26 in barrel. To chop or not to chop?

[JelloStorm]

I have a PSS barreled upper I'm making into a M40A1 looking hunting rifle and it has a 26" barrel.

I'm sure cutting it down to 24" won't have much of a positive impact on weight and maneuverability in the woods, but I have been known to be wrong before.

Can anyone offer any thoughts and possibly recommend a smith to chop it and recrown it?

 

[black_ump]

Re: 26 in barrel. To chop or not to chop?

well iam not a bolt guy, but i can say my msg90 clone has a 26" barrel which is 3" longer then a factory msg90 which comes in at around 23" your right 3 inches wont make much of a difference in weight... and if weight is your big thing every one told me to do more push ups lol you could try that.

if its getting threw the brush that your worried about i still dont think 2 inches will make much of a big deal.

so id say save your money... and later on down the road buy the barrel you want and shoot this one for a while

 

[ORD]

Re: 26 in barrel. To chop or not to chop?

Cutting down any barrel has advantages and disadvantages.

As for advantages, it will save some muzzle weight (maybe 1/2lb or so) and it may make your rifle balance out a little better than with the longer tube. As you noted, a shorter barrel lends itself to being more portable and easier to maneuver, but 24" is still not a short barrel by any means.

As for disadvantages, you will lose some MV when you shorten a barrel, but going from a 26" factory tube to a 24" cut-down, I don't think you will see a large loss in MV (maybe 50fps or so).

Filling out your profile will go a long way to recommending a gunsmith that can do the work for you if you decide to get it done. There are tons of good folks scattered all over the country, but you may have someone local or at least close-by that can do it for you without the hassle of shipping, etc. No sense recommending a smith 3000mi away if you have someone closer that can do the job just as well for less expense.

 

[JelloStorm]

Re: 26 in barrel. To chop or not to chop?

I'm in Northeast PA. The main thing is just to reduce a bit of weight but more importantly better balance the rifle.

The MCM HTG stocks come with a sniper fill so that would help too.

 

[bm11]

Re: 26 in barrel. To chop or not to chop?

I wouldn't bother for 2". I don't see much of a reason to run anything above a 20" in a .308 though.

 

[Adician]

Re: 26 in barrel. To chop or not to chop?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bm11</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I wouldn't bother for 2". I don't see much of a reason to run anything above a 20" in a .308 though. </div></div>

This. This a lot. I can't see any point in cutting it down to anything more than 22" but I would cut it to 20". Its for hunting and it'll still reach out there.

 

[hypno02]

Re: 26 in barrel. To chop or not to chop?

Cut it to 20, the manuverability will pay off instantly. Forget muzzle velocity, the deer won't know if the bullet's traveling 1150 or 1100 fps.

 

[8up]

Re: 26 in barrel. To chop or not to chop?

If you cut it, go big, dont waste it on 2"

 

[dareposte]

Re: 26 in barrel. To chop or not to chop?

Cut it to 20" if you're going to bother, it will save weight and what you gain far outweighs what you lose. I was nervous cutting my first barrel down but once I did it and saw how great it was I am sold on it. I barely shoot my longer barreled rifles anymore.. they seem so cumbersome and they don't offer any real advantage for what I shoot.

 

[bm11]

Re: 26 in barrel. To chop or not to chop?

Shooting with a buddy the other day, we got out to 1070 yards shooting .308's. He was shooting an 18.5 inch barrel, making hits.