Large calibers that do well with short barrels?

[HighUintas]

I don’t go longer than 20” anymore for suppressed. Using the same barrels, my current 20” 300WM’s are right at 90fps and 115fps less than they were at 24”.

If that doesn’t get me the impact velocity range that I want/need, I go larger cartridge.

Won't you run into low case fill issues and hitting pressure with larger cartridges when reworking a load (faster powder) for a shorter barrel?

 

[Formidilosus]

Won't you run into low case fill issues and hitting pressure with larger cartridges when reworking a load (faster powder) for a shorter barrel?

No. A slightly faster powder than normal typically works with shorter barrels- typically. However, I usually just use the same ammo/load for all barrel lengths.

 

[Bluegrassvw]

It gets hard when moose are thrown into the mix. I’d stick with 30cal and up. Something to consider would be the 35 Whelen. Would be a great cartridge at 20”.

 

[plentycoupe]

I don’t think it’s a pissing match, at least not for me. But you are dealing with a subject that very few people have personal experience in, and almost no one has multiples of personal experiences in. Rifles and shooting have more “daddy said so” myths and outright BS in it than any other subject. Most things in shooting and guns, when actually tested and evaluated in large sample sizes, generally proves out that grandpappy was wrong.




Loading a 300WM with 200gr TA’s (though I would and do want more than 1,800fps with them), it is easy to get well beyond 600 yards of terminal range in a 20”.




They’ll all work. Hell, 6cm and 6.5cm’s kill like gang busters past 600 yards with 20” barrels.





Factory Federal 200gr TA from the 300WM and a 20” barrel gets a bit over 2,700fps MV. At 5k DA, that’s 785 yards to 1,800fps. Again, having used TA’s at range on animals, I would not be choosing to do so at 1,800fps.





The 338 Fed is a poor choice for 600 yard use on animals.

Ok thanks for the reply. I wrote that being annoyed at to many things and should have kept it to myself.

I agree, most of us do not know much about the shooting or how it all actually works.

I recently got my first Silencer. I want another now. It is currently on my .300WSM with an 24” barrel and I want something shorter yet also maintaining the same elk killing energy at 600 yards. I understand I “could” kill elk at that range with my 6.5CM or .270….YET want the more energy.

How would another .300WSM do in 20” with a slimcer at that range?

 

[HandgunHTR]

How would another .300WSM do in 20” with a slimcer at that range?

It would do just fine with a good 180 grain bullet.

 

[HandgunHTR]

It gets hard when moose are thrown into the mix. I’d stick with 30cal and up. Something to consider would be the 35 Whelen. Would be a great cartridge at 20”.

But not a great contender for 600 yard shooting.

In regards to moose, a good 7mm or even a heavy 6.5 bullet work very well on moose. So for the criteria of the OP, anything from a 280 Rem to a 300WM and everything in between would be just fine.

Heck, I am taking a 20" 7-08AI on an elk hunt next year. With a 160 grain bullet, I have every confidence that it will kill an elk at up to my self imposed limit of 500 yards.
I am taking a 7mm Rem Mag (24" barreled Tikka) on a moose hunt in Canada. I have a 21" barreled 300WM as my backup gun on that hunt. If I was hunting the States, it would be the other way around as the 300WM would be wearing one of my suppressors, so it would get the nod as the primary.

 

[z987k]

600 yard elk, I'm into the magnums to keep the velocity up at that distance. 6.5prc or more.

I've shot moose with the 6.5cm and 3006. Only difference was with the 6.5, I limited my range a little more, but not much. 400 and in with the -06, about 350 with the 6.5. But I've never had to take a shot on a moose anywhere near that. Most moose are shot under 100 and my furthest so far has been 225.

100 yards and in, the only thing that won't kill a moose is the 338 ultra super mag that you miss with or put the bullet in the hind quarter from recoil/flinch.

That said I hunted with a 338 this year. Didn't get a moose, but we got 2 other critters. Overall I got to realize how wildly unnecessary it was.

 

[Formidilosus]

Ok thanks for the reply. I wrote that being annoyed at to many things and should have kept it to myself.

I agree, most of us do not know much about the shooting or how it all actually works.

I recently got my first Silencer. I want another now. It is currently on my .300WSM with an 24” barrel and I want something shorter yet also maintaining the same elk killing energy at 600 yards. I understand I “could” kill elk at that range with my 6.5CM or .270….YET want the more energy.

Ft-lbs energy doesn’t create wounds nor kill. That number is getting you nothing, and almost always leads down a path to less “killing” ability.

How would another .300WSM do in 20” with a slimcer at that range?

They’ll all do it. Your choices are the determiner.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

Most lose similar amounts, 20-30 fps per inch, because that just happens to be the amount in the common windows of barrel length for each cartridge. 12-24 inches for a 308, 20-26 inches for 30-06 or 300 WSM, or 22-28 inches for 300 RUM, for example.

Anyways, if you aren’t able to put a suppressor on it, I’d decide by your tolerable muzzle blast. I like a 20” minimum with a maximum powder capacity of a 300 wsm unless going higher in caliber. I personally know that a 20” 375 ruger is easier on the ears than many 24” 7 mags.

 

[Bluegrassvw]

But not a great contender for 600 yard shooting.

In regards to moose, a good 7mm or even a heavy 6.5 bullet work very well on moose. So for the criteria of the OP, anything from a 280 Rem to a 300WM and everything in between would be just fine.

Heck, I am taking a 20" 7-08AI on an elk hunt next year. With a 160 grain bullet, I have every confidence that it will kill an elk at up to my self imposed limit of 500 yards.
I am taking a 7mm Rem Mag (24" barreled Tikka) on a moose hunt in Canada. I have a 21" barreled 300WM as my backup gun on that hunt. If I was hunting the States, it would be the other way around as the 300WM would be wearing one of my suppressors, so it would get the nod as the primary.

Agreed, not a great contender. But every time I think I need a gun that will shoot 500+ yards my shots end up being around 100 yards. There is something to be said for having the ability though.

 

[Gen273]

338 RCM! It's a woefully undervalued cartridge!

 

[Balderdash]

338 RCM! It's a woefully undervalued cartridge!

I don't have one, but this cartridge was optimized for short barrel use. I do shoot and hunt with various other 338's in various barrel lengths; likewise with 358 calibers.

Inch for inch, adding bore diameter exponentially increases the volume for combustion/velocity generation in a barrel. Of course, it also necessitates the use of exponentially heavier projectiles to maintain decent BC's and, by extension, terminal performance at 600 yds.

338 projectiles offer a good balance of diameter and BC so long as you can practice enough to overcome the recoil that accompanies launching heavy bullets fast enough that they still have enough left at 600 yds.

A major issue with the .338 RCM is ammo availability for the non hand loader. Similarly, I own a 325 WSM that does really nice things with the 220 grn SGK with .521 BC. Unfortunately, both cartridges are about legally dead in terms of ammo availability. You might be able to track down a few boxes here and there, but scrounging enough to shoot enough to build and maintain proficiency is henceforth going to be struggle.

 

[packgoatguy]

As the terminal ascent 200gr in a 300wm has been mentioned here several times, I'll add my experience:

Factory 200gr TA
300wm
22 inch barrel (havak element)
1/10 twist
Tbac ultra7 suppressor
4000 ft elevation
50-70 degrees temp
Labradar chrono
2868 fps average velocity

My math says at this MV, the bullet doesn't dip below 2000fps until 735 yards.

Applying the 20-30fps per inch should keep MV above 2800fps in a 20 inch barrel

My math also says this same bullet would still be above 2000fps at 600 yards if the MV is as high as 2700fps. It would still be above 1800fps at 600 yards if MV is at least 2500fps