Any one running a long 308 barrel for matches?

[Oakland Tactical]

I wanted to know if anyone was running a 308 with a 26"+ barrel in matches. I know the story with shorter barrels doing the job but I have a 26" barrel from the throat. It seems like the 6.5 calibers get the most out of the 26-28". So the question is IF I get close to 2800 (I think this is what it chronod with BH match but its been a while) out of my rifle, why cut it?

 

[SteveInMd]

Re: Any one running a long 308 barrel for matches?

I have a 27" barrel on my 308. I've never had a problem with maneuvering the longer barrel and I'll take all the velocity gains I can get.

Steve

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Any one running a long 308 barrel for matches?

IMHO, short barrels are useful, but I prefer longer barrels for longer distances, cases with higher expansion ratios (i.e. ratio of case to bore volume), and the slower powders which seem to favor such setups.

My .260 1Kyd F Class rifle was a 28", and Palma .308 shooters use longer barrels, up to 30-32" to get peak performance from their mandatory 155gr maximum bullet weight.

The longer barrels will usually generate a higher velocity from a given load, and that can be a good thing.

For my purposes, I will usually employ more length in a tradeoff against a lighter load to achieve an equal velocity. Seen in this light, it's less (for me) about overall velocity, and more about overall bore life.

My .260 1Kyd F Class rifle has been reconfigured as a .30BR 250yd FV250 rifle, and has a 22" barrel. IMHO, shorter range is less dependent on velocity, and the shorter, stiffer barrel may have some accuracy advantage.

Bottom line, load development is the key. I figure that getting to the best accuracy node while delivering at least 1300fps ontarget is the main approach to success at any distance.

Greg

 

[Oakland Tactical]

Re: Any one running a long 308 barrel for matches?

Thanks guys, It seems like the longer 308 barrels close the ballistic performance gap between the 308 and the 260 quite a bit from the load data I worked up. I just wanted to know real world experiance. last time I shot this rifle at long range was a few years ago it was easy to 1000 for a 308 but I dont recall the velocity.