Barrel length and velocity loss

[Deleted]

Here's a chart from a guy who cut his barrel down 1" at a time and chronographed the same load.

[davet]

8" of barrel weight for 200fps on a 160gr. bullet. Seems to me I would prefer cutting of the 8" of weight for the 200fps and energy reduction.

[willyp]

That's interesting . Thanks Mike .

[Dutch]

Used to be they said 10 fps per inch, I think

[Deleted]

Aug 2, 2018 4:43:58 GMT -5 Dutch said:

Used to be they said 10 fps per inch, I think

With a more efficient cartridge, like say a 6.5 Creed, that's probably close to true. The belted mags are going to suffer more loss.

[Deleted]

Aug 1, 2018 21:35:27 GMT -5 davet said:

8" of barrel weight for 200fps on a 160gr. bullet. Seems to me I would prefer cutting of the 8" of weight for the 200fps and energy reduction.

If I was building a custom 7mm Mag (the idea does sound appealing) I would go with a 23" barrel.

[3212]

I have 2 .243's.A 24" model 70 and a 16 and 1/2" ruger.The charts say there is a 300fps drop from 2800fps in the longer barrel to 2500 in the short one.

[Deleted]

The general rule of thumb is 25 fps/per inch.

[dougell]

Twenty some years ago,I took a rem model 7 to a gunsmith.I wanted him to re-barrel it to a 358 win with a 20" barrel.I wanted a short,light big bore that would be somewhat of a hammer out to 200 yards or so.He refused to cut any barrel shorter than 24" lol.The guy was a little too opinionated for my tastes so I walked away.Last year I sent a different model 7 to a different gunsmith and he did exactly what I wanted.It turned out to be a winner so I was right and the first guy was wrong.Ha

[3212]

As far as accuracy goes the little Ruger is more accurate at 100 yds than the Model 70.Now the Model 70 has had thousands of rounds through it and probably has erosion.The 16 inch Ruger has a stainless barrel and less than 300 rounds fired.It is a nice carry gun.I can hold it out with one hand.

[Deleted]

Short barrels are misunderstood and even feared. My Dad always hunted with a 30-06 with an 18 1/2" barrel. I shot it before and it was no big deal. I have to laugh when someone asks on a shooting forum about cutting a barrel below 20" on a big game rifle. The "experts" immediately chime in with "you'll have too much recoil and muzzle blast" chants. They proclaim a carbine length barrel to be impractical and also apparently a harbinger of Armageddon. One of my biggest pet peeves is 24" barrels on short action cartridges. I don't like that.

[davet]

But if you have a 6mm Creedmore.....velocity never changes. You can compare a 16" barrel to a 24" barrel........the 6mm Creedmore will launch a 100gr. bullet at 7,500fps!!!

True.

[3212]

The muzzle blast is louder in the 16 incher.But,I've dropped deer just as well with it.

[Deleted]

Aug 2, 2018 17:31:43 GMT -5 davet said:

But if you have a 6mm Creedmore.....velocity never changes. You can compare a 16" barrel to a 24" barrel........the 6mm Creedmore will launch a 100gr. bullet at 7,500fps!!!

True.

Awesome! I'm on board.

[dennyf]

Often depends on the cartridge/bullet combo, when it comes to optimum barrel length.

Longer barrels generally do a better job with some cartridges, say in what many consider to be "varmint" cartridges vs larger bore big game stuff?

Two of my friends were into wildcats years ago, that were mostly intended for woodchucks, some also doubled as LR deer thumpers w/heavier bullets. One guy got incredible results from his 300 Win Mag necked down to 6mm. Basically a 1,000 BR rifle, heavy laminated stock, 28" SS heavy (1.25") barrel, etc. Pretty flat shooting rig for 'chucks out to 800 yards and beyond. Think he killed one doe with it at around 700 yards, forget the load, but it was a slightly heavier bullet than he loaded for 'chucks.

The other one built what had been a Ruger 77V, re-barreled in 6mm-Ought Six. 28" SS Douglass about an inch at the muzzle. Dandy 'chuck killer out to around 800 yards w/65gr Btips, used 95gr Btips for deer, IIRC? They were both 6mm fanatics, also had "regular" 6mm Rem. heavy barrel rifles.

I bobbed a Mauser M98 in 8x57 to 20" for my son's first bolt action deer rifle, about 30 years ago. Never chronographed the loads, but after shooting assorted heavier loads in it, tried some Hornady 125gr Spire Points that shot more accurately than anything else I'd ever tried in it. Defying the odds, as those Mausers were designed to shoot up to 190gr bullets. Lightened Fajen walnut stock, Timney trigger, handy little rascal to carry.

[davet]

I just watched a guns 'n butter show that was yapping all about the 6mm Creedmore. He stated several times that it's no more of a cartridge than the .243. I would guess that if you shoot only factory ammo, the .243 ammo has to be less costly.

BTW & FWIW, I have a Winchester 1894 in 30-30. I think it's the Legendary Lawman model. It has a short LOP of only 13" and a barrel length (factory) of 16.250". I've loaded some mid-range loads for it and it kicks like a mule!!

I call it "my concealed carry rifle."

[Deleted]

My 16" 30-30 (also 13" LOP) is a little prick to shoot. My 45-70 is more pleasant.

[dennyf]

My 1920s vintage M94SRC in 32 Special, has a 20" barrel. Even with that crescent steel butt plate and my snappy 170gr Hornady FP loads, don't bother me at all and I'm a recoil wuss.



Didn't bother my son when he was a spindly 12 YO, either. Guy at our club watched him fire about 20 rounds at 50 yards one day, wearing a sweat shirt. Asked me if the recoil didn't bother the kid. Said guess not, 'cause he ain't quit shooting it yet?

[Deleted]

Right now I can tell you about recoil. I just had my 7.5 # with scope .300 Win Mag at the range.