I have a question: most 300 win mag's are in a 26 inch barrels I really don't like a 26" how short can I go on a 300 WM barrel and still be able to hit a target out to 500 - 700 yards..
- Thread starter ironhorse64
- Start date
Rule of thumb is about 50fps per inch. That goes totally hinky when you get to pistol length though...
I shoot 230s, and stay super sonic past 1,800 yards in a 26" barrel. By my numbers I would say you could easily go pistol length (shorter than you probably want) and stay fully super sonic out to 700yds. I say cut it where you want it, and you should still be fine.
This is only an educated guess though.
You don't need a .300WM though. Shorty .308s will do that all day too.
I shoot 230s, and stay super sonic past 1,800 yards in a 26" barrel. By my numbers I would say you could easily go pistol length (shorter than you probably want) and stay fully super sonic out to 700yds. I say cut it where you want it, and you should still be fine.
This is only an educated guess though.
You don't need a .300WM though. Shorty .308s will do that all day too.
You could easily go down to a 14" to 16" barrel length with your 300WM and hit targets at 700yds and even further.
Energy, velocity, wind drift and ballistic curve would SUCK! . . . . . but you could still hit the target.
If not running suppressed, your muzzle blast would likely knock over any steel targets inside *200yds.
*The kill radius of your muzzle blast would be dependent on your propellent choice but would still kill
or maim animals and small children inside the 200yd radius and inside a 40 degree cone to either side of your line of flight.
If you are running suppressed and get stupid short with your barrel length, your port pressure is going to be
phenomenally high and could possibly damage some suppressor bodies even if rated through 300WM.
Contact specific suppressor manufacturers for their own direction and suggestions*.
*NOTE: I would recommend calling them.
Do not Zoom, Facetime, etc because you will probably get irritated when they start rolling their eyes.
.This reply was written with levity in mind but is not limited to realm of fantasy. I'm joking but totally serious in my reply. No meant for public consumption. Restricted to ages 18yrs and older unless it is semi-automatic and then the threshold is 21yrs or older. Do not swim for an hour after eating. Do not run with scissors.
22” is as short as i would go in the win mag. I have no problems hitting steel out to 1200m on calm days but any wind does toss the bullet (185 berger jug) around like a rag doll beyond about 800m.
ETA: Im getting ~2900 fps w/185 jugs.
Here’s a shitty pic of my trg42 w/22” bbl and AAC Titan.
ETA: Im getting ~2900 fps w/185 jugs.
Here’s a shitty pic of my trg42 w/22” bbl and AAC Titan.
Last edited:
20-22" win mags do very well with RL26 and 190-215gr pills. My next suppressed win mag shorty barrel will be 20".
Edit to add. I was getting 2920 FPS with 215s out of a 22" PRC with RL26 and no pressure. In a 20" win mag With 205s at 2800 fps with no pressure. Also Rl26.
Edit to add. I was getting 2920 FPS with 215s out of a 22" PRC with RL26 and no pressure. In a 20" win mag With 205s at 2800 fps with no pressure. Also Rl26.
Last edited:
I've always thought that an 18" 300WM is basically a 24" 308. Someone will disagree, hell, everyone might, but it makes sense to my tiny Marine brain.
If it is just punching plates or paper, why not drop down in bullet size to something that bucks the wind and holds velocity like a 300WM - there are several options in that category.
Don't get me wrong, 300WM is - by a significant margin - my favorite rifle caliber, but that is for hunting purposes ("too dead" is not a thing, "almost dead" absolutely is a thing!) If you are shooting targets, there are options that cost less to shoot, perform just as well, and are easier to shoot well - with certain assumptions made.
If it is just punching plates or paper, why not drop down in bullet size to something that bucks the wind and holds velocity like a 300WM - there are several options in that category.
Don't get me wrong, 300WM is - by a significant margin - my favorite rifle caliber, but that is for hunting purposes ("too dead" is not a thing, "almost dead" absolutely is a thing!) If you are shooting targets, there are options that cost less to shoot, perform just as well, and are easier to shoot well - with certain assumptions made.
20" 300wm 10 Twist
RL26 - 215 Hyb @ 2735fps with no pressure at all
H1000 - 215 Hyb @ 2674fps with pressure signs
RL26 - 190 LRX @ 2968fps with no pressure signs. I cranked this load up to a little over 3000fps but it wasn't an accuracy node so went with the slightly slower charge.
H1000 - 185 Jug @ 2659fps with slight pressure signs
H1000 is not a great choice for light or heavies in a 20" 300wm. You get about the same velocity with any projectile you try. Not enough barrel to cook the powder charge completely. Even got a few secondary ignitions inside the suppressor. Switching to RL26 gave me better velocity, lower pressure, and was extremely temp stable for me.
RL26 - 215 Hyb @ 2735fps with no pressure at all
H1000 - 215 Hyb @ 2674fps with pressure signs
RL26 - 190 LRX @ 2968fps with no pressure signs. I cranked this load up to a little over 3000fps but it wasn't an accuracy node so went with the slightly slower charge.
H1000 - 185 Jug @ 2659fps with slight pressure signs
H1000 is not a great choice for light or heavies in a 20" 300wm. You get about the same velocity with any projectile you try. Not enough barrel to cook the powder charge completely. Even got a few secondary ignitions inside the suppressor. Switching to RL26 gave me better velocity, lower pressure, and was extremely temp stable for me.
That just depends mostly on you. Just how big a boy are ya?
Not sure if you dead set on a 300wm
But any modern cartridge will print tiny groups at 700 with a 18-22” barrel
But any modern cartridge will print tiny groups at 700 with a 18-22” barrel
My 300 prc is 21” and shoots a 215 @2850
I would not be scared of a 20” 300 win just make sure you have the velocity needed to work with your target range how you want (example, impact velocity on game out to x yards)
Bullet don’t just randomly become unstable after they are stabilized.
I would not be scared of a 20” 300 win just make sure you have the velocity needed to work with your target range how you want (example, impact velocity on game out to x yards)
Bullet don’t just randomly become unstable after they are stabilized.
500-700 yards? You can do that with a 5.56.
I have a 20" Falkor Petra .300 wm that hits out to 1200 yards with no issues.
You could easily go down to 16" if you wanted.
I have a 20" Falkor Petra .300 wm that hits out to 1200 yards with no issues.
You could easily go down to 16" if you wanted.
You definitely don’t “need” a 300 WM short barrel for what you want to do. Although I’m sure you have your reasons. Hunting would be a good one for the combo
Otherwise a 6.5 or 20” 308 would be a lot less recoil/powder/$$ to do the same thing on targets
Otherwise a 6.5 or 20” 308 would be a lot less recoil/powder/$$ to do the same thing on targets
