24" too long?

[JPeters218]

I know the numbers, unfortunately that’s why I’m struggling.

Adding about 16gr of powder for a 300NMI so it equals what my 300wm does now, I don’t know if that juice is worth the squeeze.

I think I’m leaning 24” + suppressor. I honestly don’t think the length will bother me for how I hunt.

Then maybe it makes sense to start with 24”. If you like it then great. If it’s too much you can always get it cut down for $100-150

 

[TheHammer]

I know the numbers, unfortunately that’s why I’m struggling.

Adding about 16gr of powder for a 300NMI so it equals what my 300wm does now, I don’t know if that juice is worth the squeeze.

I think I’m leaning 24” + suppressor. I honestly don’t think the length will bother me for how I hunt.

I understand this one… I spent the time and money with unknown munitions to achieve above that 3000fps while being very accurate and we got this rig dialed in, but also I’m fully aware that a longer barrel would be beneficial for that extra velocity, at 81.6gr n570 scooting a 200gr pill.

 

[wind gypsy]

I was used to using 24-26" barrels + brake when I built a 22" 7 SAUM that I wanted to use a suppressor on. Hunted with it suppressed for one year and haven't used it much since. Not only is it 29" long with an ultra7 on it, it balances kind of funny. Wasn't the end of the world, i stomped through deep ass snow in thick timber tracking/still hunting late season elk and shot a bull doing it. It's just an inconvenience and the suppression wasn't worth it. For the other use case, midwest stand deer hunting, the extra length is just additional movement that I cant get along with.

I've got a couple barrels showing up soon chopped @18" for use with them. I wont be using a suppressor on my true long range rifles. That said, 24" would still be nice even for a braked 300 mag and get plenty of velocity.

 

[Flyjunky]

I've got a couple barrels showing up soon chopped @18" for use with them. I wont be using a suppressor on my true long range rifles. That said, 24" would still be nice even for a braked 300 mag and get plenty of velocity.

I think I've pretty much settled on 24", should still get me at least 2965+ with the 215 which keeps me in the .4's per 100 for wind drift.

 

[Seeknelk]

I still have a 24" proof on my 300 PRC and while it's longer that I want, the tbac dominus to is lightweight and the balance difference was quite small. When I hunt local here in the jungles of NW MT , it's too long and WILL get chopped. And maybe changed to a fast 7mm. But 24inch plus the 6.5" tbac in open country or just hiking to a glassing spot in clean timber it's no big deal.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

I was used to using 24-26" barrels + brake when I built a 22" 7 SAUM that I wanted to use a suppressor on. Hunted with it suppressed for one year and haven't used it much since. Not only is it 29" long with an ultra7 on it, it balances kind of funny. Wasn't the end of the world, i stomped through deep ass snow in thick timber tracking/still hunting late season elk and shot a bull doing it. It's just an inconvenience and the suppression wasn't worth it. For the other use case, midwest stand deer hunting, the extra length is just additional movement that I cant get along with.

I've got a couple barrels showing up soon chopped @18" for use with them. I wont be using a suppressor on my true long range rifles. That said, 24" would still be nice even for a braked 300 mag and get plenty of velocity.

You just think the suppressor isnt all its claimed to be,Sound reductions & recoil reduction?

 

[wind gypsy]

You just think the suppressor isnt all its claimed to be,Sound reductions & recoil reduction?

They are nice, it reduced sound and recoil as advertised. In that case, I spent a week stomping 4-8 miles a day through deep snow in steep thick country and fired one bullet. I think the other bulls with the one i shot actually hung around longer due to the different sound signature and my partner could have dumped one if he were positioned well. But the minor nuisance of carrying it around all week outweighed the benefit it provided in that one shot TO ME. I woulda killed the bull just the same with a bare muzzle and I'm not that concerned with hearing damage from a single bare muzzle shot without ear pro.

 

[Whisky]

Without going into the details of the absolute shitty shooting, I was on a hunt where the use of suppressors got us a mule deer and a elk. Not a doubt in my mind, without them, we would not have got those two animals. A year or so later I was hunting elk in a MT jungle and bumped a bull. I had a 24" barrel rifle with a 9" can. I had to get a bit acrobatic catching up to him, and then take off hand shots under less than ideal circumstances. From that point on I said I would never carry a suppressed rifle in those conditions again. Prior to that point, I said I'd never hunt unsuppressed again.

I built a 26" 300 PRC for unsuppressed use. I debated going 20" with plans of using a suppressor, but I decided against that. You either have LR hunting rifles, or handy suppressed hunting rifles 20" or less. I have found trying to do both isn't the best route to take. At least for me.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

I know the numbers, unfortunately that’s why I’m struggling.

Adding about 16gr of powder for a 300NMI so it equals what my 300wm does now, I don’t know if that juice is worth the squeeze.

I think I’m leaning 24” + suppressor. I honestly don’t think the length will bother me for how I hunt.

I'll give you my input having gone down this road already.
I ran a 7" can on a 24" 30 Nos and it was terrible in the woods, I like to strap it to my pack and it knocked against everything overhead.
If you're hunting 99% wide open country it won't matter, but carrying it around in any type of cover, or trying to get on target fast sucks.

FWIW I just put a 19" 300 NMI together that I'm running with a Nomad LT.
All I can say is damn!
It's light, shoots and handles like a dream, and I'm getting 2820 with 225 eldms and 86 grains of Retumbo.
N570 would easily send them over 2900 fps but it's not needed, running a 225 at 2800 gets me to 1100 yards with plenty of juice.

 

[ORJoe]

Normally I run 26" or 27" barrels with brakes but I'm wondering about going to 24" with a can. I won't be giving up to much velocity, ~50fps, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around going less than that. In my mind why build a rifle to get max performance only to handicap it? What's the point of that?

Whether you're on Team Energy or Team Bullet Construction & 1800fps Impact, a 16" 300WM gives up only 150-200 yards over a 24" 300WM, and matches or beats a 24" .30-06 whether it's shooting the same bullet or a more "appropriate" bullet.
And those yards that the shorter rifle "gives up" are way out there.


24" MVs came from wiki, 16" MVs are based on that guy on the internet that tested chopping down a 300WM by the inch, and Form's advice that it's pretty much the same for everything: 25fps/inch.
The thick black lines are a notice that the range scales are different.

 

[gatekeeper]

I ran 24 -26 in the past to get velocity for flat shooting. Nowadays with great rangefinders, ballistic calculators and optics, I don't mind giving up some speed for much better handling. Building a 6 creed now, went with a 20" for suppressed.

 

[Flyjunky]

I ran 24 -26 in the past to get velocity for flat shooting. Nowadays with great rangefinders, ballistic calculators and optics, I don't mind giving up some speed for much better handling. Building a 6 creed now, went with a 20" for suppressed.

It's not so much the vertical, it's the wind that concerns me. 150-200fps loss is around 5-6" horizontal at 1000, which is quite a bit.

 

[WRO]

It's not so much the vertical, it's the wind that concerns me. 150-200fps loss is around 5-6" horizontal at 1000, which is quite a bit.

Once again, if you have a scope that dials and appropriate dope, it's just a different hold.

I'd stick with a 22' pipe.

 

[Flyjunky]

Higher fps helps with margin for error in wind calls, that’s different than dialing for drops.

 

[Tberg]

No, not too long, I've been hunting a 24" 7mag with a Sico harvester out front. Yeah it's a little out of balance, but I'm not wing shooting with it. Shot a moving muley freehand at ~ 60 yards with it this past year. Rifle also wore a bipod, never noticed the extra weight out front when making the shot. Also whacked a coues at 700+ yards, prone shooting position, with the same setup last year. Same rig shoots good off a tripod in a triclawps at 400 yards. You can make it work if you want, or find a reason not too if you nit pick hard enough.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Not too long, but personally, I would go with 22"

 

[justin davis]

I have a 24” and a 26” barrel that I run a suppressor on. Out in the field it doesn’t seem too long. Works fine for what I do

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Higher fps helps with margin for error in wind calls, that’s different than dialing for drops.

Honestly I've played this game of ultra high BC bullets at max velocity to cheat the wind.
Ultimately I can't outshoot a bullet with even 6-8" more drift at 1k, a bad wind call is a bad wind call there's really no way around it.

Any bullet with a bc near .7 at 2800 + will do well in the wind, that's why I tend to put more attention towards impact velocity, and yes energy.

If velocity gets you going more than mobility then run a long barrel, I'd still put a 9" can on a 24" barrel before I ever hunt with a brake again.

 

[Formidilosus]

It's not so much the vertical, it's the wind that concerns me. 150-200fps loss is around 5-6" horizontal at 1000, which is quite a bit.

For a look at the difference in hit rates between a 26” barrel and 20” barrel with your load- 215gr Berger at 3,015fps MV. A 20” will be +/- 2,865fps.


Your current setup at 5,000ft DA with a 1 MOA 30 shot ES and easy conditions (“no wind”) broken terrain and practiced wind caller (+/- 2mph) at 1000 yards has 44% first round hit rate-




With a practiced wind caller and some moderate wind in broken terrain (+/- 4 mph) it has a 23% first round hit rate-






A 20” barrel under the same “easy” conditions has a 41% first round hit rate-





And under moderate conditions in broken terrain with “practiced” wind caller it has a 21% first round hit rate-





The difference in 1,800fps impact range is 26 yards- 1,057 yards for the 26” barrel, and 1,031 yards for the 20”. The wind bracket out to 700 yards is identical- 7mph.


It takes 5% or so for the best shooters, shooting hundreds of shots with each shot being in a completely different area/target range to notice a difference. The 3% max difference between a 26” barrel and a 20” barrel is totally lost in the noise and will show no effect whatsoever.

 

[Flyjunky]

For a look at the diffecerne in hit rates between a 26” barrel and 20” barrel with your laid- 215gr Berger at 3,015fps MV. A 20” will be +/- 2,865fps.


Your current setup at 5,000ft DA with a 1 MOA 30 shot ES and easy conditions (“no wind”) broken terrain and practiced wind caller (+/- 2mph) at 1000 yards has 44% first round hit rate-

View attachment 531067


With a practiced wind caller and some moderate wind in broken terrain (+/- 4 mph) it has a 23% first round hit rate-

View attachment 531068




A 20” barrel under the same “easy” conditions has a 41% first round hit rate-

View attachment 531069



And under moderate conditions in broken terrain with “practiced” wind caller it has a 21% first round hit rate-

View attachment 531070



The difference in 1,800fps impact range is 26 yards- 1,057 yards for the 26” barrel, and 1,041 yards for the 20”. The wind bracket out to 700 yards is identical- 7mph.


It takes 5% or so for the best shooters, shooting hundreds of shots with each shot being in a completely different area/target range to notice a difference. The 3% max difference between a 26” barrel and a 20” barrel is totally lost in the noise and will show no effect whatsoever.

Thanks Form, good info.