Remington 700LTR velocity issue?

Airborn_69

Airborn_69

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Ok, I'm complaining about my .308 20'' barreled tact driver for lack of velocity at longer ranges...What barrel & lenght would be the way to go to rectify this issue..I fire Fed 168gr BTHP's regularly.

Would a 24'' or 26'' fluted barrel do the job?
 
What velocities are you getting? Do you handload? If so, what combination are you using? Yadda...yadda...yadda...

Going to a longer barrel will add velocity but at the expense of additional weight and some loss in ease of handling. I'm sure you know this already.
 
Airborn_69 said:
Ok, I'm complaining about my .308 20'' barreled tact driver for lack of velocity at longer ranges...What barrel & lenght would be the way to go to rectify this issue..I fire Fed 168gr BTHP's regularly.

Would a 24'' or 26'' fluted barrel do the job?
Click to expand...

What do you mean by longer ranges? The 168 gr bullet was disigned is the 1960's to shoot 300m. It is the worst bullet every made for long range shooting ie 1000 yards. If you look around at a target rifle match about 95% of the TR shooters are sporting 30 inch barrels.
 
Basically, you want the bullet to be supersonic at the longest range that you plan on shooting. You might try 155 Lapuas or 175 Sierras or 178 Hornadys. Chronograph your loads, and determine how far the bullets will stay supersonic. If the results aren't satisfactory, then you might consider a longer barrel. As maynard has pointed out, barrels about 30" long are just about standard for .308 at long range. A long barrel is the easiest way to gain velocity. A 26" barrel might be OK for 1000, but it will depend on the velocity that you can achieve with the chosen bullet.
 
Stick to 155 Lapua or 175 Sierras. Most 308 tactical rifles are more than adequately furnished with a 24" tube.

Many trials and reports have been done on 20 and 22" tubes and most results show that in the "usable" tactical range a 20 or 22" barrel is more than acceptable and accurate. (I'm taking the term "usable" in the Law Enforcement terms, not Military, difference is in combat you will/can take more of a chance ie:stretching range out etc, than you can or will in an urban Law Enforcement setting).

I would suggest playing with handloads or different bullet weight. As someone mentioned above, the 168gr round was developed for range out to 300M give or take. Its still the mainstay of the Law Enforcement community as 300M is the practical training range for most agencies.

I use 155gr Lapua Scenar with great success in my HS Precision Pro2000 308, it has a 24" 1-12 twist cut rifled barrel, many on the board here will tell you the same re: 155 Lapuas. Others have very good luck with 175 gr Sierras or the 175gr Berger VLD bullets. The Bergers are picky as to how you load them, however, if you get the load tuned up they shoot great!

Joe ##### from ### carries both and can help you out with your purchase and any advise regarding reloading techniques. He's a great guy to deal with and will help you out anyway he can.

Good luck, don't give up on that gun barrel yet!
 
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The lack of velocity at longer ranges will be proportional to its velocity at shorter ranges. (Short barrels in and of themselves don't make bullets slow down faster) If you are even thinking of changing barrels ( you asked for suggestions on a different barrel) go longer for sure, switching to a custom barrel will probably make a difference, but that difference won't be as obvious until you load your own ammo where you can find the optimal seating depth and powder.

Not many factory barrels will outshoot a custom barrel and load at 1000
 
Ammunition is certainly a factor, but the 20" barrel is going to limit velocity, compared to a longer barrel. This has nothing to do with inherent accuracy, of course. See if you can find some match grade ammunition loaded with something other than the 168s.
 
Long distance .308

I have a stock Rem700 VSS with a 26 inch bbl, I hand load 175gn Berger VLD's. I have no problem shooting to 1000 yards as long as I can read the wind, but that is another story :)
 
There is no disputing that going to a longer barrel will increase velocity, range, etc. My recommendation is soley based on the fact that you can reload and tune your gun for less than re-barreling which would cost you $1000 at a minimum with a good quality match grade barrel such as RockCreek, Lilja, Hart, Gillard, etc.

Even if you did re-barrel you'd still require handloads to obtain the best out of your rifle.

If you are considering re-barreling, I would also recommend having the rest of the smithing done at the same time, such as Trueing action, work done on bolt, trigger if it has not been done already, bed gun and free float barrel. If the smith has the gun apart and is already machining things up with the new barrel then that would be the time to do the rest.

Good luck
 
Try to get your hands on some Fed. GMM 175. I know of a few guys shooting it out of their ltrs at longer ranges. I can't vouch for 900m, but I know it outperformed the 168s at 6-800m. Then go get some reloading equipment. Still cheaper than a new rifle. R15 and 175 MKs worked really well in a very slow barrelled 22" .308 that I used to shoot.
 
Blackcloud said:
....My recommendation is soley based on the fact that you can reload and tune your gun for less than re-barreling which would cost you $1000 at a minimum with a good quality match grade barrel such as RockCreek, Lilja, Hart, Gillard, etc. Good luck
Click to expand...

New Gaillard Barrel $350. Accurize action and and chamber job $350-400.

Not quite as bad as all that to create the basis for one helluva shooter...
 
Have you tried to shoot heavy bullets in your 20" .308? If they stabalize, a 200 gr. bullet looses much less velocity when fired from a short barrel than the lighter bullets do. A 200 gr. MK will remain supersonic to 1000 yards with a muzzle velocity as low as 2300 fps.
 
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