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Had a collection of Sako mannlichers at one time, short barrels are handy!

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Originally Posted by JPro
20” is the limit imposed by my ears on 308-based rounds. Even then I get a occasional ear-beating if there’s structure nearby. Like others say, I could maybe see an 18” on a Grendel.


This is where I fall in the discussion. I've had a 18.5 inch Model 7 in 260 Rem. Muzzle blast and jump was annoying so it went down the road. I've got a Ruger Hawkeye Compact 16.5 in 223. Very handy to carry but the muzzle blast is tough even in that small of a cartridge. I know where one is for sale in a 243, but I just don't want a barrel that short in a cartridge running over 40gr of powder. My Ruger M77 UL 223 with a 20 inch barrel is one of my favorite rifles.


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I can do a 7X57 Mauser in a 20" with no problems because it isn't loaded in the 60,000 PSI range. I actually prefer 24" barrels or 26" depending on the cartridge.



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I have a couple of 16" barreled rifles, and they work fine. They're nice to carry, that's for sure. My go-to squirrel rifle is a 16" for the carry factor and pointability in thick stuff.

I do the vast majority of my shooting with irons, though, so most of my barrels are 22-26" for longer distance accuracy with sights.

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Ballistics and velocity aside, shooting 10 shots, standing, on the SR-1 target at 100 yards, with my carbines I'll usually shoot in the mid 70's, with a slightly muzzle heavy 24" rifle, I'll score in the mid 90's. That's quite an improvement.


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I have a short full-stock 8X57 and a short full stock 9.3X57. Both of them at about 19".

I also have a 16" AR15 in 6.8SPC My 30-06 "Scout carbine" is made with a 19" barrel. And my Mossberg MVP 308 is made with an 18" barrel. I like them all. But I also have rifles with far longer barrels and I like them too.

One that's the best of both worlds is my Ruger #1 with a 22" barrel but a very short action making the gun short despite the fact it's got an average length barrel.

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I have two 20” barreled 700’s in 30/06 and made the mistake of shooting a coyote with one of them from an enclosed blind with no hearing protection. Never again. Ouch.
I now keep my amplifying earmuffs on my thigh until the last half hour or so of shooting light. Then I’ll either put them on just above my ears or turn them on and put them on my ears.


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Originally Posted by navlav8r
I have two 20” barreled 700’s in 30/06 and made the mistake of shooting a coyote with one of them from an enclosed blind with no hearing protection. Never again. Ouch.
I now keep my amplifying earmuffs on my thigh until the last half hour or so of shooting light. Then I’ll either put them on just above my ears or turn them on and put them on my ears.


This is why I've been selling things off to fund a handful of hunting rifles with suppressors and short barrels. My ears are more sissified than my shoulder.

A 22" barreled 308-based round in a bolt gun will seldom give me problems. A 22" short-magnum has, on a few occasions. A 20" lever gun in 30-30 or .35R also doesn't seem so bad, due to the lower pressure, like JWP mentions above. I've noticed that same effect with centerfire youth or reduced-recoil loads. They aren't ear ringers, even in 20" barrels. Full-house loads can bump things up to a more notable level. That's why I don't encourage anything shorter than a 20" for a kid's gun. It might be fine with lower-power loads with that 16-18" tube, but it'll be blasty if they move up to full power loads. 21"-22" is actually a good spot for a kid's bolt gun in something burning 40-45gr of powder.


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Thanks so much guys. The cartridge is the 6mm and I feel some don't think it matters but JPro brings up some good points. I don't do loud very well and anything less than 20 feels awkward in my hands but I'm 6'2 1/2" and weigh 295lbs. A gun has to have some heft to it for it to feel right in my hands. Thanks a bunch guys, powdr

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Powdr, I didn't read the entire thread, but shorter than 20" does get a mite loud. My Remington .308 carbine had an 18.5" barrel and it did work well for a tree stand one and done deer rifle. My 24" 7mm RM barrel hits near everything as a tree stand gun, but was ideal out west. I like about a 20" myself though it would depend a lot on the cartridge and what you intend to do with the rifle. Guys get pretty hung up on barrel length and velocity and with a chronograph it would be one more thing to mess with. I don't own one so for me it doesn't matter as much as what I intend to do with the rifle.


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A 6mm might be okay in that 18 1/2 barrel, but I bet it will get a touch loud.

Be a handy booger though.

What are your intended plans for it?

Last edited by 10gaugemag; 10/12/21.

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[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Got a little Ruger RSI in 243 with a 18.5 inch barrel. Very handy little rifle that points very well. Don't get all the hoopla about muzzle blast. I don't find it to be a problem at all. At least not in 243.

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I find 19” to 21” on a short action to be about right and really like a 23” on a long action.
Magnums usually get a 24”.


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I shoot a Remington 760 Carbine in 30-06 with an 18 & 1/2 inch barrel, it's been my favorite deer rifle since 1979.
Fantastic stalking and treestand gun, it comes up to the shoulder and points like a fine custom shotgun and is excellent in tight quarters like the thick brush in the northeast where I hunt.

I don't much get it about the muzzle blast either, at the range I use ear protection and other than that, it's a shot or 2 at a deer and I don't seem to notice muzzle blast or recoil when I shoot a deer.

Probably my only complaint, like 260Remguy mentioned earlier is the muzzle flash shooting a deer at dawn or dusk, it's about 3 feet long and blinds you for a second but I can live with it.
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Originally Posted by wink_man
I shoot a Remington 760 Carbine in 30-06 with an 18 & 1/2 inch barrel, it's been my favorite deer rifle since 1979.
Fantastic stalking and treestand gun, it comes up to the shoulder and points as good as a fine custom shotgun and is excellent in tight quarters like the thick brush in the northeast where I hunt.

I don't much get it about the muzzle blast either, at the range I use ear protection and other than that, it's a shot or 2 at a deer and I don't seem to notice muzzle blast or recoil when I shoot a deer.

Probably my only complaint, like 260Remguy mentioned earlier is the muzzle flash shooting a deer at dawn or dusk, it's about 3 feet long and blinds you for a second but I can live with it.
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Mine isn't bad either. Have shot other 20-22" guns that seemed louder but my Carbine '06 isn't all that bad.

Very nice looking Carbine too!

Last edited by 10gaugemag; 10/12/21.

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Originally Posted by CrimsonTide
Originally Posted by CaptArab
16" bolt gun with a silencer is hard to beat.




**I am no gunwriter** That said, I am interested in this topic, and have recently put together a rifle along the lines that CaptArab mentions.

I am a fan of Christensen Arms. What I tried to order a few years back, was a 16 inch Ridgeline chambered for 308 Win. I was told at the time, that it was an impossibility. Fast forward a few years and I was able to take a barreled action out of an MPR and put it in a Ridgeline stock. Now, I have what I was looking for in the beginning. I have a Silencerco Omega that makes the muzzle blast a powder puff. I have not chronographed a 150 grain soft point out of that little rifle, but I'm next to positive that it will make deer and pigs bad sick.


I tried that too, MPR to Ridgeline (in my case McMillan) stock, bought new BDL bottom metal, magazine, etc...found out it won't feed. CA tells me that MPR does not have internal feed rails and will never feed with my BDL set up. Just last week ordered DBM bottom metal with M5 inlet, off to smith this week for fitting. Hope it works!

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Barrels ain't hard to chop and thread.
I send mine to LRI, but any competent Smith can do it.

LRI has a 5 axis, so they can do weird stuff like #1s and T/C single shots too.

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A hot 147 ELDM out of a 16" Creed will make it nearly 600 yards before dipping below 1800fps.

16" is really all ya need for typical hunting.
If no can, might as well go ~20"

Last edited by CaptArab; 10/12/21.
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Originally Posted by wink_man
I shoot a Remington 760 Carbine in 30-06 with an 18 & 1/2 inch barrel, it's been my favorite deer rifle since 1979.
Fantastic stalking and treestand gun, it comes up to the shoulder and points like a fine custom shotgun and is excellent in tight quarters like the thick brush in the northeast where I hunt.

I don't much get it about the muzzle blast either, at the range I use ear protection and other than that, it's a shot or 2 at a deer and I don't seem to notice muzzle blast or recoil when I shoot a deer.

Probably my only complaint, like 260Remguy mentioned earlier is the muzzle flash shooting a deer at dawn or dusk, it's about 3 feet long and blinds you for a second but I can live with it.
[Linked Image from i.ibb.co]


We have the same gun in 308

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The shorter the barrel the closer the muzzle blast is to your ears and face--that's simple physics. Usually it translates into greater perceived muzzle blast, and I think it can contribute to flinching or anticipating the shot. My observation is this may be especially true with youngsters first starting out on centerfires. I have a 25" bbl 270 and several 22" bbl 270's. Same bullet and powder are a bit louder with the 22". And I wear plugs AND muffs at the range.

It must have been a thing in the 90's, because twice I guided clients with short barreled 300 Wthby's. A guy hasn't lived until he experiences the muzzle blast of a 20" bbl 300 Wthby....


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Having said that, MAGA.
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