Experiment: Can I cut 6" off my factory barrel?

[dan belisle]

OK so if you take my factory 26" 1/12 barrel and cut it down to 20" WILL it be identical to the factory 20" 1/12 barrel???

No two barrels are the same, ever. My experience with shortening barrels so far has them shooting better. But that's not all that many barrels, so take it for what it's worth. - dan

 

[BrotherRockeye]

accuracy shouldn't suffer but how much velocity will be lost?
I remember reading that depending on caliber it's so many fps per inch shorter.
Insight from the gurus please.

 

[50calshooter]

I have another question,

So a 20" barrel 1/12 twist... What should it get fed? lighter or heavier bullets?

 

[carbonrod]

I have a 20 inch 11.25 twist. It will stabalize 147gr-208. Never tried outside of that. Load what you like, and go. The 147s are great for cheap positional shooting. 180 hot core for game, and the odd service rifle match. 175 for longer range. Everything else is goofing around. For me anyway.


What kind of shooting do you want to do?

 

[DrawBlood]

ive got a Stevens 200 .243 cut to 16" .. shoots better than it did, louder too

I believe that makes it prohibited.

 

[LongBomber]

I believe that makes it prohibited.

Prohibited in New Zealand? Look at where he is from.

 

[BC_Guy]

I have another question,

So a 20" barrel 1/12 twist... What should it get fed? lighter or heavier bullets?

Although according to the internetz it is a horrible combo at 600m, the last tac shoot I was at the overall winner was shooting a 20" 1/12twist (chopped down ai) with 168 fed gmm.

 

[TargetNorth]

Here's someone who's cut an inch off his barrel and tested, then cut another inch etc. Both in .223 and in .308.

http://ww w.shootingtimes.co.uk/features/136776/How_important_is_the_barrel_length_of_a_rifle.html

Here's an article from SWAT about barrel length

http://w ww.tacticaloperations.com/SWATbarrel/

And here's a guy who cut inches off his .204 barrel and measured velocities... he cuts down to 14 inches.

http://w ww.bullberry.com/204Rugerdata.html

All interesting stuff.

 

[DrawBlood]

Prohibited in New Zealand? Look at where he is from.

Darn, didn't notice that. I think the New Zealanders should be banned on the basis that they make everyone here jealous.

 

[LongBomber]

Darn, didn't notice that. I think the New Zealanders should be banned on the basis that they make everyone here jealous.

Just imagine a 16 inch barrel and a suppressor!!

 

[Ian Robertson]

NZ can't ship a gun in the mail! I feel lucky to be in Canada!

A number of years ago a friend wanted to shorten a barrel that was the wrong twist for what he needed so to check the loss of mv per inch shortened. Cut on the band saw and crowned with a counter sink in a hand drill. That Kreiger never shot so well!

 

[aomancini]

I have limited experience but I do know that my 444 was cut down 3.5 inches and is great handling but extremely loud ... taking 6" off a barrel is likely to have a similar effect