Very interesting read on cutting down the 300 Win Mag - 300 Winchester Magnum: How Does Barrel Length Change Velocity- A 16? 300 Win Mag? | Rifleshooter.com
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Very interesting!! Look at the group size with the 20"!! I'd just be afraid it would burn up my can!!
About 10 years ago I read a several similar articles that talked about similar results.
Happily shooting shorter barreled rifles ever since.
Personally I like 20" for everything up to (below) the family of the "long action" calibers...
Happily shooting shorter barreled rifles ever since.
Personally I like 20" for everything up to (below) the family of the "long action" calibers...
call me the odd one out, but all this article shows me is that i'd want at least a 24" barrel on a .300 win mag. 12" of windage difference at 1000 is significant, as is 300 fps, especially if you're getting it for less noise and muzzle jump, and no additional recoil or powder expended. mine has a 24" barrel, and at the end of the day i just dont want to listen to anything louder, even with plugs and muffs installed.
as the article notes, however, shorter does look cooler. so ...
as the article notes, however, shorter does look cooler. so ...
Only loosing 300fps on a win-mag is kind of startling...I was always told it would be upwards of 500-600...Don't get me wrong, I'm not SBRing a win-mag...But, this changes the game a bit.
We could make an argument that the crown was what skewed his group, especially considering the accuracy involved w/shorter barrels.
At the end of the day, a 300 loss isn't going to make/break the caliber so, in terms of a shorter rifle, this is really interesting...Especially in regards to concealment.
Concealing a 16inch barrel is much easier than concealing a 24inch barrel and for a 300fps loss? That's kind of a no brainer.
Is it something I'd do? No, my barrel is 24.25 and I'm not interested in cutting it down but, I know a few people that will be very interested, especially after reading the article...
Again, it's intriguing if anything.
I'm now in the market for a 20" barrel. I'd go shorter but I should suppressed almost all the time and still think that the blast and burn will smoke my can!!!
I would have guess 300-400. I would wonder, as mentioned in the article, what would have happened with a slower burning powder. Either way that thing must sound like you are touching off a howitzer.
That is what this article claims...
SWAT Article BARREL LENGTH
Interesting- they seem to be squared away- I'm going to guess that the author miss quoted him. Just speculating, he probably said something like negligible...
This was results with one barrel, one load, one set of conditions, etc. Additionally, new barrels tend to pick up speed in the first few hundred rounds, so that can also skew the results here. This article leaves more questions than answers.
A handloader can tune ammo for any barrel length. Realistic accuracy "gains" on a shorter barrel are minimal if not nonexistent. Simply put, even if there is a real gain that can't be made up for with tuning the load, you're not going to shoot that good in the field in a variety of conditions.
If you're using 320 fps running factory ammo, compare that to a 20" short-action .308 Win. What is the difference at that point? How much have you gained over .308? If "concealing" it is such a big deal to you, why don't you get a folding stock?
At the end of the day, you've got to ask yourself why you want a .300 Win Mag if you're ok with velocity loss, ok with a longer bolt throw, shorter barrel life, more blast, and want to "conceal" it.
A handloader can tune ammo for any barrel length. Realistic accuracy "gains" on a shorter barrel are minimal if not nonexistent. Simply put, even if there is a real gain that can't be made up for with tuning the load, you're not going to shoot that good in the field in a variety of conditions.
If you're using 320 fps running factory ammo, compare that to a 20" short-action .308 Win. What is the difference at that point? How much have you gained over .308? If "concealing" it is such a big deal to you, why don't you get a folding stock?
At the end of the day, you've got to ask yourself why you want a .300 Win Mag if you're ok with velocity loss, ok with a longer bolt throw, shorter barrel life, more blast, and want to "conceal" it.
[MENTION=52724]tylerw02[/MENTION], couldn't say it any better. 24" is the minimum I would go on any magnum.
