Shorten barrel on .375?

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Weylan

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I've got a stainless Winchester M70 in .375 H&H Magnum which I hope to one day use in Africa (dangerous game) and for big bears. It has a 24" barrel, which I'm contemplating shortening by 3 inches for ease of handling (I'm 5'7"). Is this wise? Would I lose enough velocity to make a difference? Thanks for any input.

Weylan
 
Is the handling really all that awkward? I occasionally hunt from the cab of my Toyota PU with a 26"-barrelled critter, and it's never been that big a problem. (I agree that shorter is easier, and I prefer my 19" Sako to longer rifles, but it's still not all that big a deal, IMO.)

I'd imagine you'd lose some 70 ft/sec per inch of cutback, or around 200 ft/sec. Purely personal opinion, but for African critters I'd want all the punch available...

Art
 
WE shorten 375 barrels down to 20 inches all the time, thats what the USFS just did...much handier in the brush..

As barrel legnth decreases, you bullet weight should increase however...
 
Anyone else picture Art either losin a windsheild or gettin stuck tryin to swing round when a critter sneaks up on his passenger side....
air conditioned/heated stand complete with padded seats an a radio, gettin it in the tree sounds kinda tough though
 
One thing about that long barrel: The muzzle is OUTSIDE when it goes BOOM!

I once popped a feral cat with my lil .243, out the passenger window of my ol' VW Bus. Fergot about the barrel length. Huh? Huh? Whadja say?

:D, Art
 
I am of the opinion that the taller a person is, the shorter the barrel has to be. For instance, if I stand, say 6'4", my muzzle will be 9" higher and I can only duck so far. I do have this problem hunting in the brush and undergrowth, especially up in Alaska and down in Washington State. No problem hunting in North Dakota though.
 
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