barrel length

I am deciding on a gun right now and I wonder if you could help me out with something. What is the difference between a 22" barrel and a 24" barrel? (other than the obvious 2") I'm looking to get a 30.06 if that helps you with an answer.

Ask a lady the same question.
Just two inches huh?
It's easy:the longer the barrel the longer you shoot,get it?

justwondering...................

Longer barrel usually means better accuracy...The longer the barrel the more twists you get which tranlates into a more accurate and typically a little longer shooting rifle barrel. I have a 24" barrel on my 270..but the standard barrel length is manufactured at 22" now days..If I were having a custome rifle made I would have a 24" barrel...maybe even 26". I would have to research barrel lengths with the experts and ask if it makes that much difference anymore...Godd luck..

I'm in the same boat right now. I am looking for a new rifle in 300 win mag. I like the longer barrels,26" or so. They seem to be more accurate and stable. An old guy that I use to work with was a sniper in Nam and all of his long range rifles were 26" & 28" long heavy barrels. But keep in mind, his long shots were 1800+ yards. I have seen him hit a quarter at 600 yards with one of his 28" barreled rifles.
As for an .06, probably a 24" or 26". Depends on what kind of load you are going to dump through it and if you plan to use it for longer ranges. If you do not plan on shooting over 200 yds or so, go with the 24".
By the way, I am no ballistics expert and am just going off of personal experience.
Eric


Life long "vagitarian"

That last guy, making the comment about the old guy, sheesh. I guess I qualify, but I still hate the word....old. But to the topic at hand; if you are not going to shoot over 275 to 300 yards, the 22 inch barrel is every bit as good. The main reason everyone is making shorter barrels these days is the lighter weight. Most hunters prefer less weight. The ony other advantage is slightly quicker handling in cover and on running game.

Within reason, the physics/ballistics say....the longer the barrel the more complete the powder burn; hence slightly more feet per second and power/range. The previously-posted statements about a "slightly" longer twist in the barrel are also true.

I shoot a lot. Back when I had only one hunting rifle I took a great many deer and elk with a 22"-barreled .270. I have now acquired several hunting rifles. The expensive ones are topped with Zeiss or Schmidt & Bender optics and I handload my own recipes. With a 26"-barreled .300 Weatherby, I'm getting 3485 fps using 168 grain bullets. They are deadly to 600 yards +. (They're certainly deadly much farther, but I very rarely shoot farther.) I practice hundreds of shots each year with each rifle, which is of infinitely more concern than the barrel length. In a 24" .300 Weatherby, I get about 75 fps less. It's accurate to the same distances, just with a slightly greater mid-range trajectory. Either weapon has sufficient power to kill an elk substantially beyond my realistic ability to safely take the shot.

In the real hunting world, where most people are less fanatical than I, barrel length matters very little. Pick the gun the appearance of which you like (seriously). If weight and quick handling are important, lean toward shorter barrels. If sitting and shooting a long ways is important, the longer barrel is superior. Good Luck, from one of the OLD GUYS.

I am no expert, but the only advantage a longer barrel is velocity (the higher the velocity the greater the difference) and balance of the rifle.
I was not aware barrel length effected accuracy. The rifling twist rate affects accuracy. Someone please elaborate.
Cary

Carol, Think of as a shotgun barrel...The reason hunting shotguns are 28" in most cases is the longer the bullet/pellets are controlled by the diameter of the barrel the longer the bullet/pellets will hold said pattern. Barrels on guns 100 years ago where extremely long because they were shooting balls and needed to control the flight by keeping the ball on course longer..The developement of the twist in barrels and the improvement of bullets have allowed rifle munufactures to shorten barrel to lighten up rifles...I hope this makes sense...By the way, I am no expert (obviously)just my undersatanding...If anybody can straighten me out I would appreciate it...

I'm no expert but I was told the rule of thumb was every 2 inches of barrel lenth was 50 ft.per.sec. faster so between 22 and 26 inches would be 100 ft.per.sec. faster ,maybe this might help you a little....Devlin

I shoot an 1899 M96 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser that has a 29" barrel that is really accurate. I get some funny looks from people when they see me carrying a rifle that is 104 years old and weighs nearly 10 pounds without scope or ammo!! I like taking it to the shooting range and out shooting many other fellas with newer more expensive modern guns. If nothing else, my $90 investment turns a few heads!!

Wilecoyote76

The only difference between a 24" and a 22" is the longer barrel will have a little more velocity.
The reverse is usually true as far as accuracy.
A shorter stiffer barrel is (usually) more accurate if they have the same barrel contour and are from the (same maker).

All a person has to do to see that extra barrel length does not necessarily equate to better accuracy is shoot a TC Contender rifle length barrel against the pistol length barrel.

An off the shelf rifle with a 26" barrel even in bull barrel configuration will loose out to a Shilen or other custom 22" or 24" normal contour barrel every time and vice versa. Why?
Because the way the barrel rifling is cut and machined and the way the barrel is stress relieved is a (huge) factor in accuracy from a barrel as well.
With mass produced production rifles all theories can be thrown out the window.Why?
How many of you have the "same" rifle and barrel length as the other guy yet one of you shoots extremely well and the other will not.
No two rifle barrels are exactly the same as well as the way in which they are bedded.
Also the trigger pull on the two rifles may be completely different.

Check all of the following to determine if your rifle is shooting the best it can. ((Just my opinion)).

Stocks- Laminated wood or composite stocks are stiffer and do not warp during weather changes. Usually they give the rifle a stiffer base for the action and barrel to rest in which helps accuracy.

Bedding- Make sure the barrel is not contacting wood or laminate on one side more than the other in the barrel channel. Some rifles shoot better free floated. While others like to be partially bedded or fully bedded in the barrel channel.
Start with free floating first since it is easier to add bedding material than to grind it back.
Make sure the recoil lug and action are fully bedded.
Usually this alone can make a shooter out of an average rifle.
Brownells sells a good kit at most sporting goods stores. Follow the directions carefully.

Trigger- Only you can determine what trigger pull feels good on your rifle. Do not get a target couple ounce pull trigger job done on a hunting rifle or else you risk a serious accident.
Most factory rifles come with six pound or heavier trigger pulls.
Usually a couple pounds of pull taken off helps accuracy.
If you are not a competant gunsmith you should take this to one for them to do for you. "I stress this is not for weekend tinkerers to try to do".

Ammo- If you reload you can squeeze even more accuracy out of your rifle. If not try different loads that are appropriate for the game you will hunt. Usually you will find a load that shoots best. Buy a bulk supply of that particular lot of ammo since each lot can shoot different than the other.
If you reload you can move the bullet out till it is just short of touching the rifling if your magazine will allow for the extra length. Follow a reloading manual for safety.
Usually any powder reccomended by the manual that fills 95% or more of the case and gives the best velocity will perform well.

Shooting- Make sure your rifle is stable at the range.
If you move your head away from your rifle and then look back through the sights and it has moved then you need to adjust till it stays put.
Flinching is the evil big brother to no accuracy at all even if you have an accurate rifle.
To see if you flinch while the range is allowing shooting, have a buddy have you turn around so you cannot see your rifle.
Have him either put a round in the chamber or not with the safety on and the rifle still pointed down range.
When he is finished turn around and fire as usual at your target.
If you flinch a lot you will notice it bigtime when on the time no round is in the chamber you jolt at the "click" of the empty chamber. Do not worry we all are guilty of it at one time or another. You have to mentally know that flinching actually causes more felt recoil and that it will not kill you.
When you shoot remember to breath in and let half out before you pull the trigger.
After you are sighted in and shooting well practice from field shooting positions such as prone, kneeling, sitting, over a pack,
or from the side of a tree.
Most ranges will not allow it so you may have to spend some time in the hills where it is legal to shoot to do this.

I am not the best shot in the world but believe the above will help most just getting started to become better marksman.
Best,
Jerry

Good reply Jerry. I think I am going to print that and keep with all my shooting stuff.

Jerry hit it very well on the nail head. In a 30-06 the average difference in velocity will be about 50 feet per second. You have to decide if the small amount of velocity is worth the added 2 inches, or if you prefer the shorter barrel while moving though brush.22-24 inches is the excepted factory lenght for most non-magnum calibers, and 24- 26 is more common with the magnums. I am familiar with a test where the same barrel was used to test velocity by starting at 28 inches and cutting the barrel back by one inch increments to 18 inches.. The average lost of velocity was 25 FPS per inch of barrel that was cut off.
RELH

I know I have a 30-378 Sako in 26" barrel It shoots a 165 at 3500 and change, the same round shot out of my Wthby 30-378 with a 28" fluted barrel is about 200 ft per sec faster, They both shoot about the same MOA at 200. But the Wthby is a lot faster.

Kingfish, the only advantage to a longer barrel on a shotgun is the longer sighting plane...since shotguns have only a front bead and no rear sight, it helps a lot for those longer shots. Also it affects the way the gun balances, and with a little more weight out front, it can help to keep the gun moving and keeping it out ahead of the target. The size of the pattern is determined by the choke, which is generally only in the last 3 inches of the barrel. A longer barrel will give slightly more velocity, but not enough to really matter. 100 years ago barrels were longer...I believe the reason for that is the powder they had was much slower burning and needed a longer barrel to fully burn. With that slower powder, the longer barrels did show a significant gain in velocity. But now with faster burning powders the longer barrels are not necessary.

Polarbear said: (about his sniper friend): "I have seen him hit a quarter at 600 yards with one of his 28" barreled rifles."

Are you serious or exaggeratin' a little? How many shots did it take to hit the quarter? Was this really a quarter or a paper bullseye the size of a quarter? Not sure if I could even see a quarter at 600 yards, but I guess there really are expert marksman and extremely accurate rifles out there. Also, I'm sure we could all tell stories of the incredible (lucky) shots we've made at some time... still, if this guy can do this consistantly, I'm impressed!

No I am not exagerating! I saw it with my own eyes. Not only did he hit the quarter at 600 yards, he hit it 3 out of 5 shots! The other 2 were just a hair off. This man spent every spare moment of his life shooting, building rifles and reloading. He shot 4 to 5 days a week right up to the time he died. He also had over 300 rifles. His walk-in safe looked like an armory. He was the most amazing shot I have ever seen.
Eric


Life long "vagitarian"

someone mentioned balance. IMHO your ability to shoot a rifle well is equally if not more important than how well the rifle shoots. Some people are more comfortable with shorter barrels, some with longer. I find the longer barrels settle down a little quicker, but that's just me. Maybe you can shoot one of each and see which is better for you.