24" or 26" 300 win mag out to a mile?

That's a great criteria to judge a rifle by if all you do is back your SUV up to the shooting bench. I walk 4-6 miles per day with my rifle while hunting and that changes my criteria considerably.
Man did say long range. For me long range is 700 yards and out to or beyond 1,000 yards. Then you should have a long barrel.
 
Man did say long range. For me long range is 700 yards and out to or beyond 1,000 yards. Then you should have a long barrel.

I got over 2900 in Win brass with 208 AMAX's out of my 22" ...1 mile was not much of a challenge. The actual usable range of that setup was a LOT further, but then we have 5-6000 ft DA's here at times.John

From a 22" tube.
 
If a short barrel is what you're looking for than You'll get the same velocity out of a 22 inch barrel chambered in 300 WSM as you will with a 24 inch barrel chambered in 300 Win Mag. Also you would have a non belted cartridge and a short action that has extra rigidity. I'm getting 3150fps out of a 22 inch barrel with 66gr of reloader-17 behind a 165gr bullet. According to Alliant's website that still to grains from Max! I probably could push it too close to 3300.

The 300 WSM outperforms a 300 Win Mag all across the board until you get to a 26+ inch barrel and 200 + grain bullets.

I'm thinking about a .300wsm and wondered if you had any experience with the 208 Amax in it? Or the 215 berger?
 
Go with a 22" 300 win mag. It will get you to a mile without an issue. The 50 fps you lose doesnt mean crap. Not understanding the wind will send the bullet 10 feet off target while the 50 fps will get you a little extra "predictable" drop. Ok.....the wind will blow it another few inches because it gets there slower.....but really......like the guys here state, there are more important things than barrel length. I shot my 16" 308 barrel at 1200 with great results. It was tricky to call the wind but without it....sub moa. With it...crap..it blew 5 feet less when the wind stopped.
 
For what its worth, two week ago I shot my 300 WM with a 29" barrel pushing 208 gr amax's at 3050 fps at the Whittington Center Barrett Unknown Distance Range. The closest target was 1836 yards, I got it on my 3 shot - I had a nasty fishtail wind and my spotter was not good at giving wind calls. However, once on target the shots were connecting each time. We also shot at 2200 yards but my spotter could not find the trace or bullet impact. FYI, the rifle is built from the ground up for extreme long range shooting.
 
I have a 20" 300 Win Mag, but no where to shoot a mile with it... I went with 20" because that is what Todd Hodnett recommends as optimal. As for 1 mile.. I have seen an 18" .308 gas gun shoot a mile, it is all just a math problem combined with good dope...
 
I trust the crane center more than Hodnett, and they found the Mk13 was optimal with a 26" BBL... in fact I hear the Mk13 is doing so good, the Army is re-considering the adoption of the .338lm as a result.
But I dig your surgeon because with the can removed and the stock folded, it's pretty compact. My personal preference, if I needed something that short, would be to get a DSA bullpup and still have the longer tube.

About the 1 mile 308 shot, yeah, I've shot my custom 40 1911 at 200 yards before, doesn't mean it's the right tool for the job. There's just no way to accurately engage a target at 1800 yards with a .308, unless it was some crazy palma load with a special bbl and physics defying pressure.
 
Little over two weeks ago, I shot my mile. Not great, but I got three rounds on a target but not the BULL.It was too the right of it. Bullseye was 17.600 and I held 25 '' group with the three rounds. At the place I shot from, the wind got up to 6 to 8 mph. Weapon was Rem 700P 300 Win Mag with 26'' barrel. I used 200 grain SMK with Reload 22.Had a friend spot for me and a great job he did. I'm happy old boy.
 
Little over two weeks ago, I shot my mile. Not great, but I got three rounds on a target but not the BULL.It was too the right of it. Bullseye was 17.600 and I held 25 '' group with the three rounds. At the place I shot from, the wind got up to 6 to 8 mph. Weapon was Rem 700P 300 Win Mag with 26'' barrel. I used 200 grain SMK with Reload 22.Had a friend spot for me and a great job he did. I'm happy old boy.

Move up to a 208 Amax, 225 Hornady BTHP, 215 or 230 Berger..... they will run circles around those SMK's at 1,760...

Good shootin'!

John