My friend called yesterday, he was at a gun shop drooling over a semi-automatic 300 Magnum.
It had a 20 inch barrel and I talked him out of it. What is the point of a short barreled magnum?
He already has AR 10 in 308. He also has Barrett 50 caliber Model 82.
whelennut

Good move!! I like the .300, but you need some barrel length to get any speed from it..

Yep.
.300 Mag needs a 26" barrel.

what is wrong with a loud short barrel 308 Win that burns more powder for a slight gain in Vel?

Hmm, I will have to respectfully disagree. My Pre-64 with a Shilen SS match grade barrel has worked quite well pushing 180 grain Nosler Partitions and lately 180 grain TTSX. Both are exiting the barrel ~3,000 FPS, chronographed. The dead critters would not have been able to differentiate the additional 2" barrel length. I believe the 24" is a better balance in my hands. Just my opinion and yours can vary.

300 Win Mag needs no more than a 24 inch barrel

I agree with Antelope Sniper, I like at least a 26" tube on all my magnums.. But I mostly hunt open country and for me the longer barrel feels better than a 24" model.. My 700's original barrel was 24".. It worked well, but when I had one barreled up with a 26" it felt much better..I have been using it since the mid 80's..
I do have a WSM with a 24 in tube.. But have taken no game with it.. Also, for heavy cover I have rifles suitable for those conditions.. I would say 24 or 26 is a matter of preference.. The 26 will give a bit more vel. and dampen recoil, but the 24 it a bit more handy.. Just a matter of what we like.. But for my $ 20" is too short for a big .30..

thread title says 20 inch... and y'all are arguing over nothing comparing 24-26..... almost like winter fever has set in.

LOL.

Mags get longer tubes for me too, or I'll just go to a standard round and normal barrel.

Just my take on it.

In a non-miltary setting, I don't see the semi-auto magnums bringing much to the table. Especially considering the investment. It's more of a Barrett 50 type thing, mainly just for show and tell.

I prefer longer barrels too, but a 20" 300 WM is still faster than a 20" 30-06 or 308. If a guy wants more speed, and those are the options, then it's still a valid choice.

Was it a BAR, or one of those Nemo rifles?

Nemo
I would choose an M1 Garand myself.

Lots of folks like 16" .308's. I find them pretty obnoxious, myself, especially with a brake.

...

Lessee...~45grains of medium powder burning in a 16" barrel, versus 74 grains of slow powder in a 20"

...

...that 16" .308 don't sound so bad, after all...

Kill it and cook it with one shot!

Be plenty impressive at dusk, I suspect

The Nemo .300WM is pretty cool neat. They local to me but I can't really justify the $6k price tag.

Concur 26" for the 300 Win

If your using 20" suggest stick with the 308 Win.

I have a 22" that gets great speed and is handy! I have no issues getting 2950 with 180's and 2850 with 200's. It is accurate as well!