[Skunkabilly]

Is a .308 with a 16" barrel as bad as everyone says it is with regards to flash and noise?

[Art Eatman]

I reckon it ain't any worse than bein' in a closet when a Taurus Raging Bull has its hammer FawDownGoBoom.

Shorter is louder. How much louder? Only your friendly db meter knows for sure.

Really short-barrelled rifles and ugly women are two things I try to avoid.

:D, Art

[Mute]

Under 400 yards, accuracy won't be an issue. However, you will have more recoil and muzzle blast to deal with. It's a give and take, though I can't think of it having any significant weight advantages over a 20" barrel which will give you better ballistic performance across the board, with less of the disadvantages.

[Gewehr98]

sends it's bullet downrange more as a function of noise and flash. You'll be missing a chunk of velocity off that .308" bullet, too.

:eek:

[4v50 Gary]

It's a blast. I'm a woosh and I'll pass on anything that short.

[dev_null]

Just shot a box through my T/C Encore (15" bbl, compensator). Lots of fun. More manageable with my weak hand on the forestock than two-handing the grip.

I didn't mind the bright light and loud noises. But then, I have a 100-watt Marshall, too! ;)

-0-

[Sir Galahad]

I have a Ruger M77 International .308 and it has a 18" barrel. Noise isn't that bad. It's actually a pleasure to shoot really. Don't know about flash because I haven't fired it at night. Now, you want noise, get something with a Century Arms muzzle brake on it. That'll wake the dead and loosen the bowels of the faint at heart! :D

[mpthole]

Skunk, I've got an AR-10 in .308 with a 16" barrel. I really, really like it now that all my magazines work correctly. I don't think the flash is any worse than a 16" .223... now, the noise is somethine else entirely - it is loud. I've only fired it one time without any hearing protection. Wouldn't want to do it again unless it was life-or-death situation or a one-shot-one-kill opportunity while hunting.

I've often thought about replacing the stock barrel with another one that doesn't have the muzzle brake.

[M1911]

My 20" AR-10 is usually pretty effective at clearing out the firing positions to my left and right.

[AK103K]

I've had two 16" 308's. They were louder than other 308's I have, but I'm not sure if its because they are "actually" louder or if its because they seem that way because the blast is closer to you. I had flash hiders on mine, so that wasnt really an issue. A Ruger 77 with an 18" barrel had a pretty impressive fireball next to mine. I think the brakes are more noticeable to those on the side of you than to the shooter. I have a brake on my Armalite 223 and one on my AK103K. I dont notice any real difference when I shoot them, but if I'm off to the side while someone else shoots them, they are louder. The AK has a 14" barrel and the flash is a more noticeable next to a 16" barreled gun, but the brake diverts it to the side. I really dont notice that much flash out of the 16" barreled AK with no brake or flash hider. I dont notice any difference in the noise. There is definitly a difference in the recoil though.

[mpthole]

M1911 - I hear ya! :D The other shooters don't appreciate it when the blast wave blows their targets off their bench either.

[Destructo6]

I haven't really noticed a dramatic increase in flash and noise with my 14.5" barreled HK-91. It has a sleeved flash hider permenantly attached, so any of that would be directed downrange. It's no worse than my full length FAL with muzzle brake or MN M44.

I find it quite a bit easier to swing onto target than even the standard HK-91 with its 17.7" barrel.

[Skunkabilly]

my 14.5" barreled HK-91

:eek: Can I be your new best friend?!?!?

[Destructo6]

Yeah, the overall barrel length is just over 16" with the fake hider.

Actually, it's almost identical in size to a HK-93.

[Badger Arms]

20" AR-10. I love the reaction I get. With that Muzzle brake, everybody on either side gives me the "What the heck is that guy shooting" look. It's the funniest thing. To tell you the truth, my 16" AR sounds about as loud. The loudest gun I've fired is my 14" T/C Contender in 45-70. The guy next to me was shooting his 7mm Magnum. After my first four rounds, he tapped me on the shoulder and asked me very tactfully if I would warn him next time I was gonna touch off a "Grenade." With the muzzle brake on that thing and the covered firing posts, WOW.