Rem 700 optimum barrel length
- Thread starter banger
- Start date
This would depend on bullet twist rate and the powder you intend to burn. Any lenght of barrel will give good accuarcy, as long as the load is proper for it. Don't get me wrong there will be may load combos with a short barrel. The only thing that will change is you efficiancy. Powder to bore, or time to burn, rate. This is not a bad change...it will be just a recipe change in cartridge.
So much depends upon application. If 1000 yard shooting is your game then a longer barrel may well be the way to go but humping in the bush that 30" tube may be quite the pain. I have 20" 24" 25" 26" 29" and 30" barreled bolt guns and generally think that the best compromise is 24" for most work.
Why would you want to install a muzzle brake on a .243 Winchester? They make minimum recoil to begin with so all you'll be doing is making more pronounced noise. Shorten the barrel and the effect is even worse. Ditch the brake idea.
It's pretty hard to recommend a barrel length for an application that hasn't been mentioned. It's like asking how long a piece of string is. However, if one were to make "assumptions" then a safe bet would be 24" like the others have said. I've got a .243 Win. at 21" and I like it just fine.
It's pretty hard to recommend a barrel length for an application that hasn't been mentioned. It's like asking how long a piece of string is. However, if one were to make "assumptions" then a safe bet would be 24" like the others have said. I've got a .243 Win. at 21" and I like it just fine.
- Location
- Virden, MB
The man wants a brake. Spotting hit placement is good enough for me.
Anyways, there really is no optimum barrel length. It is a matter of personal preference. You will sacrifice a little speed going shorter. I personally wouldn't go shorter than 24", no scientific reason other than I know there is a couple inches buffer and that's good enough for me.
Anyways, there really is no optimum barrel length. It is a matter of personal preference. You will sacrifice a little speed going shorter. I personally wouldn't go shorter than 24", no scientific reason other than I know there is a couple inches buffer and that's good enough for me.
24" is a good practical length. Little more mobile than a 26" but still retains good velocity potential. I have a 20" .243 as a walking coyote gun and as expected velocities are down 100 fps or so & muzzle blast/noise is signifigantly increased.
For me it depends on how you shoot. If you twist turrets, then the length doesn't really matter. 22 to 24 would more than get it done, and if you hand load, then "lost" velocity can be found. If you are a hold over shooter, then a longer barrel may be the ticket, as you'll want all the speed you can get, for less hold over.
Optimum length really doesn't exist, as each barrel length has its time. Once that time is calculated, a velocity can be determined, and loads developed to match. So, chop it to whatever feels best for you, and the rest can worked out.
R.
Optimum length really doesn't exist, as each barrel length has its time. Once that time is calculated, a velocity can be determined, and loads developed to match. So, chop it to whatever feels best for you, and the rest can worked out.
R.
Just a thought. If you are going to use this for varmint shooting like gophers or marmots then barrel length doesn't matter but muzzle blast does over a long day of shooting. I would suggest the longest you can make the barrel the better to take the blast as far away as possible from your ears. Even with muffs, I found shooting long strings without a brake hurt after a while and a brake will make the issue worse. BTW, I had one on a 220 Swift for exactly the same reason, it is a good idea!! Steve
20" heavy, hahaha
rnbra-shooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Brunswick
A .243 is loud. A .243 with a brake is damn loud -- meaning, no matter what barrel length you choose, you're going to _have_ to wear ear protection. Given that, it doesn't matter whether you have a brake on the end of a 26" barrel or on the end of an 18" barrel.
You're going to be using it mostly for shooting varmints; let me also assume that most of the time you'll also be shooting under 500 yards. So it's not as if we are talking about a 1000 yard competitive target rifle, where you might plausibly consider that another 200fps is worth enough competitive advantage that it is worth making a lot of other tradeoffs.
So let me suggest, why not consider quite a short barrel, like 18" or 20"? The rifle will be handier, it will be lighter, and (vaguely-possibly) potentially a bit more accurate because your 18" barrel is miles stiffer than when it was a 26" barrel.
Quite honestly whatever barrel length you choose will make very little difference to your rifle's accuracy or performance - so you should choose whatever barrel length "fits feels and seems" best to you.
You're going to be using it mostly for shooting varmints; let me also assume that most of the time you'll also be shooting under 500 yards. So it's not as if we are talking about a 1000 yard competitive target rifle, where you might plausibly consider that another 200fps is worth enough competitive advantage that it is worth making a lot of other tradeoffs.
So let me suggest, why not consider quite a short barrel, like 18" or 20"? The rifle will be handier, it will be lighter, and (vaguely-possibly) potentially a bit more accurate because your 18" barrel is miles stiffer than when it was a 26" barrel.
Quite honestly whatever barrel length you choose will make very little difference to your rifle's accuracy or performance - so you should choose whatever barrel length "fits feels and seems" best to you.
