Does 308 barrel length matter?

[Wingmaster]

Is a 20 inch barrel long enough for a .308?

What effect does a shorter barrel have on accuracy?

Thanks for any input you might have.

Wingmaster

 

[alwslate]

a 20" barrel is fine for a 308 because the 308 uses modest charges of
medium burn rate powder as opposed to some of the much larger
cartridges that use heavy charges of slower burning powder. The 308
is one of the most accurate rifle cartridges in existance and barrel
quality is more important than barrel length. Shorter barrels, to a point,
are often more accurate than longer barrels because they are stiffer.
20" is certainly long enough to be accurate in 308 and some heavy
barreled varmint or tactical type rifles in 308 use 20" barrels.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Is 20" long enough for 308? Yes, but your velocity will be lower than a longer barrel. With 150 grain and heavier bullets, the loss of velocity limits the distance of effective shooting (Target to 500 +/- and Hunting varmints the same , Deer; quite a bit less. What effect does a shorter barrel have on accuracy? None, but with metallic sights, the further apart the front and rear sights are, the easier it is to be accurate. If the gun has a good quality scope on it, you'll find that gun's potential pretty fast. If you plan on 500 plus yard shooting, think about 24 or 26 inch barrels and bullets designed for the extended ranges. Matchkings by Sierra and A-Max by Hornady are good bullets for extended range target and varmint shooting, but not deer sized animals. Think about 155 grain Palma bullets, That shooting was 800-1000 yards with open sights, and some competitions went to 1200 yards with 308 (but the guns were 30-32" barrels with 1:13 twist barrels) 308 Winchester will do many things very well if the gun is set up for it, but 30-06 will always do it better, because that extra 1/2" of case will give about 200 feet per second faster velocity or slightly faster velocities at lower pressures and cooler temperatures (which will extend barrel life!). Hope this helps. Ivan

 

[Cdog]

20" .308's are like peanut butter and jelly, it's a good mix.

Yes, you will likely give up a bit of velocity, but nothing like the loss many other fine calibers suffer.

As posted above, the powders most commonly used burn quite efficiently and deliver a comparatively low flash even from shorter tubes.

 

[Texas Star]

The late John Wootters, Jr. was a frequent user of a Sako Forester .308, which has a 20-inch bbl., I think. He used many other rifles, but that was a favorite and it appeared in many of his articles over maybe four decades after he got it. I think I recall him telling me that he bought it at an estate sale in the 1970's, maybe earlier.

He found it very effective under the conditions in which he used it. The 1:12-inch rifling twist didn't seem to matter, although I'd prefer a 1:10 twist.

But he also had a 7mm Remington Magnum and other rifles for large game and for longer ranges.

If you're hunting whitetails and pigs under 250 yards, I think a 20-inch .308 is fine. I have a 20-inch 7mm-08 and feel confident that it'll perfom well with the right bullets. My DIL shot a 150 pound deer at about 80 yards with that gun and it killed like a Star Trek phaser.

But I would not select a short .308 as an all around rifle for general North American and lighter African plains hunting. Even with a 22-inch barrel, I think I'd still prefer a .270 or a .30/06. If you want best performance from 180 grain and heavier bullets, the .308 just doesn't have the steam to drive them as fast as a .30/06. Using premium 150-165 grain bullets will still let you kill most animals, most of the time, but I'd select a 22-inch barrel.

Canadians have killed a lot of elk and moose with the .303 British, which is a little milder than the .308, but the .303 isn't ideal at extended ranges, either. But it has also killed a trainload of African game, including some species that are larger than it should be used on.

I think you'll want a longer barrel if the rifle is apt to see use beyond 250 yards. Under that, it should be fine, if you shoot well and don't take quartering shots on elk or moose or big bear.

 

[Arik]

What or how far are you trying to shoot? 500 yards and under its perfectly fine. Past 500 and youre better off with a different caliber but 1000 yard shots are still very doable with a 308 @ 1000

 

[ohiobuckeye]

I believe rule of thumb is 50fps +/- per inch of barrel length +/-, so I doubt if a whitetail deer or a even a moose could tell the difference between hits from a 20 in or a 22 inch barrel. A 20 inch 308 should have all the range and accuracy needed for any shot that most hunters "should" take and anything beyond it's limitations is probably a long shot that should not be taken by 99.9% of us.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I've got a Rem .308 20in

Shoots sub moa even with a crummy Houge stock.

 

[Rule3]

I have the 20" Rem 700 SPS AAC-SD with a Bell and Carlson Stock and Jewel Trigger. I can shoot wings off a mosquito at 200+ yards That is as far as our range goes. It is good to probably 500 or more.

 

[nachogrande]

308 vs 30-06

there I said it! to give a opinion on the original ? first. a lot has to do with the bbl.'s harmonics (vibration/whip). I have an 18/1/2" pencil thin bbl on a rem mdl 7 in 7mm08 and the WHOLE receiver and bbl is bedded which in turn help decrease the "whip effect" (in my gun and imo) and it is extremely accurate. as to ? # 2, if the good ol 06 is so much better than why is the 08 being used and winning so many more matches? and at under 300 yds the 06 has NO advantage for hunting any animal if the correct bullet and placement are used. diff faster burning powders can push a shorter bbl's bullet (pretty much) just as fast. certainly not enough to matter for hunting. if you prefer a longer action in a typically longer bbl'd and heavier gun, don't mind carrying the extra wt, and shoot it better, go for it. the actual bullets used are identical. and the old 50 fps velocity loss per " of bbl is too high imo. a more correct # might be 25-35 fps/" bbl loss. individual guns/bbl.'s will vary, only a chrono would know for sure. BOTH are extremely good rounds.if I were regularly shooting under 300 I'd go with the 308/7mm08, if regularly over 300 yds a 300 win mag, also the exact same bullet. if I could only have 1 rifle it'd be a 24"bbl'd 30-06. when they made the 308 and the 30-06 case they struck gold and any diam bullet either necked up or down and put in either case is gold also. that's my take anyway.

 

[LVSteve]

A FAL with the original barrel profile is not a very accurate weapon due to muzzle whip and the way the gas system attaches, but a MAS 49/56 has about the same barrel length and is VERY accurate. The difference is the barrel profile with the MAS having a bit more meat on the tube. Yes, I know its a different cartridge but .308 and 7.5x54 are close enough for comparison purposes.

One word of caution, different .308 ammo prefers certain barrel lengths, twists and even rifling profiles. I have a 24" Howa with a heavy barrel that shoots 168 and 175gr rounds just fine, but shotgun patterns at 50 yards using NATO surplus. That same surplus through a converted Mauser with a 29" barrel is about MOA. Go figure.

 

[Squarebutt]

I have a Ruger M77 RSI International .308 with the full Mannlicher stock and an 18" barrel. It shoots into an inch at 100 yards with the right ammo. I'm sure it gives up some velocity, but it's a handy size for the New England woods, and I wouldn't hesitate to take a clean shot on a deer at 200 yards.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Years ago I had a stainless/synthetic Remington 7 .308 with a 20 inch barrel. It was really my wife's (ex now) but I hunted with it every chance I got. When we split she took her rifle...I sure miss that rifle.

Last year I bought a wood stocked Remington model 7 .308 with a 20" barrel. I liked it so well my longer rifles stayed in the safe during deer season.

As I've gotten older I enjoy hunting out of box stands and pop-ups, The shorter barrel (combined with short action) are easy to handle in those types of stands.

I have the iron sights zeroed in at 50 yards and the scope sighted 1.5" high at 100 yards. It is easy to hunt with.

I shoot Winchester 150 grain Power Point ammo in it. First three shots at 100 yards on paper do a little less than one inch c-c. After that, the barrel is warmed up and she goes a little high and left.

The box of Winchester .308 ammo under the rifle puts the size of the gun in perspective.

 

[rojodiablo]

For a pure hunting bolt gun, I would take the 20", but would prefer the 22" for a little better velocity without losing the weight game. I would stick with the lighter barrel, simply because we are talking hunting and not a bench queen.
This said, my 308's are both 16" barrel rifles. So you can figure that I see some real variation with my ammo selections. For my rifle, 150 gr and lighter is the ticket, even with the 1/10 twist. It just does not like the heavier bullets as much. With a 150gr, it's an MOA ish rifle. With 168 gr, it is a 2MOA at best. With 175, it's lobbing them...... it does not throw them out there hard enough. I see the drop is much more pronounced than my friends' 20" bolt rifle. He likes the 168 best, and the 150 flies a little high by comparison for him. Hope this helps you a little bit.

 

[mtgianni]

I have a BLR in 308 and enjoy it's near perfect balance. If I bought a bolt 308 it would be 18"-22". I would not shoot a 15" Encore in 308 without plugs and muffs.

 

[rimfired]

Depends on who's on the trigger and how well they know their weapon.