Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Question About the 7mm-08?

How well do you think it would work with a 20" barrel?

Good question. I'd be a little reluctant to chop one off that short, though. But, it's not a mega-velocity caliber and the ballistics might hold together in a barrel that short. Groups might be a bit wide at 300 yards, though. It's a good question.

Should work fine. There were a few discussions on barrel length for 7mm-08 at Longrangehunter forum. The gist was that you only gain 25-50 fps by going from a 20" to 24" barrel. 20-22" seems to be the sweet spot for that caliber.

The Model Seven has run with 18.5-20" barrels in 7mm-08 for, well, a long time with a great track record.

Regarding accuracy, there should be no difference. Barrel length (within reason) doesn't affect accuracy, and chopping a barrel may in some cases improve accuracy. The Rem LTR or 5R at 20" in 308 are great examples of a very accurate short barrel production rigs at long distance, but suffer a touch in reaching out to 1000 yds compared to it's longer barreled counterparts due to velocity loss (usu. in comparison to 26 and 28" long range dedicated guns).

Best,
C.

That's good to hear. I won't be chopping the barrel. The gun i'm thinking of comes that way.

Should be a great timber rifle with the option to reach out if I need it.

I would have no qualms using a 20" barrel with this cartridge.

Works just fine out of my gf's 700 youth. Notice no difference in the animals reaction between that and my featherweight with the 22" barrel.

Any difference in accuracy?

Had a Browning X-Bolt micro hunter in 7/08. It shot very well for only a 20" tube. 44g Varget under a 120 NBT consistently grouped under .75 @ 100yds.

Excellent.

I think Kenny Jarrett's shop prefers barrels in the 20-22" range for the 7mm-08 AI according to their "pet load" description. Different, but not by much.

Bought a M70 Compact (which comes with a 20" barrel) for my DIL and was easily able to reach 2800 fps with 139 g. Hornady bullets and 3000 fps with the 120 Nosler BT bullets; both with acceptable accuracy.

As far as I could tell (when the rifle was in my possession) a 20" barrel works just fine in a 7mm 08. If you like the rifle and it shoots acceptably well; then it should serve you well.

Thanks guys.

Easy decision now.

a short barrel does not affect the accuracy of a round, just the velocity. I have shot 1/2 inch groups at 200 yds with a 7tc/u and 10" contender pistol. I cannot imagine a longer barrel improving that accuracy.

Yep...shorter=stiffer

Stiffer= less vibration & more accuracy.

I bet his GF out-shoots him

This.

When the M7 was introduced it had an 18 1/2" barrel. I had one in 7mm-08 and it shot 139gr. Interlocks into small groups. Highest velocity I ever got out of it was 2700. Course I was young then and needed a mangle'em so it went down the road. Not long after barrel length was increased and it even came in SS! Got one of those, shot great and then I traded it for a SS Mountain rifle with a 22" barrel, then that one went down the road and...........

20, 21 or 22" is the way to go. My wife's Ti sports a 24" barrel though. Can't remember why at the moment......

Never missed a shot and thought 'Gee, I would have made that shot if I had an extra 2 inches of barrel'

I don't even know who you are anymore. You've missed? Jeeez, I never have.

Same can't be said of a pole vaulting doohickey or so I'm told.

4 me it does just fine as long as the tubes not a skinny lil dude (to me that's minus .6" at the mzl) and as long as the gun balances well for me.

Now give me a stock heavy rig with a skinny 20" tube and I'm gonna have a tough time with it.

Build for balance

Dober

M70 Syn/Matte 20" carbine I had spit 139s at 2850
TWO 700s chopped to 21" did 2900-2960 w/same loads.

They are a tad louder/closer to ears, but killing wise, they work fine.

That said, I would not want LESS. 20 is fine by me but I want that as a minimum for me. My ears don't like blast....

If I were building 21.5 - 22.5 would be preferred.