Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Help me pick a barrel length?

Hey Guys,

Ive got a very nice older cz 550 in 308 win that id like to get the barrel cut down on and have the front sight reinstalled. I hunt in the north woods primarily and much of my time is spent in a ground blind. The current length is 23.5 and its just a bit clunky in a confined area. I also do a fair amount of tracking in the snow and the longer barrel is a challenge in the cedar swamps up here.

Other uses for the gun would include a black bear hunt every couple of years (over bait) elk every 3 years or so and at some point id like to take a northern Ontario moose.

My first thought was go all the way down to 20 inches. Ive got enough elevation adjustment in the rear sight to account for the change but what are yours thoughts?

here is a pic of the gun in question (generic pic)

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/15865182#Post15865182

In my eye, a rifle looks weird if the forend is longer than half the length of the exposed length of barrel.

Long forends on short bbls don't look right. YMMV.

Does look like a nice rifle. 20 or 21" is where I would like it. Balance would be everything, of course.

I have had 2 , 270s with 20" barrels . Now have a 7-08 with 20" barrel. They are a lot hardier in the brush than longer barrels. And killjust as much stuff.

Great Pic. Thnx.

308 & 20” = peanut butter & jelly !!

Jerry

Quak, these guys aren't making scientifically base recommendations that account for barrel harmonics. If you are fit and muscular my calculations suggest 21.674". If you're getting on in years and a little soft try 20.5985"

Yer welcome.

Pecos Kid

What jwall said.

A 20” barrel is enough to ring out all of the practical velocity from .308 Win and keep muzzle blast to a reasonable level. You could even go 18” without loosing much velocity but it will start to get loud. A 20” barrel is just right for a .308 IMO.

If it were me though rather than cut that one I’d look to but a buy a rifle with a 20” barrel.

16.25 threaded for a suppressor

Mike

I agree.

Here is a 20" .308. It had a pencil barrel on it at first but was too light in the front end to suit me, the barrel pictured is a sporter weight. Scope has also been swapped out for a Leupold 2.5-8X36 VX-3i. Length is just a wee bit more than what a M94 Winchester runs, and of course it weighs more.




Out in the field, in a stand.

Another vote for 20". I like the way it balances with a sporter weight barrel and handy in the thick stuff.

I guess I’m going to be the outlier here... for what it’s worth, I’d leave it right where it is. I have actually hunted “the thick stuff “ enough to know a couple of inches on the end of the barrel of a rifle makes little if any difference. It does, however, keep the balance where you want it for quick, smooth shooting.

I find a 20 inch.223 annoyingly loud, never mind a stubby.308.

Can't handle 23.5" stay at home and do what your wife tells you to do.

How’n hell do I hunt thick cover with my 42” barrel on the flinter?

I would go 22.
If changing the stock out to lightweight, then I would consider 21.

Have had a couple 20" rifles, 270 and 6.5x55. I do not like 20" barrels. If I was building a dedicated suppressed rifle, then I would go as short as legally allowed.

I cut my 308 700 down from 24 to 21 and it feels about perfect.

Experience says 20-22"...unless it's a flinter...

Precisely 21.0376 on a bolt rifle--unless it's a pre-'64 Model 70, which used the same action-length as the .300 H&H.

But of course yours isn't a pre-'64.

You could also cut down the buttstock, or wear thinner clothes. There are all sorts of obsessive-compulsive options!

If you like it don't change it at the risk of never liking it quite so much again.

I remember long ago the first time somebody handed me an M14. I thought it was comforting if not comfortable. Too heavy and clumsy today - me not the rifle.

As I age I find a Steyr Scout and Dragoon to be very comfortable for walking around. The lightweight low powered scope rifles are often passed over and left behind when I set out to kill something promptly.

Although I have short barreled rifles available and a double rifle that is immensely handy if heavier than the Scout, I also believe that if I am being clumsy with a longer barrel I am likely distracted and hurried. That is trying to move faster than I should. When I take my time and pay attention as I should I find a long barrel length no handicap.

My .308 is 20 inches and I'm happy with that. I wouldn't want to go shorter, especially with open sights.

I generally like long barrels, but bought my son a creed with a 20" barrel and it sure is handy.

I like 22" on my 308, but I wouldn't cut that 23.5" on your CZ.

Just out of curiosity...why not cut it?

I vote 21".

I'm a short barrel fan. My shotguns (mostly) sport 26" barrels and my rifles (mostly) sport 22" barrels. I even bobbed the barrel on my Remington 721 in .300 H&H to 24" and have no regrets. I also own a Sako L-461 in .222 with a 16 1/4" barrel that still holds my prairie dog record of 39 consecutive hits. Further I have a .264 Win Mag with a 23" barrel and no complaints whatever. I'm a believer that barrel length is more emotional than functional as velocity loss is never noticed in the field. Balance can be achieved through other methods than barrel length. Adding a recoil pad can have a greater change of balance than losing 2 or more inches of barrel but that is not normally seen as a reason to not add a full inch of recoil pad.

Loss of resale value might be of greater adversity to go shorter than 22" so let your pocketbook have a say in the matter.....but for me a .308 Winchester with a 20" barrel makes a lot of sense.....especially if one does a fair amount of woods hunting..

Hey.....it's your gun and your hunting tool so do what you think best.

Just out of curiosity, have you read through all the previous responses?

We cut a 308 with a adjustable stock to 16" the added a suppressor, came out to 21 1/2" everyone that has used it likes it, we have killed Whitetails, Elk, And Exotics with it. never shot it without the can, but it's good on the range to 600 yrds. With 155 gr. Scenars and Varget. most of our hunting shots are inside 300 yrds. Rio7

I’ve always felt that 22” is the perfect length for a sporting rifle barrel. That said, I’ve always had a thing for carbines.

I hate short barrels- loud, uncomfortable and unsteady. I have a suppressed 308 at 18”. I’d sooner get smacked in the face with a fish than shoot it without the can

Get a bigger blind.

I've had 308's with 18.5, 19, 20, 22, 24, and 28"... anymore I'll never own a barrel less than 22", but if I was dead set on something shorter I'd not go under 21".

I would leave it as is but if I had to cut id down it would be 22".

I'd not go shorter than 20" and at least to 22" if I were going to bother cutting it.

It reads like you like to prowl around in the thick stuff. Much as I like my bolt actions for a better trigger and more accurate posting rifle. A long barreled bolt action isn’t the best choice for a brush hunting faster follow up shot rifle at an often fleeting whitetail. For one thing cutting the barrel on your CZ is going to seriously erode it’s resale value if you ever want to resell it. In your place, I would leave that one alone and be on the lookout for a Remington 760 or 7600 in a .308 carbine. Mount a peep or ghost ring and fiber optic, a red dot or low power scope and you would have a way better walking around rifle.

i think 22'' is the way to go, I've a 243 with a 24'' barrel, its waiting to be cut to 22''

I have a very nice Remington 788 308 carbine in a laminated thumbhole stock that I'll trade you for the CZ. The 18.5 inch barrel on the 788 doesn't bother me at all --- but my wife claims I'm already deaf.

Quickload can predict barrel length effect on muzzle velocity, velocity at range, trajectory, wind drift, and how loud it is.

Quickload cannot predict how rifles with shorter barrels get more accurate, and weigh less.

Your height and the length of pull on the stock will dictate proper barrel length, all about balance and quick clean shouldering of the weapon.

I would not cut the barrel on that rifle. If you really want a carbine length rifle, buy one.

> leave the barrel alone its fine at that length,short barrels do less and value of rifle goes down when you cut barrel off .

Quak, please re-read the paragraph above. That 550 CZ is a very fine rifle, and they have been discontinued except in African calibers.

I would do a 21 to 22.5” barrel, if I were going to have it cut.
I do appreciate shorter barrels in the closer quarters of ground blinds. I have some 375’s and 416’s with 20” barrels that I frequently use in ground blinds. I currently have a 325 WSM at the gunsmith to be cut to 22’ish. I used a 23.5” for one season in a ground blind. It was a tad longer than I cared for.

20" if I was cutting.
Which I probably wouldn't, I'd buy a carbine.
Or a beat up good old rifle to cut down, but never want to hack it!


Anyway, under 20 is short and gets louder, fast.
If you leave it any longer than 21, it's not really worth doing.


I prefer rifles around 20".
Not that a longer barrel can't be put through the same places,
But it requires more effort, and if your 24"+ plus barrel hits something,
I'll bet you a quarter it's going to be out past the 20" point.

I've got a 7-08 I cut from 24" to 22.5". Seems short to me and very handy coming from 24". All my bolt guns have 24", including one magnum cut from 26". I don't think I would go less than 22" on any bolt gun. I do have a Ruger 1A in 7x57 -- talk about feeling short. [img]https://ibb.co/LR3MWr2[/img]

My bolt guns ---- two 7x57 bolt actions, one 308 Win, and an 8x57 M98 sportified Iranian carbine (made in Brno, Czechoslovakia).

Except for the the 18.5 inch carbine all the others have 22" barrels. I think that 22" is ideal for a bolt action hunting rifle. In tight quarters, like a blind a blind, I have never had a problem; especially if I remain calm ,slow down my movements, and take care.

On the other hand, most 8x57 (8mm) ammo manufactured in the U.S. is usually underpowered in comparison to some of the European ammo. If you consider that each inch of barrel length lost costs you about 25 fps of velocity, and the majority of factory ammo is tested in 24" universal barrels; I lose the equivalent of 137.5 fps velocity shooting that carbine (24 - 18.5 = 5.5 and 5.5 x 25 = 137.5 fps) . That greatly impacts the PBR and energy delivered.

Longer is better! Wait a minute, I have heard that before.
Oh! that wasn't about my rifle! LOL

They may make a pill for this condition...not sure. I hunt out of box stands elevated, and know what confinement is. Not much difference between 20-23.5", it is all in your mind.

Concussion of a 20" barrel is very significant to say the least, as I found out on coyote hunting rifles that I wanted to swing faster, hearing loss and ringing ears abound. 18-20" barrels ring your bell. A guy that I hunted with's dad was a world famous ear surgeon. He was constantly scolding us on hearing loss, especially with short barrels as I had acquired two 6mm Rem Ruger compacts to day hunt coyotes with, and his son bought one of them. Pard's dad came unglued over such a short barrel. His exact words were, "DON'T BE STUPID".