Rem. 597 std 20" barrel or 16" heavy barrel

[Odd Shot]

Hey folks,

Just curious if anyone knows: why is the heavy barrel 4" shorter than the standard barrel?

Does it have to do with harmonics?
Why not have a 20" heavy barrel?

 

[camster]

Weight, and aesthetics would be my best guess.

Although I prefer looking down a long barrel with open sights, physics dictate there should be no improvement with a 20" over a 16". The 16" heavy barrel doesn't have open sights, so no sight radius benefit regardless.

Looking forward to some other insights too.

 

[Blakem91]

I would go with the 16 heavy, .22 burns up after that anyways and heavy barrels look bad a$$. Just my .02

 

[super7]

my guess would be weight/balance. It balances real nice with a 16" heavy barrel. A 20 would probably make it front heavy.

 

[heiko]

You can actually get the 20" heavy barrel as well if you want it, and also get a 16" regular weight barrel. There are all sorts of combinations available if you check around.

Personally I went with the 16" heavy barrel and it's great. Good balance and easy handling.

 

[sixty9santa]

I went with a 16.5" standard profile barrel since they are thicker than the one on my M14.
It would only gain weight just like I do around the holidays.

 

[Bad Billy]

I have the 597 with a 16" barrel. The barrel is...not surprisingly, heavy. With a 20" barrel, you won't gain much except for more weight.