Short barrel 30/06

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Duffy

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What are your thoughts on a short (20 inch) barrel on a 30/06 rifle (carbine I guess)?

I just about bought a CZ 557 LUX in 30/06 with a 20 inch barrel but I really don't care for the extra muzzle blast of some short tube guns. If it were a 22 inch I would jump on it.

Also in your experience is there much of a difference on short barrels (muzzle blast) if it were in a different cartridge like say 6.5 X55?
 
Duffy, I too, would not have a 30-06 with a 20 inch barrel. I consider 22 inches to be my minimum for 30-06, 308, 270 class rifles.
 
Duffy said:
I just about bought a CZ 557 LUX in 30/06 with a 20 inch barrel but I really don't care for the extra muzzle blast of some short tube guns. If it were a 22 inch I would jump on it.
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Considering how many rounds in a year you will shoot without hearing protection, I sort of find it hard to imagine a 20" barrelled 30-06 being intolerable, while finding a similar 22" barrel 30-06 being tolerable.

i have (among others) a 18.5" 30-06. It's loud. So is my 24" barrelled 30-06.
 
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Anything using slow to very slow powder shot in a short barrel tends to make ackward muzzle blast (and flash).
 
20" in .308 minimum for me. Below that it starts to get blasty. Similar trends for .30-06
I have a lot of long guns in 20", I think it's about the ideal length when handiness vs performance counts.

I can't see 20" being an issue for big game hunting (round count w/o hearing protection).
 
Doubt you'd notice the difference between a 6.5 and a .30-06. Either of 'em is going to have serious muzzle blast out of a 20" barrel.
"...So is my..." Yep. Deaf is deaf. The cartridge doesn't matter.
 
It's just always a good idea to use hearing protection if you can.

Changing from one centerfire rifle cartridge to another in a 20" bbl will do nothing really notable, and neither will reloading with different powders, etc.

I hunted for years with a Rem 600 in .308 with an 18.5" bbl and I was just fine; hearing protection when not actually hunting and 1-2 rounds on a hunt with no hearing protection never did me any harm whatosever.
 
The 6.5 55 would be even more ineficient , with slow powder high s.d. bullets and larger case size to bore diameter since its smaller less absolute muzzle blast but not the way to go for short barrell
 
I have an old 742 carbine(18 1/2 inch) in .30/06. I don't find it that bad with 180 grain bullets, lighter and faster are louder seems like. Always use hearing protection at the range and as for hunting, I don't think many of us fire enough rounds at big game to have a serious impact on our hearing. My 2 cents.
 
I've shot quite a few 20' .30/06 rifles. Is it noisy? Sure, but so is the '06 in a 22" or even a 24 " tube, particularly with heavy charges of H-4831. To me the most objectionable blast I've ever endured from a 20" barrel rifle was from Ruger International in .243. By comparison my 20" .375 Ultra sounded serene.
 
I have a Sako carbine with 20" 30-06 barrel. One of the most accurate and ergonomically perfect rifles I have ever shot. It does have a little greater muzzle blast than my 22" Ruger, but I always hunt with hearing protection nowadays, after damaging my hearing from way too much shooting without. Cartridge performance is about 80 FPS slower than 22-24" barrels, I can live with that. But I would not shoot it without ear plugs or muffs.
 
rgv said:
Considering how many rounds in a year you will shoot without hearing protection, I sort of find it hard to imagine a 20" barrelled 30-06 being intolerable, while finding a similar 22" barrel 30-06 being tolerable.

i have (among others) a 18.5" 30-06. It's loud. So is my 24" barrelled 30-06.
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Aint that the truth! Well said.
 
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