I think if a deer is hit by a bullet from a 20" or a 24" barrel in the correct kill zone with a correctly design bullet at the distances they are normally shot at the deer is going to be dead and you or it aint going to tell if it came out of a 20" or 24" barrel. You might tell the difference in the handiness and lighter weight of a shorter barrelled rifle especially when you are carrying it for a period of time or using it from a vehicle
I think some people here fail to understand that in order to achieve what a cartridge is designed to do, in many instances a particular length barrel or twist rate is required. Will they shoot bullets with ‘other’ lengths or twists, sure,,but then there are other calibres/chambering a which would be more sensible for the same outcome.
Why shoot a 20” 270 when you get unburned propellant, muzzle flash, muzzle erosion, noise, lower velocity and high recoil for outcome, than what makes the 270 what it is..
It’s like a 7mm Rem Mag in under 24”, even 26” or more is better..one might as well shoot a 7-08 and have the same but more pleasant outcome.
A lot of manufacturers these days make misc Cal/chambering offerings in short silly barrels because
A. They think people are stupid
B. They think people ‘want’ short barrels as these days people have this dumb habit of throwing themselves on the ground with a bipod when they see a deer..so good rifle ‘balance’ is perceived as less important.
C. They think most will want a short barrel so when those ugly things that reduce noise are screwed on the end, it’s not 36” long
Do manufacturers know they are making non-sensible barrels, hell yeah.
Just look at the new Mauser m18’s,
Bloody silly all of them apart from the 308. Even the 6.5CM has the wrong twist so it can’t handle the bigger pills ..Morons...OR, are the morons the people who buy them thinking they were made fit for purpose
Why shoot a 20” 270 when you get unburned propellant, muzzle flash, muzzle erosion, noise, lower velocity and high recoil for outcome, than what makes the 270 what it is..
It’s like a 7mm Rem Mag in under 24”, even 26” or more is better..one might as well shoot a 7-08 and have the same but more pleasant outcome.
A lot of manufacturers these days make misc Cal/chambering offerings in short silly barrels because
A. They think people are stupid
B. They think people ‘want’ short barrels as these days people have this dumb habit of throwing themselves on the ground with a bipod when they see a deer..so good rifle ‘balance’ is perceived as less important.
C. They think most will want a short barrel so when those ugly things that reduce noise are screwed on the end, it’s not 36” long
Do manufacturers know they are making non-sensible barrels, hell yeah.
Just look at the new Mauser m18’s,
Bloody silly all of them apart from the 308. Even the 6.5CM has the wrong twist so it can’t handle the bigger pills ..Morons...OR, are the morons the people who buy them thinking they were made fit for purpose
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Very true, however that only applies to a tiny proportion of the marketplace. Recreational stalkers can use any cartridge and barrel length they wish, with or without a mod, which is more who I think PKL aimed his comment at.
20” works fine for killing deer at stalking distances.
I’m getting 2750-2900fps with most commonly available 130gn ammunition, Winchester super X being the slowest and Norma sp the fastest, Hornady superformance gmx got close to 3000fps but wildly inconsistent at that time.
Is it making most of the .270’s capacity? NO! 22” wont either.
24”+ will work best, and yes there is a difference in trajectory, shot reaction, killing speed and recoil. There’s always a trade off and form follows function, which is why my 20” barrelled .270 sees the light of day and the artificial light at night much more than my 24”
I’m getting 2750-2900fps with most commonly available 130gn ammunition, Winchester super X being the slowest and Norma sp the fastest, Hornady superformance gmx got close to 3000fps but wildly inconsistent at that time.
Is it making most of the .270’s capacity? NO! 22” wont either.
24”+ will work best, and yes there is a difference in trajectory, shot reaction, killing speed and recoil. There’s always a trade off and form follows function, which is why my 20” barrelled .270 sees the light of day and the artificial light at night much more than my 24”
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243 fallow
Well-Known Member
Imagine how much the rifle makers save by saving 4ins of every rifle barrel they make, then hoodwink us into believing we need a more portable rifle due to the extra length of the moderator.
Ha ha yeah right nobody has to buy them if they don’t want to.
To an extent they do, as I mentioned above trying to find a 26" sporting rifle in an overbore non-magnum (270, 280, 25-06 etc) is practically impossible in a mainstream(ish) factory rifle.
26" in a magnum is easier but they have those silly "varmint" profile barrels.
I think moderators are the main reason for the short barrel trend in the last 10-20 years. I also subscribe to 24" for 06 based cases and 26" for magnums. I will admit that I own a Swede cut to 21" for a mod. Although it will be 24" next time it's rebarrelled.
In my opinion, after chronying quite a few 'other peoples' guns, never, ever chrony your 25-06 or 270 with factory ammo, if it has a 22" barrel. It will make your stomach hurt as you start yelling at the chrony owner. Also prepare for muzzle blast. If you want a short barrel get a 308 or something based on it. capt david
243 fallow
Well-Known Member
You don’t get much choice, unless you go for a semi custom rifle,
Not being familiar with this, could you be explicit what the issue is? (Chronographing factory 25-06 and 270 with a 22" barrel)
My most disappointing chronography was of RWS factory 6.5x55mm in my SAKO 75 Finnlight (20-and-a-bit" barrel). After that, I discovered that RWS use a 29" barrel to get the data for that chambering.
I wouldn't wish to answer for the Capt, but based on that experience I suspect he refers to the rifle-owner's frustration on seeing how much lower than the manufacturers' data the recorded velocities are. I think most manufacturers' data comes from 24-26" barrels - so even allowing for optimisitc data, our modern 20-22" tubes are likely to fall short of what one might expect.
I wouldn't wish to answer for the Capt, but based on that experience I suspect he refers to the rifle-owner's frustration on seeing how much lower than the manufacturers' data the recorded velocities are. I think most manufacturers' data comes from 24-26" barrels - so even allowing for optimisitc data, our modern 20-22" tubes are likely to fall short of what one might expect.
^^^^^^^ Dalua hit the nail on the head! Over the past years, while using my chrony, someone will get enough nerve to ask if I will chrony their rifle. Once I agree, several other invariably ask. Very few factory loads get within 50-75fps of factory specs. Probably the most common that fall short are the 270, 25-06 with 22" and Remington 7 mag with 24" barrels are as much as 200fps slower. When they see the results, some get mad at me or blame the chrony! The newer 260/6.5s, 708, and 308 with 24" barrels usually get close. capt david
My .270 has a 22" barrel. Works fine as far as I can see.
3030fps with a 130gr and a middling load of N160, which suits me fine. I probably am down 50-100fps over a 24" mind.
I find it's more of an issue with factory ammo. I've used 130gr Remington, Federal, PPU, Winchester and none of them break 2900fps, at which point it may as well be a .308. Muzzle flash is pretty noticeable as well. Can't say the deer notice though.
I did toy with the idea of going 24" on my last re-barrel, but actually, a 22" is irritating enough when you have to crawl that I think I'd rather take the velocity hit than deal with 2" more barrel.
No mod on my rifle though, so in practice it's a 19-20" barrel in terms of overall length versus a modded rile.
3030fps with a 130gr and a middling load of N160, which suits me fine. I probably am down 50-100fps over a 24" mind.
I find it's more of an issue with factory ammo. I've used 130gr Remington, Federal, PPU, Winchester and none of them break 2900fps, at which point it may as well be a .308. Muzzle flash is pretty noticeable as well. Can't say the deer notice though.
I did toy with the idea of going 24" on my last re-barrel, but actually, a 22" is irritating enough when you have to crawl that I think I'd rather take the velocity hit than deal with 2" more barrel.
No mod on my rifle though, so in practice it's a 19-20" barrel in terms of overall length versus a modded rile.
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