Barrel length, concussion, your experience.

[180ls1]

I have noticed a significant reduction in muzzle blast, and even muzzle jump in my like cartridges with longer barrels.

My hunting buddy even noticed it when observing me shoot.

Got it. So are you a 26" guy or where is your ceiling? I think 27 or 28 is pushing the practical limit for hunting anyway. Maybe 30 but it would have to be a chassis gun.

 

[manitou1]

Got it. So are you a 26" guy or where is your ceiling? I think 27 or 28 is pushing the practical limit for hunting anyway. Maybe 30 but it would have to be a chassis gun.

26"

 

[180ls1]

@Formidilosus Have you researched this or have any thoughts? If so, I would love to hear it, even if they are not supported by hard data. Just to be clear, I am focusing on concussion/blast as a measure of barrel length and powder charge, not recoil.

 

[Formidilosus]

However, for the sake of discussion, how would a 28” barrel muzzle rifle shoot compared to the 22”? Would the blast be much different?

Muzzle blast is less with the 28” versus 22”, but it’s still damaging to hearing about the same.

 

[180ls1]

Muzzle blast is less with the 28” versus 22”, but it’s still damaging to hearing about the same.

Thanks. So, I am grasping at straws here and chasing very diminishing returns?

 

[Formidilosus]

Thanks. So, I am grasping at straws here and chasing very diminishing returns?

For sound, yes. For blast, ehh. The difference between 22” and 24” isn’t really noticeable. However between 20” and 28” blast is noticeable.

 

[yeti12]

Get a blast deflector/forwarder whatever. Huxworks makes a nice one. Brakes are loud and it ain't good to breathe all that muzzle blast either. I can't say I've noticed much between 20 and 24" as far as muzzle blast unbraked. Everything else longer and shorter have been different cartridges so its not quite apples to apples.

 

[Macintosh]

I have a 18” 30-06 and a 24” 30-06 that weigh within a couple ounces of each other, similar stock dimensions, both unbraked, etc. Shooting them at the range with exact same ammo the 24” gun is very noticeably more pleasant to shoot. The carbine is a viscious bastard and pretty unpleasant concussion wise.

Either is worlds better than the vindictive little punk-ass MD that sets a prs stage shooting what they know will likely be a braked rifle from inside a frikkin culvert. I’ll take 10 misses instead of that concussion.

 

[longbarrel]

I have used a 28" 284 and 29" 338 and found two significant benefits--much less blast, and more velocity. The 284 exceeds what I could get from a 7 mag with 24" and the 338 did the same compared to 340 Wby.