Thread: Ideal .308 barrel length.

Some one must know this? For every inch you cut of a tikka 308 barrel how many grams do you save?

It should be a jail-able/prison offence to cut the Barrel of a .308!!

A 270,,,,30.06…..300….243….223….even a .22…fine!!


But a .308…..never!!

18inch is fine.
I ran a 18inch 7mm08 with the 162gr eld-m @2530fps, knocked over more than a few goats and fallow from 10meters out to 602meters, 308 won't be any different with the right projectile

Originally Posted by A330driver

It should be a jail-able/prison offence to cut the Barrel of a .308!!

A 270,,,,30.06…..300….243….223….even a .22…fine!!


But a .308…..never!!

Think you're a bit backwards on that one mate

22 inches. I like performance.

Going to be slim pickings for second hand rifles in the future with all these neutered barrels. (I know someone who shortened a .30-30 to 14 inches which he thought was very handy. Before he chronographed it.)

Never mind the weight saving, getting hooked up in regenerating manuka and beech thickets is an absolute prick of a time with a standard length barrel. 18" is the sweet spot for me, longest I can tolerate for getting snagged on everything and shortest I'm willing to go before it gets offensively loud.

Originally Posted by Rn-85

I guess 2 inches makes all the difference.

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Originally Posted by Jt89

Never mind the weight saving, getting hooked up in regenerating manuka and beech thickets is an absolute prick of a time with a standard length barrel. 18" is the sweet spot for me, longest I can tolerate for getting snagged on everything and shortest I'm willing to go before it gets offensively loud.

I hear these sorts of comments all the time. So what? if it's that thick every animal within 200m has heard you coming. For me this is just a BS fantasy that anyone can sneak through heavy rubbish that thick without animals hearing you.
I don't see how 2 inches can make a blind bit of difference to how quiet it's possible to move though heavy cover.

My vote is leave it at 20 inches.

Oh you whipper snappers haven't lived until you've tried bush stalking with a full length SMLE with its sticky out front sight....then you know what hooked up is...in saying that I used to pighunt with shotgun with 30" barrel without it being an issue. I miss my really short 7.62x39 for bush stalking but mainly because it was so light... As I have got older (&fatter) I have slowed down a shite load when bush stalking...if vegetation is terrible for me to get through a deer probably goes in different pathway...if tossing up between 16-18" logic would suggest 17"

Originally Posted by bigbear

Some one must know this? For every inch you cut of a tikka 308 barrel how many grams do you save?

For a .30 cal T3 lite starting off at 22", you'll lose around 30g / inch increasing slightly to about 35g / inch by the time you reach 16". (For a .22 cal it will be around 40g / inch)

Chopping the barrel from 20" to 16" will lose about 135g.

Originally Posted by Got-ya

I hear these sorts of comments all the time. So what? if it's that thick every animal within 200m has heard you coming. For me this is just a BS fantasy that anyone can sneak through heavy rubbish that thick without animals hearing you.
I don't see how 2 inches can make a blind bit of difference to how quiet it's possible to move though heavy cover.

My vote is leave it at 20 inches.

You misunderstand me mate, it's not about stealth either. I'm 55kg wringing wet no matter how many big macs I eat, therefore getting tangled up in the bush fighting uphill against your pack and a rifle snagging on everything is a frustration I'd rather minimise as much as possible. It takes power and height I just don't have to push through sometimes, 90% of blokes on here wouldn't understand. I'll happily chop a barrel and lose the last 200fps I'll never need because 400+ shots aren't for me.

Originally Posted by Got-ya

I hear these sorts of comments all the time. So what? if it's that thick every animal within 200m has heard you coming. For me this is just a BS fantasy that anyone can sneak through heavy rubbish that thick without animals hearing you.
I don't see how 2 inches can make a blind bit of difference to how quiet it's possible to move though heavy cover.

My vote is leave it at 20 inches.

It's for general handiness, not for "stalking" through supple jack.

The shorter your rifle (and smaller your pack for that matter) the easiest it is in tight bush, whether you are stalking or just walking to your favorite clearing.

Originally Posted by takbok

For a .30 cal T3 lite starting off at 22", you'll lose around 30g / inch increasing slightly to about 35g / inch by the time you reach 16". (For a .22 cal it will be around 40g / inch)

Chopping the barrel from 20" to 16" will lose about 135g.

And turn it into a 3030 from a 308.

Ok fair enough about the comments that it's for handiness. It is hard to argue that the shorter the gun is, the easier it is to carry. How ever how often do we see threads about 'I cut my xyz down to 16 inches now what powder to I use to get the speed back'?
I have carted around an old Parker hale 22 inch 308 many times in the past and while it wasn't light I never found it hard to thread though tighter scrub. Carry it in your hand not on the sling over your shoulder in those situations.

One of my main hunting rifles (and by far my favourite due to length and weight) is a 13 inch 7-08 currently shooting 139gr BTSP at speeds i could damn near run faster than. If your mainly shooting sub 300 odd yards, dont get too hung up on the speed. It makes much less difference than most will lead you to believe. Cut it as short as you want, the deer will die just the same, as long as you understand the limits of your system. Using the appropriate projectile for the job and putting it in the correct place is far more important than that extra couple hundred fps of speed.

The shorter it is the more recoil it will have & the more you are leaning on the supressor to make it tolerable but once again its really not that bad, My 55kg wife has claimed plenty of animals with said rifle and does just fine, most people that bring up the argument of how much worse short rifles are to shoot are on "team long barrel" and dont really have much actual hands on experience, just like to talk about how much better their long barrels and extra speed are.

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