Best Long Range Caliber with a short barrel?

[95huskers]

I am looking for some input on which long range caliber would be good with a shorter barrel....say 18-22". I currently shoot a 7mm Rem Mag with a 26" barrel.

I would love for someone to tell me to just shorten the barrel on the 7mm and roll with that one but would like to hear ideas. Would a .300 Win Mag be better in this circumstance? I'm looking to shorten up the barrel to accommodate a suppressor....and would ideally like to use this same action and not start all over. I usually hike in quite a ways and 34" of barrel gets to be a little....or a lot awkward. Anxious to hear your ideas.

 

[Barrelnut]

Think a 300 WSM would be better. It uses about 10 gr. less of faster burning powders and is more efficient with them than a regular 300 WM. Probably wouldn't go less than 22".

 

[MudRunner2005]

I am looking for some input on which long range caliber would be good with a shorter barrel....say 18-22". I currently shoot a 7mm Rem Mag with a 26" barrel.

I would love for someone to tell me to just shorten the barrel on the 7mm and roll with that one but would like to hear ideas. Would a .300 Win Mag be better in this circumstance? I'm looking to shorten up the barrel to accommodate a suppressor....and would ideally like to use this same action and not start all over. I usually hike in quite a ways and 34" of barrel gets to be a little....or a lot awkward. Anxious to hear your ideas.

An 18-22" barreled .300WM would be a complete waste of a rifle...So would shortening the barrel on your 7mmRM to those lengths. Some might argue with that, but this is just simply my opinion, take it for whatever it's worth to you. Won't hurt my feelings to disagree.

Based onto criteria you've given, I don't think you're really going to find much better suited cartridges for that barrel length spectrum, than the old tried & true .308 Winchester & 7mm-08 Rem. I had a custom 20" M24 profile (from lug to crown) .308 Win built on a Model 7 action, and it was one of the most accurate rifles I've ever shot. Put 3 in the exact same hole. The only way you could tell it had more than 1 shot was the slightly deformed edges of the hole in the target. It was ****-accurate. I miss that rifle. That short barrel made it really handy to tote in the woods, too.

If I were you, I'd keep your 7mm RemMag just like it is, since it's already paid for. And go pickup a Rem 700 5R Milspec .308 Win...20" barrel, 5R rifling, proven accuracy, and suppressor ready with 5/8x24 threads. Only thing you'll want to do is swap the trigger, bed the action, make sure the barrel is floated, and once it dries torque the action screws to 65 inch-pounds, and it should be ready to go.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...d/42401/Remington+Model+700+SS+5-R+.308WIN+20

 

[Canhunter35]

I agree with mud,
A 308 only needs 17" to be efficient at burning its powder. Buy a 20" and ur good to go! All magnums benefit from length it's how slow burning powders work

 

[elkaholic]

I get 3152 out of my hunting load in my 270ss. That's with a 150 LRAB in a 21" Barrel You may not want a wildcat though?

 

[venatic]

300 RCM

 

[elkaholic]

300 RCM

That would be a good choice!

 

[Rich Coyle]

tag

 

[Edd]

The best caliber would be a 338. If you are wanting something for long range, with any barrel length, and you are shooting something smaller than a 338, you are just pretending.

 

[elkaholic]

Something that is usually left out in this type of thread is " just what do you mean by long range"! It means different things to different people. Unless it is identified, there is no way of even giving good advice. When I say a short barreled 300 RCM, I am thinking long range may not be more than 800 yards. For some folks, long range doesn't even start until 800 yards.

 

[JSHKS]

You might be better informed to look at long range pistols. They perform better than most think they will.

 

[elkaholic]

They may well do better than I think, but not better than a long range rifle.

 

[MudRunner2005]

In my personal opinion, the .308 Winchester is by far the best candidate for chambering in your short barrel. Other calibers will of course work, but not all do as well as others. The biggest complaint I have against sub-.300 caliber chamberings in shorter barrels is the reduced mass and limited selection of quality heavy bullets that are available currently. This might be a generalization, but unless you have a wildcat chamber, there's little that the .308 can't do in a short barrel that some other caliber can best. And believe me, I've looked.

You're 100% right. The case capacity to bore ratio allows it to reach full-potential in shorter length barrels, but still allow it to get plenty of gains in longer barrels, as well.

The 7mm-08 Rem gives it a good run for its money, and is often overlooked these days, especially with the fairly recent introduction of 1:8 twist barrels and 195 grain Bergers. A 20" (from lug to crown) heavy barreled 7mm-08 would also make a great compact rifle.

Both cartridges will perform admirably in short barrels, and Lapua makes correct headstamp brass for both. It would be hard to go wrong with either.

 

[Barrelnut]

OP has a mag bolt face and wants to keep the action that way...