shortest .300 wm barrel for a hunting rifle ?

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madashell

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Contemplating a .300 wm rifle but it's only available with a 26" barrel which I think is a touch long for a hunting rig. (this is not target rifle, hunting only)

At the very least if I pick this one up it will be getting chopped down to 24".

Not necessarily interested in squeezing out every last drop of velocity for typical hunting ranges so not worried about a couple inches.

What's the shortest barrel you would consider for a .300 wm ?
 
The shortest I would go would be 24", otherwise I think you would be giving up the performance you might expect from a magnum at the expense of muzzle blast and recoil. If I wanted a shorter barrel than 24", I would probably pick a different chambering like a 30-06.
 
I wouldn't have a 300 WM with less than a 24" barrel either. That seems to be the shortest reasonable length given the payload of powder you're dealing with.
 
If you go back much below 24" you'll lose the performance of the 300WM. Once you start losing velocity, you're just shooting a .30 cal bullet with the same velocity as a 30-06 or a 308, so why bother with the Win Mag? Why not just get a 30-06 or .308 with a shorter barrel that's more convenient for you.
 
KePet said:
If you go back much below 24" you'll lose the performance of the 300WM. Once you start losing velocity, you're just shooting a .30 cal bullet with the same velocity as a 30-06 or a 308, so why bother with the Win Mag? Why not just get a 30-06 or .308 with a shorter barrel that's more convenient for you.
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This exactly
 
madashell said:
Contemplating a .300 wm rifle but it's only available with a 26" barrel which I think is a touch long for a hunting rig. (this is not target rifle, hunting only)

At the very least if I pick this one up it will be getting chopped down to 24".

Not necessarily interested in squeezing out every last drop of velocity for typical hunting ranges so not worried about a couple inches.

What's the shortest barrel you would consider for a .300 wm ?
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18" is as short as you can legally cut it, I would have no problem using one in that length. You can go shorter if you spin on a new shorter barrel as well
 
Brian46 said:
18" is as short as you can legally cut it, I would have no problem using one in that length. You can go shorter if you spin on a new shorter barrel as well
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Oh no, I can't see going anywhere near that short for a .300 wm ! About the shortest I could wrap my head around maybe in this cartridge might be 22" knowing full well it's not ideal for it's potential. Below 22", no way. That would just be an expensive experiment to me.

Frankly I don't NEED a .300wm hunting rifle (.300 long range target, yes), but for hunting no. It's more wanting one because I like the round. Given all that, I really don't want 26" because I find them a bit unruly for a carry rig, hence the pipe cutter idea.
 
I have several .308's ranging from 18.5" to 22" so that base is well covered. Don't have much interest in 30'06.

I do get your point however. Just trying to find a bit of a balance. 26" and up barrels kinda bug me for carry hunting rigs. Can't imagine carrying around something even longer. This is why I'm leaning toward 24".

Figured most guys would suggest staying with 26", just wanted to gage what people were feeling on shorter versions to gain a better rounded opinion.

KePet said:
If you go back much below 24" you'll lose the performance of the 300WM. Once you start losing velocity, you're just shooting a .30 cal bullet with the same velocity as a 30-06 or a 308, so why bother with the Win Mag? Why not just get a 30-06 or .308 with a shorter barrel that's more convenient for you.
Click to expand...
 
I wouldn't be afraid of a 22" barrel, would push 180gr @ 3000, hell even at 18.5" it will outrun a 22" 30-06 by 75 fps

The guys who wine about the potential muzzle blast probably have a brake on their 270's
 
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Brian46 said:
18" is as short as you can legally cut it, I would have no problem using one in that length. You can go shorter if you spin on a new shorter barrel as well
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Unless he is looking for a semi auto, he can have a barrel shorter than 18”.... although, it would obviously be a waste of the .300 wm
 
Superbrad said:
Unless he is looking for a semi auto, he can have a barrel shorter than 18”.... although, it would obviously be a waste of the .300 wm
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That is what my post states. You can't cut a bolt action rifles barrel below 18", you can however spin on a new manufactured short barrel and maintain the NR status as long as you maintain the 26" overall length.

I see no waste in building a short barrel rifle for hunting in any caliber, really depends on where you hunt if you can make use of all that extra length
 
Brian46 said:
That is what my post states. You can't cut a bolt action rifles barrel below 18", you can however spin on a new manufactured short barrel and maintain the NR status as long as you maintain the 26" overall length.

I see no waste in building a short barrel rifle for hunting in any caliber, really depends on where you hunt if you can make use of all that extra length
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Fair enough....

I can just imagine what the muzzle blast from an 18” 300wm would look like...
 
Superbrad said:
Fair enough....

I can just imagine what the muzzle blast from an 18” 300wm would look like...
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Not enough to worry about.

Desert tech makes a SRS with 18" barrel in 338 lapua and it is a bullpup on top of that. Didn't have an issue with blast.

You would have to put a brake on it that directed the bast into your own face before I would be worried.
 
Superbrad said:
Fair enough....

I can just imagine what the muzzle blast from an 18” 300wm would look like...
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I have a Sako Fiberclass Handy rifle in 300WM with, I believe, a 19 1/4" barrel. I, too, had wondered what the muzzle blast would be like, but to my surprise, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary when shooting it during daylight hours. I'm still curious what the effect of the short barrel is on velocity, but haven't had a chance to chrono it yet.

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i shot for a while our tikka battue 695 in 300 win mag, very handy but no more than a 30-06. but in france we need have the right to use 30-06 for hunting and to possess was a little complicated more than the restricted here.

the flash coming from the short barrel was interesting lol ... but again very handy.

the open sights were very good too.
 
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