Owt better than 308 for short barrel?

[75]

I’m sure I’m going to rot in hell for starting another bloody calibre thread…

But anything else burn powder as well as 308 in a <20” barrel? Something about the calibre that has never really appealed but I’m thinking of putting a short, lightweight hill rifle together and the 308 does have a lot going for it - 6” less barrel than something like a 6.5x284 (which is a calibre I really like) for a start.

6.5needmore is a non-starter. I’m just not cool enough for such an esteemed round.

 

[dropmdead]

I can't think of a better rifle to carry - 16" barrel 308, short of a 16" 7-08!

There's a 308 with a 16" barrel in the local RFD that shoots well with federal 150gr factory ammo. I'm sure it will be fine with lighter bullets too.

The 7-08 (18" barrel) that I sold with a Carbon wrapped barrel has became a firm favourite for the new owner.

Definitely something to be said about shorter barrels...

 

[User00040]

7mm08 does what the 308 can but with better bullets!

 

[Utectok]

300 blackout I think if you want something strange???
”300 Blackout?

8 to 10 inches
Based on feedback from shooting experts, the best barrel length for . 300 Blackout suppressed is 8 to 10 inches. If your barrel is 8 to 10 inches, attaching a 6-inch suppressor will take the barrel's length to 14 to 16-inches.”
Apparently

 

[Utectok]

Otherwise 7mm 08

 

[Bowland blades]

take a look online at the hogdens reloading guide . Only search on the pistol data ( it has data for shorter barrels including rifle cartridges ) .
I have gone shorter barrels more over timeas they ballance moderators better and add a good 4" to total length.
So many folks have rifles they cannot accurately take a quick standing shot with no shooting sticks - that's just crazy !

 

[Deutsch - Drahthaar]

I have 308 and 708 and the 708 is much less felt recoil and is nicer to shoot imo.

 

[labrador77]

7mm-08 gets my vote, my current all round deer rifle has an 18" barrel and works very well for the majority of my deer control. For whatever reason, I've never got on with any .308 I've had and I'm a dyed in the wool. 270 fan. If you don't reload, ammunition availability will be a deciding factor vs .308.

 

[Bowland blades]

I have 308 and 708 and the 708 is much less felt recoil and is nicer to shoot imo.

There must be a difference in weight / balance I went from a 7-08 to a 308 , the 7 was hard to get bullets for then so i sold it it was a tikka 595 brand new . The bullets are easy to get now rifle and bullet if done at the same bullet weight and rifle weight / design being the same the cartridge will be the same.
Wouln't turn down a nice 7-08 at a good price but i wouldn't search out another personally . Why ? because I need to shoot factory copper its less certain you can get them.
Its strange that folks who dont or cant shoot deer beyond say 300 yards? Talk about which is the best

 

[Deutsch - Drahthaar]

There must be a difference in weight / balance I went from a 7-08 to a 308 , the 7 was hard to get bullets for then so i sold it it was a tikka 595 brand new . The bullets are easy to get now rifle and bullet if done at the same bullet weight and rifle weight / design being the same the cartridge will be the same.
Wouln't turn down a nice 7-08 at a good price but i wouldn't search out another personally . Why ? because I need to shoot factory copper its less certain you can get them.
Its strange that folks who dont or cant shoot deer beyond say 300 yards? Talk about which is the best

That's why I too have a 308 because of the need of factory copper. Admittedly the 308 is much easier and has much more variety and is cheaper than the 708 when it comes to factory ammo.

 

[sako85708]

7mm08 does what the 308 can but with better bullets!

 

[Gm81]

I had my 243 re-barreled and a pse stock by Andy (Ronin) on here. Yes it's boring and nothing exciting. But it's light and pushes a 150gr gameking at 2808fps. The fact is I love it. I never use my other rifles now. I don't notice the recoil at all when shooting deer. Paper I guess you notice it. But it's not bad.
I'm now looking at doing my my other action and in short I don't want a long barrel. So it's seems my 308 is what I wanted.

 

[HonestJohn]

Short .308 and hill rifle doesnt go together. Short .308, say 16”, and woodland or hedgerow rifle would make more sense.

Why, because even though a light handling .308 is wonderful for carrying on the hill…a. A light rifle will be much harder to shoot well at range, esp in windy conditions. And b. A short rifle in .308 such as 16” will start at not much more than 2350 fps and will not have the legs to properly expand a copper bullet past 200, less even.

 

[Dalua]

RWS offer their 'short rifle' loads in .308, .30-06, 8x57IS and 9.3x62. It would be interesting to know what approximate burning-rate of powder they're using.

 

[shakey jake]

There must be a difference in weight / balance I went from a 7-08 to a 308 , the 7 was hard to get bullets for then so i sold it it was a tikka 595 brand new . The bullets are easy to get now rifle and bullet if done at the same bullet weight and rifle weight / design being the same the cartridge will be the same.
Wouln't turn down a nice 7-08 at a good price but i wouldn't search out another personally . Why ? because I need to shoot factory copper its less certain you can get them.
Its strange that folks who dont or cant shoot deer beyond say 300 yards? Talk about which is the best

you struggled to get 7mm bullets? every gun shop ive been too had 7mm bullets i stock. 7mm bullets are fairly easy to find in my experience.

 

[nun_hunter]

Short .308 and hill rifle doesnt go together. Short .308, say 16”, and woodland or hedgerow rifle would make more sense.

Why, because even though a light handling .308 is wonderful for carrying on the hill…a. A light rifle will be much harder to shoot well at range, esp in windy conditions. And b. A short rifle in .308 such as 16” will start at not much more than 2350 fps and will not have the legs to properly expand a copper bullet past 200, less even.

I've shot a 16" Tikka Tac A1 in 308 with Barnes 165g copper out to 600m with almost boring accuracy. I'm sure with other varieties of copper or lead it'd be just as accurate.

 

[nun_hunter]

I’m sure I’m going to rot in hell for starting another bloody calibre thread…

But anything else burn powder as well as 308 in a <20” barrel? Something about the calibre that has never really appealed but I’m thinking of putting a short, lightweight hill rifle together and the 308 does have a lot going for it - 6” less barrel than something like a 6.5x284 (which is a calibre I really like) for a start.

6.5needmore is a non-starter. I’m just not cool enough for such an esteemed round.

338 Federal if you want to home load. You'll get more velocity weight for weight compared to a 308 from the same length barrel. Not sure what the ballistics are for the 338 bullets that you could still use effectively on deer on the open hill.

 

[25 Sharps]

I’m sure I’m going to rot in hell for starting another bloody calibre thread…

But anything else burn powder as well as 308 in a <20” barrel? Something about the calibre that has never really appealed but I’m thinking of putting a short, lightweight hill rifle together and the 308 does have a lot going for it - 6” less barrel than something like a 6.5x284 (which is a calibre I really like) for a start.

6.5needmore is a non-starter. I’m just not cool enough for such an esteemed round.

The bigger bore allows faster powders so you can get more power out of your short barrel, so .308 is the best answer to your question.

Or as suggested above bigger again with .338 federal but it depends on what bullet weight you want to shoot as the .338 is. 180+.

 

[1894]

338 federal or 358 Winchester?

 

[jthyttin]

But anything else burn powder as well as 308 in a <20” barrel?

9mm? You're asking the wrong question.

What you need to ask / know, is your max. shooting distance (plus 50-100m for estimation error and/or second shot), and then find bullets in different calibers that would presumably work up to the given distance. And of course muzzle velocities (since the bullets are given, terminal velocity can be calculated, G1 ballistic function is adequate up to several hundred meters; although data given by some manufacturers like Yew Tree doesn't always sound trustworthy).

With the muzzle velocities, it's somewhat easy to extrapolate barrel lenghts for different chamberings. Of course different rifle designs have different OAL for given barrel length, so you might gain extra 6" barrel length by going some of the single shot designs (if applicable).