Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Barrel length and noise

I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and fired two rifles of the same caliber with different barrel lengths during one session at the range. I keep hearing, though, that 2 inches of barrel length can make a noticeable difference in noise and “muzzle blast.” I’m wondering how true this is. Will a 24” barreled 243 be noticeably more pleasant to shoot than the same rifle with 2” cut off the barrel? What if you cut the barrel down to 20”?

I always wear ear protection, but I am still curious about this issue.

You'd probably have to shoot 2 guns side by side to notice a 2" difference. 4" difference can be noticed by memory.

Of course, the cartridge in question makes a difference. 4" off a .22 isn't going to be as noticeable as 4" off a .223.

Whichever one is closer to your face is louder...how much depends on how much.

....but seriously (and anecdotal) I notice blast/noise (with hearing protection) much more in smaller bores with higher velocity when under 22”, than is notable with larger bores and medium velocity. I can’t recall noticing as much difference between 22-24, unless there’s a receiver length in play. I don’t play with magnums much anymore, but they can be nasty under 22”.

Yep. My 20" barreled 243 has a sharper bark than my 20" barreled 308 burning similar amounts of powder.

Two sources for the bark a gun makes. 1) sonic crack and 2) gas escape at the muzzle. There is a distinct correlation between volume of sound and gas pressure when the bullet leaves the muzzle. More pressure = more volume. Shorter barrels mean higher pressure if all else is equal.

First rifle I shot a deer with was a model 7 in .260 with a super short barrel. I shot it for the first time in years recently and was very surprised at how big and loud the bang at the end of the barrel was. Did not have another .260 to compare it to but it was very noticeable compared to the .243 and .30-06 with longer barrels we were also shooting.

I shot a 260 with an 18 inch barrel and a 20 inch barrel at the same range session. The 18" had a lot more "buck and jump" as well as noise vs the 20". The 18 inch was my buddies and mine was the 20" both shooting the same ammo. He noticed it as well, and committed on it as well.
Both were Remington model 7's

I agree with the fellas above. 4” is usually very noticeable, while 2” is often still noticeable. 20” is my cutoff for a short 7mm-08/308, while I prefer another inch or two for smaller bores with that case capacity. At the bench not long ago, I mixed in a magnum weight 22” .308 sporter with some various carbines and magum-chambered sporters. It was a downright sweetheart to shoot, both to the ears and the shoulder.

.243/.243AI with a 23" barrel always seemed much sharper/louder than a 22" .308 and a 21" .358 when I was hunting or shooting with it. It's a weakness of mine....my shoulder is tough enough but my ears are sissy's.

I've had rifles in 30-06 and 308 with 18" barrels. Muzzle blast and flash were visible from outer space. Now all of my barrels are at least 22" long.


Okie John

A 20” 243 is the loudest gun I’ve ever fired in the woods. I’ve shot numerous other rifles with 22” and up barrels while hunting without ear protection and never been bothered but my ears rang for a day after shooting a 20” 243 once.

I won’t deer hunt with a rifle under 22” now cause I’m not wearing ear pro and I still want to be able to hear turkeys gobble when I’m old.

To elucidate on what DigitalDan said, muzzle blast is part sonic crack and part muzzle pressure. Here is a standard rifle pressure curve, obviously different powders give slightly different traces but with typical centerfire rifles pressure rises fairly rapidly and then slowly lessens as the bullet moves down the barrel (more volume for the gas). Instead of using time as the X (bottom) axis think barrel length, the more length - the farther out you are on the pressure curve - the lower the pressure when it is released into the atmosphere.

Slow powders and short barrels are the kings of muzzle blast since the pressure curve stays higher longer, ie. that "tail" stays up higher on the graph as it extends to the right, longer barrels and quicker powders will put the pressure curve at a lower point when the bullet exits.





Engineers and physicists will forgive my non-technical explanation but hopefully the gist is clear.

My shorter barrels are ear burners.

I'm always amazed how loud an AR is. Not sure if it's just barrel length or gun design, but those 16" AR's are ridiculous. Even my 20" version is bad. I run 24" on most hunting rifles.

It's barrel length and what I call the loudener they often have on the end.

I always thought an AR would be good predator calling gun...then I owned one. Can't see hunting without earplugs in which is tough when calling.

Got 2 Ruger M77 bolt guns in 223. One is a compact with a 16.5 inch barrel, the other is a 20 inch UL. The shorty is tough on the ears, while the 20 is one of my favorite rifles.

Had an 18.5 inch 260 Model 7. Noise and barrel jump was terrible. Sold it and replaced it with a 700 with a 24 inch barrel. So much better, but I do prefer a 22 inch barrel so I may have it chopped.

To me, 20 is about right for a 223, 22 is perfect for most standard 308 or 30-06 based rounds, and 24 for magnums. I've got a few longer ones in the safe, but they just aren't as handy and don't get hunted very much.

Cut to 18", install 6" can, overall is 24" and very quiet. Got a 223 waiting for the bob now, but may go 17" on it for 23" oal length.

Good way to put it.

As time passes I increasingly appreciate less noise and less recoil. Why put up with more than what easily satisfies my purposes?

My 24" barreled 700 Classic in 250 Savage is a real sweetheart in this regard.

I agree but I like low noise and recoil. What cartridge gives the best balance of low noise, low recoil, and good performance for deer and hog?

As far as recoil goes I've found a 243 Win. or 250 Savage with an appropriate bullet to be very good. If you must have more juice than that to feel comfortable a 260 Rem / 6.5 Creedmoor / 7mm08 with a 120 grain bullet is very good. A 24" barrel will moderate noise on all of them.

I'm using 108's in my son's 6.5 creed. Its loud due to 20" barrel, but low recoil for sure.

I've been shooting 100 grain Ballistic Tips out of my 6.5 Creedmoor. The rifle is a Rem 700 5R Milspec, 24" varmint contour barrel. Very low recoil, although it's pretty comfortable to shoot with 140 grain bullets too.

I do know the 108s are deadly on game too. I'll probably jump to 123's this year just because he's getting bigger and can handle more. The 123's are better in wind at longer ranges.

One of my nephews has been quite deadly with a 243 and 95 grain bullets, Hornady SST handloads and Federal Fusion factory. I think he has an itch for a 308 though.

Years back when I was still a heavy chain smoker I was looking for a lighter weight rifle than the heavy 30-06 I was carrying. It would flat wear me out above 9,000 feet MSL on the mountain where the deer were. I got a good deal on a Remington 660 in .308 that with a scope weighed a good pound and a half less but damned if it didn't kick like a very angry mule. About that time my birthday came around and the kids got me a set of those Mickey Mouse hearing protecters. Well I went out to try and get that .308 to shoot a decent group and when I shot it with the muffs the kick was gone. Well not really gone but it just didn't hurt. Seems the muzzle blast from the 20" barrel was what was really causing the pain.
Too many years of shooting with nothing to protect my hearing has done considerable damage. I'm almost totally deaf in my right ear and only have about 50 to 55 % in my left ear. These days I wear muffs even on hunts. Probably my favorite deer rifle is the Ruger M77 RSI in .308 with an 18.5" barrel. The muffs make it a pleasure to shoot. My Mauser custom in.308 is noticeably quieter than the RSI but not as much fun to shoot. I like the RSI for my rare deer hunts when I draw a tag for the Kaibab.
Paul B.

I agree. And while not as popular, the .257Roberts with 115/120gr bullets is right there with those picks when regarding the "shooter friendliness to damage infliction ratio".

It’s amazing how much apparent difference there is between my 16” 6.8s and my 18-20” 223 ARs, with regard to muzzle blast. The 6.8 is almost pleasurable compared to the 223s. My 16.5” 357 max with even hot loads was the mildest on blast of any rifle I’ve had.....never even noticed any flash at dark. OTOH, the Savage LWH 20” in 243 was a loud little flamethrower. LOL

I shot a 7.5" AR from the hip...holy hell the blast was ridiculous

A fellow gun head picked up a Sako mannlicher carbine in 375H&H for cheap back in the 90s, and he sold it for cheap......

20" 243's will BLOW YOUR MIND!

I think this is spot on for deer/hogs. Went down from a .30-06 to .243 a couple years ago and couldn’t be happier. Deer have been just as dead and watching the impact in the scope sure is nice.

I have a .243 with an 18" barrel. I love the rifle but muzzle blast is pretty brutal.

Have identical bull-barrel AR’s (223), one with 16” barrel, and one in 20”.

The 16” will leave my ears ringing, even a couple hours later. The 20” does not.

Obviously, ear protection is important, but we don’t wear it while hog hunting.

I bought my son a Ruger American Ranch (16in barrel)for his first rifle in 556. That gun was absolutely the loudest I ever shot. On more than one occasion I had other shooters at the range inquire about the gun being so loud. For comparison I have a Ruger M77 mkII in a 243(16.5in barrel). It is loud, but not even close as to the ranch shooting 223 loads. The 243 makes more of a distinct loud shrill crack rather than a boom.

For another comparison, I own 2 Ruger M77 mkII 270’s. Both are stainless steel with boat paddle stocks. One is a standard model with a 22in barrel. The other is an ultralight model with a 20in barrel. So pretty much the exact same gun minus 2in of barrel length. I shoot the same loads in both, and yes there is a difference in muzzle blast and recoil. The shorter is noticeably louder and a little tougher on the shoulder. Where I shoot it’s covered with a tin roof. When I shoot the shorter rifle you can hear the roof panels rattle.

The quietest rifle I own is an old Ruger M77 mkI with a 26in semi bull barrel. It’s a joy to shoot and way more accurate than I can shoot it.

This is just my experience, maybe it will help.

I've owned both 24" and 26" barreled 257 Weatherby Mags and can say definitively the increased muzzle blast/noise from the 24 is very noticeable. The 257 Wby is already loud at 26", but at 24" it'll curl your toenails.

While not exactly apples to apples.....I’ll take a 20” to 24” barreled magnum rifle over a 4” (held with arms fully extended) any time! In my opinion barrel length does play into the equation, though probably not dramatic until going below 20” in length. memtb

maybe its me, but one of the biggest reasons, I like to use faster powders on reloading ammo, as it at least gives me the perception of less muzzle blast, than slower powders...

that is why I like 4064 or 3031 in the 243...over say 4350....

or why I use 4198 vs H4895 reduced loads from Hodgdon data, because the muzzle blast is a lot less with 4198 loads...( with better accuracy in my opinion I might add)...

using less powder to achieve the same velocity, doesn't hurt at all either...

no scientific data, just observation and personal perception...

slowing down the muzzle velocity also seems to work... again, less powder, less blast...


even in the extreme here....

I've chronographed factory 243 and 260 Rem ammo, that was suppose to be running at 2950 fps, and instead the chronograph read them at the 2600 fps MV velocity range...low 2600s

22 grains of Blue Dot, with the same bullets gave the same 2600 fps range... of course less kaboom or muzzle blast..

30 grain of 4198 ( IMR) were also chronographing in the 2600 fps velocity range.. again, less recoil and less retort...

both still giving as good or even better accuracy than the factory loads...

found the same resluts with Remington's Managed Recoil ammo when it came out... disassembled some of their ammo...
powder looked like 4198, and handloads with 4198, gave the same MV over the chronograph... with less recoil...and muzzle retort...

kind of the reason, I use these kinds of loads for most of my hunting, which is pretty much 250 yds and under in the Oregon Mountains and woods...

Take a 6.5 Grendal deer hunting, with a handloaded 140 gr Speer SP for example.. a 100 or 120 grain ballistic tip will also make you a believer in that combo...if so, why can't one do the same thing in a 260 or 243 case? 30 grains of 4198 or 20 to 22 grains of Blue Dot will give me pretty much the same velocity range as the Grendal is giving me...

My cz 527 7.62x39 is a loud little mother. I know that.

Great post Seafire!