Opinions wanted on cutting a 30-06 down to 16.5”.

[JeffinNZ]

The longer this thread goes on the more deaf I become. HAHA.

[Gunfixer]

due to the burn ban I would think this falls under "outdoor fires"

[bearcove]

Load it like its an encore pistol barrel with medium burning rate powders and it won't be too bad. Lyman 48th has encore data for 30-06.

Yeah if you shoot 4350 in it will boom. DUH! Use powder that will burn in the barrel.

[firefly1957]

I hunt in brush with a Remington 740 w/22 inch barrel and a model 700 with same length and have never had a problem. The problem is noticed with my Shilo Sharps with a 34 inch barrel but it is rare and the rifle is to heavy to make quick shots while moving in brush. The sharps is a better brush round it is 50-3 1/4 caliber which is a bit much for deer here in Michigan.

[gnoahhh]

Not to mention loss of balance. Those extreme shorties don't balance well for deliberate off hand shooting. They carry nicely though. Honestly I've never felt handicapped in the slightest using 24" barreled rifles and 28" barreled shotguns in the thick stuff.

[lurch]

18 would be shortest on '06 for me - I have some 308 with 17 and with suppressor they are ok but with muzzlebeaks they are noisy suckers - before you take it to field you have to take it to the range.

I've got a DPMS LR308 with an 18" barrel and a Miculek brake. It will definitely get your attention when you pull the trigger. The brake is very effective and recoil is almost non existent, but that muzzle blast coming back at you from the brake will definitely ring your bell. A friend wanted to shoot it one day and did so without hearing protection. The look on his face after that first round was priceless. Mr. "Macho I can take it" then decided that some muffs might be in order. I had intended to do some hunting with it but have scrubbed that idea. I might try taking the brake off and see how it is. Right now, the noise is more than I am willing to endure in field conditions for even a single round.

[troy_mclure]

Load it like its an encore pistol barrel with medium burning rate powders and it won't be too bad. Lyman 48th has encore data for 30-06.

Yeah if you shoot 4350 in it will boom. DUH! Use powder that will burn in the barrel.

ive shot a 15" .30-06 encore pistol(bullberry bull barrel) before. the blast was pretty brutal. iirc he was using 200gr bullets.

i dont know the velocity but it was putting 2" groups at 100yds from a rest.

[bearcove]

I don't have a 30-06 but have had a 270 Encore pistol barrel. Blast it has but not like a barrel with a brake. Some powders are worse than others it requires experimenting.

As far as balance, I like shorter rifles. A Encore with a 20" barrel makes a short carbine but handles fine for me. Cutting a rifle down might not have as much weight in the barrel. Use it and you will get used to it. Took out my father in laws Weatherby and found it Horribly long to me. Pick what you want and try it out for a while. I was a handgun only hunter for probably 20 years all rifles feel cumbersome compared to a pistol in a holster

[bobthenailer]

MY 350 rem mag with a 18 1/2 barrel & magnaported , the muzzel blast hasent bothered me while hunting or when shooting from the bench and wearing hearing protection. ive had this rifle since 1977 and have used it alot . i usually use IMR 4895 powder but i tried some H332 or H335 powder ? accuracy was excellent but it had a more pronounced muzzel blast than with the IMR 4895 powder.
Now lets talk about loud! try hunting with a 454 Casull with magna porting and 36 grs of 296 and a 260 gr bullet you will only do it once . after bagging my first buck with the Casull my ears were ringing for a day. When the buck dropped in one shot the first words from my mouth were oww my f en ears . I was useing nortion sonic ear valves but after about 3 hours of use they were driving me crazey so i removed them . i gladley purchased a set of pro ears electronic hearing protection for the next hunt
I bagged 5 bucks years ago with a 44 mag without hearing protection and the noise never botherd me .
I guess the extra 12 graines of powder made the difference as the 44 with a 8 3/8 barrel was also magna ported i cant imagen a 460 S&W with approx 24 more grs of powder than the 44 and approx 12 grs more than the 454 casull would be like !!!!!!!!!!!

[Char-Gar]

Ouch! No way I would do that.

[gnoahhh]

Ye gods and little fishes, you guys are tougher than I am! I got past the painful muzzle blast guns a long time ago. The ungodly tinnitus I endure makes me wish I would've never gone there at all.

[mroliver77]

Willbird brought out a M44? Mosin a couple years back with a pile of surplus ammo. We were shooting it off of a railroad bridge into a 20' deep ravine with a creek flowing through it. The ravine is prolly 30' - 50' wide. Bridge was built out of concrete in "27" by Henry Ford's D, T & I RR. Anyhow you now have a mental picture of the scene of the........
Wow! These things really belch fire!! I do not remember which surplus ammo he had but it was a load of square flakes.Powder looked like cut up movie film. 3' - 4' fire balls and concussion like thunder! The steel butt plate can become painfull after shooting for a while We had oil boiling out of the wood and it started smoking! What a riot! What a good day! What a BLAST!
Jay

[bearcove]

Ye gods and little fishes, you guys are tougher than I am! I got past the painful muzzle blast guns a long time ago. The ungodly tinnitus I endure makes me wish I would've never gone there at all.

Yeah I wish I had taken up fly fishing instead of shooting/hunting sometimes.
Mine ring 7/24 volume changes but I can't tell why.

[462]

"Mine ring 7/24 volume changes but I can't tell why."

Mine do, too, and jet engines were the cause. The volume is constant but there are sudden, attention grabbing changes in frequency.

[bearcove]

I was a helicopter mechanic and crew chief. It did get loud on the flight line.

[flounderman]

you don't want to hunt wearing hearing protectors and you will do permanent damage to your hearing, without them shooting what you are talking about. I was one of those people that didn't need hearing protection and shooting glasses. in hindsight, they both would have saved me a lot of problems. I just put a sleeve over the holes in a mag ported 7 mag because of the noise level. I don't see the need to go below 24 inches on an 06

[MT Gianni]

It seems like the thing to do is buy an Encore in "06 and shoot it a bit with 15" bbl before you do this. You can't put metal back. You should be able to get your money out of the Encore if you decide to do it or sell the "06 and get a 20" bbl 308. I think your velocity will be about the same.
I can not handle a 24" shotgun to save me and much prefer a 28" bbl length there. I fear the same might happen in going to 16.5" with your rifle. Though Sears sold it there is still a lot of advantages from the Winchester 53 that I would not cut it for that reason.

[troy_mclure]

on a side note, m70 barrels are readily available, and not too expensive. just in case you regret the cut.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Thank you guys for all the input, I think as of now my rifle will continue wear its 22" barrel.

[JRMTactical]

Nah, cut it down.....don't listen to these guys! I don't....of course I don't listen cuz I can't hear 'em. I think 16.5" and a MUZZLE BRAKE!! Go ALL THE WAY!