20" barrel or 26" barrel on Remington .308

[Matt_B]

Hello folks,

I'm getting ready to buy a Remington bolt action rifle. I know I want a 700 series in .308. I plan on using it for target shooting at ranges between 100-300 yds, mostly at 100 yds.

I'The 2 rifles I'm deciding between are the 700P and 700LTR. I don't care that one's a "Police" model and the other is a "Light Tactical Rifle". I just like them because their all black bolt-action .308 Remingtons. I'm leaning towards the LTR only because it's a bit smaller (20" bbl vs. the 26" on the 700P). I prefer compact firearms and, based upon my needs (100-300 yd target shooting), the LTR seems to fulfill my needs. I figure can always get a longer barrel down the road after I shoot out the original if I find I need one then.

I know the shorter barrel will lower the velocity and accuracy a bit but, again, based upon my needs it should be fine for me.

I would appreciate people's opinions or experiences regarding this topic.

 

[swifter]

I have an 18" barrel on my M-600, and like it fine.

The shorter barrel will cost you a few FPS, but not too many if you handload and use a slightly quicker propellant. 4064, Varget, 4895 come to mind.
It'll also give you increased muzzle blast, especially with slower propellants that might finish their burn outside the pipe.
If I had to head out the back door at a dead run, with what I could carry, little M-600 .308 would be one of the first things I grabbed. Handy is the word for it...
Tom

 

[RTownsend]

You will love the LTR. I wish they used the standard PSS stock on the LTR. That would be an awesome combo. The shorter barrel will lose some velocity but you will never miss it, even up to 1000 yards. All reports I have heard is that the LTR is usually more accurate than the standard PSS. Most short barrels are more accurate until the lower velocity comes into play at long ranges.

Good Luck

 

[Art Eatman]

Near as I can tell from what folks have been saying about various .308 target rifles, the short barrel oughta be a tad better.

Shorter = stiffer, and could well give more uniform vibrations from shot to shot.

It's pretty well a fact of life that the most accurate loads are a grain or three below maximum velocity.

Art

 

[MLC]

I have the LTR and absolutely love it.
I've taken two deer with it this winter, amusingly
both deer were taken at less than 100 yards.
My rifle is plenty accurate for a hunting/target gun.
It is a bit louder than my other rifles, I have had folks at the range some over to see what kind of magnum I was shooting.

 

[MLC]

This is a 5 shot group I shot of handloaded Nosler 150 grain Ballistic tips.

 

[Matt_B]

Thanks for the info gents.

Well, it seems like the LTR will be the right choice for me then.

One thing though. The 700P and LTR have the same stock, albeit a slimmed down version on the LTR., correct? It's still the kevlar and fiberglass composite, correct?

 

[RTownsend]

The stock on the LTR feels like a thin light weight stock. The stock on the standard PSS has a big palm swel and it is much beefier. They are both fine stocks, the 26" PSS stock just feels better to me. It also has a longer forearm which makes the barrel look even shorter.

 

[RTownsend]

Matt

Here is you a link on the stocks.

click here

 

[Matt_B]

Excellent info on the stock Mr. Townsend. Thank you very much. Looks like it will work fine for me. I'll be making a few phone calls on Tuesday to get the ball rolling on rifle #3.

 

[dakotasin]

i just wanted to mention that in your original post you mentioned something about shooting the tube out... might as well just order the 2nd rifle w/ the longer tube on it and have 'em both because i seriously doubt you'll be able to burn the tube out on a 308 in less than a few years... it takes a lot of shooting to do that to a 308!

fine choice in rifles, btw... i just ordered the 700 vls in 308 tonight ( i prefer long barrels, but that's just me).

 

[cratz2]

For target/tactical shooting, there has been somewhat of a trend to move away from 26" and 28" rifles in .308 to 18", 20" and 22" barrels. At the longest distances, over 800 yards, I'd proably lean towards the longer barrels. For shorter range shooting, 300 yards and under, it probably makes very little difference. I can't imagine the velocity difference being worth anything at 100 yards.

For the stocks, I prefer the Police model to the LTR. Of course, that is purely personal preference.

 

[LevelHead]

I would definately get the LTR in your shoes.

See my PSS woes Here .

FWIW I've heard numerous reports that the QC on LTRs is head and shoulders better than it is on the PSS.

The guys over at the Sniper's Hide love the LTRs.

 

[cisco]

LTR

I bought a LTR in .308 last year and saved until I got the scope I wanted this year. I now have a Leupold 3.5x10x40 M1 Tactical with Mark 4 bases and rings. This thing shoots great. I really like it. I have found a reload that works great with this rifle, but yours may differ. I am now using 41 grains of IMR 4064 and a Sierra 168 grain Hollow Point Boat Tail Match bullet with Federal 210M primer and Winchester brass with OAL of 2.950. I just cannot believe how well this thing shoots. I wish Remington did offer the beefier stock and the 40X solid receiver with this rifle. I have no need for a repeater. I have looked at several of these rifles and you should ask, If you are ordering sight unseen, that the shipper look at your rifle and be sure the barrel is centered in the stock. I have looked at a few in both .223 and .308 in which the barrel will almost touch the stock on on side leaving a huge gap on the other. My dealer tried loosening the action screws to see if the barrel would center in the stock but that did not work. I do not know what you would have to do to remedy this if it were a concern. I wanted one that was centered and had to look at several to find this. Just my preference. Good luck and you will love it. Take care-

 

[Marshall]

I am still a believer in the longer the barrel the better the accuracy in comparable guns.

 

[Skullboy]

I have a 26" PSS barrelled action in a AICS kit, and a Rem 700VS that has the barrel chopped back to 20".They both will shoot .25 to .5 MOA.The 20" barrelled VS hasn't been shot past 300 meters, but it will hold .5 MOA out to that distance.

SKBY.

 

[YodaVader]

"I have looked at a few in both .223 and .308 in which the barrel will almost touch the stock on on side leaving a huge gap on the other."

I have seen this recently as well. Seems like Remington would let H&S know that their barrel inletting was off center.

I owned a .308 700 VS with a 26" barrel and a friend currently owns a .308 700P with 26" barrel and both were/are extremely accurate. After reading some of the above you would think that the 700s with the 26" barrel rifles could not hit a Moose at 50 ft.

Fired my friend's 700P just last month and even with Winchester 150SP hunting ammo fired two consecutive groups at 100 yards basically one hole groups - even though they are 3 shot groups.

Since these types of rifles are usually shot off bipods or bags the 26" barrel is not at any kind of disadvantage as compared to a 20" barrel. If I was to buy one to stand up and shoot off hand I would go with the short barrel.

An article in an On Target magazine actually tested a 700P and 700LTR with 5 brands of ammo and in their test the longer barrel 700P held the edge in avg. accuracy with the 5 loads - .592". The 700LTR at .744". Does not mean that it will always turn out the same way in another test. Basically tells me to pick what ever one strikes your fancy! For myself - it is the long barrel gun.

 

[Skullboy]

For the problem of the barrel close to, or touching one side of the barrel channel, while leaving a noticable gap on the otherside,this could also be the fact that the front face of the action is not square, and needs to be trued.Or it could be a combination of both.The 4 Rem 700s I have owned with the H-S stocks, have all had the barrelled off- centered in the channel.One was still like that even after the action was trued.

SKBY.

 

[Matt_B]

Levelhead,

I actually read your PSS tale of woe when I was doing bolt-gun research. That truely did suck. My shooting buddy has a 700VS and it's done fine for him. Makes you wonder why the PSS is getting the short end of the stick when it comes to QC. I will probably have a smith go over my gun before they send it and have my local smith go over it after I get it. I don't want to screw around. I've bought 2 rifles and 3 hand guns in the past 14 months. I guess I've been lucky because I haven't had a problem with any of them. I don't want to start with the LTR or PSS.

 

[Matt_B]

Cisco, thanks for the heads up on the barrel centering problem. I will be ordering it sight unseen and will be sure to tell the shipper to verify the barrel is centered in the stock or the rifle won't even be leaving my FFL - I will send it right back to them.

Even after all these posts, I still think, in the end, the shorter barrel will be more to my liking. Since my other rifles aren't very long, I'd rather they all be relatively close in OAL.

 

[Harold Mayo]

For the ranges you're talking, I'd go with the LTR. I had one (actually one with an unfluted barrel) that I sold (and, of course, regretted). I've since bought an older PSS with a 24" barrel and replaced the stock with a LTR stock in olive green with black web.

I now have a rifle that loses little velocity for longer range shots but is a little handier than a regular PSS.