18" vs 16" PTR-91...I am about to order one!

[Atlantic Firearms]

The PTR rifles are great you will be happy wiht the PTR 91 K !!!

 

[HankC]

Get a 16" if you like a fire ball muzzle blast. Get 18" if you want a more efficient 308.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

absolutely false. A shorter stiff barrel will allways outshoot a longer one when it comes to accuracy. Less vibrations and whip in a shorter barrel. that is why most bench rest competitors use a short heavy barrel.


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Cmon now... this is rifle country... all you guys know that the longer barrel is more accurate (of course the quality has to be there). I picked up my PTR91 Perimiter Rifle w/ 18" fluted match barrel a few weeks ago. It is an awesome rifle. The .308 cartridge with the 18" barrel is going to give you better velocity, better accuracy and ballistics. If you ever want to shoot beyond 100 yards, the 18" barrel's difference will only be amplified. Are you planning to reload? If you are, you will want to also invest in a port buffer to (almost eliminate) brass damage. It shoots smooth & sweet. I'm really surprised at how comfortable it is for a .308. You can shoot this rifle all day.

Good luck w/ your decision and have fun w/ your PTR.

 

[Martyk]

Then why don't they use a 12" barrel? And why are "6 guns" with long barrels (above 4") made. And how about the Thompson Contender, has anyone told them?

You can't change physics. The reason that the longer barrel is more accurate (velocity issues aside) is because it offers additional rifling engagement which will improve bullet stabilization. Barrel whip is a misnomer. A longer barrel has more steel which will in turn dampen harmonics.

I don't shoot competition so I don't know about your claim that competition shooters prefer short barrels. It may be the case for certain types of events or cartridges but that's a far reach to make a general claim that shorter is better than longer.

Hold on I just checked with my wife.... Yep, she confirmed.. longer is better

Happy New Year !!

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Well, both are true. More rifling engagement from 1" on equals more stabilization - up to a point, then gets severely diminishing returns. A shorter barrel coming down from 35" or 40", let's say, provides more stiffness - up to a point, then gets severely diminishing returns. That's why neither extreme is the best; the optimal is somewhere in between. Evidently, with a *sporter weight* barrel, the optimal point comes in at right about 21.75" for best accuracy. Intensive research has confirmed that the goldilocks point is somewhere right about in there. With heavier barrels, it's a bit longer, at 24 inches or more, depending upon HOW heavy the barrel is. It's a complex calculus of interconnected and competing factors affecting accuracy. But you CAN generalize:

For barrels between 1" and 15", a longer barrel will tend to be a bit more accurate, ceterus paribus.

For barrels between 20" and 40", a shorter barrel will tend to be a bit more accurate, ceteris paribus.

For between 15" and 20", it's about a wash - I don't know if you can even say.