We don't know anything about what you want to hunt, so it's somewhat difficult to offer an informed opinion. Having said that, if you want something other than the .308 you already have, I'd suggest .35 Whelen. As MachIV posted above, it has an expansion ratio even lower than .308, so it shouldn't lose much performance in a short barrel. It would also offer something very different than your .308. Finally, you are much more likely to find ammo if you don't reload for the .35 Whelen than the .358 win (same with brass if you do reload). Just checked Midway: they show 3 ammo options for .358 win, none are in stock; they show 10 ammo options for .35 whelen and one is in stock.
Efficient Cartridges for Short Barreled Hunting Rifle?
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mongoslow
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The 6.5 grendel really needs 18+" of barrel to come into it's own
citizenconn
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I agree that to maximize the ballistics of the Grendel a 20-24" barrel is your huckleberry. But My Dad's special handload mix for our 10.5 and 12.5" Grendels (we usually use a suppressor as well) still make the Grendel quite a thumper for hogs under 100 yards. I'd say about equivalent to our 6.8 SPCs in that length.
We do most of our deer hunting in thick East Texas national forests and I wouldn't hesitate to use the shorty Grendels for that purpose. Though lately I've been using a .350 Legend for that purpose.
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sarduy
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300blk, from 10”-16” is great for hunting
mongoslow
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I truly love my MPR in .350 absolute beast inside of 200 yards
citizenconn
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I am handloading 170 gr Interlocks and they are hammers.
Gordon
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For years my " close range" 200 yard and under go to rifle has been the .35 Remington. Now a days the semis and pumps and lever are gone, but the little 600 Remington with 18" barrel remain my death Ray on anything up to elk or wild cattle at ,200 yards or less. Indeed the 600 Remington .35 fitted with a Leupold 1-4 x VXR scope with illumination is my go to. It is quiet for a high power rifle , but I run that Remington bolt action with high performance loads the exceed the factory pressures.I dye the case heads black on those loads. A 180 grain Speer Spitzer at 2400fps out of an 28" barrel is MOA accurate on it's bipod. The Remington factory 200 grain Core lokt at 2000 fps out of that barrel is really good all around also but 1.5 moa accurate to 200 yards, deadly it bores a 5/8" hole clean thru .
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@someguy2800, what brand are those brakes? I would be interested in a muzzle brake that didn't add extra noise.
John
someguy2800
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I have gotten them from a few different places. I have 6 or 7 of them.
https://cx3tactical.com/product/308...ter-cone-58-24-tpi-with-crush-washer-included
Although they are called a krink brake, they don’t really act as a muzzle brake. I can’t tell any difference in recoil with and without, however they are incredibly effective at attenuating the muzzle blast. They are essentially a single chamber suppressor, but the ATF does not consider it to be one.
Gordon
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BTW those " Krink brakes" do work well , they take the terrible blast from SBR . However they don't last long, but at the price they are great and in hunting you don't shoot alot of rounds.
someguy2800
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What problem do you have with them? I've never had one fail.
Thank you! I need these for my @FM PRODUCTS 11" upper, and my .300.
Gordon
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The cones erode quickly on .223 10" barrels, they also crack. The cans distort and come loose too. But like ,I said if you shoot moderately they work very well
someguy2800
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I havn't had any issues on mine but they are on a 16" and 20" 223, a 10" 9mm, a 16" 300 blackout, 2x 16" 7.62x39's and my 16" 358 yeti. The 7.62x39's in particular have probably 1000 rounds each through them and the 358 yeti has about 400. I don't shoot the 223's much. I would say the short barrel 223 probably has too much muzzle pressure for them then which is a good thing to know. I remember you also had a noveske one, how did that hold up? Is the noveske one aluminum?
Gordon
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Noveskes hold up , I have several. The cones do erode slightly on shorter barrels. The "Krink" brakes I bought and used 10 years ago were all Bulgarian . They were 4 piece units of steel and lasted acouple thousand rounds before they started to show signs of wear. Th cone orifice started eroding away , the thin wire bail broke when the outer tube started going oval shape . I had one on a Polish AMD65 and a couple on the shortest barrel 5.56 I had at 8" and 10 " , As I said the sound "moderation" was surprisingly excellent . Obvious something other than directing it forwad .
someguy2800
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These ones are a little bit different design than the 4 piece ones your referring too. I pulled a few of mine apart out of curiosity and I don’t see any signs of wear or erosion yet. This is my oldest and most used one.
My @FM PRODUCTS upper is a 11.25". If I get 2,000 good rounds out of the CX3 brake I got, I will be perfectly happy.
John
I agree with 7.62x39. Pretty much anything that can be chambered in an AR-15 will work well in a 16" barrel. I'm a fan of 22 caliber to 6mm for deer or smaller.
OP
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Scout21
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I guess I neglected to include that. Rookie mistake. It'd be almost exclusively a whitetail deer rifle with a little bit of hog thrown in for good measure.
Chuck R.
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I solved this "problem" for my timber elk rifle while stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA by going with a Rem M7MS in .350RM.
It proved to be compact, lightweight, and effective. While very effective at the closer distances, it managed the same trajectory as a 30-06 loaded with 180s, but with a 225 grain payload. So in effect a lightweight carbine with mid-range capabilities.
For whitetails and pigs it's easily loaded down to .35Rem or .358win velocities. No way I'd even consider it IF I didn't reload, even now it's nearly impossible to find brass. Luckily .350RM brass is easily formed from common belted mag brass.
It proved to be compact, lightweight, and effective. While very effective at the closer distances, it managed the same trajectory as a 30-06 loaded with 180s, but with a 225 grain payload. So in effect a lightweight carbine with mid-range capabilities.
For whitetails and pigs it's easily loaded down to .35Rem or .358win velocities. No way I'd even consider it IF I didn't reload, even now it's nearly impossible to find brass. Luckily .350RM brass is easily formed from common belted mag brass.
That doesn't fit the light recoil criteria. Unless you're comparing it to other magnums. It's a great all around cartridge though.
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