What do you guys think??

Specifically for a rifle built for shooting 180-200 grain bullets, lighter weight barrel, I handload all my centerfire so am not worried about being limited by factory ammo, with a lighter weight barrel I am not worried really about the extra couple inches, just wondering how much performance the extra 2 inches will gain me in the 30-06 pushing those weights.

Probably 40 fps or so.

I've played with the 30-06 in 20, 22, 24, and 26" lengths, seems to lose about 20 fps per inch in my experience, with 208gr AMax, and a full charge of RL22.

I'd go 23"

Dober

Do you hunt in heavy cover or in open country? What will two inches mean to you?
A 30-06 will kill everything in North America with ease except the great bears. And, if you go for those regularly any sane person would recommend a significantly larger bore diameter than .308.
Looking at it from that angle the two inches will mean more in ease of use rather than the trivial velocity loss. I have owned several '06's and barrel lengths have ranged from a 20" Ruger #1 RSI to a Ruger #1B with a 26" tube. Oddly enough the same load has been the most accurate in both those rifles and I haven't noticed any difference in how dead a deer or black bear have been between the two. I have actually had loads in the 20" RSI chrony higher on average than a Remington CDL with a 24" barrel.
Application is key I guess. Long range target shooting, you may want to go longer. If for hunting? Flip a coin.

Start with 24, and cut to balance correctly. The velocity loss/gain is pointless.

I'd buy the one that looked and felt the best to me. I just like 22", but nothing wrong with 24" Velocity is hard to predict when comparing different rifles. I have a 20" 308 that shoots faster than my 22" 308's. It is common to see 40-50 fps difference between guns with equal barrel lengths. I have seen as much as 130 fps difference between two 30-06 rifles with 22" barrels with ammo from the same box.

Will be hunting, and I prefer to move alot, tend to end up up high as well, have no desire to kill a big bear but these rifles could end up in Alaska with me, Wanting a couple of guns to be a step up from the 7mm-08s hence the 180-200 gr bullets,,,,

I like how ya think! The last pacnor I had made was a 21 inch,,, just cause I wanted to.

My favorite barrel contour for a bolt actioned 30-06 is the famous M70 Featherweight. The original M70's seemed heavy and clumsy and when the Featherweight came out I knew that was the one!

What diameter is the featherweight '06 barrel at 22"?

I'm in kind of an odd position on this issue. I really light, short, light rifles.
But I've found that longer 24 inch barrels offer a couple of advantages. One, they put more weight out further and that helps steady the rifle. I'd much rather take barrel weight off at the shank than the end of the barrel. The other is that with a longer barrel, they tend to swing and follow through better. Like the longer barreled shotguns.
You can easily argue that the difference is pretty small. I agree, but, since I need all the help I can get with my field shooting, I have alot more 24 inch barreled rifles than 22 inch ones. E

Mine measures about .620 at muzzle

Thanks Dave... is that one of the new FN's?

IMHO - The only difference I notice is that longer barrels hurt the ears a bit less.

Not much PPosey, but it's hard to say since most of the time you are comparing two different pipes and all goes out the window. Yes, the same pipe will be faster at 24 vs 22, but between various bbls the two are really close.

My last run of 180s in a 24 pushed them along at 2700fps ahead of H4350. That's not all that fast and several 22s will do it as well.

I'm with Dober, split the difference at 23. I'm running one rig at 23 and it's a handy length IMO.

i've owned them with 22 and 24", and never had an issue with either length. the 06' i have and use these days has a 22 and it does just fine, so i'm in the 22" camp these days.

Mines got a 23" broughton on it and runs 200 g accubonds at 2725 with rl17. I've got a 300 wsm in the works right now that I'd planned to go 24" and I'm considering having them cut it at 23" too.

Bb

All of the standard-caliber Featherweights I have measured have been in the .560" range at the muzzle. My .300 WSM Featherweight has the standard-weight barrel, which is about .620" if memory serves.

Nothing game will ever notice.

I asked a similar question a while ago. Here were the responses.

That


Though I've had/have them from 20" to 26". Longer gives you more FPS, but I've never missed a critter and thought "I would have made that shot with an extra 2" of barrel"

Mine is actually 23.6" (60cm), but I would go with 24". In my opinion the rifles seem to hold better and it is easier on the ears.

I agree, but one advantage of longer is that it is easier on the years nd less muzzle blast

I prefer 22".

21.9999"

22" is perfect IMO. Would be more to chat about if one was comparing 20" vs 26".

21" to 24" is a matter of personal choice really. Not very much gained/lost..

Acording to Jack O'Connor, standard rounds (like the .30-06) should be barreled at 22" and the magnums at 24". Can you imagine the gall of the great unwashed to dispute the teachings of Master Jack?

Actually, his sage advice is still appropo today.

On putting it at 22 inches, the thing that made me hesitate about 22 inches is that my 7mm-08s are 22 inches and they use less powder and the round is shorter leaving more actual barrel for powder burn,, just had me thinking,, which is truly a dangerous thing.. as suggested 23 inches would have the barrel less chamber about the same length and I would still be using more powder than the 308 case,,,, I think my though process on this is clouded by messing with short barrels muzzleloaders alot which had problems getting a good burn with shorter barrels using slower powders compared to longer 26 inch barrels,,,

Don't sweat it. A 22" barrel is plenty for a .30-06. They have been making them for years.

I've got 2 that are 22" and 2 that are 24". I generally lose about 80 to 100 fps with the 22" barrels. The shorter lighter barrels do handle a bit better though. 23" does seem to be popular now days and if I were to cut one back and re-crown, I'd probably go that route as well....

Thanks for all the info guys!

23 is a prime number. That might be good or bad mojo, depending on the shooter

I have two 30/06's in the house, one has a 20" tube and the other a 25 1/2" tube, pretty good for covering extremes...

The long and short of it ehh,,

My 3006 wears a 24". The balance is perfect 'for me' in that setup.

Out of curiosity Steelhead,,, other than a little more speed what are the advantages of the 25.5,, how much more speed does it get?

Both rifles wear 24 inch 300wm barrels right now, my brief case of magnumitis has ran it's course and I'm heading to a more practical and friendly cal. The factory sporter contours of the current barrels are pretty well balanced for me. Toyed with the idea of a 338-06 and it seems to be a great round but the 30-06 just seems more well rounded for my use and I already load for the cal.

I like a 22" barrel on any standard length non magnum rifle but it's just a personal thing as I like the looks better than the long barrels, it turns my stomach to see the long gaudy 26" tubes some makers screw on their magnum caliber rifles, as far as the fps goes I have done a little informal testing in that regard and found very minimal velocity differences in rifle barrels in the 22" to 24" range, I actually had a 22" barrel or two that the velocity was a little higher than some of My 24" barrel models so this really a non-issue in My book.............Good luck.........Hb

Bought a brand new Wby Mk V in 7 Wby Magnum. The first order of business was to cut 2" off of its 26" barrel. That made all the difference to me.

I honestly haven't put any from the 20" tube across the screens. I'm sending 165's out of the longer tube at 2970 fps.

Exactly...

Go 22" and AI it. Just being a smart azz. I truly don't think you'll notice a difference in the hunting field. Therefore, go 24" and if it annoys you hanging up on brush and what not have a smith peel it back an inch and re-crown it.

I've had 30-06's with 18.5, 21, 22, 23 and 24" barrels.

22-23" is "just right" IMO and I wouldn't go shorter than 21 or longer than 23"...

If you start with a 24 inch barrel, you can always cut it to 22 inches. But you can't do the reverse. E

I prefer 24" barrels with a lighter contour

22,23,24".....they all work. I like 22"; FW contour..

Merry Christmas!

I like the handiness of a 22" rifle in a non-magnum. Longer barrels seem to be the craze today.

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