Barrel Length Recommendations - Youth Rifle

[Dan M]

What is the issue with the current setup? Overall Length, Balance, Recoil, combination?

Overall length, balance and recoil. I just want it to be slightly more comfortable for her to handle.


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[Dan M]

My daughter is a small framed 14 yr old and shoots a Tikka compact 243 , I kept it 20” and had the barrel threaded 1/2x28 and run the area 419 two port. She is recoil sensitive and it seemed the tikka compact even in 243 recoiled a bit more maybe because its so lite. We have no issues with it and i keep her no more than 200yds. My 6.5cm tikka is 22” barrel and shoots 140’s at 2600fps

I’m going to basically do the same but go with 18”


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[Dan M]

This might help make your decision easier. My 18.5" T3X 6.5 CM with the area 419 system and Omega gets the following at 1,184' elevation:

147 ELD-M: avg 2,445 fps

143 ELD-X: avg 2,382 fps

Using an impact speed of greater than or equal to 1,800 fps (for both bullets) as my limit, at 1,184' those bullets reliably upset out to 575 yards and 500 yards, respectively.

At 8,000 feet those ranges extend to 775 yards and 625 yards, respectively.

Thank you, this does help. I’m going to cut it to 18” and run the 2 port Area419 brake.

I’m just below 8,000’ so taking it to 500 yards should be feasible.


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[Formidilosus]

Overall length, balance and recoil. I just want it to be slightly more comfortable for her to handle.


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16.5” with a suppressor is the way. Longer is offering you nothing that you need, and a brake should not enter the scene. 1.5” shorter may not be a big deal to grown males, but is very noticeable to anyone on the smaller side and especially smaller and weaker. Make the rifle fit for her, not some arbitrary number.

 

[Anschutz]

Overall length, balance and recoil. I just want it to be slightly more comfortable for her to handle.


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Cutting it down won't lose a whole lot of performance. If it were me, I'd chop it to 16.5", thread it, can it, and balance it with weight in the buttstock. A poorly balanced rifle will wear a kid out far faster than a well balanced rifle a few oz heavier.

 

[Dan M]

16.5” with a suppressor is the way. Longer is offering you nothing that you need, and a brake should not enter the scene. 1.5” shorter may not be a big deal to grown males, but is very noticeable to anyone on the smaller side and especially smaller and weaker. Make the rifle fit for her, not some arbitrary number.

Thank you and I agree a bit shorter would be great but I don’t have a suppressor yet. An Omega is on my short list but I don’t have the extra for it now and with the background turn around it won’t be anytime real soon so I think this will be a reasonable compromise. Once I get the suppressor it will be that much better


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[Formidilosus]

Thank you and I agree a bit shorter would be great but I don’t have a suppressor yet. An Omega is on my short list but I don’t have the extra for it now and with the background turn around it won’t be anytime real soon so I think this will be a reasonable compromise. Once I get the suppressor it will be that much better


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JK Armament form 1. Have it in less than a month.

 

[Dan M]

JK Armament form 1. Have it in less than a month.

Thank you I’ll check it out


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[Lawnboi]

Thank you and I agree a bit shorter would be great but I don’t have a suppressor yet. An Omega is on my short list but I don’t have the extra for it now and with the background turn around it won’t be anytime real soon so I think this will be a reasonable compromise. Once I get the suppressor it will be that much better


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With eforms now they are saying possibly 90 days…. Could have it by fall.

Personally not a fan of brakes with ew shooters. They cause more problems than they fix, especially on already mild cartridges. When needed though they are nice, just have to be aware and train your/her brain not to react to the noise and blast.

 

[Cant hit em]

nice ear protection makes the brake a non issue


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[Sled]

I'd agree that a brake is not ideal for starting new shooters out right. Look into the new silencerco 30 cal. It's priced right you'll definitely get your use out of it. You're turning down the volume, reducing concussive effects and recoil all at the same time.

 

[wildwilderness]

Thank you, this does help. I’m going to cut it to 18” and run the 2 port Area419 brake.

I’m just below 8,000’ so taking it to 500 yards should be feasible.


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I Disagree for your daughter’s sake.

Putting a brake on that will cause permanent hearing damage.

There is no advantage at all of cutting a 20” down to 18” just to put a brake on and make it super loud.

I’m in the 16” suppressed camp all the way for kids. Put them first, and their ears.

 

[Dan M]

I Disagree for your daughter’s sake.

Putting a brake on that will cause permanent hearing damage.

There is no advantage at all of cutting a 20” down to 18” just to put a brake on and make it super loud.

I’m in the 16” suppressed camp all the way for kids. Put them first, and their ears.

Thank you for the input. As I mentioned in my initial post, the brake is not for hunting or anything besides range use (with dual hearing protection).


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[Dan M]

If any moderator can, please delete this thread.


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[Mtnmilsurp]

I put a 25.5 inch barrel on my son’s 6.5x55. In a #2 profile the extra inches don’t add much and contribute to stability. When he shot his first deer my dad laughed and said that thing sounds like a pop gun. That was a 120 grain bullet at 2705 fps.


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[Sled]

If any moderator can, please delete this thread.


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Yeah, that's not really the way it works. Even if you're done with it, others can still learn with a simple search... Similar to the way you could have without starting this one. It is fine to rehash the topic from time to time just in case the preferences have changed.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

we run 6.5 Grendel ruger American ranch 16" in Mdt chassis with magpul ctr stock to adjust to fit anyone for the family duty, recoil about 6.5 ft/lbs and all up around 8.25 lb rifle, but that 16" barrel is as short as you'd ever want to go on this cartridge for blast/noise without anything screwed on the end of it and definitely don't use a brake, awful inventions, I've had a few, never again, if you can suppress then short will work....I've had this same cartridge in 20" and 24" compared to the 16" and 20" was quite a bit more tolerable in blast/noise than the 16"...the 16" is more like a 20" .308 fyi, so a 6.5 CM my shortest non-suppressed would be 20" as well, that's over 10 more grains of powder with another 10,000 psi pressure over the 6.5 Grendel's measly 30 grains and 52,000 psi...hope that helps

to give an idea on just the 16" Grendel blast...off bipod on a tailgate the small Allan wrench for adjusting Leupold turrets set beside the gun around the action can blow right off the tailgate at the shot and you're looking for it in the dirt, no thanks on a standard short action cartridge and 16"...the wimpy Grendel 16" is the non-suppressed limit imo, sure hope we can suppress one day in Canada

if you can suppress for her then don't do anything else, brake blast can be worse for flinch than any gain in recoil reduction, sounds like suppressors do it all for both recoil reduction, blast elimination, and sound reduction...everyone will shoot suppressed much better but especially new shooters, I'm so jealous

 

[orhunter1]

I bought a Tikka compact 20" barrel in 6.4 CM. I am not a youth shooter, but compact stocks fit me better and the weight savings is worth it in Western Oregon bush where it involves plenty of hiking to hunt deer. I was thinking about threading the barrel for a suppressor, I am intrigued by your comment on cutting the barrel to 16.5" + suppressor. I plan to use this rifle for Elk at some point (<500 yards) does cutting barrel affect bullet performance making the rifle unsuitable for Elk?

 

[Unckebob]

Do you all think I’ll regret going to 16.5”?


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I think that is a little short for a long term rifle. I would go with 20”

 

[Unckebob]

I bought a Tikka compact 20" barrel in 6.4 CM. I am not a youth shooter, but compact stocks fit me better and the weight savings is worth it in Western Oregon bush where it involves plenty of hiking to hunt deer. I was thinking about threading the barrel for a suppressor, I am intrigued by your comment on cutting the barrel to 16.5" + suppressor. I plan to use this rifle for Elk at some point (<500 yards) does cutting barrel affect bullet performance making the rifle unsuitable for Elk?

A 6.5CM is probably ok on elk at 20-22” but you are bleeding velocity as you cut the barrel back. You would probably be very limited on range for bigger animals.

Suppressors are awesome. I run a dead air nomad on mine with a direct thread. Limited recoil and almost no blast.