Shortening a barrel

Lunar95

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 9, 2019
169
78
So question,

I have a tikka t3x with a SS 24in barrel, recently I got a TBAC ultra 9 to go with it. However I didn't really realize how long this gun ended up being.... for reference we are talking about 53 inches. Or am I off that mark and that's a normal length for suppressed bolt guns.

I was wondering if shortening my barrel down to 20 in is even a thing, or even worth doing considering buying a new barrel is close to $500

Thanks!

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Agreed, people chop barrels all the time, or have them chopped. Choose a good smith, a wonky crown or non-concentric muzzle threads will ruin your accuracy and possibly also your can.
 
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Do you care more about velocity or handling?

I've previously cut a 26" 6.5 Creedmoor barrel down to 18" and lost 23fps/inch...but the increased handling when hunting suppressed made it worthwhile because I wasn't competing.
 
I agree with Spife on the free velocity. I love short barrels, but I dont miss the velocity in 95% of my shooting. Even then, I tell people to go long on length until they have a specific need to go short. Until that length becomes an actual hinderance, don't worry too much about it.

Or go try one of those 25lbs gamer guns with a 28" M24 and a TBAC Ultra on the end. You won't complain about yours after that.
 
I would be very careful. I think the Tikka barrels are button cut. We do handle a lot of barrel work. We do not do the work ourselves, but send to really talented barrel smiths. I have come to learn, over the years that there is a lot more than meets the eye. Usually, there is not a problem cutting a barrel, but with buttoned cut barrels, you have to worry about lack of concentricity when you cut. We assume the risk, as it is usually part of a production run, and we get maybe one out of 15 or 20 barrels that fail upon cut.

That's not bad. 5% to 8% of button cut barrels fail when cut. Unless it is your barrel. When it is 20 barrels and you lose one, it is statistics. The actual rifle cutting of a barrel will cause the bore to have some weaving and moving like a snake. The better the barrel blank maker, the more uniform the bore, but there is still likely to be some movement out of center, and it is usually small enough that as long as the muzzle is concentric, nothing is lost, as the bullet travels the route at which it leaves the barrel.

Now, if you happen to cut where the bore moves a little to the right, then your muzzle will have a bore hole that is no longer in the middle of the barrel. At this point, you have three choices. 1) use it, and realize that you might have some natural veering of the bullet to the right. You can correct, probably with windage on your scope. But, will you clear your suppressor without a baffle strike? Maybe yes, maybe no. 2) take another cut. These deviations tend to meander, and if you take another cut 2" back, you might be fully concentric. Now, your barrel is a little shorter, or 3) abort, and buy a new barrel.

Now, if you go into this venture understanding the risk, and accepting that you have (if I am anywhere near accurate for Tikka, for which I have no experience cutting) a 1:15 or maybe 1:25 chance, you can try it, and if you have to abort, you have tried it. Most likely, you will be successful, and you have a great barrel with less price than a new barrel.

What would I do? I would cut it an inch longer than I might want, and see how that goes. If all is fine, I might keep it there, or I might go to the length I want, and understand that there is some small chance that i will have to buy a new barrel.

In any case, I would use a bore guide with the suppressor on to test before using.
 
One thing I would never be afraid of doing is shortening a barrel. If it shoots now, it will shoot shortened and possibly better because there will be less barrel whip. Will POI change? Yes because you're reducing barrel whip. I've cut off a bunch, never screwed 1 up yet. As long as it's concentric it will shoot.
 
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