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How is Barrel length chosen?

Camelot43
How is barrel length chosen at the factorys? And for what reasons?

Example: Ruger M77 MKII in 270 WSM comes with a standard 22" barrel from Ruger...

Why wouldn't they put a 24" or even a 26" barrel on this 270 WSM?

Do some rifles shoot better with a shorter barrel?
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Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • Tailgunner1954
    They choose the barrel length based on what the target market (seems to) prefers, not on what will preform the best.
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  • asphalt cowboy
    Factory barrels are like factory stocks. They're a compromise. What will can be made to work for the largest percentage of average shooters in most situations.

    Joe Blow may want a 20" 308 for a deep woods deer rifle, while John Shmuck wants a 26" 308 for plains antelope. The factory meets them both half way, and both seem to be somewhat happy.

    Those of us who are unhappy with factory offerings, tend to wander the realm of custom rifles.
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  • beantownshootah
    All factory choices are based on commercial factors.

    In other words the factory is going to put out guns in whatever configuration it thinks the public wants (and is most likely to buy).

    Right now, I think 22" rifle barrels are standard, though its still quite possible to find longer and shorter ones on new guns, if you look for them.

    quote:Why wouldn't they put a 24" or even a 26" barrel on this 270 WSM?
    They absolutely could do that, but I think right now the 24 and particularly the 26" bbls would be somewhat less popular with the buying public.

    50 years ago, that might not have been the case. . .and 50 years hence it may not be the case either.

    quote:Do some rifles shoot better with a shorter barrel?
    That's an interesting question, and I think it depends on what you mean by "shoot better". There are a lot of trade-offs with decreasing (and increasing) barrel lengths.

    Largely, shorter length barrels make a gun easier to handle, and that is probably THE biggest reason why the trend over time has been for shorter barrels. If you're in the brush, a longer barrel is more likely to snag on things, and longer overall guns are harder to store, etc.

    Compared to longer ones, shorter barrels are also relatively stiffer AND offer less "dwell time" (ie time of the bullet within the barrel). So all else being equal, in THEORY a shorter barrel should be SLIGHTLY more accurate than a longer one. In practice, I think probably 98% of shooters would never be able to tell the difference nor take advantage of it.

    On the flip side, shorter barrels offer several disadvantages: Increased muzzle blast, increased muzzle flash (in some cases), decreased sight radius (though this is only potentially an issue with iron sighted rifles), and most important, decreased bullet velocity.
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  • Camelot43
    Thanks guys! Very informative and helpful - thanks for your time!
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