.308 22 vs 24” barrel ?

[brsnow]

Looking to pick up a CA Mesa or Ridgeline. I use lead free bullets, so the extra 2” of barrel is appealing, but does it measurably help? Also noticed the ridgeline barrel is carbon wrapped , any benefits? This will be for elk. Appreciate it.

 

[Desk Jockey]

There are some interesting experiments people have done cutting an inch at a time off barrels and measuring the results for velocity, muzzle blast and flash.

It varies by ammo (and caliber). Rule of thumb is 20-30 FPS per inch. You will get a louder report and more flash and blast due to some unburied powder flashing out the muzzle but I doubt you would notice the difference to be honest. 2 inches isn’t a heck of a lot of length or weight unless you are really counting ounces.

Someone with some more experience can come along and offer their thoughts. But I have a 24 and 22 inch 308 and couldn’t tell you the difference. I will say there is a noticeable difference between 24 and 16 though (flash and report) so the progression may not be as linear as I described.

 

[Jbehredt]

Google “ballistics by the inch”. He starts with I believe a 27” barrel and cuts it an inch at a time down to 16.5. Uses 3 or 4 different bullets and chronos them at every inch. I’ve been eyeing that 20” ridgeline and was looking at his test just this past weekend.

 

[rgrmike]

For a .308 between 22" and 24" I would go 22....Me personally I'm going 20". If I'm going to shoot a 24" barrel it's going to be in a hot flat cartridge. Some calibers need the barrel length to really gain the pros of the caliber. 308 performs well from a short barrel. If I was going to run a 24" barrel in a short action I'd be looking at any of the WSM, 6.5 PRC, SAUM's etc. If you're not married to a short action and are willing to go 24" you can get a lot more performance in other calibers.

 

[260madman]

Mine are 20” in bolt guns and 18” in large frame ARs. I might have notes from reloading as far as velocity loss. I chopped one from 26”-20”.

 

[N2TRKYS]

For a .308 between 22" and 24" I would go 22....Me personally I'm going 20". If I'm going to shoot a 24" barrel it's going to be in a hot flat cartridge. Some calibers need the barrel length to really gain the pros of the caliber. 308 performs well from a short barrel. If I was going to run a 24" barrel in a short action I'd be looking at any of the WSM, 6.5 PRC, SAUM's etc. If you're not married to a short action and are willing to go 24" you can get a lot more performance in other calibers.

I've got a 7 SAUM and it does very well with a 22" barrel.

 

[Formidilosus]

I've got a 7 SAUM and it does very well with a 22" barrel.

Yes indeed. The myth that “some cartridges need barrel length to perform” is just that. 20” 300 Norma’s and 338 Lapua’s work very well. The 300WM has 400fps velocity over the 308 Win regardless of barrel length.

 

[Northwinds308]

Yes indeed. The myth that “some cartridges need barrel length to perform” is just that. 20” 300 Norma’s and 338 Lapua’s work very well. The 300WM has 400fps velocity over the 308 Win regardless of barrel length.

It's not that they don't work but if you're going to burn 91 grains of powder every time you pull the trigger on a RUM, why would you take the handicap?

I find rifles in the 8-9.5 pound range more shootable so I usually take the extra barrel length. I also hunt very open country where a 24-26 inch barrel isn't really a hassle.

 

[Formidilosus]

but if you're going to burn 91 grains of powder every time you pull the trigger on a RUM, why would you take the handicap?

Because you don’t want a longer/heavier rifle. Bullets need “X” velocity to work. I want to shoot out to “y” distance, use a short barrel, what cartridge gives me that velocity at what barrel length.

It’s easy. If someone doesn’t want a 26” barrel, they pick a cartridge that makes velocity needed. One can make a 26-27” 6.5 Creedmoor “match” a 24” factory 6.5 PRC. But if you want a shorter 20-22” barrel, and impact velocity to older at 700 yards.... You gotta shoot a PRC.

 

[Northwinds308]

Because you don’t want a longer/heavier rifle. Bullets need “X” velocity to work. I want to shoot out to “y” distance, use a short barrel, what cartridge gives me that velocity at what barrel length.

It’s easy. If someone doesn’t want a 26” barrel, they pick a cartridge that makes velocity needed. One can make a 26-27” 6.5 Creedmoor “match” a 24” factory 6.5 PRC. But if you want a shorter 20-22” barrel, and impact velocity to older at 700 yards.... You gotta shoot a PRC.

Absolutely not wrong, I just like getting the extra velocity out of cartridges. I'm getting a 300 PRC built and the barrel is an 1.5" longer than the Hornady spec for their cartridges so I should be able to squeeze 50-75 fps faster than book. Ran the numbers for my altitude and it was like 7 Mils of drop at 1000 meters. I'll carry a 7-7.5 pound rifle for that kind of ballistic advantage all day.

 

[Formidilosus]

Absolutely not wrong, I just like getting the extra velocity out of cartridges. I'm getting a 300 PRC built and the barrel is an 1.5" longer than the Hornady spec for their cartridges so I should be able to squeeze 50-75 fps faster than book. Ran the numbers for my altitude and it was like 7 Mils of drop at 1000 meters. I'll carry a 7-7.5 pound rifle for that kind of ballistic advantage all day.

I get that too. I’ve gone all the way up to 36” barrels on LR guns.

 

[longbarrel]

I too like the longer barrels, and have a 26" .308. However, longer barrels are usually thicker also, so they don't get "whippy" and thus they are heavier, more so than just from a couple more inches of length. OTOH, putting the noise farther away is good thing for your ears. I hunt in the west where a longer barrel is usually not an issue, even 29" long. With extra length, not 2" but more like 4 or 6", your .308 can think it is a bigger cartridge.