ORIGINAL: In_Waters_Deep
Hello,
this question is in reference to the rem 700 sps tactical 308. It has a 20 inch barrel, while other models have a 24 inch barrel. Will it affect power or accuracy at all? Thanks alot for the help.
As a rule of thumb, we say that a standard round such as the .308 would lose about 25 feet per second for each inch cut off a barrel like yours. So you'd lose 100 FPS from the MV of a 24" barrel vs a 20" one. However, this rule has some notable exceptions;some .308's starting with a 24" barrel might even give a higher MV with 4" less barrelthan at 24". EACH RIFLE IS AN INDIVIDAUAL.
Now, as to acuracy, the only barrel length requirement here is that the barrel has to be long enough to ensure the bullet receives the required spin. A 20" barrel will certainly do that. And, in many cases, a 20" tube, being stiffer than a regular size 24" barrel, it is often found that a 20" barrel will shoot more consistently than a 24" or a 26" barrel.
Summary: Cutting 4" off your .308 barrel will not significantly affect the MV, and it might even improve accuracy! Certainly it will NOT degrade it! Many benchrest rifles have quite short barrels.