Barrel Lengths ?

[quicksylver]

Hi guys...I was just looking over the tread "The Savage is Done".

I noticed that a lot of us like the longer barrels.

But I am wondering outside of increased velocity are we gaining anything,
especially now that we are using scopes ?

So speaking accuracy wise with cast bullets and for now leaving out the AR's
what in your opinion would be the optimal barrel length and o.s. diameter for a given caliber.

I see an awful lot of short 20" heavy barrels showing up lately.

I believe the industry standard is 22" for accuracy, velocity and barrel whip,
but we are not using jacket bullets, so...?

 

[Brad]

Good question.
Longer is nice for velocity but can get unmanageable in the woods. Is it a target rifle or hunting gun?
I have a few Marlins. The 1894c with the really short barrel might be handy but I don't care for it. I really prefer the old style CB with the 24 inch barrel. Balances better and was never an issue in the woods. I feel the same about the 1895. I prefer the 24 inch barrel over the guide guns.

I suppose I'm a long barrel guy? 24 inches just works well for me. If I was building a short range ultra accurate rifle for bench work I could easily see a fat, stiff 20 inch tube.

In short, it depends? Barrel length is dependant on the end use.

 

[35 shooter]

Lots of short stiff (heavy) bbls. on the bench rest shooters scene. I also see in research all the time that a lot of "old time" cast bullet shooters touted "the longer the better" for cast.

 

[Josh]

I am impartial for my barrel length, and am happy anywhere between 16" and 26" for my standard bolt actions.

That being said I believe a large problem with cast bullet accuracy at high velocity is muzzle pressure. We have a perfectly shaped bullet for the throat and chamber but when the bullet base *just* leaves the crown there is still tons of pressure on a now unsupported base.

I believe this leads to bending of the bullet or a "de-squaring" of the bottom. There are 2 ways to fix that, one is use a faster powder (which may not be possible for the velocity goals) or two is a longer barrel, the more volume the barrel has from breech to muzzle the lower the muzzle pressure will be.

Have you ever seen a cast bullet load that shoots lights out in a 24" barrel rifle but then you try it in another rifle with a shorter barrel and it falls apart? Muzzle pressure can (and i think is) the answer there.

 

[RBHarter]

I think it is in the goal of the shooter .
I read of a single lot test done that showed an M2 06' to be fastest at 23" and going faster as the bbl was shortened from 30-24" at 21" it began to slow again . There are lots of variables inside to consider as well in the final desired results free bore is 1 .
Now it really depends what I'm shooting and what the game is . I have a 16" 45 Colts 92' , I think that at 18" would get the maximum from the Colts and still be plenty short in the brush ,thickets ,camper , truck or just around the house. Although the 30-30 bolt gun at 20 " or 32 Remington Model 14 slide action fills this nitch also.
Hunting the open country I'm more likely to go with 308,06' or maybe the 264 so 22-24 .

Going to the back country or hikes over 3 miles makes me want for a bolt gun of short action and light profiles and makes a short rigid gun preferred . 8 oz when you step out at dawn has a bad habit of becoming 8 tons by dark. So a 18-20" single taper bbl in a 7mm-08 class would get a nod .

Rock chucking or long range steel a big fat full bull bbl of 24 to 28" will get the nod as weight becomes no issue and the ability to hit a pack of smokes at 300 yd is the goal .

I guess overall 20" is the answer adjusted to suit cartridge OAL

 

[yodogsandman]

I recall an old post or article, I think by Felix, that touted the perfect cast bullet barrel length at 21.5 ".

I hunt the woods so , my longest barrel is 22". Shortest is 16.5" (best).

 

[RicinYakima]

I gain the muzzle blast being farther away from my face. Have you ever shot next to somebody with one of the 16" 308's? They will scorch your face if you are on the next bench.

 

[KHornet]

I am fond of the long bbls on my milsurps (swedes, mosins etc), but have no problems and I only shoot cast in them anyway. I remember, (I think) of that post by Felix (I think) about the 21.5" being perfect length. There is possibly some basis for that, but then there is the issues of bbl dia, fluted or non fluted, etc.etc.etc. My shortest bbl is on my #3 KHornet, so muzzle blast is no big deal. However you don't want to be on the next bench when Brad is shooting his Contender in KHornet, it sounds like a cannon going off.

 

[Hummer]

I guess I kind of look it like the SAS. It is what you can carry in your hands (no sling) all day as at one time on their FALs I read no slings as they wanted all their people to have a rifle more or less at the ready. This was pre 911 so changes could have taken place. Book I read was written circa Sandbox 1.

I walk four miles about three/four mornings a week and I have been experimenting. I have killed snakes and coyotes out walking. I am in a rural area and everyone has a gun in their vehicle so no one is shocked to see someone with a long gun walking down he road. This one weighs 8.5 lbs loaded with 5 rounds in mag. It is a sporterized P14 with a reworked 1903A3 barrel.

I just had a reamer reworked by Dave Manson and it now has a .4535 base so I am going to pull barrel, set it back and rechamber. Reamer was a Elliott and for some reason it was machined to the max SAAMI dimension which is death on cases that are FL sized. My new cases measure .452 base dimension so with the tight chamber cases should last. On rimmed cases I headspace them to snug on the factory shoulder as I don't want anything on my brass moving over .002 when it is fired.

Correctly termed it is a 30/303 and barrel is about 18 3/4" with LOP 12 1/8". I have also worked the trigger for a nice let off at the end of the take up. The rifle was originally built to be a truck gun but after spinal surgery May 18th Doc wanted me to walk all I could. I am slowly getting back to riding a mountain bike and I have a sling carry rifle for that. A reworked M1911 Swiss with a medium weight target barrel rechambered for 7.5 Swiss. Barrel mounted scope as well.

 

[quicksylver]

Kind of looks like something our neighbors to the north, up there in Moose Land would have...I like it..

 

[Hummer]

It points quick, haven't shot it too much as the chamber is so big brass life is very short. I will be shooting it much more just as soon as I set the barrel back and put in the tight chamber. I forgot to add I had the long throat taken down to .308 and 2 1/2 deg throat because they way it was, the 30 cal bullet would find the rifling about middle of next week ! ! ! !

The stock is exactly like I got it except I float the barrel channel and bedded the action.

 

[Intheshop]

Generally,a 22" bolt gun is what maintains my attention.But prefer a 24".

Two things come to mind when shooting cast,which is pretty much all I shoot anymore.Recoil pulse and swing on target,is more manageable for me,as barrel gets longer.

Shooting off our heavy rest doing load testing chores,it's easier to control a slightly longer barrel with sporter stocks during the recoil pulse.BR rigs have seen their stock bottoms growing in width in this area.

But even when field shooting,or using a proven tack driving load,where the "rest",isn't the best...the recoil pulse and how the stock fits seems to be slightly less critical with a longer tube.

"Swing" is not necessarily shooting moving targets.There is swing when shooting stationary targets offhand.Well fitted stocks,moderate scope length,and a longer tube makes for tighter/easier groups or "hits" for me.

Stock fit with rifles never got the "traction" it did/does with shotguns....pity.

 

[freebullet]

Guess my answer would depend on planned use. Long barrel for open country and short for timber. I have a 16" 308 it's not as bad as a friend's 18" 270. That 270 is insane in muzzle blast & recoil.

 

[JWFilips]

Well Since my background is Pennsylvania Longrifles I likes the Loong Barrel!
In those long guns I like the 46 to 48" swamped barrels so When I got into shooting cast bullet in centerfire rifles it was easy to choose a favorite..... My GEW 98 with it's 29 1/2" barrel Long sight radius for tired eyes is always best for me ....but I'm just punching paper anymore.
On my scope sighted guns I still like 22 to 24"

 

[9.3X62AL]

My bolters run 16.5" to 24", leverguns 18" to 22". Barrel length "don't make a whole heap" to me, I can miss with any given barrel quite capably.

 

[KHornet]

Gotta agree with Freebullet on this one!

 

[Canuck Bob]

I am new and just getting into cast shooting. I hunted for decades in the Canadian Bush with a 70's 444S. It had a 22" tube and fit and balanced superbly for me with a Williams FP. It was never a problem for length in the tightest moose swamp. I felt its barrel length was perfect. My Lee Enfield No. 5 Carbine is too short. Far too much fire and noise, who needs the fuss. My favorite deer rifle, Win 94 Carbine, is as short at 20" I would go. Does an 18" Win 94 really make any difference? The 32-20 Winoku 92 with a 24" barrel is too long, no keeping a guy happy! I also agree that a little barrel length really smooths out swing.

In the end anything that hunts or plinks must hand carry nicely. The 444 was ideal. Scoped bolts are best for the bench. I just find them and scoped rifles clumsy in general.

 

[RBHarter]

Since we've wandered into swingablity .
I hunt a 26" 12 ga slide action. I have a 2nd bbl for it at 28" and it changes everything about the feel of the vent ribs of the 3" BPS. In the next breath...... I prefer a 28" slick bbl on a Model 12 over the 30-32 inch . With all of that said ...... the El Cheapo double O/U over all would benefit from another 2" of bbl at its current 28" .

As far as hunting guns go , bbl length ,after reaching the balistic goals, is an individual thing that will be based on what,where and when you're hunting but more so by action type and shooters build .
Unless you have a death wish or an absolute air tight plan you'd be at least mildly unstable to take a 12" 300 BO AR on a pack in Montana/Alaska pack in moose hunt but on a Texas Hog Hunt it'd be ok. While I'm certain that Dad's bull bbl 25 06 700BDL would be just the cats meow for Dahls' sheep I don't want to pack the 14# gem in to where they are , but it's great for Mulies within a mile of the truck .

Keeping in mind too that a 24" bbl is 4" shorter to the butt on a Contender /Encore or Ruger #1 than a magnum 98/700/ etc.

 

[Will]

My 16.5" barreled encore is the most woods friendly rifle I have ever owned. It does get caught on branches when carried on a sling. And it's really handy in a tree stand.

 

[Tony]

For me a pump or auto loading shotgun is fine with a 26" barrel. However, I prefer 30" or 32" barrels on an O/U. With a pump or auto the receiver length effectively becomes part of the barrel for sighting/swing purposes.