Not everybody is enamored of short-barreled rifles. I find they don't point as naturally, nor balance well. Barrels under 22" are starting to feel stubby, and I'd much rather 23-24". And though I hate to admit it, it's getting hard to see the foresight on shorter barrels, a symptom of aging eyesight. The "handiness" aspect is exaggerated IMO.
cutting down a barrel
- Thread starter sharp shooter
- Start date
Not everybody is enamored of short-barreled rifles. I find they don't point as naturally, nor balance well. Barrels under 22" are starting to feel stubby, and I'd much rather 23-24". And though I hate to admit it, it's getting hard to see the foresight on shorter barrels, a symptom of aging eyesight. The "handiness" aspect is exaggerated IMO.
That may be... but nothing in my notes indicate any kind of rapid loss of that nature... there is fluctuation for sure, but it would graph as a fairly constant slope... at least in all of the barrels I tested, here are some of the calibers; .22 Hornet, .223, .22/250, .243, .25/06, 6.5X55, 7X57, 7mm-08, .280, .284, .308, .30/06, .338 Fed, .357, .35 Rem, .358, 9.3X62, 9.3X74R, .375 H&H, .44, .445, .45/70... and some that I have forgotten... you can tell that I prefer shorter barrels...
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
Partly crown, partly the increase in stiffness of the abbreviated barrel. So long as the balance doesn't go out the window the rifle would be a real dandy.
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
And if the balance seems a tad heavy to the rear, no big deal for a rested shot.
View attachment 18467
View attachment 18466
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Fair enough, but bore capacity must come into the equation at some point, and the formula doesn't seem to allow for that. So if its balanced to work with medium capacity medium bores, its unlikely to work with something like a .22-284, anything ending in Cheytac, or a .50 BMG if we were to consider the extremes.
Edited to add . . .
I came across a table on page 399 of Hatcher's Notebook which list the muzzle velocities for the military loadings of the .30/06 and .50 BMG from 24", 28", 30" and 32" barrels. Applying the formula to it is interesting. The .30/06 showed a MV of 2848 from a 32" barrel and 2709 from a 24". The formula suggests a drop of 42.72 fps per inch of barrel, so 42.72X8=341.76. That would mean that the predicted velocity from the 24" barrel was only 2506 fps rather than 2709. If we work the formula backwards, starting at 2709, we get 40.63 fps per inch, so the prediction for a 32" barrel is 3034 fps, so that doesn't seem to work either.
The .50 BMG shows a 32" muzzle velocity of 2702 fps and a 24" velocity of 2444.9 fps. The formula suggests 40.53 fps per inch of barrel reduction, so 40.53X8=324.24, so 2702-324.24=2377.76 fps so the error in this case is only 76.14 fps.
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sharp shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Essex county (Ontario)
Thanks Boomer. I didn't see the "ghost ring" on the Talley sight. Do you have any first hand experience with this set up and if so, how do they perform?
longbranch*
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Victoria,BC.
I suggest you take your time to think about it. Spend as much time with it as you can, at the range, in the field, watching TV etc. You might come to like the 25" tube. Once you cut it it's done, but it's your gun. Just make sure a good Gunsmith does the work of course. I have the same rifle in .338 and find it quite handy.
Geoff
Geoff
I'm a bit different than most = over time I have found the shorter the barrel the better overall handling and stability.
This is my easiest rifle/carbine to shoot accurately free hand a 14" barreled T/C Contender carbine in 375JDJ OAL is 29 1/2" everyone that shoots it is totally amazed at how well it balances.
My 375H&H is a shortened to 22" from 28" barreled T/C Prohunter and I am now starting to think about sending it back in to Guntech to shorten it even more to 18.5".
I have no concerns on velocity loss just want a big accurate bullet that will thump when it hits its intended target but my experience has been 20fps/inch removed with 375 cal rifles.
This is my easiest rifle/carbine to shoot accurately free hand a 14" barreled T/C Contender carbine in 375JDJ OAL is 29 1/2" everyone that shoots it is totally amazed at how well it balances.
My 375H&H is a shortened to 22" from 28" barreled T/C Prohunter and I am now starting to think about sending it back in to Guntech to shorten it even more to 18.5".
I have no concerns on velocity loss just want a big accurate bullet that will thump when it hits its intended target but my experience has been 20fps/inch removed with 375 cal rifles.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
The Talley sight is on their webpage under Mounts and Peepsights. The Talley ghost ring is an excellent back up sight which attaches to their bases, but is adjustable for windage only, which is what prevents me from endorsing it as a primary sight. The height of your front sight must be regulated for elevation. To use the peep sight as a ghost ring, simply remove the small aperture. I had one mounted on my Brno 602, but for Brno oand CZ bolt guns I now prefer the NECG sight.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I'm a bit different than most = over time I have found the shorter the barrel the better overall handling and stability.
This is my easiest rifle/carbine to shoot accurately free hand a 14" barreled T/C Contender carbine in 375JDJ OAL is 29 1/2" everyone that shoots it is totally amazed at how well it balances.
My 375H&H is a shortened to 22" from 28" barreled T/C Prohunter and I am now starting to think about sending it back in to Guntech to shorten it even more to 18.5".
I have no concerns on velocity loss just want a big accurate bullet that will thump when it hits its intended target but my experience has been 20fps/inch removed with 375 cal rifles.
Clearly barrel contour plays a role in the balance of a rifle, thus a heavy barrel can be cut shorter than a light one without having a negative effect on the overall balance of the piece. In your case CC, if you installed a lighter butt stock, the barrel length could be reduced significantly before balance became an issue.
sharp shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Essex county (Ontario)
10-4. I have shot it quite a bit and it swings great as is, I just thought losing three inches would be great for walking in the thick stuff at camp. Otherwise, like you said, its quite handy and accurate.
