Barrel length for a .308 hunting rifle?

BongoBob

BongoBob

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Howdy CGNers,

Thinking of re-barreling an old Rem 700 .308

Not looking to change caliber, but interested in opinions on barrel length.

This rifle will be used mainly for mule deer hunting here in BC...99% of the shots will be under 300 yards...more like 50 - 150, but 300yrds is possible, and I have no problem hunting at that range. I'm not a "road hunter", so I'll be creeping through the bush and sitting on some "ambush" sites etc.

Bullets will be 150-165g hand loads...barrel will be a "standard SPORTER" contour.

The stock is a normal Rem 700 sized laminate. Not looking to build a "featherweight", just a solid, handy, accurate rifle.

I don't want to go shorter than 20"...was thinking 21"-22"...any opinions?

Also...any suggestions on Canadian barrel suppliers?

Cheers,
Bongobob
 
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Depending on your stock type/weight, 21" usually has a nice balance. 16" is way too short, even 18.5" produces excessive muzzle blast/flash, IMO.
 
I've had a couple 20" rifles and think that's a very good compromise for proper handling in most general hunting situations.

Shorter guns can handle poorly and are quite loud. I have a 18.5" 760 for almost 25yrs so have the experience to add to this.
 
elker said:
How can it be legal to re barrel a gun with shorter barrel than 18.5 inches?
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18.5" is for semi autos. Manual actions can be barrelled shorter, but the barrel must be factory made, you cannot cut your own shorter than 18". Then the 26" OAL (or thereabouts) rule comes into play. But some guns can come from the factory shorter than 26" and still be non-restricted (ie: Mare's leg). Makes perfect sense, lol.

A 20" .308 is pretty damn handy in the brush and you won't see a real significant performance loss over a 22" in that calibre. I like mine, heavy barrel somewhere right near the 20 mark.
 
This question while simple on the surface, upon closer inspection can become quite complex. Generally speaking, I like short barrel rifles, but a rifle that is designed to balance well with a 24" barrel is bound to feel clubby with an 20". A rifle that balences well with a 22" barrel, is likely going to feel clubby with a lighter contoured barrel of equal length, that was chosen to save weight. A clubby short rifle is slower to bring to target than a well balanced long barreled rifle. So barrel contour must be considered, and so must stock material and forend length. If you want a short .308, consider a CZ 550 Mannlicher carbine. This rifle is built to balance well with a 20" barrel; chances are you can have one for less than the price of the custom work on your M-700.

If you intend to rebarrel a wood stocked M-700, chances are that a #3 sporter contour barrel (which should match the barrel channel in the stock) will have to be 22" long in order to have that slight muzzle heaviness that most riflemen prefer. Ted Gaillard produces excellent barrels, and I've happily used Ron Smith barrels for years. If you prefer to go with a big name American barrel maker, Mystic Precision at the top of the page should be able to help you out.
 
I hunted for many years with a Rem 600 with an 18.5" bbl, and it is as short as I would go, ever. Actually, if I ever re-barrel it, it will get a 20" bbl.

As boomer pointed out, it's not as simple as just chopping a barrel to whatever length you want, if you still want a rifle that functions well as a package. Weight, balance, "pointability", muzzle blast, noise and muzzle velocity are real factors; how much concern you give to each factor is up to you, however.
 
Boomer said:
This question while simple on the surface, upon closer inspection can become quite complex. Generally speaking, I like short barrel rifles, but a rifle that is designed to balance well with a 24" barrel is bound to feel clubby with an 20". A rifle that balences well with a 22" barrel, is likely going to feel clubby with a lighter contoured barrel of equal length, that was chosen to save weight. A clubby short rifle is slower to bring to target than a well balanced long barreled rifle. So barrel contour must be considered, and so must stock material and forend length. If you want a short .308, consider a CZ 550 Mannlicher carbine. This rifle is built to balance well with a 20" barrel; chances are you can have one for less than the price of the custom work on your M-700.

If you intend to rebarrel a wood stocked M-700, chances are that a #3 sporter contour barrel (which should match the barrel channel in the stock) will have to be 22" long in order to have that slight muzzle heaviness that most riflemen prefer. Ted Gaillard produces excellent barrels, and I've happily used Ron Smith barrels for years. If you prefer to go with a big name American barrel maker, Mystic Precision at the top of the page should be able to help you out.
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I agree. The issue here is more than pure barrel length. It's about maintaining the proper balance of the rifle. A friend of mine uses a 20-inch barrel in his .308, but it is a "varmint" contour 20 inches, so his balance point is about the same as if it were a longer, thinner barrel.
 
20 inches .. fwiw in 1962 Remington 700's came with this length after careful thought by Remington. IMO for hunting that would make an adequate length
 
Of the choices the OP listed, I'd go 22 inches for a comprimise between quick handling and retained bullet velocity. :)
 
20" is the way to go for a dedicated hunting rifle in .308. My XCR-M is 18.6" in .308 and is plenty accurate, but I have not chronied any loads from that barrel length in that gun. I have chronied them in an m14 scout with an 18.6" barrel and it gives up a good 100-125fps to the regular 22" spout. Your mileage may vary.
 
Rifle manufacturers have settled(for the most part) on a 22 inch barrel for non magnum cartridges and there is a reason for that. The 22 inch offers the best combination of balance, velocity, steadiness from offhand, ease of handling and proportion. Shorter than that results in a steady increase in muzzle blast, clubiness and a steady decrease in velocity and ballistic performance. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, IMO.
 
I too, would settle for a 22 inch barrel, but thinking away back, every mountain I have ever hunted on, and that is more than a few, was with rifles with 24 inch barrels.
One time in my life when the hills were starting to get a little steeper, I was preparing for a tough week long hunt on foot in the mountains. I had three rifles, all with suitable scope's on them and all perfectly fine for the anticipated trip. Two had 24 inch barrels and the third had a 22 inch barrel. To decide on which rifle to take I weighed all the rifles and the lightest one was my old 30-06 Husqvarna, with 24 inch barrel, so it went on the trip. In other words, two inches less barrel was not as important as was a few ounces less weight.
I once thought the little 600 Remington with its 18.5 inch barrel and light weight would be ideal to carry on those hard mountain hunts, but after considerable shooting with it I decided I did not want to fire even one shot with it in 308 calibre, without ear protection. So I sold it.
In the 1960s Remington came out with their Model 700 and the barrel length was 20 inches. They sold so poorly that the barrel length was soon increased.
Currently I have two rifles with factory designed 22 inch barrels and I think they would be ideal for those long, hard trips I used to make. In shooting at the range or defending against dangerous stumps in the bush, they sure handle nice!
 
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