Sniper & Sharpshooter Forums banner

20 inch or 26 inch barrel

110K views 80 replies 35 participants last post by  jon308 
#1 ·
im looking at getting a remington 700 308 maybe the one from here, but i want to know what barrle length to go with the 20 or 26, i want to take the rifle out as far as i can im trying to get out to 800 to 1000 yards in input on what to go with would be great, and also how about the howa rifle if any input on that one thanks
 
#2 ·
Billy first welcome and good work on going with Mel for your rifle. He makes nice kit.

I have a 20" barreled rifle and while it shoots superb, it really does shoot nice, I want a 24" barrel to get the most outa my rounds at long range as I want to push the 308 to 1200m.

You can shoot out to 1000yds with a 308, ive gone to 901m which is 13m shy of 1000yds but I needed more elevation that my scope had at the time and now I've got a NF I dont have that issue, but I still wnat that extra velocity.

Simply put, if you wnat to shoot out to 600mts and thats it, grab the 20" as it will be more then fine, if you wnat to go out to 1000 and push the round, grab the 26" as you will truly gte the most from your round.

Just MHO and hope it helps some.
 
#4 ·
26. The guys running short talk about "hitting", shoot plates or don't know group sizes. You can do it, it does work but unless you are pushing loads HARD the odds are you have given away accuracy.
The extra velocity gives you more load options, keeps you away from being subsonic (even transonic has an effect) and is an easier ride to get accuracy. OTOH, if you are just shooting plates or will not often go to 1k then you might not notice what you are giving up.
 
#5 ·
I say twenty.

I've had a SPSV and a 5R. The SPSV at twenty six was really long. I couldn't imagine doing anything but going tot he range with it. The 5R at twenty four also felt long and awkward, but not near as bad. Surprising the difference two inches makes! When the 5R got back from the smith cut and crowned at twenty inches the difference was remarkable. It was a whole new rifle. It felt really maneuverable and 'light.' It's hard to describe, but my face just lit up when I handled it.

I do not regret it at all and sometimes think I should have committed and went for eighteen!
 
#6 ·
You know what Ive noticed. Most aussies will recommend the longer barrel and the US guys will recommend the shorter. Thats not conclusive but its a kinda general trenh ive started noticing. Odd Aint it??
 
#7 ·
I run a 24" barrel and am fine with it but if you want to run a 20" barrel I'd recommend loading 155 Lapua Scenars and pushing them at around 2830fps .... that will keep you super sonic out to 1000 meters or more no sweat.

You may struggle a little staying super sonic to 1000 meters with 175 SMKs from a 20" barrel but it can do it .... the 168 SMKs don't seem to get there without dropping below the speed of sound but my experience is that they are a great pill for accuracy out to 800 meters.

I shoot 155 Scenars all the time now and love 'em!
 
#8 ·
This is one US guy who doesn't buy into stubby barrels. In a custom barreled .308 I would say 20" would be fine and the shortest I would go for good solid 1000 yard performance but in a factory tube which can be rough and not give you the same velocity or performance of a custom barrel I would say get the 26". If you find it a little too long then have a smith cut it down to 22-24" and recrown it.

I like longer barrels to get the most out of a round. My 6.5 Creedmoor is a 28", .243 is 27", 300WM is 26" and the only shorty I have is my practice .308 that has been set back to 20" which wears a Surefire can. I will be rebarreling my .243 to a .308 switch barrel with a 26" Bartlein barrel to get the most out of the new Hornady 178 BTHP Superformance load. I am a decent sized guy and have never had a problem swinging around a longer barrel at competitions.
 
#10 ·
after reading on here about tac ops saying there is no vilocity
change untill shorter then 18'' on 308s and no change on
300win mags untill shorter then 22'' so with the proof
in the bag how can anyone else get more vilocity from
something that does not exist up to 190gr feds-- now on the flip side the longer the anything the more stable it is,

its quite easy to take a rig and move it quickly up and down
right and left, and back and forth but to rotate it back and forth like a propeller takes the most effert thuss being the most stable mode of movement,
all this based on info from here.
 
#11 ·
+1 Rob,
A good custom rifle, you wont see a difference at 1000 yards from 20" to 26" barrel. As he said though, with a stock rifle, you might see a difference though be it small.
I've shot both 20 and 26 extensively. I do prefer the 20" barrel.
 
#12 ·
That article is only valid if you use FGMM. If you use a slower powder you will loose velocity when the barrel is cut back. Its just science. If you only use FGMM then run the 20" barrel. If you want a little versatility with your reload options then I would go 22" at least and maybe 24". Is there going to be a silencer on this thing? I have a 26" barrel and it is to much. Im thinking on going to a 24" MTU contour in 300WM. I know I'll loose a little velocity with the slower powders, but the gain in mobility is worth it.
 
#13 ·
I used a remington SPS tactical in 20" 308 to hit 14 out of 25 shots at 1125yds on IPSC steel torso. I used an 18" lawton 308 to make 16 out of 20 shots on that plate at 1000yds.

I now have in my possession an 18" krieger 308 that I've yet to stretch out.

Can it be done? Absolutely. Myself and others have proven it more than once. Should it be done? Absolutely. Its some of the best learning you will ever get. Would I rely on ANY 308 as a 1000yd gun? No. Compared to a 300WM, 338LM, or other cartridges... it isn't even in the running.

The way I look at it is this:
I have absolutely no problem taking any of my 308's and hitting that IPSC plate at 800yds. Its pretty easy in virtually any condition. Move the plate to 1000 and it gets difficult if there is a fair gusty wind. However, with 300WM, its easy at 1000 in just about any reasonable condition.

The ability to shoot heavier bullets, faster, makes things easier for me... because my main problem as a shooter is wind. The 308 with a 175gr bullet going about 2500-2550, which is what you can expect from an 18" barrel gets carried by the wind pretty good. A 1mph wind difference can make you miss. That is not what makes a 1000yd rifle.

This doesn't mean I don't constantly shoot my 308s really far... because I do. However, its an exercise in learning. I don't learn nearly as much with bigger rifles because they are like laser beams in comparison.
 
#14 ·
billy said:
im looking at getting a remington 700 308 maybe the one from here, but i want to know what barrle length to go with the 20 or 26, i want to take the rifle out as far as i can im trying to get out to 800 to 1000 yards
Think of the difference as "The last 100 Yards" (tm)

The shorter barrel will shoot properly developed long range loads out to 1200 yards, the longer barrel out to 1300 yards.

The shorter barrel is lighter (not necessarily a good thing in a tactical rifle, definately a good thing in a hunting rifle) stiffer, and probably a little less picky on load development.

I sit in the long barrel camp, mostly because I like to push the edge and the extra 4-6" helps in those maters. The longer barrels really help in the muzzle flash and report department. So the shorter 20 will have a significantly louder report, if that maters to you.

The short barrel camp tends to say things like "the shorter barrel is more accurate,..." While I do not disagree with them, I don't run into many PALMA shooters who complain about accuracy of their 30" barrels. So, if length were the sole criterion, it seems to me that both long and short barrels can be made to shoot well. Shorter barrels might be a tad easier to make shoot well.

The long barrel will generate more MV and require less UPs at the turrets (note: properly developed loads: not necessarily FGMM).
 
#15 ·
Listen to everyone above. I will share my personal experience when I cut from 24 to 20 on a factory barrel. I had better accuracy, but I also had the rifle properly bedded, recoil lug swapped, and went from factory crown to a crown from a gunsmith that may have spent more time on it. As such, there are too many factors to say the accuracy increase was caused from the cut.

Things I noticed:

Slightly more recoil (.308 is still tame)
Approx same muzzle flip (on my rifle, might be more on others)
Much louder
Lighter rifle that has a better balance for non prone shooting
Finding a load was very easy and quick (not picky at all)

I did it as I shoot less than 600m 100% of the time. Velocity loss was about 50 fps in my rifle (Savage).

If you plan on shooting out to 800-1200, probably a good idea to go long. If not, I would go short.
 
#16 ·
+2 what rob says. im 5'8" and 171lbs and in terrific shape, but i am NOT a big guy. i hit the gym hard every day, im a professional cyclist in the summers. but, ive never EVER had a problem carrying around and using my PSS with a 26" barrel, and with the hornady superformance and home made rounds using the 178gr amax she shoots terrific. never regretted the 26 inch barrel and have no plans to cut it down now or in the future. if i ever have to recrown the bare minimum is coming off.


Paulus
 
#17 ·
Quick said:
You know what Ive noticed. Most aussies will recommend the longer barrel and the US guys will recommend the shorter. Thats not conclusive but its a kinda general trenh ive started noticing. Odd Aint it??
Yep and most of the US guys talk about "hitting" the target. Not group size, plates which are normally quite large. You will also notice that more often than not it's the Aussies who laugh at the "Oh no, you can't get to 1K with a .223". I guess if you are after 2MOA + then it's not going to be noticed or if you just shoot rocks and plates. Seems to me little to nothing can be done to get guys to have an open mind and make the right choice for them over just being in fashion.
 
#18 ·
trapperjack1 said:
after reading on here about tac ops saying there is no vilocity
change untill shorter then 18'' on 308s and no change on
300win mags untill shorter then 22'' so with the proof
in the bag how can anyone else get more vilocity from
something that does not exist up to 190gr feds-- now on the flip side the longer the anything the more stable it is,
..
.
Which WHICH loads? In how many guns? Some custom barrels, on some guns with some loads might not get any gain. You just better hope you can get the accuracy node you want out of the gun you own without running stupid loads. There is a reason accuracy guys run long barrels. Any number of tests have shown there is more often than not enough velocity increase to make it worth it. If you just want to shoot to 700 or hit a plate getting on for 2MOA then you won't notice.
If you want the best tool for the job, have everything going for you and get all the accuracy you can then run it longer.
 
#22 ·
I like my 24 inch barrel, I'm rarely (never) running through bushes with a loaded rifle so I don't find snags to be an issue and having just finished college track as a javelin thrower I don't find the weight of the extra couple inches to be a hindrance. Just my .02
 
#23 ·
no vilocity
change untill shorter then 18'' on 308s and no change on
300win mags untill shorter then 22''
That's a surprising statement.

In its defense, I was looking at Lyman's for the .480 Ruger last week, and their loads in a 7.5" barrel were virtually the same speed as in a 12". They noted that was unusual, but in that particular cartridge, that was their result.
(49th edition, comparing the regular Pistol section to the TC section, if anyone wants to double-check me.)

Still ... I didn't expect so similar a claim for the rifle cartridges ...
 
#24 ·
I've got a SPS-T (20") that is the most accurate rifle I own. I shoot FGMM out of it most of the time, and handloads the rest. It is consistently a .5 MOA gun with 168's but it is a 1.5-2 MOA gun with 155's. I've tried and tried, but it just doesn't like 155's. The longest I really ever get to shoot is 500 yards +/-, so the little bit of velocity I may be losing doesn't really affect me.
I wouldn't trade the manuveurability of the 20" for any small advantage the 26" gun might give me anyway.
 
#26 ·
trapperjack1 said:
does anyone no the powder used in the fed match 190gr?
is it fast or slow? there was a respons from a guy on here
that was pushing the 208 A-max just over 2900 with
a 22 inch stick, i dont remember his name
in a .308? I don't think so! I'm using 47grs (the max load mind you) of varget with a 155 pill and just getting over 2900 out of a 24inch barrel.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top