sharp shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Essex county (Ontario)
I should post this in the "hardest kicking gun...." thread, but my friends 18.5" Remington pump 30-06 is a nasty little thing to shoot...In fact its likely as bad as a regular 300 win.
Ultimate barrel lengths
- Thread starter rascal1
- Start date
I used to own a very handy just over 17" barrel .30-06 Colombian Mauser carbine like this one -
Whenever I took it to the range and fired it off a few times with factory ammo it would clear out all the nearby shooting lanes/benches from the noise and muzzleblast wave, I was eventually asked in no uncertain terms that if I wanted to continue shooting at that range I better get or use another rifle as the complaints from other users was more than for any other gun ever fired there.
Even when used for hunting I had to wear hearing protection or end up with a headache and ringing ears after even one shot. I sold it off as it was never pleasant to use with that much noise and muzzleblast and it was a handful to hold on to when shot and the corrugated/ribbed steel butt plate would leave a nasty bruise unless you were wearing a thick coat. It was nice and light to carry and quick to bring to shoulder and shoot at only about 7 lbs in weight although.
Whenever I took it to the range and fired it off a few times with factory ammo it would clear out all the nearby shooting lanes/benches from the noise and muzzleblast wave, I was eventually asked in no uncertain terms that if I wanted to continue shooting at that range I better get or use another rifle as the complaints from other users was more than for any other gun ever fired there.
Even when used for hunting I had to wear hearing protection or end up with a headache and ringing ears after even one shot. I sold it off as it was never pleasant to use with that much noise and muzzleblast and it was a handful to hold on to when shot and the corrugated/ribbed steel butt plate would leave a nasty bruise unless you were wearing a thick coat. It was nice and light to carry and quick to bring to shoulder and shoot at only about 7 lbs in weight although.
I find that my 444 handled just fine in the bush and willow swamps with a 22" tube. The need for shorter barrels is overrated in my opinion. I find a 20" Win 94 as short a barrel I would want. For 30-06s 22 minimum and for magnums 24 minimum. My LE No.5 is a real terror for blast and flash compared to a No.4!
I have one candidate for barrel shortening, a 98 Mauser in 9.3X62 with a 24 " barrel.
Would abbreviating to 20 " be too much, certainly make it nicer carrying through the timber I'm thinking.
Any thoughts fellas ??
Would abbreviating to 20 " be too much, certainly make it nicer carrying through the timber I'm thinking.
Any thoughts fellas ??
Jmop Kevan, but I find 24" barreled rifles long..... I won't presume to give you a lesson on firearms ballistics, because your knowledge far exceeds mine, but my personal take is that the Wagner is a brute of a cartridge.... And I have seen heavy and slow do great things, and I have seen light and fast do great things as well.....
I am big fan of "purpose built" platforms...... And if cutting that barrel makes the rifle more suitable to what you intend to use it for, the I would be a proponent of doing so...... A rifle that stays in your safe because you don't like carrying it is a waste...
I am in favour of accuracy over velocity every time (as long as the trajectory meets your needs and the velocity is sufficient).....
This is the guy in question, as pictured it wore a 3X9 Burris, it will now wear a 3X Leupold after the dust settles..
IME a 9.3X62 is a prime candidate for a 20" barrel. The larger the bore (in general) the less overall performance you loose per inch of barrel loss (on a percentage of original velocity basis)... I would say cut that rifle down and put it to good use... that IS a nice rifle.
- Location
- Beaverlodge, Alberta
My limited experience 2c worth, I hunt two rifles currently. A 300 H&H Mod 70, and a 303Br Ross 05-R. Both 26" tubes. Why? Because the Ross handles much more like a fine shotgun than the Winchester and shoots very neat little groups, while the Winchester has much more weight, bulk, and longer range and loves beating the sides out of one bullet hole at 100m. Both cartridges really like their 26" tubes. The Ross is built around fast shooting at short ranges, the M70 obviously is for stretching it's legs a bit from a stand or blind. Point I'm getting at is that you are talking about shortening a heavy semi auto magnum for use at close range in the bush. Why not just choose the right tool for the job in the first place? It may work out well, or it may be just as cumbersome as before minus 2-4" of barrel length, added noise and recoil. And if you decide you don't want it, you may have a harder time finding someone else who does when you go to sell it. Just my opinion though of course...
Thanks Brad, I have to say that I wish that I lived closer to you and Hoyt, could we have some fun trips to the range or what ?.
Na, still kicking that idea around. In the process of trying to procur a carbine length barrel to see if it what I am really needing. After that, I may try to experiment on other guns for the ideal length.
If you let me fire off some of your big bores it certainly would be fun for me..... Lol
Of course ! That's the least I could do..... Be warned, they are addictive .
I'm looking at getting a 500 Jeffery and that will be the limit.... I'm thinking..
That price sounds a bit steep for sure. I had a quote for a barrel cut and crown out my way for around $150. That was on a semi and there didn't seem to be any concern for the gas system. The biggest issue it seems is cutting the crown properly. It can be done on a lathe or with a hand held reamer. Practicing a DIY cut and crown on a junk barrel would be the way to start out.
In the past I did them through the headstock with a spider in a lathe, but dont have access to one anymore. I found some 'smiths' who were unwilling to do this, and wanted to do it in all kinds of ludicrous ways. Anyway, the BAR is supposed to be finicky with barrel reduction, guess I will find out one day.
