Barrel length for .30-06?

[Clint C]

What is the story on barrel lenght for .30-06? I hear people say that twenty-two inches is to short for a .30-06 barrel. Is this true or does it matter? Is there a better or perfect barrel length for .30-06?

I started to read something about this when I started looking into a Howa rifle chambered for .30-06, but it only comes with a twenty-two inch barrel. Some people were saying that twenty-two inch barrels were to short for .30-06.

 

[hotlead]

 

[Long_Range_Mauser]

22" is an acceptable length to stabilize a 06. Heck remington sells em in 18". I prefer 24" but 22 works good

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

My theory is that you want a 24" bbl for a true "magnum" round in a hunting rifle, such as 7mm Rem Mag, but 22" is perfect for rounds based on the .30-06 case, including .270 win and .280 rem. Short actions like .308, a 20" or less is ideal.

Heck remington sells em in 18"

Yep, 18.5":

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire_rifles/model_750_woodsmaster_specs.asp

 

[Clint C]

Awesome, thanks guys. You all have told me everything I wanted to hear, because the rifle I want to buy is in 22 inch.

I was confused on this one before because some people said 22 inch was not good for .30-06.

Thanks again you all, Clint

 

[jmr40]

If you really need to squeeze an extra 50-75 fps out of the 30-06 then the 24" barrel may help, maybe not. It is quite common for some barrels to shoot faster than another barrel with the same ammo. Sometimes a slightly shorter barrel will actually shoot faster than a longer barrel. 22" is plenty long enough for my uses, but some people just like the looks and balance of the longer barrels.