Would there be any reason to get a 17" barrel over a 22" barrel for 308?

[TheGerman]

Other than the weight difference (which on the MRAD kit is never listed, so I have no idea what the weight savings on the 17" are), is there any benefit to the shorter barrel?

6.5CM and 338 I have the 24. The 308 kit has me at least curious as to if I should get the 17, but after thinking about it, other than the weight difference on just the barrel, why would I?

 

[digrazir]

I like at least 24, preferably 26 inches on my bolt guns. That said there are quite a few shorty 308 builds. Ray

 

[SubOptimal]

To me, a 17" bbl means a CQB gun and I would want that to be an auto-loader. I had an 18" bbl on my REPR and it preformed quite well but for a bolt gun, I like 21-22" bbls. Even my precision guns are 22" in both 6.5 CM and 6.5x47. That said, I seldom even shoot at 500 yards. If you are looking to stretch out to 1000 you will probably want/need a longer tube.
Now, up in a tree stand or in a tight blind, there is a lot to be said for a shorty.

 

[remington patriot]

Depending on the twist and ballet weight you shoot you "should" be pushing at least 2500 feet per second with a 17" barrel. I like a shorter barrel in a .308 for weight and portability. 1/10 or 1/11 I would go 17" no problem. 1/12 I would keep it at 20" at the shortest. The .308 has its limitations anyway at around 1000 yards so that's why I like a shorter .308 barrel.

 

[308220]

I have an 18" 308. Love it. Id never go longer than a 20" on a 308.

 

[GhengisAhn175]

Maneuvering around is going to be the biggest reason for s 17" barrel. Some AR'10's have 16 (like the HK'S). So barrel length will be determined by your application.

Going shorter than 16" may imply someone Wanting to go in the subsonic realm and shoot sub sonic rounds.

 

[Dogsniper]

I have an 18" 308. Love it. Id never go longer than a 20" on a 308.

+1 love my 18" 308 with a can on it!

 

[Niles Coyote]

I look at it this way from my experience. Don't go less than 18" unless you have a very specific reason to. 18-20 is about perfect for a general purpose, do it all rifle. If you wanting to get the most possible for long range out of the cartridge go as long as you can. This is from an owner of 2-16" 1-18" 3-20" 1-21.75" 2-26" barrels. And yes, I have way to many 308's, LOL.

If I could start over I'd have one 18-20" and one at 24"

 

[bribassguy]

I love shorter barrels, For what you give up I think you gain a lot in terms of weight reduction, portability / maneuverability. I don't get how people can have a 26" barrel with a 10" can hanging out the front. For the kind og shooting I do, bigger is not better.

If you are looking to push max velocity and are shooting prone or off a bench a lot then it's probably good to go longer.

 

[PlinkIt]

Maneuvering around is going to be the biggest reason for s 17" barrel. Some AR'10's have 16 (like the HK'S). Going shorter means you're going to delve in the subsonic realm.

let me make sure I'm understanding you correctly...

You are saying that a barrel less than 16" is going to cause a 308 to end up being subsonic?...

NO

I'm hoping you were implying that most people thinking of throwing on a suppressor, and possibly loading down some subsonic rounds would opt for the shorter barrel. Still the shorter barrel is about the rifle being easy to handle with an extra 7-9 inches hanging off the front of it, just like you said I'd about maneuvering with the rifle.

But just to clarify, in case someone else is reading this the same way I did

A Short barrel will NOT cause a regular 308 to be subsonic, you can go less than 10 inches and still be double the sound barrier

 

[SRPowah]

But just to clarify, in case someone else is reading this the same way I did

No, I knew what he meant.. But I will say he should of worded it better so its probably best that you pointed that out, albeit a little aggressively. Shorter barrels make it easier to keep the velocity in the subsonic range, hence delving into the subsonic realm. Whenever you look at shorty bolt action builds, it is because they plan on mounting a can which adds the length right back to it.

If you already have a 24" 6.5, get the short .308. If you want long range precision, run the 6.5. If you want a handy lighter rifle that will still have more than enough range and power to knock game down, run the .308. If you had a longer 22-24" .308, it wouldn't do anything that the 6.5 couldn't do except challenge your wind calling.

 

[SlagAxe]

I have an 18" 308 specifically for hunting in tight woods from tree stands. After having it built I realized an 18-incher is capable of so much more. What we need to do is get the shorty rifle section up and running again but instead of just all the tasty gun porn add in performance commentary.

 

[GhengisAhn175]

Plink it I revised my statement For clarity.

 

[big_matt_duq]

I really like my 16.5 inch 308. All my other centerfires are 24-28 so its much more compact. It is one of my favorite deer rifles. Out to 5-600 it is all I really need. With a suppressor it is just about the same as my other rifles without it. I have been tossing around the idea of getting a proof barrel for it and it would be 16-18 inchs for sure. If I feel like I need a laser beam, my 260, 257wby, 6.5 Saum, 7wsm or 300 win fit the bill. Its completely a different tool for me. I was kicking myself last season for bringing it when a monster buck stopped at 660 yards. I did not plan to sit there and just wasnt comfortable trying the shot so I let him walk. I felt like it was pushing it for a 168 amax at 2600, especially it the timeframe he gave me.

 

[IanHusaberg]

Hey German,

I just purchased an MRAD as well. I pick up a 20" 300 win mag. I'm trying to decide on the barrel kits I want to buy as well. I think the advantage of the 17" barrel would be if your going to shoot with a suppressor it would be a short overall package. In the manual page 6 there is chart. 17" barrel is the lightest one 4.55 lbs. carbon is 4.3 lbs. Its amazing that the 338 24" carbon barrel is only 5.05 lbs. I'm selling my 300 barrel and pick up 338 24c, 260 24fluted, 308 22c. Shoot me a PM if want a 300WM barrel kit? I don't shoot 300WM.

IanHusaberg out

 

[PlinkIt]

No, I knew what he meant.. But I will say he should of worded it better so its probably best that you pointed that out, albeit a little aggressively...

Plink it I revised my statement For clarity.

I never intended to come off aggressively, if I did I apologize GhengisAhn175

I figured he was implying the intent to load down to subs, was just afraid someone would read that... not knowing... and get started down the wrong thought process.

 

[SRPowah]

I never intended to come off aggressively, if I did I apologize GhengisAhn175

I figured he was implying the intent to load down to subs, was just afraid someone would read that... not knowing... and get started down the wrong thought process.

No problem and I understand. Hell, people could read all of our revised statements and still come to the conclusion that shooting a 16" .308 will be subsonic. lol

OP, I am curious what you end up deciding on.

 

[PlinkIt]

...people could read all of our revised statements and still come to the conclusion that shooting a 16" .308 will be subsonic...

This is true

One thing I've learned....

NEVER underestimate stupid, it's a POWERFUL force!!

 

[tennturk]

Besides being obnoxiously loud, a shorter barreled 308 is awesome. I've ditched 223 completely and substituted it with a 20" 308 barrel for my AT and I'm in the process of building a lighter weight 16" 308AR for hunting in the woods.

 

[sierracharlie338]

I have an 18inch (bolt gun) 308 and when shooting 168 grain projectiles they go transonic and start to tumble at 850.

My GAP that is being built is a 22 inch barrel and will be run suppressed.

My .02 for what it's worth.


Sierracharlie338....

 

[Sendit6.5]

The advantage of a short barrel is the convenience of having a compact rifle, particularly if you're shooting suppressed. The cost of this convenience is velocity and, thus, range. The ranges you intend to shoot will determine whether a shorty barrel is 'for' you. Nice thing about the MRAD is that you can have a shorty AND a long(er) barrel. Since I do a LOT more shooting inside 700yds and shoot almost exclusively suppressed, I'd go with the shorty barrel first; but I'd get a 22"+ barrel pretty quick thereafter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[J.Boyette]

The key from what I have seen over the years is, a 18" bolt gun has a shorter OAL then a 18" semi auto. With that, I think people over look the twist rate. I run a 1:8 on my .308 19". I have found two rotations of rifling aids in precision shots over a 1.5 or a 1.25 rotation ratio.

John

 

[big_matt_duq]

They do get loud at 16.5 inches for sure. I was pretty shocked. Almost like a braked 24 inch barrel. Before I put the suppressor on the first day the other guys at the range thought I had a howitzer. Someone asked if it was a 50. Haha

 

[Jedi]

Many moons ago i dropped the 308 in the trash, as in 2007
i wanted like or better ballistics from a 20" barrel as the 26" 308 running warp like skinnies
So fig 175smk @ 2975fps, same bc form factor etc as 155 skinnie
my solution shoots inside base line and i have a short barrel rig allowing use of a can.
With that said, 6.5 saum via gap ala 6.5 4s or whatever they call it
barrel life seems to be in 2500 range, 140 vlds @3200fps
So for me my next short barrel rig will utilize that case
140vld 3k fps from 20"
run a dta and whatever barrel length you want