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

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 .