chma

I am buying a Steyr SBS Pro-Hunter rifle in 7mm-08 and can't decide between the 20" & 23 1/2" barrels is there really enough difference in velocity to matter?? any help would be appreciated thanks chad

eldeguello

Not as far as I am concerned. For years, I used a 20" barreled Mannlicher-Schoenauer .270 Win. carbine for all my hunting, including three years in Alaska, with no feeling of handicap whatsoever.

I believe the 7-08 is an even better round for use in a short barrel!

retrieverman

I have also hunted for years with a Ruger M77 RL 270 with a 20" barrel and killed a mountain of venison with it without any trouble. My newest rifle is a Blaser R-93 "Tracker" with a 19.75" 308 barrel, and I love it.

Short barrel rifles are my personal taste, but I really don't feel you give up enough to matter.

MichaelT.

One of my rifles , and the one I probably use the most, isa Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08. It has a 20" barrel on it and I love it. It is light, handy, and easy to carry. It is manuverable in a box stand or in a tree stand. It points well, and has all the knock down power you need. The extra 3 " would only yield around 120 FPS, and if you are overly concerned about that aspect, just shoot Hornady light mag ammo. You will more than make up the difference, and still have the benefits of a short barrel.

I also have a Ruger M77 Compact and it has a 16 1/2 in barrel. I love the gun, and it shoots well, but that barrel is almost too short. The barrel tends to jump a bit, and there is a little percussion and muzzle blast effects around the shooter, but as far as killing ability goes, even that short of a barrel does a really good job. BTW , that one is a .243 cal.

And if you are still not sure it is adquate, look at all of the hand cannons with a 10, 12 , 14, or 15 " barrel such as the TC Encores. They take tons of game and have power to spare. More than anything, I believe the keys are bullet construction ( type / brand of bullet ) and shot placement.

Hope this helps.

God Bless

Red Lion

You will lose some velocity with the shorter barrel, but likely not enough to make any real difference. Accuracy should be just as good with the shorter barrel and as already stated, the ease of manuevering is a plus of the shorter barrel. I would go with the 20" unless you will regularly have long shots, and easy handling is not an issue/need.

Killer_Primate

I agree with red lion. It will make a difference, that could and probably is calculated somewhere. I like short barrels when hunting. We all know you do alot more carrying than shooting...

James B

Since the 7MM-08 performs well in the 15 inch Encore, I see no reason that it would not do very well in a 20 inch barrel. Personally I would rather work than hunt with a short barreled rifle but thats just me and I know first hand how effective the 08's are in the Encore.

DM

My light weight "mountain rifle" thati built back in the 70's is chambered for 280 Rem. and it has a 20-7/8" bbl... I drug it all over Alaska for many years, and it's worked out just fine for me. If i was building it today, i'd keep the same bbl. length..

DM

blaserman

Retreverman what are you doing over here.

Short Barrel what about a XP 100 with a 18" barrel shooting a 1000 yds in a 7mm Dakota.

retrieverman

blaserman
I might ask you the same question. There is not enough activity at Blaserpro or AR to hold my attention for very long, so I have to look elsewhere for internet conversation.

Glad to see a fellow Blaser shooter here!