ft per second
23" - 24" " = " 31 ft per second
24" - 25" " = " 27 ft per second
24" - 26" " = " 21 ft per second
I don't always believe what the computer tells me but on going through this exercise with a 308 CZ the computer predictions were very close to what was achieved on the Pact Chronograph. load selected was 45.0 grains of ADI AR2208 (also known as Varget) behind a 165 grain spitzer bullet which gave an average velocity out of a 26inch barrel for a ten shot string of 2804ft per sec. Because the computer predicted velocity was so close (within 11ft per second) I think the estimated increase in velocity in extending barrel length would also be quite close. I did not test any higher than 26 inches but my gut feeling is that this trend would continue for maybe another inch or two and then go into negative figures as the extra barrel friction would begin to slow the bullet down. About 150ft per second or just over is about what I would have guessed the increase would be when changing from a 20 inch to a 26inch barrel.
We also had similar results when another friend wanted to shorten his Norinco Bushranger in 7.62 X 39. Another thing to remember is that even the average .22 rimfire round needs 16 to 17 inches of barrel length to achieve full velocity so the results for the 308 is not surprizing.
I just ran the figures through the ballists program and all things be equal velocity from 20 inches to 26 velocity does keep climbing.
20" - 21" increase = 45 ft per second
21" - 22" increase = another 40ft per second
22" - 23" " = " 36 ft per second
23" - 24" " = " 31 ft per second
24" - 25" " = " 27 ft per second
24" - 26" " = " 21 ft per second
I don't always believe what the computer tells me but on going through this exercise with a 308 CZ the computer predictions were very close to what was achieved on the Pact Chronograph. load selected was 45.0 grains of ADI AR2208 (also known as Varget) behind a 165 grain spitzer bullet which gave an average velocity out of a 26inch barrel for a ten shot string of 2804ft per sec. Because the computer predicted velocity was so close (within 11ft per second) I think the estimated increase in velocity in extending barrel length would also be quite close. I did not test any higher than 26 inches but my gut feeling is that this trend would continue for maybe another inch or two and then go into negative figures as the extra barrel friction would begin to slow the bullet down. About 150ft per second or just over is about what I would have guessed the increase would be when changing from a 20 inch to a 26inch barrel.
We also had similar results when another friend wanted to shorten his Norinco Bushranger in 7.62 X 39. Another thing to remember is that even the average .22 rimfire round needs 16 to 17 inches of barrel length to achieve full velocity so the results for the 308 is not surprizing.
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Precision/Predator control gun? I am just assuming your not shooting over 200 yards and predators are Wolves, coyotes, foxes, and maybe a bobcat or something similar. If you are talking about big predators get a bigger caliber but that is a different thread. My opinion....cut that barrel down. I think the word optimal needs some more info but there are tactical .308 that have 16" barrels with flash hiders. I also watched a guy win a 800 yard match (against some good shooters with nice equipment) using a 20" barrel. Don't remember what exactly his groups were but they were nice. He had a worked 700 LTR.....My opinion is precision/predator=cut it.
Velocity gain or loss due to barrel length depends on the burn rate of the powder being used..... slow powders like IMR 7828 and RL 22 can take advantage of the longer barrel for more velocity. Quicker powders will achieve optimum velocity in a shorter barrel.
Shots can be very long here..... sometime there is nothing to hide behind to get closer. If you are going to shoot long shots, maximum velocity and high BC bullets are an advantage. And practice is a must.
Shots can be very long here..... sometime there is nothing to hide behind to get closer. If you are going to shoot long shots, maximum velocity and high BC bullets are an advantage. And practice is a must.