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24" or 26" barrel

Darrell2k3
Does the extra 2" make a whole lot of difference. I was just wondering.

Darrell
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • chorkie
    2" WILL NOT MAKE ENOUGH DIFFERANCE TO WORRY ABOUT (ESP. SINCE YOU ARE ALREADY AT 24") UNLESS YOU ARE SHOOTING VERY LONG DISTANCES AND / OR USING OPEN SIGHTS.

    ???
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  • I.Shute
    Yes, there'll be a difference. A 26" barrel will snag on more limbs when carrying it slung.
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  • duckhunter
    RIFLE OR SHOTGUN??

    I WOULD RATHER BE DUCK HUNTING.
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  • Kdub
    A lot of folks will get the 26" bbl to wring every last possible fps out of a rifle cartridge. Heck, the early 20th Century military rifles had barrels of 28" and 30" for this purpose.

    Generally speaking, you can figure approximately 25 fps - 30 fps per inch of barrel over or under 24". A game animal or varmit won't be too impressed with the difference, however.

    Since I hunt relatively open spaces, the longer barrel is no hinderence, other that when carrying in a saddle scabbard. Most scabbards are built for the carbines or shorter barrelled bolt guns. I personally like the longer tubes as I have some wildcat chamberings and some "magnum" ones that I like to squeeze the extra velocity from. Most barrel blanks will only have a bit over 26" length when chambered and threaded, otherwise, I'd probably go for the 28" of a few of them!

    Keep off the Ridgeline
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  • Bugs Bunny
    you will notice a difference on a large magnum rifles 30-40fps per inch of barrel, like the 7mm STW, RUM's & WBY cartridges.

    i dont notice the difference but i dont spend alot time in heavy woods.

    if snagging on tree branches is an issue get a marlin 1895 with the real short barrel.
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  • rsnyder55
    Another consideration is barrel harmonics. You want the barrel length to be such that the bullet leaves when the barrel is at a nodal point. Unfortunately it requires cutting the barrel down until the best accuracy is obtained.
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  • pack rat633
    As far as velocity loss goes, it depends on the caliber, and each individual gun. Some magnums loose several hundered fps with a 2 or 4 in cut, while others, (.338, .375) don't seem to bother. As far as accricy goes, doesn't seem to matter. I have a 26" Weatherby in .300 WBY that shoots 1.2" groups as 100, and a Ruger M77 with 20" in 30/06 that shoots 1.1" at 100 yds. So each gun is different, each caliber also different. Get the one you like, and enjoy!!!

    SEMPER FI MAC, SEMPER FI
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  • Travis Hallam
    Mine is a 26" barrel but I would prefer a shorter barrel. The extra 2 inches on the barrel causes problems such as it does not fit well in a standard guncase, catches on brush, and such.

    The extra speed is nice but not significant enough.

    Mad Dog
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  • bobski
    duckhunter..your post is an incomplete sentence.[:p]
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  • He Dog
    I will disagree a bit on specifics, but not on conclusions. In many calibers you will add or lose about 50 fps with each 1" increase or decrease in barrel length. This will add around 100 fps to your bullets, which is significant, but not greatly so. On the other hand, 26" barrels are not handy, and are a real impediment in many habitats. Unless you are exclusively a bean field stand shooter, or shooting long distances in the west, it is probably not worth the trouble. If you shoot with a scope, barrel length makes no difference in sighting, though it could with open sights, giving you a longer sight radius. It is probably impossible to predict any effect on accuracy prior to making the changes. I personally have rebarreld a rifle up to 24", but even here in the west, I would not go longer.

    My heros have always killed cowboys.
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