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Just asking out of interest/ignorance (or maybe long term planning when the 300BLK runs out!), are there particular calibres that lend themselves to short barrels, say 16 inch or even shorter. 300BLK and .308 spring to mind, but you don't hear much about short barrelled .223, .243 or 7mm08 etc.
.223 is fine outve a 16 inch barrel
Any "caliber" can work short barreled, some "cartridges" however, dislike being short barreled.Quote:
Originally Posted by MB
30-30
Sounds like a rabbit hole! Which calibres don't do well with a short barrel and common factory loads?Quote:
Originally Posted by 257weatherby
Quote:
Originally Posted by MB
All of your listed calibres are quite common in short barrels
BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: HomeQuote:
Originally Posted by MB
this website was an eye opener for me, I like shorter barrels and its good to have hard data to work from
its a shame there isnt more calibers there but it gives you a fair idea
Most small to medium capacity cartridges in the .223 - .308 range will be acceptable in shorter barrels within reason. Velocities can be kept up by the correct use of faster powders and light to medium bullet weights. While large capacity cartridges can be used, they are not efficient in short barrels and will produce a ball of flame at the muzzle when fired in fading light. Powder is too expensive to use to raise global warming!
Not just a rabbit hole a whole warren :thumbsup: especially when you factor in what its for.
I thought this was a pretty interesting video, TL,DW out of an 8.5 in barrel 7.62x39 and 7.62x51 only have a difference of 30 ft/lbs at the muzzle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2dtJsXLIOI&t=17s
crudely put the larger the bore the more efficient the round will be at the muzzle with shorter barrels as the bullet base has more area for the expanding gas to push on,
then you have to look at external ballistics and the range you want to shoot at.
ie my 358 win with 18/20" barrel has way more muzzle energy >33% than my 24" barreled 243 but past 325 mtr the 243 carries more energy due to a high bc bullet.
same basic cartridge and powder volume.
what sort of hunting are you looking to do, do you reload etc
happy shooting to only 200mtr then you could consider say 38-55/375win or 44mag (hand loads), 35 rem, 300BLK
want to get to 300 mtr then drop to a 30cal 30-30, or 358win
want to go further out then 308 or 7mm
obviously the shorter the barrel and the larger the powder charge and bullet weight the muzzle blast and recoil goes way up
heaps of choice and everyone of us has a different aim so no wrong answer here.
Z
8.6blk
That's next on my list 12" 8.6BLK.Quote:
Originally Posted by 55six
.338 Federal or .375-08[emoji106]
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yeah me too but im not sure its going to do anything the 300blk or 44 subs wontQuote:
Originally Posted by tikka
Thanks for the replies. Sounds like pretty much anything goes with non-magnum calibres provided not pushing the limits of energy/distance. Think I would go .308 due to versatility and ammo availability. Just for the record, I'm happy with my little 300BLK bush outfit. It's pretty much perfect now that I have given up on the subsonic project. The only issue is ammo availability. Hopefully, that will resolve itself!
Start reloading.
Hi @gundocQuote:
Originally Posted by gundoc
What is correct use of faster powders ?
Wouldnt the same loads still be better than traditional ones in standard length barrels ?
Can you avoid the ball of flame with a different powder or is it just the amount of powder ?
Indeed are short barrel optimised loads dangerous in standard length barrels ?
powders are on a spectrum of speed of burn
shorter barrel velocity can improve with a faster burn where as with a longer barrel velocity/case pressures are often better with a slow push of a slower powder
slow powders in short barrels spit flames
The correct load data is in the books. The powders shown for a specific bullet weight are ranked fastest at the top to slowest at the bottom. Faster powders burn within the barrel while slower powders require full barrel length to burn completely, hence the ball of flame in short barrels. Faster powder loads that are safe in short barrels are perfectly safe in long barrels. The difference in velocity between short (18") and long (24") barrels is usually about 200-250 feet per second which really doesn't matter much inside of 300 metres. 16" barrels will lose another 100 fps, and barrels longer than 24" are for heavier bullets with a slow powder to develop good speed for long range shooting. Barrel length has no effect on accuracy subject to finding a good performing load.
Not related to barrel length, but if you are firing the load in a longer barrel you are obviously using a different rifle, so yes, the load could potentially be dangerousQuote:
Originally Posted by Bagheera
Thanks for that gundoc.
So for a short barrel you want a fast powder ?
That would limit you to light for calibre bullets wouldnt it ?
I suppose that to get enough lead a bigger calibre is better ? Eg a 120gr 308 rather than a 120gr 260 ?
Now, is a short case just as good as a long case ? Eg comparing 30-30 308 and3006. Would the extra powder in the 3006 all be wasted in flame or would the 06 pig have a worthwhile edge over the 30-30 ?
I think what GUNDOC means is this.
your load data dose not change with a short or long barrel.
However a short barrel with a heavy(for calibre) bullet will loose a lot more performance than a light bullet with a faster powder.
The heavy bullet will still be accelerating all the way down the longer barrel so a short barrel here will give a big flash of burning powder and larger loss of velocity.
a Light bullet with a faster powder will accelerate quicker and will have a much more complete powder burn in the short barrel so less loss of velocity with barrel length.
Also a lighter faster bullet will shoot flatter and generally give better terminal performance. (at Shorter ranges)
Z
Partially, there is also the powder factor with the same bullet weight.Quote:
Originally Posted by ZQLewis
Lets use a 150gr .308 for instance.
Lets say you have a load developed for a 24 barrel with a slow powder to maximise burn in the long barrel.
When used in a 16 barrel you will lose a lot of speed and have a huge muzzle flash as a lot of the powder will be exiting the barrel unburned.
By switching to a faster powder, with a lower load still within safe specs, you can gain some of that loss back as you will be burning more of it in the barrel.
Thus you will have the fastest, most efficient load for a 16 barrel, but not a 24.
The faster powder will never be as fast as the tailored load in the 24 barrel, but will be faster in the 16 barrel as it is more efficient use of energy in the place that matters, which is in the barrel driving the bullet.
Hope that makes sense!
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308 :thumbsup: