RIFLE BARREL LENGTH - what is too short????

[floydboy]

I have bought a Savage .223 to be my donor for a .222 build. I have ordered a McGowan barrel in .222 so the .223 barrel is an extra. It has been professionaly shortened and recrowned at 19.5" for some reason. It is a 12 twist and looks to be in very good condition. Savage factory length barrels are usually 22" for this model. I have not shot this rifle as it has no scope and I'm not in the mood to outfit it to just see how good it shoots then tear it all apart when my barrel comes in. My main concern is the barrel length. Seems like I've read that barrel length down to around 18" in most applications has very little affect on accuracy in most instances. I would be mainly concerned out to 200 yds with Jwords and cast. I do like the idea it is a 12 twist. Do you think this barrel has potential or has bubba ruined it? The pawn shop seemed more than willing to sell it due to the shortened barrel.

Thanks,,,,,Floyd

[BK7saum]

As long as the crown is good, it should shoot as good or better than factory. Your not going to lose much velocity, either.

[HangFireW8]

You're getting down near bench rest length, can't see the problem in that.

[leftiye]

All of them4s are 16 inches nowadays. 18" on a Mini 14 used to seem a little too short to me. 20 to 22 inches is my preference nowadays in 223. Nothing wrong with 24 or 26 inches, but they SEEM to me to be too long (like that matters).

[bruce drake]

Legal minimal length is 16". Military M4s are around 14" You won't have a problem with the length.

Bruce

[kir_kenix]

If the crown is good (probably is if it was a professional job), it will likely shoot better then new. Virtually all point-blank BR guns are between 16-18" because it takes away some of the harmonics out of the equation. Longer barrels are great for velocity, but they bring up different tuning issues at different velocity nodes. I say shoot that 19.5" barrel and see how they fly!

[Harter66]

I read of a test once that determined that w/issue 30-06' 21-23" was prime bbl length . However that can and will change w/bullet wieght and powder choice. Based on theory and nominal loads your bbl should get about all you can get out of the 223.

[creatinewarrior]

* if youre talking about legalities,thelegal minimum rifle barrel length is 16" in USA. That can also be 14 1/2"barrel and 1 1/2" integral flash suppressor. I know this because i bought an AR one time and eventually sold it to a cop who told me the flash suppressor thing.
*But if youre talking about velocity, it depends on the cartridge.Some cartridges like the 7.62x39 were designed to fire from shorter barrels and they burn their powder within that shoirter barrel. Some cartridges like the 7.62x54R were designed to be fired from longer 27" bbls to get their powder burnt and velocity they need.thats why those short bbl'd russian 762x54r nagants breathe fire like that. But as a general rule, most test bbls are around 24", and every inch = about 25 fps. so if you buy a gun that was tested at 2800 fps in a 24"bbl, but your gun is 20"bbl, you can subtract 100 fps from your performance with the same round. But your gun is easier to carry. I think youll find nowadays most new calibers are designed with this in mind. the full size Bushmaster i used to have had 14.5 " of rifled barrel(+1.5 integral flash supp.) and it was combat ready. So your 19.5" should be ok, its just that most ppl that buy 223's in non AR's are going for varmints, where long heavy barrels for great distance accuracy is a factor. thats why they were in a hurry to sell it.

[grampa243]

this is a good article about short barrels and the 308win.
http://www.dillonprecision.com/docs/july_09_p60_short_p1.pdf
http://www.dillonprecision.com/docs/july_09_p61_short_p2.pdf

i can't find the one i read about the 223(5.56) but i do remember that 16 inches was found to be optimal.

[TXGunNut]

I have a 14" Contender in .223 that shoots just fine with 748 and just about any j-word I had on hand.

[arteezy1234]

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[B R Shooter]

From someone who actively shoots benchrest, not many barrels are 16 to 18" long. Most are chambered from 20 to 22", and the length is based on overall rifle weight. Weight is strictly enforced especially in LV class.

However, the vibration factor as stated is real. The longer a barrel, the more vibrations are present. The trade-off of length is velocity. So a happy medium is found. In the case of the 223, many powders are available to achieve velocity with a shortened barrel. And short barreled guns indeed can shoot well.

[Hamish]

Too short=running out of barrel before whatever powder you want to use runs out,,,,,

[Ballistics in Scotland]

It depends on the powder, and the powder depends on the bullet weight. I'd want slow powder and a longer barrel for a heavy-bullet centrefire unless light loads were to be deliberately used for some reason. Anyway, you aren't going to use heavy bullets with a 12in. twist. For a light-bullet .222 your barrel should be just fine.

You might find noise and blast are higher with the sort barrel, but its being a small cartridge will help, and very likely it isn't the sort of rifle you plan using side by side with strangers anyway.

[B R Shooter]

I have seen many XP100s out-shoot rifles of the same caliber.

[modified5]

I have a TC Contender and one of my barrels is a 14 in .223. I kill ground squirrels with frightening regularity out to 200+ yards. One of the guys I go with always tells me to quit showing off.
That 19.5 barrel will be just fine.

[Texas by God]

I once had a Rem Var Sp 700 .223 that I shortened to 16.5" and straight gripped the stock and shortened the forend. It worked great and shot better. Traded it to a neighbors boy and he got a trophy buck at 200 yds. He has outgrown it but that's the gun he hunts with! Short barrels rock. Best, Thomas.

[country gent]

SHort barrels have several advantages one is weight and handiness, better harmonics ussualy, and easier to shoot well due to less follow thru required. With a scope on the rifle then its all good. With appeture or iron sights you give up sight radious which can be important. A short rifle in the brush can be a big plus.

[Texas by God]

I also cut down &recrowned an 8X57 mauser to 16.5". That gun was a blast. In every sense of the word. Everyone on our deer lease KNEW when I scored! Best, Thomas.