Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 26" barrel on a .270 Win ???(why / why not)

I sort of look at it as it can be cut later IF it becomes a problem.

I use 20-26 on all my rifles and really can't say I prefer the 20 over the 26 even in various hunting terrain. Now overall weight is a whole 'nother topic.

I tinker with turkey guns and turkey handloads all the time and am often asked about bbl length. It's a similar situation as rifles in respect to handling in brush or in open terrain. My experience leans twds a slightly longer bbl for pattern sake alone, but not too long. 26 is just about right in terms of speed, patterns, and handling in thick areas. I've drug enough 21" to 28" bbls through some nasty stuff chasing long beards and will be the first to say that I've never been hindered in the least by bbl length. As they say, opinions are like....


Have a good one,

loder

I'm with Loder, see no reason not to give it a go. I had a Lilja #2 that was cut to 25" to begin with. It shot well aside from the fact that it was a dirty bugger and a pain to clean...and it was fast.

Later I cut it to 23" mainly so it'd fit in my scabbard and so my wife could handle it a bit better as it was her elk gun.

Build it to balance for you and you'll be golden!

Dober

And I say you're FOS because I'm talking offhand shooting.

Walking down a trail with the gun in both hands across your body and a deer gets up and you throw the gun up to your shoulder and fire. Precisely as one would do when grouse hunting.

Happens all the time around here.

I think that you might be amazed at the velocity of a 26" 270.

You can always cut it off later, you can never put it back on.

Buddy of mine built a #5 contour, hart barrel, 29" long some years back for shooting chucks at long distances(he like to see them get airborn). I can't remember the numbers, but the velocity was like nothing I had ever read about clocking it across my Ohler 35P. What I do remember was that it was stomping hell out of a 257 Weatherby's velocity.

I agree.

I've been working with a 26" barreled 280AI lately and that thing is producing some astounding velocity numbers.
162 Amax doing 3050 at 15-20 ft.!!
Just using published loads too. Zero pressure signs and quickload shows acceptable pressure too.

When I said speak for yourself, you claimed practically no one (your words: hardly at all if ever) shoots from an unsupported position, to include offhand. To counter that, I'll contend that most good hunters, who are capable in still hunting situations benefit from a longer, slightly muzzle heavy rifle. And not only in an offhand, swinging/shotgun style shot. I feel long heavy barrels are of benefit in unsupported sitting, kneeling shots or tight sling shots too. They seem to hang on target a little better, with fewer inputs to shake things up. I've never found short barrels advantageous in any kind of brushy situation. Most of the elk I've killed and been around the kill shots of have been in quick, now or never type shots, where longish, heavy barrels were an advantage. Additionally, I've shot numerous deer(but certainly not most as with the elk) and pigs, and even a few antelope in quick situations where I couldn't support the rifle and a muzzle heavy weapon was beneficial.

That's what I meant by speak for yourself.

....Exactly! And that is where the longer barrels have their advantage. And that is WHERE I DO agree with you. What part of my last post,,,,didn`t you quite understand?

In one of your other posts (PRIOR TO YOUR LAST ONE ABOVE), you did NOT mention that type of off hand shooting. You instead mentioned hind legs, bones and all the other jazz. Right?

Let me state things again so it is quite clear. The off-hand shooting which you just described in your very last and above post, IS and WAS, the very type of shooting I was referring to in the FIRST PLACE, where with regards to balancing and stability, the advantage goes to the longer barrels. That was what I stated before.

All other styles of shooting, where there IS support of some kind underneath the non-trigger hand, either with shooting sticks, with a back pack, with a body part, against a tree or from whatever, there is no balancing or stability advantage with longer barrels.

I`m also not going to argue the point that in certain areas and depending on the terrain, shouldering the rifle and firing without any support underneath the non-trigger hand isn`t done more often, especially when speed is necessary. Been there and done that myself on occasion. Because in certain areas, that is necessary and it probably is performed more often than not.

But in more open country where the distances are much greater, and even in timbers where the distances can exceed 75-100 yards for the kill shots, you`re going to tell me that most hunters will use their scoped or even non scoped rifles just like shotguns? Freehand shooting with no rifle support whatsoever underneath their non-trigger hand?

Sorry! But if that is your thinking, then I`m not going to buy that at all, and will continue to disagree until pigs start flying I suppose.....

........And in response to you, please read my last post.

As usual you biases have clouded your judgement and reading comprehension.
Shooting off my hind legs and using only my bones to support the rifle is precisely the same thing as shooting offhand completely unsupported.
No surprise that you didn't understand though.

As you can see I'm not the only person who often shoots off of their hind legs.

How do you get from "hardly any or none at all" to this above?

You were talking out of your asz before and you got called on it and now you say why sure offhand shooting happens often!

..........No sir! Your reading comprehension is very clouded, not mine. And I`ll disagree
with you again, that it is not the same.

Freehand shooting involves various styles and definitons. I was referring to just one style. Personal bias doesn`t have anything to do with it.

Biased?? Yeah right! Ya think that my 48.5" long 338-378 MK5 Wby has a short barrel? Hmmm? Biased uh?

If I were so 100% biased favoring shorter barrels, I sure as hell wouldn`t own a 28" barreled MK5.

To the OP, I apologize for getting into left field.

Like most others have said, go with the 26" and see how you like it. You can always go shorter if you wish later.

The 22" barrel is easier to get in and out of my golf cart, and Toyota Yaris.

......Well excuse me! Shall we discuss the average (majority) shooting FREEHAND styles then?

You still gonna tell me that the MAJORITY of hunters, the MAJORITY of time, during the MAJORITY of hunting scenarios, will use their rifles like shotguns (meaning; SHOULDERING THE RIFLE, AND THEN ONLY SUPPORTING THEIR RIFLE`S FORE-END WITH THE PALM OF THEIR NON TRIGGER HAND??

Tell me something nsaqam. Given the above, how does one settle or stabilize the cross hairs for the shot? Hmmm? You are not that damn good, and neither is anyone else including me.

I explained as clear as a bell, why and under what shooting style the longer barrels have the advantage. Try not to switch the styles around and cloud things up.

Gotta like your self deprecating humor here Swampy!

Once again you're reading comp sucks and you're talking shiit.
I never once said that the MAJORITY of shots were offhand.
You however did say this "I`ll say hardly at all if ever." will an offhand shot be taken. You then backed away from that absurd statement in a later post.

I'll no longer respond to your mealy mouthed BS.

Have a great day.

I shoot when I get the chance. We need the meat, and I can hit them running.

..........Oh yeah??? Well look at your post here my friend! I know what you`re trying to do. You`re taking a small mis-step by me which it was, and then trying to exploit it.

It may happen all the time or most of the time in your hunting area and in others, but not in many other areas as a greater percentage of the time.

C`mon nas-quatch. How you gonna stabilize the crosshairs when shots are say 75 yards and greater using your shotgun shooting style approach? You didn`t answer that question. Maybe if you do, I just might learn something from you.

And perhaps you can tell me also, how to best use rifles for 75+ yard kill shots? Perhaps there`s a freehand shotgun shooting technique approach that I haven`t discovered yet, that will still deliver a well placed shot? And at moving game no less?

...Why sure you do!......You need to change your user name to Annie Oakley or to maybe Robin Hood?

26"? Sure! Why not?

Ain't my cup of tea but this whole "balance" thing is so subjective it's hardly worth a "talk" anyway.

I find a lot of "this is better than that" conversation is mostly subjective and what balances good for some feels like shidt to someone else.

Get what makes you happy and feels good.

Personally if I am gonna lug 26" of barrel I want a magnum hull at the back end....and a 270 with a barrel longer than 22" makes me break out with measles....but that's just my prefernces and others may feel different.