REDUCING BARRLE LENGTH BY 65MM

Trufflehunting

Well-Known Member
I am interested in your thoughs on reducing barrel length by 65mm to make a Moderator more balanced while carrying my rifle.
I find it a pain forever adjusting it on my shoulder
Would the shorter barrel affect the accuracy ???
 
My Dad cut off slightly more than that from his SSG 69, as he uses(used) it for Stalking it made no noticable difference as your only shooting to within reason, not 1000m that the rifle was built for, accuracy, well, would you notice that at Stalking distances....

TJ
 
My VLS had 6" chopped off the day after I got it.
It has served me well with no noticeable difference in lethality or accuracy up to 300', never had call to use it over that as a general rule.
 
Cutting the barrel back has the added advatage of making it stiffer there by increasing potential accuracy. Any loss of velocity can be compensated for by using a faster burning power/ hotter primer. Depending upon where on the scale of burn rate etc that you start from of course.
 
i had my 243 cut down to 18 inch's a few friends have 243 s cut to 16 inch's ,they work well .
really depends on cal
 
My 308 has been reduced to 18" when it was threaded for ase utra s5 it balances just in front of mag housing. Grouping is almost the same as before.
simo
 
less drastic

I had the same problem which was exacerbated by my sling. I got one of the neoprene types and wear it really quite short. It seems to grip the rifle to my shoulder now.Not saying it doesnt need adjusting occasionally but it really is much less often.
 
length

I also had both of my stalking rifles setup with shorter tubes for the same reasons, I have a 243AI rem 700 with a 20 inch barrel & a 270 WSM rem 700 with a 20.5 inch barrel & both are all the better for it, they shoot fine out to 250m which is as far as I shoot with fallow.

Years ago I had a styer PH2 Stainless & this was cut down to I think it was 18 inches in line with the mountian version-it was a far better rifle for it after it was cut down.

There is no loss of accuracy at all & I think any loss of power is neglagable below 250m, but for handeling & use they are far better with an endcan on.

Regs Lee
 
1shot1kill said:
what about barrel resonance, surely the maker
made the barrel a specific length for a reason

I would certinally agree with you there, a longer barrel, within reason will give better accuracy at longer distances but as most people would only stalk upto probably 300m (Don't want this to turn into a, 300m, that's to far debate), I said "Probably", then to shorten the barrel will not have a noticable effect, again some people like heavy barreled rifles, as I said, my Dad got his shortened, his SSG 69 is a Sniper rifle, a heavy tool for Stalking but he likes it, when manufactured, yes the barrel is that length for it's purpose. With more and more people home loading also, you can probably tweek your ammunition to match that of factory ammo from a 26" barrel to match that of a 20" barrel at the same distance.

TJ
 
I wouldn't worry about loss of accuracy over the distances that stalkers normally shoot, however loss of velocity with some calibres (.243win in particular) could result in producing less than 1700 ft/lb at the muzzle.
It might be a good idea to be aware of the fact that some calibres rely upon a certain length of barrel to remain deer legal. You don't have a great margin for error with a .243win, some standard rifles with fairly short tubes barely scrape in, reduce the length and you might just be outside the legal requirement.
Yes, I know paper ballistics don't kill deer, but it would be wise to be aware just the same, and after all we all want to remain this side of the law.
 
I wouldn't worry about loss of accuracy over the distances that stalkers normally shoot, however loss of velocity with some calibres (.243win in particular) could result in producing less than 1700 ft/lb at the muzzle.
It might be a good idea to be aware of the fact that some calibres rely upon a certain length of barrel to remain deer legal. You don't have a great margin for error with a .243win, some standard rifles with fairly short tubes barely scrape in, reduce the length and you might just be outside the legal requirement.
Yes, I know paper ballistics don't kill deer, but it would be wise to be aware just the same, and after all we all want to remain this side of the law.
 
I've a 6.5x55 Sako with a factory threaded 20inch barrel. Accuracy is fine, handling with a moderator is fine, lethality is fine (yes, even with big fat Sika stags!) however my 140g home loads chrono at 2400-2500 fps depending on the season. A mild load which I used most of 2008 failed to reach 2400fps during the recent cold weather. A problem easily solved but a potential pitfall nonetheless.

To sum up though , I’d say that you should not worry about shortening the barrel as the set-up will handle better plus you will not notice any loss of accuracy or killing power. Get the hacksaw out!

regards
 
Naturally, the rifle will need to be recrowned as part of the process!

May I recommend an 11 degree target crown - has worked a treat on all of my rifles.

Rgds Ian
 
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