Barrel length etiquette ?

[nekshot]

Calling all masters of the fire stick. What is the appropiate length of barrel for a 60/70 era sporter-hunting rifle, a mannlicher rifle and the magnums I assume is still the longer the better. I have my ideas but I am second guessing my instincts, so tell me your view..
thank you all

[johnson1942]

longer barrels give less noise and i believe less recoil. shorter barrels give more noise and for me more recoil. shorter are easier to carry but for me longer barrels are easier to hold on target. you only need 16 inches to preform to any range you want. i like a little weight up front to steady the gun when im aiming. how big a man are you and how strong are you, build it for you and what works best for you. i had a .35 whelen once with a 32 inch barrel. hardly any recoil and very low report. it was a single shot so the longer barrel fit the action as a bolt action would be out of place with that barrel length. it sure could shoot though. let us know what you do.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

While I don't know what is appropriate for a 60-70 a 34" full octagon sounds very appealing to me.

[Wolfer]

Like most of us old guys I have an opinion on this. Yes I shoot offhand a little better with a barrel heavy gun but I rarely shoot offhand. Field positions yes, offhand not so much.
I carry my rifles barrel down, sometimes on my shoulder sometimes on my back. With a pretty long sling I've found I can get into action pretty quick.
I'm a little runt, 5'-7" and I don't have any problem with a 20" bolt gun in this carry position. I get along with a 22" but my rifles with 24" barrels are constantly catching on brush.
I'm wanting to build another rifle now and it will have a 20 or 21" barrel.
Just my thoughts. Woody

More thoughts.
Since magnum rifles for me mean elk hunting and my horse carries it for me then I like 24" and I feel you need the length to properly use large amounts of slow powder.
No thoughts on mannlichers

[johnson1942]

it may be a little out of place on a bolt action but not on a single shot. that .35 whelen shot real good and again the report and recoil wasnt in the magnum area. boy that 250 grain bullet sure could plow dirt and break rocks though.

[RickinTN]

For a 60's or 70's era sporter I consider a 22" barrel to be normal. When I think Mannlicher for some reason a 20" barrel is what comes to mind. Nostalgia aside, about 30 years ago I built a short action tang safety Ruger 77 with a #3 contour barrel at 21" and chambered in 7mm-08. It was about as close as I've come to the perfect whitetail rifle for me. A friend talked me out of it about 20 years ago and to this day it is his favorite deer rifle although he probably owns a dozen or so others.
Rick

[johnson1942]

i sure can understand the shorter barrels when i read where your guys live. nothing but brush and trees. for those of us who live in the great open spaces its a diff. story. even our black pine forests here dont have brush. just the very few creek bottoms we have. when i aim my sons .270 it seems to wander alot but when i shoot my 45/70 she stays rocksolid on target. i even added weight in the middle to give it more weight. shots out here tend to be quite long also and maybe im just stuck in a groove.

[nekshot]

Looks like my instincts are ok. I must admit the thought of a 34 inch barrel makes me think of a using my golf cart to haul it around!