Jan 26, 2011

Web Blast: The Long Vs. Short Of It

November/December 2009 Handgun Hunting Column

By J.D. Jones

Cartridges in photos are .300 “Whisper,” .308, .30-’06, and .300 Win Mag.

Selecting barrel length is often a major problem for the average shooter. The vast majority select middle of the road length barrels but the trend of questions about length often revolve around extremely long barrels for both pistols and rifles.

The expectation of what a long barrel will do versus a short barrel is often unrealistic in both velocity and accuracy. Having spent thousands of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars with a large variety of calibers and chronographs, I’ve come to some general conclusions. The final assessment? The the more I know the more unanswered questions I have.

For example, in revolvers, single shot pistols and rifles the length of the barrel is of little or no consequence ballistically in hunting guns. The barrel length will not make any difference to anything you shoot. Excessively long barrels may be counterproductive to accuracy and velocity. Yes, there are “fast” and “slow” barrels and in some cases I can see the reason, but in most I can’t. Types of rifling, chamber dimension, throat and other factors all contribute.

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WEB BLAST EXTRA RELOADING DATA

.308 Winchester
Pistol: T/C Encore 15″ Barrel (new)
Rifle: Winchester M-100 22″ Barrel (Excellent)
Velocities shown are 15″ from the muzzle.
ES: Extreme Deviation

Ammunition	Weight	Pistol Vel.	Pistol ES	Rifle Vel.	Rifle ES	Diff.	% Diff
Remington Acc.	55	3,288	09	3,608	44	320	08.69
Cor-Bon	125	2,726	41	2,883	47	157	05.44
Santa Barbara Ball	147	2,504	55	2,620	68	116	04.42
Isreal 3/67 AP	147	2,497	46	2,635	139	138	05.23
Isreal 3/67 Horn	150	2,446	55	2,598	03	152	05.85
FN 56 Horn	165	2,498	28
FN 56 AP	150	2,514	31
HLM	150	2,665	40	2,824	29	159	05.63
Nitrex	165	2,550	51	2,680	19	130	04.85
HLM	165	2,566	04	2,741	08	175	06.38
US M852 Match	168	2,408	35	2,552	27	105	04.11
Fed G M Match	168	2,349	30	2,453	124	104	04.23
Fed G M Match	168	2,354	43	2,462	122		04.23
Fed Tactical	165	2,410	34	2,544	23	134	05.26
W Supreme Match	168	2,433	36	2,581	64	148	05.734
HLM Match	168	2,513	02	2,672	33	159	05.95
Federal	180	2,378	42	2,515	27	137	05.44
Nitrex	180	2,567	27	2,690	24	123	04.57
W Supreme FS	180	2,489	54	2,475	11	-14	-00.56
Average	150	2,525	45	2,669	58	141	05.29
Average	165	2,455	27	2,592	40	133	05.13
Average	180	2,473	33	2,581	19	108	04.18
Factory Black Hills Moly Match Ammo:
168 grains	24” Barrel	2,757 fps
	19″ Barrel	2,619 fps
	14″ Barrel	2,407 fps
Federal Tactical:
165 grains	24” Barrel	2,701 fps
	19″ Barrel	2,662 fps
Winchester U.S.A.Ball
147 grains	24″ Barrel	2,928 fps
	19″ Barrel	2,747 fps