Why do a lot of manufacturers offer 22" barrels on all cals , but 26" on .25-06???

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sgt.rock

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Why do a lot of manufacturers offer 22" barrels on all cals , but 26" on .25-06???

I own a .25-06 Ruger with a 22" barrel. Just wondering if I'm missing something, but an awful lot of 25-06 rifles I see for sale (singles and bolts) only offer the longer barrel, yet only for this particular caliber.
Any reason?
Is it that inefficient of a round, it needs 4 extra inches? Just seems weird that that one caliber would arbitrarily have 26" pipes , with all others bigger and smaller sporting a 22" one.
I reload for this caliber, but have never owned one of the rifles with a longer tube, and I don't own a chronograph, but now I'm curious why. Is it a tradition held over from a time when available powders for use in a long case and a small based bullet were not that good?
Enlighten me please.
 
High expansion ratio (powder capacity vs bore size) would dictate a longer bbl to achieve efficient use of burning powders.

I'd venture a guess that most owners of a 25/06 would buy them for the higher velocity potential over larger bores like a 30/06, and would not be using them as a "bush gun", thus the longer bbl standard.


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makes sense. Now I'm kinda pissed at gettin short changed with a 22" standard barrel on my Ruger. Now I'm Gonna have to buy a Chrony, and a long barrelled single shot rifle, and test the difference now. Goddangit.
I don't suppose anyone else ever thought about this too, and had the resources to test the difference????????????? And the data on file to save me 4 or 5 hundred bucks....
 
I wouldn't sweat the difference too much. You're still getting good velocity, and more than my 22" 257Roberts. Pick a good 100gr bullet and forget about it.


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But if the difference is only 100 f/s or close to that, why bother even sending out the rifles with that long , unweildy barrel? I'd just as soon keep everything the same on my production rifles. But, I'm not a maker, just a shooter.
 
In the .25/06 I think the velocity would be around 45-50 fps per inch, so around 200 fps between a 26 and 22 inch barrel. Not a big deal but a lot of shooters don't feel right if they are not wringing every last bit of velocity out of a case. I think Ruger used to build their .220 Swifts with 26 inch tubes for the extra velocity otherwise the Swift is not appreciably faster than the .22/250.
 
The reason manufacturers offer longer barrels on smaller bore (30 cal and smaller) "magnums" is not because they "need" the extra length, it's because they are generally in demand for long range (200+ yds) work, and handling ability is not a major factor like it is for bush work. For long range work, the extra MV is further beneficial where with shorter ranges it is not. A 22" barrel does not turn a 25-06 into a 257 Roberts - it will still be much faster at the same pressures.
 
It's not so much the length of the 25-06 barrel that bugs me, it's Ruger in thier infinite wisdom who puts a magnum contour barrel on thier 25-06 sporter.....how crazy is that?
I have a new take off unfired stainless 25-06 M77 barrel and a NIB M77 in 7 Mag and I thought it would be a simple matter to make a 257 Wby with the 25-06 barrel....not interested in doing it if I have to mess with the barrel channel......it's just stupid. It makes the 25-06 sporter very muzzle heavy and at least a half pound heavier than any other standard chambered long action M77.
 
Andy said:
The reason manufacturers offer longer barrels on smaller bore (30 cal and smaller) "magnums" is not because they "need" the extra length, it's because they are generally in demand for long range (200+ yds) work, and handling ability is not a major factor like it is for bush work. For long range work, the extra MV is further beneficial where with shorter ranges it is not. A 22" barrel does not turn a 25-06 into a 257 Roberts - it will still be much faster at the same pressures.
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Didn't even occur to me that the use of the caliber would dictate the barrel length. I just thought about how many times I have shot my .25-06 across a big frozen open lake, and then the amount of times I have taken a shot in the woods. Its a ratio of about 99:1
Kudo's for opening my eyes for me. Fuction over form.
 
25-06

Is it that inefficient of a round, it needs 4 extra inches?

Efficiency of a cartridge does not depend upon cartridge length. For example, the .22 Rimfire has reached maximum efficiency and powder burn within about 16 or 17 inches, but most have longer barrels.

The 25-06 cartridge case is an example of an over bore capacity case. That is, it has a large amount of powder capacity for the bore size. This indicates the reloading use of slower burning powders for best performance, so a bit longer barrel can help burn this powder more efficiently.

Now I'm kinda pissed at gettin short changed with a 22" standard barrel on my Ruger

WHY? Do you really feel that you are missing a great amount? First of all, ACCURACY is what counts. It is no good having 'something going like a bat-out-of-hell if you can not hit anything with it. If you consider the practical range of 300 yards, the difference in velocity at that distance is a very small amount between the same cartridge starting at 150 or 200 feet per second faster at the muzzle.

For over 20 years in Alberta and B.C., my "go to" hunting rifle was a Ruger .308 International Carbine with an 18 1/2 inch barrel using 165 grain reloads. I shot a lot more Elk and Deer with it than most people would do in a lifetime, and very few times required a second shot.

You will find that the 22 inch barrel is a lot handier for hunting, and a game animal shot at a reasonable distance will go down just as fast as if you had a longer barrel. If you are really worried about it, and you reload, you can use a slightly faster burning powder for more velocity. For example, using 4064 or 4350 powder instead of the Classic 4831 powder in the 25-06. And it will be a lot easier on your barrel too.

A higher velocity is not the big deal that a lot of people make it. We seemed to have gotten into the bigger, better, most, best, more mode in firearms, and the hype that goes with the above. Just look at all the latest and new cartridges that have been developed in the last 20 years, and how many are around today?

And while the modern boys are sitting at their bench at the range, with the latest flavor-of-the-month rifle or cartridge, the HUNTERS are in the woods with their 30-30, their 30-06 or .308, or even their .303 British, and they are taking their game home to eat. Unfortunately, these poor, uninformed souls have not been informed that the old .303 Lee Enfield using a bullet travelling at 2600 fps is just going to bounce off a Moose, but then again, nobody has informed the Moose either, so the Moose just drops and the Hunter eats steaks, blissfully unaware of his inadequancy of armament.
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25-06 is almost magnum cartridge (like 243 Win)

25-06 is an overbore cartridge, almost magnum in its load characteristics and therefore gets a large performance gain from using a 26". (100 yard more in effective range and 50 yards in maximum point blank range)

The same can be said about the 243 Win and 270 WSM which shine in 26" barrels but also work in 23-24 inch barrel.

Alex
 
Sorry, I would have to argue about the 100 yard increase in range. There is no PRACTICAL difference in performance on game between a 22 inch and a 26 inch .25/06 rifle. If I felt that I should pass on a shot owing to excessive range or a bad angle, I would do so with either rifle.
 
Mike Webb said:
Sorry, I would have to argue about the 100 yard increase in range. There is no PRACTICAL difference in performance on game between a 22 inch and a 26 inch .25/06 rifle. If I felt that I should pass on a shot owing to excessive range or a bad angle, I would do so with either rifle.
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It takes around 100 yards to lose 200fps of velocity which is what is lost when shortening a barrel from 26" to 22" inches.
So effective range has to increase by around 100 yards.
It does not mean that the extra effective range is usable, just that it exists.

For example, a 30 caliber 180gr can be fired at around 200fps more from a 300 Win Mag than from a 30-06. This means that a solid hit will confidently killed a moose at 400 yards with a 300 Win Mag and at 300 yards for a 30-06.

For a 25-06 you might get a 500 yards effective range for deer hunting with a 26" barrel and "only" a 400 yards effective range using a 22" barrel.

Overbore cartridges like 25-06, 243 Win, 270 WSM, 7 Rem Mag lose greatly when fired from a shorted barrel. Cartridges with a relatively large diameter to powder capacity like 308 Win and 338-06 gain very little from a long barrel.

Alex
 
buffdog said:
For over 20 years in Alberta and B.C., my "go to" hunting rifle was a Ruger .308 International Carbine with an 18 1/2 inch barrel using 165 grain reloads. I shot a lot more Elk and Deer with it than most people would do in a lifetime, and very few times required a second shot.

And while the modern boys are sitting at their bench at the range, with the latest flavor-of-the-month rifle or cartridge, the HUNTERS are in the woods with their 30-30, their 30-06 or .308, or even their .303 British, and they are taking their game home to eat. Unfortunately, these poor, uninformed souls have not been informed that the old .303 Lee Enfield using a bullet travelling at 2600 fps is just going to bounce off a Moose, but then again, nobody has informed the Moose either, so the Moose just drops and the Hunter eats steaks, blissfully unaware of his inadequancy of armament.
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I KNOW this can't be true. I read it here. None of those rifles and rounds could kill a Whitetail reliably let alone an Elk or a Moose. This is simply a case of self-induced mass-hysteria perpetuated by people who do not (did not) want others to know that their choice of cartridge did not get the job done. NO ANIMALS WERE KILLED BY THE USE OF THESE NOTED FIREARMS AND IT WAS STRICTLY A MATTER OF MASS HYPNOSIS THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY FELT THAT THEY WERE EATING MEAT. In reality, they were tricking their bodies into believing that they were being nourished.

THIS MUST BE THE ACTUAL CASE. I HAVE OBVIOUSLY BEEN AFFLICTED WITH THE SAME MALADY AND SO HAVE NUMEROUS MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY.

Why, my father actually believes that he has shot a deer a year for 50 years and the occasional moose. He also has convinced himself that, (along with his 3 sons) he fed his family for many of those years only with vension or moose. And, to top it all off, he seems to think that he did it with a M94 .30-30 Win. He also believes that he watched his oldest son shoot his first whitetail buck with a .410 slug at the age of 12. The power of the mind over the body is astonishing. I thought that growing up, I was actually eating and being nourished by wild meat, when in reality I was eating NOTHING!!! AMAZING!!

What kind of madness would possess a man to take such leave of his senses??!! Luckily, I have the internet and its experts to help me out so that I can truly begin now to enjoy hunting and eating wild game. Thank you, Internet Gurus.
 
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Buffdog is correct. I, like many, look for the most velocity with best accuracy for my long range cannons.
However, my go to carry rifle is a 20 inch mannlicher M72 in 30-06. using h4350 and 180 gr bullets, I can get 2550 ft/sec. Im giving up about 150 ft/sec to the conventional wisdom. But it is very very accurate, and it shoots and kills o so well (with a simple 1.5-5 Leupold VXIII) and it is oh so handy. It is always in demand from my buddies when Im not using it.

I suggest you try a faster powder group to find the best velocity / accuracy and be happy with your excellent rifle.
 
I have to agree with the "it's overbore and needs the long barrel to work best" guys.

Persoanlly, I like the 25-06, but I honestly would not buy one with less than a 26" bbl.

Rifle barrels have to be suited to the cartridge in order to be effective, and cartrdges like the 25-06 are seriously shortchanged by short barrels.
 
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