14" barrel - a bad idea?

[rome107]

Hello people,

I have had a CZ455 with 20" and a Walther with 18".
Both are not really performing under 2 MOA consistently at 100m, even with premium ammo.

So I am looking for a more precise gun, threaded barrel and magazin fed as a trainer.
I have a good offer for an Anschuetz 1416 D HB G Classic with the 14" factory barrel.
In general Anschuetz should be high quality rifles, but do you see a risk coming from the short barrel?
I will regularly use it at 100m.
Is there anything to consideer with such a short barrel? Like special preferences in ammo (need for heavy bullets or slow loads)?

Your experiance is highly apreciated.

All the best
Rome

 

[Badfinger]

Nice rifle but it comes from the factory with a 584mm or nearly 23" barrel. If you cut it or buy one at 14" you'll need a tax stamp or a permanently fixed attachment to get it to 16" to be legal, Right?

 

[rome107]

Hi Badfinger,
I should have mentioned that I live in Germany where Anschuetz actually sells it original with 14" barrel.
The length restriction we have is an over all length of 23.6" to be a rifle and not a pistol. So legal issues do not apply here

I am just wondering if short barrels would in general cause precision problems. Especially considering 100 m shots.
I think in .308 rifles this has been discussed and many prefer faster twists on short barrels...

 

[...]

i would stick to subsonic ammo.....which most match ammo is.

there shouldnt be any particular reasons a 14" barrel will be inherently inaccurate.

you will get a little slower MV......thatll lead to a little bit more drop.....and also make it slightly more susceptable to wind.....

when testing lots of ammo, ide look into "pistol ammo".....as well as your standard "rifle" offerings

 

[bunsen27]

I can't Google it right now, but I recall an article that determined that with standard velocity ammo maximum velocity was typically achieved within the first 10"-12" of a barrel. If the US did not have a 16" minimum barrel length I'm sure we would see 14" factory barrels here as well. The only downside I've ever experience by going to a shorter barrel is I perceive them being a bit louder than say a 20"+ barrel with the same ammo. YMMV

 

[flyer]

Length wouldn't bother me.

If you can clean it before you buy, pay attention to the force required to pull through a patch. If it gets looser toward the muzzle, I would not expect great things accuracy wise.

 

[rome107]

Hi guys,
thank you much for your help so far. I will try do get to a decision on the rifle within next week hopefully and keep you updated on its capabilities should I go with the 14" barrel.