Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Muzzle Blast--16.5 inch Barrel New Ruger Scout

I know from side by side comparison that the 16.5" barrel is louder. Seen it and done it myself. It's a fact that I have to accept if I want to use a barrel of that length. I, at one time, had .308 rifles in 16.5", 20", and 22" barrel lengths, and the 16.5" definitely had more bark. All were bolt action sporting rifles.

I don't know what powders they were using, but I load my .308s with Varget, and you will get some flash at 16.5". It's possible to use a powder to eliminate as much flash as possible, but I'm partial to Varget in the .308.

The little Rugers are handy little rifles, and I like carrying them. But, to ME and MY EARS, they are louder

Those get right damned loud.

I've also got a Guide Gun, though unported, and the report is somewhat more pronounced than a 22" version.

If I'm inclined to use a shorter barreled rifle, I am willing to accept the slightly elevated noise level. Comes with the territory.

Greetings friend Jayco,

If a ported G doesn't bother you, you almost certainly have more hearing damage than you realize. I have owned multiples of both ported and unported units, and the ported models definitely are louder. I once fired 3 rounds from a ported G into a stump after a few frustrating days of fruitless bear hunting in Michigan's U.P., and my ears rang for 3 days. The unported units are definitely not as loud. Be careful of the hearing you have left. I need you to hear me when I holler for help to carry out my first elk.

I'm thinking something like a Levang compensator would be the answer, if they make one for a 308 caliber.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=524840

bigsqueeze I am sure you are a fine fellow and are gifted with some extraordinary ears as you have been able to maintain your ears with good hearing protection over your +45 years of shooting. Most folks are going to fire a rifle in the field without wearing hearing protection, I myself cannot hear the animals come up behind me if I wear muffs but I am investigating the EAR products as soon as some lawyer bills are behind me. It is my belief based on what causes my ears to ring more is that most people will do more damage to their ears and faster if they fire a 16.5 inch barreled rifle in the field than if they fire a 24 inch barreled rifle in the field. I think this is true but maybe I am wrong. At any rate if a fellow wants one of these little scout rifles I think he should buy it, I don't want one the balance has to be awful with such a short barrel, and the ear pain inflicted by firing one more significant than that of a 20 inch 308. Please note I hunted for 10 years with an 18.5 inch 308 so I am not without some knowledge on the subject. Back in the day short barreled rifles seemed very cool to me until I started losing my hearing and also discovered it was easier to make a standing offhand shot with a longer barreled rifle at least for me.

a 16.5 inch 300WSM is an enigma..

Where does the comment about the Steyr come from? I have a conventional .376 Steyr that I have shot extensively & used in Africa with out any issues. Bolt lift is comparable with other rifles I have used such as Remington, Mauser, & CZ. Probably more Internet fable than fact.

he might be refering to the first generation bolt cams, but those are easily swapped for the newer improved ones. i sent my .376 bolt guy in AZ for the bolt cam upgrade and round bolt handle install.

The muzzle blast from firing short-barrelled rifles gives me a headache in just a few rounds. This is with double hearing protection (plugs and muffs). It is the shock wave and recoil that is causing the headache, not the noise.

JB says the headache means that you are giving youself a mild concussion; not good. Actually, many mild concussions.

My theory is that this may cause cumulative brain damage resulting in the common "gun loony" syndrome that most of us on the campfire suffer from to varying degrees. The term "loony" is obviously short for something...regarding mental condition.

Flashman,
Just a few thoughts.
I use barrels from 7 inches to just under 18 inches, and most of them have brakes.
From the small 223 Rem to a 338 Lapua Improved these guys are loud.
I always use hearing protection, even when hunting.
Most of my range time has me wearing double.
I would even urge all of you to use hearing protection at all times regardless of your barrel lengths (braked or not).
What is obtrusive to one shooter, may be fine for the other as far as blast goes.

.........Jimmyp...........A 16.5" barreled 300 WSM I would agree, would be an enigma for most. I did previously state, that 16.5" tubes are not for most.

For some of the type of hunting I do though, I prefer a very handy, an easy carrying, a highly manuverable, and fast pointing rifle with a shorter OAL, which ballistically betters 26" barreled 30-06s, which my shorty 300 WSM certainly does. I have on more than one occassion been in thick brush where shorter ranged shots have presented themselves, and within just a few minutes, been in far more wide open clearings where some ranges can exceed 400 yards. What the Frontier chambered in a 300 WSM does, is give me an excellent handling shorter OAL brush and timber gun, while at the same time, having the capabilility for some serious long range hunting should that need arise as well. And it has in the past.

But as I`ve stated before, all things come with compromises and tradeoffs. Those short barreled tradeoffs to me, such as having more noise or more blast, is something I can handle comfortably, whereas most cannot or will not.

As to your other point. If two people begin shooting 300 WSM rifles with different barrel lengths, one shorter such as my 16.5" barrel and another being a 24" barrel, eventually and given time, without any hearing protection worn by both, the one shooting the shorter barrel will probably have a higher percentage of hearing loss.

However if on the other hand, both are wearing the same identical and very good hearing protection, neither will suffer any hearing loss imo. Imo, hearing loss comes from not wearing hearing protection, rather than from a shorter barrel length.

When I did my extensive chrony testing experiments comparing my 16.5" 300 WSM velocities to the velocities of two 24" barreled 300 WSMs, I fired several hundred rounds over a period of several weeks. And to be perfectly honest here, there were little noise level differences to my ears between those two 24s and my own 16.5" WITH my muffs on. So the only conclusion I can come to is, that regardless of barrel length, if one chooses NOT to wear hearing protection, there will be hearing loss consequences given enough time and enough rounds fired. And when good muffs or good field hearing protection is worn, whether muffs for range use or good hearing protection for field use such as my "Game Ears", they are very capable to protect ears and offsetting any increased noise levels by the shorter barrel.

As far as rifle balance is concerned, I have no problems in that area with my Frontier nor even from my 375 Ruger Alaskan. Whether I use my conventional scope or the scout scope on my Frontier (as I do both), it is a matter of quickly adapting via a little practicing and getting use to those changes.

To be fair here,maybe all the chainsaws has effected my hearing..But the only gun I have that actually makes my ears ring on every shot is a ported 454 Casull..The ported Guide Gun doesn't/the BFR-45-70 doesn't nor my sons unported Guide Gun or any of my other rifles...

Some say they do but I just have not noticed it being much worse than other rifles.

Maybe were all subject to different pitches of noise or just maybe,I am a deaf old fart.


Jayco

Nifty, shock wave is noise and noise is shock wave. But you are absolutely correct when you say that the noise and recoil of shooting cause mild concussions. JB's wife Eileen now gets them severe enough that it takes her days to recover. She just wrote about it recently.

It is not something to take lightly.

30+yrs of chainsaws did my hearing in. Especially those Super XL's. I gotta agree with you. I shoot an unported GG,a 20"bbl 9.3x62,a 17.75"bbl 30-06,and a few others. I just don't find them any nosier than my std length bbl rifles. I do double up on hearing protection when not hunting. But when hunting I wear none. In fact I even wear hearing aids. All that being said,don't do as I did/do. Protect your hearing at any cost.

In 40 years of hunting and 18 years of law enforcement I have experienced auditory exclusion every time I have fired "for real."

Save once, well twice. I shot two does one morning with my ported GG. It literally rocked my world and my ears rang for a couple weeks. I've only fired it on the range since then...

I need to either trim those ports off, get a 26-in. Cowboy barrel on it or just sell it.

Though physiological changes seem to dampen sound of gunfire truth is the damage is ongoing. Really need some of those in ear electronic plugs for the field.

P.S. I never experienced post hunting ringing when I fired shots at critters with our .260 Compact.

If you don't like it add a "bloop" tube. I put one on my AR to shoot varmints without ear plugs. Simple solutions are easy to find when you keep an open mind.

As far as "handy" is concerned I don't have any problem with rapidly deploying my 29" long barrel on my 300. Unhandy is a full wooden stocked military rifle, not a 20 inch sporter weight barrel on an M77.

I think the detractors of the Savage Scout are over blowing their concerns too. Mine is about to get a good spring workout since I located a better Scout Scope and picked up a pile of ammo cheap last week. We will see if any issues crop up. I do wish I could get a high capacity magazine for it, but not a single stack like Ruger went with, I use Rugers and like them, but their scout magazine looks funny.

wonder how loud a trapper model marlin gg would be ?
16.5 inch barrel on that monster !

You're not deaf.

Ooo, you have one of those? I have lusted for one since they came out. How do you like it? Are they still available?

The closest things I have to a scout are a Winchester M70 Classic compact (that my wife stold), and a Kimber 84M classic. Both are nice, but they aren't scouts. The Winchester is the better balanced of the two because the barrel is a bit heavier than the Kimber. Kimbers are nice, but dang light in the muzzle.

wonder how loud a trapper model marlin gg would be ?
16.5 inch barrel on that monster !

If you are standing under a rain soaked tree and the GG has the barrel ports, and shoot at a hog, I can testify it will make an instant, misty, rain cloud followed by a short heavy shower.

Think I would have to vote very loud, !

edit: typo

first deer i shot with my ported GG was just like that. dark rainy day under a hemlock. between the flames and the noise i'm not sure who was more suprised, me or the deer.