Barrel length

[FrozenMinnesotan]

Im building a 8t 223 off a howa 1500 rhats currently a 204ruger and I have it in a krg xray. I have a m24 blank on order from pva and im torn on if I should do a 20" or 26" or something in between.

I plan on shooting the 73-80gr bullets with varget for local prs out to 750. Range work out to 600. I have a suppressor thats about 6" and idk if I'll run it at matches or just off bench.

I might coyote hunt with it too and I don't have to walk far so the weight isn't an issue.

My plan is to have my bergara hmr rebarreled into a 22gt or 6gt next year and thrown into a chassis for a more dedicated rig. (308 currently).

Whats the hide think i should go with?

 

[diggler1833]

20" is fine, especially if 600 and in. 26" will get you a little better performance in wind though. That matters less with a heavy .264 projectile...but the .224 stuff needs all the help it can get unless you are a wind-reading master.

.223 splash and ringing steel out to 750 is going to be pretty hard to see/hear.

I have a 26", .223 for fun and training myself. It does well in both of those purposes.

 

[FrozenMinnesotan]

Im more worried about balance in that xray. If it was a bravo I could add the rear weights. I guess I have 2 options. Run 26" and swap out xray buttstock for a bravo and run weights. Or try 26" and get it cut down to 20" if needed.

But id rather just choose now and be done

 

[spife7980]

The shorter you go, the more anemic your indications on target get. Go long if you really do want to hit steel at 750. My 16” with a 75gr bthp at 2700 is basically impossible to see self spotting on my shot up match sized steel unless the target is center hung by a chain so it spins. And it’s very wind sensitive.

My first prs rifle was an xray and it balanced alright with the 24” varmint remage, the m24 should be alright on balance. I don’t remember ever wanting rear weight.

 

[FrozenMinnesotan]

Ok thanks. I know on the further targets they use hit indicators. Ill go 26" and i can always cut it back once my other rifle is done

 

[ShtrRdy]

How about 24"

 

[FrozenMinnesotan]

It's an option. Kinda middle ground.

 

[ma smith]

KRGs are too light to properly balance in PRS without 26inch or longer, MTU or heavier contour barrels.

That being said for a "fun" range-rifle, a 20" barrel is going to be lighter and handier to put in the truck day in and day out for simple trips to the range, and its going to be heavy enough and have enough MV inside 600 yds to be a good target rifle and varmit rifle within those limits.

The real question is for longer term use--as this thread basically asks-- is it going to stunt your growth in PRS to shoot unbalanced, relatively slow .223 that will get blown around in the wind on top of being less stable? Alternatively, if you have a heavy, long prs/comp style rifle is this going to piss you off everyday taking it to the range or humping through the fields setting up for varmit/blind shooting.

I would just be careful of making a rifle that is good at nothing, and then sits in the safe after a couple of years...

 

[FrozenMinnesotan]

Yea i hear ya. Like stated b4. I have a hmr 308 that I wanna rebarrel next year anyway to a gt of some flavor for a dedicated prs rig. Id still run it now just 20" 308 is probably slow and recoils more than the 223. I shoot more at range than I do coyote hunt. I think I'll go 24-26" and see how it does. I can always bring it back to my smith and have him cut it down. Anyone know what a m24 diameter is at 20" and 24"?

 

[spife7980]

Anyone know what a m24 diameter is at 20" and 24"?

An M24 is 1.2 diameter for 2" and then tapers to .9" at 26", its taper is a straight line linear taper, no curves to worry with. On Krieger at least, some will claim its 3" of breech, differences that dont matter too much ultimately, whichever way, for your purposes.

So, we have a taper from 1.2" to .9" over a net distance of 24", thats a .3 amount of material removal. If we divide that .3 of material by the 24" taper span we can find that it narrows (or grows depending on which end you work from) by .0125" per inch. (or .013043 per inch if you start from a 3" breech)

So if we take a 24" its 2" less than the 26", .9+(.0125*2)=.925"
If its 20" thats 6" less than the 26" benchmark, thats .9+(.0125*6)=.975"

 

[FrozenMinnesotan]

Wow, ok thanks. Do you think stabilizing the 85gr bergers at 26" with a 8t is possible? Im at 1300asl.

 

[Baron23]

Wow, ok thanks. Do you think stabilizing the 85gr bergers at 26" with a 8t is possible? Im at 1300asl.

And here is the contour table for Bartlein straight taper barrels that shows the taper per inch. Makes it easy to calculate muzzle diameter at any given length....well, like @spife7980 just showed how to do.

 

[mark5pt56]

While I have some shorter guns in .223, my longest is an M24 at 24", for what you want to do mainly-24-26

 

[spife7980]

And here is the contour table for Bartlein straight taper barrels that shows the taper per inch. Makes it easy to calculate muzzle diameter at any given length....well, like @spife7980 just showed how to do.

View attachment 8770034

Well shit! Wish I had seen that before hand lolol

 

[FrozenMinnesotan]

Alright. 24-26 it is. Im convinced

 

[03machstock]

I have a 26” .223, I recently got a 24” in another caliber and I think I'll be doing 24”
From now on, maby even 22” if I get the itch. I shoot suppressed and I was kind of getting tired of how long it was.

 

[FrozenMinnesotan]

That's my only concern besides balance