Barrel questions

[remingtonfan]

Guys,

I am trying to choose a Remington 700 , and one of the choices I see between the various models is Barrel Material.

The three choices I see are:

416 Stainless Steel
Carbon Steel
Stainless w/TriNyte


Which barrel material is better and why?

Other question was got to do with Barrel length. Why would I want 20 inch barrel rather than a 26 inch or vice versa (ignoring the weight difference)? Which length is best and can you provide scenarios? Assume for the sake of conversation that there is no tatical situations that demands short barrels (eg urban police work etc).

 

[dubbleA]

Nothing wrong with any of the choices. The carbon steel is prone to rust if not properly lubed. The stainless is a bit more forgiving when it comes to rust but still will rust if neglected. Dont have any experience with the SS/trinyte but my guess would be a coating on top of the stainless to help make it more resistant to corrosion. For the average joe hunter accuracy and life is a moot point.

As far as barrel length goes it will come down to personal preference. Some like the handiness and balance of a short barrel. They tend to be easier to pack around and point quicker. In some cartridges you will give up some velocity in a 20" tube while other cartridges wont lose much at all over a 22,24 or 26 inch tube.

With that said if you are wanting the absolute highest velocity a longer will fit the bill. If you are wanting to stretch the distance a high MV is desireable. The longer barrels are a bit more cumbersome when slung over the shoulder in brush in a hunting situation. Some might say that a longer barreled rifle might be held more steady by having the weight out forward. A long barrel in a static target shooting postion or in a prairedog town wouldnt be a problem.

These are just a few things that came up with and am sure others will chime in. It really boils down to what you want to achieve with said rifle. There are many variables as you can see, you'll need to figure out what type of shooting you will be using most and make a choice. Dont sweat it though, many crossover.

My father taught me at a young age that you can always bob a barrel down but try as you might adding to them is impossible. I run 5 different 308 rifles with barrels from 20-30 inches, they all serve a purpose.

 

[remingtonfan]

Hi DubbleA,

Thank you for a detailed explaination.

I think I am wrong , but i seem to believe that with a shorter barrel the velocity would actually be higher because the cartridge has less metal to spin and hit before it leaves the barrel?

The calibre I had in mind was 308

Slightly off topic, but you said you had several barrels, so could you give me some scenarios of why you would swap out say 30 inch for a 20 inch and so on?

 

[MistWolf]

...I think I am wrong , but i seem to believe that with a shorter barrel the velocity would actually be higher because the cartridge has less metal to spin and hit before it leaves the barrel?...

A longer barrel gives a higher velocity as the gases have more length to accelerate the bullet. Too much length, however, the gases won't be able to fill the volume of the bore and the bullet can actually start slowing down from friction.

For a 308, a 22 inch barrel is a good length for performance and handling for a hunting arm. Personally, I don't like going shorter than 18 inches with a 308 because of increased muzzle blast and the velocity starts off dropping to the point you might as well use a 30-30 or 7.62x39 for greater efficiency as they have smaller cases and use less powder