300wsm barrel length for hunting rifle

[fatjake]

Finally bucking up and going to do a carbon barrel rifle. This will be a hunting specific rifle for inside 700-800 yards.
300wsm, going to probably be shooting bullets in the weight range of 165-178 for velocity.
I have a suppressor but undecided if I will hunt with it

Sendero light contour Do I go 22" and loose a little velocity and run my suppressor? Or 24-26" with a brake. I really like the way a shorter barrel feels and easy to handle

 

[Rick Richard]

Finally bucking up and going to do a carbon barrel rifle. This will be a hunting specific rifle for inside 700-800 yards.
300wsm, going to probably be shooting bullets in the weight range of 165-178 for velocity.
I have a suppressor but undecided if I will hunt with it

Sendero light contour Do I go 22" and loose a little velocity and run my suppressor? Or 24-26" with a brake. I really like the way a shorter barrel feels and easy to handle

I think you answered your question..."I really like the way a shorter barrel feels and easy to handle"

 

[Elk Hunter 338]

I have 20" 30 Nolser that's running 215 Berger at 2910 with my suppressor on it very very handy

 

[Rick Richard]

I have 20" 30 Nolser that's running 215 Berger at 2910 with my suppressor on it very very handy

Should you run a heavier contour with a shorter barrel?

 

[Elk Hunter 338]

mine wears a proof sendero contour

 

[ar10ar15man]

the cartridge is designed around a 24" to be shorter than a win mag at 26".

 

[Rick Richard]

the cartridge is designed around a 24" to be shorter than a win mag at 26".

With that difference between barrel lengths, is velocity equal when using same grain bullet?

 

[cohunt]

lots of factory rifles come between 22-24" , 26" barrels seem to be "long range" and the Remington 7 comes with a 20" --just depends on what you really want and what velocities you are looking for

 

[ar10ar15man]

when the round(wsm) was introduced,
advertising ran shorter lighter with near the same ballistics as a wm.
( i think you are around 95%)
only you can decide if you do not need the velocity of a 24" bbl.

 

[vancewalker007]

I've loaded for and hunted with 2 different WSMs. One in a 24in, SAKO A7, one in a 25in Douglas #2 on a Kimber Montana.. To get the most out of the cartridge I would choose a setup that allows you to get all the velocity you can if you want it, which seem to be about 24 inches of barrel. If you have 2-3 more inches of barrel it will give you the flexibility to get that extra 50-100fps to push heavy for Cal bullets or drop down to the lower ones. Maybe a 22 threaded would give you the best of both worlds. If you want a little more velocity you pop on your suppressor to shoot the heavier bullets. If you want to shoot a 165, pull the suppressor and you have handy shorter range rig.

The 2 bullets that shot the best out at 400-700 yards in my WSMs were the 180 Nosler Accubond and the Berger 190 VLD. In the 0-300 region everything I tried shot really good.

 

[DRock]

I have a 300WSM Fierce CT Edge (carbon barrel titanium action) with a 24" barrel that I hunt with suppressed. The heavy contour of the carbon barrel is great for the suppressor to butt against and the short action offsets some of the length of the suppressor. I have several custom rifles but this is one of my favorite if not my favorite hunting set-up. I don't have a good picture of the rifle but you can see my set-up in this photo from my oryx hunt last fall. Weight is always a concern for me with a hunting rifle and the carbon barrel allows the larger contour barrel for the suppressor to butt up against without the added weight. My preferred practice range only goes out to 600 yards but I have shot out to 800 and have had no problems with consistently ringing steel from this distance. I am using a Leupold VX6 3-18x44 windplex reticle to help keep weight down on this rifle. 180gr Scirocco II at 2950fps.

 

[Hawryluk]

My mod 70 300 wsm shoots a 180ab through a 26" benchmark #3 at 2950 1/2" at 100 4" at 500 probably better with a better shooter.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

Well, you'll get better than 30-06 velocities with pretty much any legal barrel length ( my Pops has a 14" bbl. savage pistol in 300wsm and it gets '06 velocity) so you can do pretty much whatever length you want and still have a decent 30 cal rifle.

 

[ar10ar15man]

YEP YOU need to decide WHY you picked 300 wsm.
if it is for its performance, you will not get it with less bbl