Barrel Length

[30-06 lover]

I have a Remington 700 ADL that I sold to a guy, but he flaked on me, so I think I might keep it now. I was trying to sell the gun based on the fact that the barrel is 22 inches with the gun chamber for 30-06. My dad always said the longer the better (his rifle has a 26 inch barrel) so I really disliked having a 22 inch barrel when I thought 24 would be a minimum. (700's I could afford at the time didn't have a 30-06 with a 24 inch barrel and I needed a rifle). Is this stupid of me to think 2 inches is worth selling a gun for? I will use the gun from yotes to elk. I know I get a little faster with the 24 inch barrel and faster means harder hitting/deer penatration and that is huge when it comes to elk. So does two inches make a preacher's damn? The longest I am comfortable shootng from a hunting posistion is 300 yards if that helps. The gun shoots really well and I like it except for the barrel lenght. I am worrying about nothing? Thanks!!!
-Mike

 

[Delmar]

The animal won't be able to tell the difference, so yeah, probably not to worry.

 

[dakotasin]

longer isn't necessarily better, and in a 30-06, i'd argue 22 is as long as you want.

longer barrels do get more velocity in most cartridges, including the 30-06, but the velocity gain comes at the expense of accuracy, as shorter barrels are stiffer. a longer barrel can shoot well, but all things equal, the shorter barrel is easier to tune for peak accuracy. in the 30-06, velocity gains aren't enough to get worked up over.

the bottom line is this: your gun is fine for whatever you choose to use it for; but if you aren't happy w/ it - whether the reason is real or imagined - you should get rid of it.

 

[Ol` Joe]

Yep, you`re loseing velocity, likely 40-60 fps.
Has the rifle ever failed ya on an elk?

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I will use the gun from yotes to elk.

Do this; put a piece of pipe on the muzzle to bring the barrel to the length you want. Go out where you plan to hunt elk. Walk up the mountain. Crawl through the deadfalls. Get deep in the black timber on the steepest slopes. Walk, hike, crawl all day long.

Then take that piece of pipe off and throw it away. You'll never miss it.

 

[30-06 lover]

So an elk won't know the difference at 300 yards is I have a 22 inch barrel opposed to a 24? The rifle balances fine, and I like it for deer and under, I just am worried about elk.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

So an elk won't know the difference at 300 yards is I have a 22 inch barrel opposed to a 24? The rifle balances fine, and I like it for deer and under, I just am worried about elk.

Bigfoot Wallace, my custom '03 Springfield in .35 Brown-Whelen, has a 22-inch barrel. I have never had an elk get up, come over, pull a tape measure out of his overalls and measure the barrel.

However, if one die, I'm sure he would expire of acute embarassment at being shot with such short barrel.

 

[LHB1]

Mike,
I agree with the others. A 26 vs 22 inch barrel "may" give 50-100 more fps. but:
a) Is it critical? Put into other terms, could you tell the difference between being hit by an SUV going 80 mph vs 78 mph? I have killed two deer with my .44 Mag pistols, one using 255 gr bullet at 1400+ fps and the other using a 210 gr bullet at 1100 fps. The dead deer didn't know the difference.

b) Longer barrel length has both pros and cons. Midlength barrels of 22-24 inches are typically preferred on hunting rifles except for special situations.

Your 22" .30-06 is fine UNLESS you don't like it. The final choice is yours but IMO there is no technical reason for you to be unhappy with it.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[45crittergitter]

Yes, the previous posters covered it well. Let's not forget though, that with many bullets if you speed them up, they penetrate LESS because they expand more. The bullet itself is far more important that a little more or less velocity.

 

[rockstar.esq]

The velocity difference for a centerfire rifle like yours will run approximately 40fps per inch. So at max you're looking at 80fps slower. Assuming you're using a 180 grain bullet you are looking at about 175.049 foot pounds of difference at the muzzle. That difference isn't really all that significant given that the .22LR has a muzzle energy of 127.773 foot pounds at the muzzle. Where this sort of math starts making a bigger difference is where the distances are long and keeping some kind of respectable energy at range becomes very dependent on getting every last little bit out of your rifle. Heck, for the cost of your trouble you could just plug the deer with a .22LR afterwards just to get the total energy closer to what Grampa had!

 

[Ol` Joe]

If you`re worried about the few fps lost from the 2" of barrel and you are shooting at 300 yds just move 30-40 yd closer and you`ll gain the vel back plus some.
The post above about the bullet being more important then velocity hits the nail on the head. If you really want to "improve" the performance of your `06 try a Barnes TS in 165 gr and gain an easy 125+ fps and a whole lot more penetration then you`ll get from a 180 gr lead core bullet.

 

[30-06 lover]

Thanks for the posts. I have decided to hang on to the rifle. I had no idea how little the extra two inches meant. Hopefully I can post a pic of my buck I will take with this rifle this November. Thanks again!
-Mike