Short barrels on Magnum calibers

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tommy88

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Like many of you on this forum I'm still in search of the holy grail rifle. I'm sure I'll never find it, but it's fun to try.

I'm interested in an all around rifle in a Magnum caliber that can hunt anything, anywhere in Canada up to 3-400m. And I also like short barrels.

What would you guys recommend?
 
I have a rem model 7 in 300 SAUM, with the right bullets it could easily work for any game in North America.

Took lots of tinkering to get it the way I wanted it, but with the wildcat stock and a number of other small changes it fits the bill quite nicely.
 
Our American counterparts are using lots of hunting rifles with 18-20" barrels because of suppressors these days, including magnums. Seems counterparts productive to me but its worth it to them. That being being said, I have a 20" .375 Ruger.
 
I think it depends on what cartridge it is? I seen a new rifle chambered in 28 Nosler the other day with a 22” barrel. Seems a bit short for that scud! I do however love short barrels and would sacrifice a bit of speed for it….
 
we had a lot of short barrels 300 win mags in our hunting club in france when the 30-06 was prohibited to possess for most peons ... needless to say a lot of noise and flashes to get 30-06 perfs into a 300 win mag ...
 
bcsteve said:
Our American counterparts are using lots of hunting rifles with 18-20" barrels because of suppressors these days, including magnums. Seems counterparts productive to me but its worth it to them. That being being said, I have a 20" .375 Ruger.
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I think 375 something is the way to go in a short barrel do all hunting rifle. Overbore magnums are less than ideal for that.
 
I've been gravitating towards shorter barrels for some time now, even considering a 20" barrel instead of 24" when I rebarrel my 300WSM. The main drawback to a shorter barrel is a bit of velocity loss and that's not necessarily really significant for many of us.

We have so many great powders and bullets these days that can mitigate loss of a few inches of barrel that 20" barrel performance is the same as 24" barrel performance from 20 years ago.

How and where you hunt likely plays a big role in deciding optimum barrel length.
 
If you need a short barrel (<22"), then get one.

If you need a magnum to get the performance you need with that short barrel, then get a magnum.

There's some strange "wisdom" around that suggests that magnum (aka "overbore") cartridges "need" long barrels, and that's nonsense - regardless of barrel length, more case capacity always provides more energy and higher MV. An 18" barrel does not turn a 300 Win Mag into a loud 30-06 - it will still provide significantly higher MV than an 18" 30-06.

If for example I wanted a 20" barrel for easy of handling, or lighter weight, or even because I like the way it looks, but a 30-06 couldn't provide the MV (energy) I need, then you go with a 300 Win Mag (or higher). Sure it's louder and kicks more and is less "efficient", but it's that simple.
 
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I have a factory 16.5" barreled .300RCM Ruger Compact M77. This cartridge was designed to be a good performer in short barrels and it isn't too harsh to shoot either. Energy-wise, it falls in between the 30-06 and the 300WM, not bad for such a compact unit.
 
338 Win Mag. Mine comes in at 21". You will get out to your 400m mark and have good smack down power in tight. I like the 205 Hammer bullet in it myself but there are lots of good bullet options.
 
tommy88 said:
Like many of you on this forum I'm still in search of the holy grail rifle. I'm sure I'll never find it, but it's fun to try.

I'm interested in an all around rifle in a Magnum caliber that can hunt anything, anywhere in Canada up to 3-400m. And I also like short barrels.

What would you guys recommend?
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What constitutes a short barrel for you ?

The 'purpose' of a magnum is to deliver more energy... why handicap that with a very short barrel?

I would suggest a .338 Winchester Magnum with a 20 inch barrel would satisfy your 'needs'.
 
I had a Sako carbine with a 20” barrel in 300 WM. It would launch 180gr bullets at 2950 fps, when I close my eyes I can still see the muzzle flash and hear the roar.
 
My new 45-70 has a 16.5" barrel. Bit of a scope on it and 300 yard shots will be no problem.

Few years back you could not find a factory rifle in the magnums in less then the recommended length barrel. Now take a look at the offerings. Lots of 7 and 300 saum going to 20" barrels from factory. Just look at Precision optics and you will see that.
 
Started going short 20+ years ago, never looked back, my 300wsm at 19” with reloader 22 or 17 gets a 165gr over 3000fps easy. I’m 300yd zero guy in 3006 and up, been doing it for 30+ years, for moose up to 400yds that’s almost just point and shoot.
 
There's some good info to come out of this. I'm just learning about the ruger magnums. I've heard of guys clambering "guide rifles" in 338 win mag. Anyone have any input?

As to the previous question: the shorter, the better, if I could get away with a 16inch I would, it just depends what is practical.

Keep em coming. I'm learning alot
 
7mag said:
I think it depends on what cartridge it is? I seen a new rifle chambered in 28 Nosler the other day with a 22” barrel. Seems a bit short for that scud! I do however love short barrels and would sacrifice a bit of speed for it….
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This. Some magnums, like the 338 Win Mag don't lose that much with a shorter barrel. Some, like say a 7 RUM, lose quite a bit. It is all a balancing act for what you want to do. Hunting out to 400 yards though, you'll want something fairly flat shooting with enough retained energy at that distance. That isn't a recipe for success with short barrels. - dan
 
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