Barrel Length Vs Felt Recoil

[SJC]

Hello,

Is anyone with first hand experience able to advise if barrel length affect the ability to stay on target when taking a shot?

I tend to like a short barrel and will get the shortest i can as a rule but find myself wondering if I’m missing a point and whether a 22” or 24” barrel will offer more in this respect than a 18” barrel. I suppose, to a point, this may be considered recoil. For the sake of this conversation the rifle, scope, mod etc. All remain the same. I am only considering barrel length i.e. do I go 24” or 18” if I am looking to get the best regard remaining on target.

In my mind, and to a point, i would assume a longer barrel means more weight and that weight is at the end of a longer lever and so there is more resistance when the gun is fire and the bullet leaves the muzzle.

Cheers

 

[Red Dragon 2]

I, for one, much prefer a longer barrel on rifles and shotguns as they tend to slow things down therefore making you more accurate whereas a short barrel flips and is difficult to keep still especially in the heat of the moment.

 

[bfltd0]

I suspect this is going to be a not very simple answer to what looks like a simple question.

Theoretically, you shouldn't be moving your barrel at all if you are taking an aimed shot with a rifle. Unless you are shooting something like a running boar, either in the flesh or a paper facsimile.

Again, theoretically, the longer the projectile remains in the barrel, the more recoil impulse will be generated. So does less felt recoil enable you to stay on target?

And you have to factor in the balance of the weapon. Is it muzzle light (say an 18" sporter config, with a light, whippy barrel) or muzzle heavy (with an 18" bull barrel varmint config). How does the stock assist/affect your hold/stance/position?

Are you worried about overall length (short=handy for woodland stalking, longer=good for the open hills)

There are many factors to consider here.

But if you find a rifle that you practice with and can shoot accurately with, regardless of barrel length, and is fit for your purposes, don't sweat the issue of "could I do with a few more inches"?

Edited to add my stalking rifles have 19" barrels and my game shotguns have 25" barrels.

 

[SJC]

Red Dragon 2, bfltd0, thank you both.

I short, I have been using a 520mm/20” barrelled .308 for some time and believed to be getting on well with it i.e. I tend to hit what I aim at and if I miss or the shot is an inch or two out I tend to know why. I happened to buy a small centre fire .20 cal to address a purpose and when using it I have realised just how pleasant it is to shoot such a light recoiling rifle i.e. you can see exactly where you hit as the rifle stays on target. Although very much a separate matter and very much a different beasts I did wonder if I had gone for a 580mm/24” barrel would the rifle be a little more inclined to stay put?

Again, in my mind it must help for if it was 28” of bull barrel it would surely whip less that 18” of sporter? But I guess this is more about general mass.

I fear I might be answering my own question and for someone who loves a short barrel for in the car, in the woods etc. And when only talking 3-4inchs of semi weight barrel (Blaser) the difference may be negligible and I’d be better off keeping it short?

 

[Malxwal]

For a larger, stalking orientated centrefire chambering, you would need to be into a pretty chunky bit of kit that's more geared towards prone target work, before you get it to feel like a .20 cal. I dont reckon an extra 2-4" is going to enable you to properly stay on target/see impact.

As mentioned above, bear in mind the kind of stalking you're doing, overhead cover you're moving through, distance etc. I have often cursed the poor balance and constant tangling of a 24" barrel.

 

[Mungo]

I have an unmoderated .308 with a 24” barrel. I’ve never had a problem with the recoil, and seldom loose the sight picture when I fire - almost always see the strike.

I’ve shot various other .308s, and have generally found the 20” barrels markedly more unpleasant to shoot.

I also shoot a 20” 6.5 Creedmoor, which (on paper) has less recoil than a .308. However, I find this jumps more than my .308, and even with a moderator, I lose the sight picture more often than I do with the .308 (they have identical stocks).

 

[enfieldspares]

Having shot my first deer with a 22" barrel .270 Winchester using factory Winchester 130 grain Silvertips I am in the opposite camp and won't have, will never have, any centrefire rifle with a barrel less than 24". I also don't use moderators so that is also a factor....the longer the barrel the further away from my ear the blast and the bang. And the less muzzle flash with slower powders.

But to the OP. Long barrels make no difference to accuracy. Except if using iron sights where the longer sight base usually aids better sight picture and so aids consistency. Supposedly. The benchrest brotherhood use relatively short and stiff barrels. So IMHO as "we all now use telescopic sights" choose whatever barrel length that IN YOUR USUAL SHOOTING POSITION you can hold the most steady.

The above anyway holds, for me, true for bolt action rifles firing centrefire cartidges with a muzzle velocity over 2,600 fps or so.

 

[mealiejimmy]

I think that rifle fit and stock shape can make a big difference to felt recoil.
If the rifle is a good tight it into the socket of your shoulder and the line of recoil is straight, the felt recoil will be less.

Cheers

Bruce

 

[enfieldspares]

There's a lot to be said for the comment just above. I've shot...albeit from the standing position...a .470 Nitro Express Holland & Holland double rifle that had less felt recoil (and this is 100% true) than a .22 FAC Webley Patriot air rifle I was unlucky enough to once own. Lord that was awful! A real cheek puncher. Awful. And painful. Like doing three rounds with Mike Tyson.

 

[NigelM]

The OP was more about flip than felt recoil which is mostly to do with what weight of bullet you are throwing down the barrel at what rate of acceleration in what weight of rifle as well as fit which others have mentioned.

Flip is a slightly different animal. It's to do with weight again, and related to recoil, but the other major factor is barrel length. Barrel length has a large effect on muzzle pressure. The longer the barrel the less muzzle pressure you get. Sub 12k psi is ideal. Over 15k psi and the muzzle blast and the resultant flip makes a difference.

Muzzle pressure is a factor of the cartridge capacity in relation to the the calibre and barrel length. A 270Win with 66gr of capacity going down a .277 calibre 20" barrel is going to have a lot of muzzle pressure and will be pretty uncomfortable to shoot - guaranteed loss of sight picture. A 308Win with 55gr of capacity in a .308 calibre 24" barrel is going to be pretty comfortable.

Programs like QL and GRT model muzzle pressure so you can work out what barrel length suits your cartridge.

 

[xavierdoc]

The OP is asking if, with all other variables the same, a longer barrel helps with staying on target when the shot is made. The short answer is yes.

He isn't asking about accuracy, nor felt recoil.

In Precision Rifle competition being able to see your trace and your hits/misses is crucial to success, to allow shot-to-shot changes of wind hold. Despite having to manoeuvre the rifle from position to position, most favour a fairly heavy profile barrel of around 24" with a brake. Not practical for stalking but illustrates the point.

 

[SJC]

All, thank you. Your input and comments have been of great assistance.

Cheers

 

[Heym SR20]

Longer barrels tend to be smoother shooting and you get much less crack and jump with them. Same for shotguns.

A lot of recoil sensation is the noise and muzzle blast etc.

The most horrible rifle I have used was a 300 win Mag Blaser Kipplauf shooting a 110 grain bullet very fast. It had a muzzle break. No recoil on the shoulder per se, but was spitting grit out of my mouth and teeth for a week!

 

[muddy42]

The OP is asking if, with all other variables the same, a longer barrel helps with staying on target when the shot is made. The short answer is yes.

He isn't asking about accuracy, nor felt recoil.

In Precision Rifle competition being able to see your trace and your hits/misses is crucial to success, to allow shot-to-shot changes of wind hold. Despite having to manoeuvre the rifle from position to position, most favour a fairly heavy profile barrel of around 24" with a brake. Not practical for stalking but illustrates the point.

Precisely. Neither is he considering how awkward walking around with a 24 inch barrel and a moderator. When shouldered the barrel is higher than your head, so it hits everything and swings off your shoulder. When you give it really hard thump (doorways or the car boot are often to blame) you worry if your accuracy has been affected. Anyway I digress.

 

[SJC]

Once again, thank you all for your responses and for seeking to clarify my original post. I can see that I may have caused confusion with the title not reflecting the continent. I originally titled the post as I felt the issue was recoil related, and I suppose to a point it is, but realised when writing the post that it wasn’t simply recoil related so addressed this in the text of the post but failed to amend the title.

What I really wanted to know was if a longer barrel on my Blaser R8 would result in me being able to retain a picture of the target when the shot is fired. At present I continue to see the deer but not to a point where I can accurately maintain and picture of the impact as I can with my .20 cal. As stated, I am aware the recoil generated is vastly different between the two calibers.

Equally, I am very much aware of the implications of a longer barrel as I have shot with these and replaced them all with 20” and 18” barrels for all the reasons mentioned but I’m currently reflecting as to whether this was a wise move for all rifles as I see many shot the 580mm Blaser barrel without trouble.

In the ideal world I’d try both the 650mm, 600mm, 580mm and 520mm Blaser barrels but this isn’t happening and it’s a reasonable expense to buy to then live with regrets i.e. I buy the longer barrel and see no significant improvement and am stuck with taking it into the wood when I’d rather a shorter barrel.

Based on the above I believe there is a difference but the extent of which is uncertain and it will fall to me to make a decision and take a chance.

 

[Heym SR20]

Once again, thank you all for your responses and for seeking to clarify my original post. I can see that I may have caused confusion with the title not reflecting the continent. I originally titled the post as I felt the issue was recoil related, and I suppose to a point it is, but realised when writing the post that it wasn’t simply recoil related so addressed this in the text of the post but failed to amend the title.

What I really wanted to know was if a longer barrel on my Blaser R8 would result in me being able to retain a picture of the target when the shot is fired. At present I continue to see the deer but not to a point where I can accurately maintain and picture of the impact as I can with my .20 cal. As stated, I am aware the recoil generated is vastly different between the two calibers.

Equally, I am very much aware of the implications of a longer barrel as I have shot with these and replaced them all with 20” and 18” barrels for all the reasons mentioned but I’m currently reflecting as to whether this was a wise move for all rifles as I see many shot the 580mm Blaser barrel without trouble.

In the ideal world I’d try both the 650mm, 600mm, 580mm and 520mm Blaser barrels but this isn’t happening and it’s a reasonable expense to buy to then live with regrets i.e. I buy the longer barrel and see no significant improvement and am stuck with taking it into the wood when I’d rather a shorter barrel.

Based on the above I believe there is a difference but the extent of which is uncertain and it will fall to me to make a decision and take a chance.

Retaining sight picture is more about controlling recoil than anything else.

Cross arm hold = more muzzle flip and loss of sight picture

Hold the forend firmly or push down on the scope = control of the recoil and much less muzzle flip.

And keep the magnification lower. 6x you can see the whole deer and everything around it. Zoom up so you can see the tick in its armpit and any slight movement means you loose sight picture.

Have a read of Hold that Forend!

 

[xbilly]

Retaining sight picture is more about controlling recoil than anything else.

Cross arm hold = more muzzle flip and loss of sight picture

Hold the forend firmly or push down on the scope = control of the recoil and much less muzzle flip.

And keep the magnification lower. 6x you can see the whole deer and everything around it. Zoom up so you can see the tick in its armpit and any slight movement means you loose sight picture.

Have a read of Hold that Forend!

Thanks for this link SR 20, good article!