16.5” or close barrel experiences…..

[nakneker]

I’ve been playing with some fresh 7 Saum improved rifles with 20” barrels. Using N555, all three rifles are shooting 180 hybrids at 2850ish with no signs of pressure with Proof CF barrels which tend to be fast anyways. I’m getting 2850 with no sign of case head expansion (the pressure indication I pay attention to most), no heavy bolt lift etc etc. Accuracy is great and when you add a suppressor they actually fit in my Eberlestock packs. I’ve been playing experimenting with the thunderbeast Magnus, probably my new favorite suppressor I might add. That being said I’d like to try, for fun more than anything, a Saum or 6.5 PRC with a 16.5” barrel. I’m thinking about having one built and playing with it this coming summer.

I know the idea makes some of you scratch your head but I like playing around with stuff like that. Nice thing about the building custom firearms is you can do whatever puts a smile on your face. To each their own.

My wife is shooting a 18” barrelled 6.5 PRC, the little rifle is a lot of fun and more capable than some might guess.

Any of you care to share your 16-17” barrel experiences. Doesn’t have to be a Saum, just curious if your experience is/was favorable.

The other option is try a folding stock, they are expensive and I’d rather not. Gonna try the 16”+ barrel first.

The idea is a finished product that is compact, easily fits in or on the pack.

 

[AMG04]

Ill take a short barrel suppressed in the field 9/10 times... they are really handy and WORK!

14.5" P&W 308W
16" 300 SAUM
2 - 16.5" 6.5 PRCs

I recommend running lighter bullets with faster powders in the short barrels. Ex. In the 6.5 PRCs instead of running 147gr or 153gr over H1000, run the Barnes 127 LRX over H4350, H4831sc or RE26.

In the 308, I run the Barnes 130 TTSX. The 300 SAUM runs everything well and still out performs my 24" 30-06.

308 (130 TTSX @ 2750fps)


300 SAUM (130 TTSX @ 3150fps)


6.5 PRC (127 LRX @ 2850fps)


6.5 PRC (127 LRX @ 2890fps)

 

[nakneker]

Ill take a short barrel suppressed in the field 9/10 times... they are really handy and WORK!

14.5" P&W 308W
16" 300 SAUM
2 - 16.5" 6.5 PRCs

I recommend running lighter bullets with faster powders in the short barrels. Ex. In the 6.5 PRCs instead of running 147gr or 153gr over H1000, run the Barnes 127 LRX over H4350, H4831sc or RE26.

In the 308, I run the Barnes 130 TTSX. The 300 SAUM runs everything well and still out performs my 24" 30-06.

308 (130 TTSX @ 2750fps)
View attachment 1717943

300 SAUM (130 TTSX @ 3150fps)
View attachment 1717945

6.5 PRC (127 LRX @ 2850fps)
View attachment 1717947

6.5 PRC (127 LRX @ 2890fps)
View attachment 1717949

Thanks for the info/thoughts, just what I’m looking for.

 

[Loudenboomer]

I didn't think I'd ever want Shorter barrels but now I really like how handy it makes a suppressed rifle. Shorter rounds and not too over bore are pretty efficient in the short barrels. I shoot a 20" 7PRC a 18" 308 Win. both with a Bannish 30 suppressor I'm ok with a little velocity loss for the added convenience. YMMV

 

[rickiesrevenge]

I pretty much use xp-100 pistols for my shooting. 13-17" barrels are normal. 17" 7mm Dakota will push 180s 2800 with retumbo. 2900+ with rl33.

In my 6.5prc I'm shooting n565 and 156 bergers. 2820fps.

Short barrels are way better with a suppressor

 

[effendude]

I run (2) Sako 995 338 Lapua rifles with the 338 Ultra cans. One is 16.5", other is 20". Some MN whitetail bucks and several 500#+ black bears never knew I gave up a little velocity with the shorter barrels. Barrel twist limits me to the 250gr Bergers. My wife just shot a monster whitetail in Idaho with a 22" 284 Shehane wearing a TB Dominus. I am sending my long barreled 300NMI back to Ryan Pierce tomorrow for a 22" rebarrel and it will wear a TB Magnus S-RR when finished. The 26" Proof barrel and a 338 Ultra can is like carrying a old Marlin bolt action goose gun. Suppressors are legal in most places I hunt except Mexico so all my builds from now on will have shorter barrels, 16-22" depending on the application.

 

[LVLAaron]

I love a good shorty!

 

[AMG04]

I love a good shorty!


View attachment 1718128

Im going to need a few of those stickers!

 

[rickiesrevenge]

I love a good shorty!


View attachment 1718128

That fluting is awesome. Who did it?

 

[dryhumor]

I used to have a M700 16” 308, with a straight barrel. Easy on recoil, balanced pretty well, but for a shorter rifle you were aware of the weight when toting it.

Bought a Howa barreled action in 308, 16.25, varmint type profile. Made the stock for it. Purpose built for hunting 100 yards or less. Balanced very well, just heavy enough recoil isn’t noticeable until the 10-15th round. Teak wood butt pad.

 

[LVLAaron]

That fluting is awesome. Who did it?

@boltfluter is the wizard behind curtain on that one.

 

[nakneker]

@boltfluter is the wizard behind curtain on that one.

Looks fantastic, he’s one of the good guys too!

 

[X-Caveman]

16” .308 pushes 115gr Controlled Chaos @ 3,000 with H335

16” 30BR pushes 125gr SST @ 2,875 with H4198

I’m civilized, so naturally, I run cans on them.

 

[d6mmwea]

I built a Savage 110 Trail Hunter with an 8 twist Shilen, 6X47 Lapua, 16 inches long threaded for my can. Shoots crazy good for me. 90's shoot a little tighter than the 65's. Yes that deer load is 4 shots.
Good Shoot'n
Dan P

 

[nakneker]

Here’s three ODCR 7 Saum improved rifles I’ve been playing with this fall. They are all built alike, one for myself, one for a cousin and one for a friend. I did the load development for all three. 20” Proof CF barrels, McMillan ELR hunter stocks, Kauger light weight actions. They all came with beast brakes, very effective I might add. They four slab brake is my cousin, she weighs 130lbs soakin wet but is a hunting fool.

Velocity has been pretty good, 2850-2860 with Berger 180s, no signs of pressure. It’s kind of fun playing with three rifle built the same. I have the lock ring on the sizing locked set, all three rifles give me .002 shoulder bump on the same setting, kudos to Zack. All three easily shoot sub .5 five shot groups. If a guy tried he could squeeze a lot more out of it but these are hunting rifles so I don’t get too mad scientist with the load development once my goal is met and the SD and ES numbers are looking good. N555 and Fed 210m primers are doing a good job.

INow I want to try a 16.5” 7 Saum improved, I’ll lose some speed for sure but I want to try it and see how much. Hopefully I can still pull 2775-2800 FPS out of it. I want to use a folding stock of some kind and have something very compact and backpack friendly. Hope to have it by late summer 2026.

Thanks for the responses, nice to know there’s more than a few fans of shorties out there. Neat rifles you shared! My rifle has the suppressor, I received it in august. It’s filled two tags in its short life, should fill an elk tag this weekend and two more deer by mid January, there isn’t anything I’d change on it. Just curious about a 16”.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I used to have a M700 16” 308, with a straight barrel. Easy on recoil, balanced pretty well, but for a shorter rifle you were aware of the weight when toting it.

Bought a Howa barreled action in 308, 16.25, varmint type profile. Made the stock for it. Purpose built for hunting 100 yards or less. Balanced very well, just heavy enough recoil isn’t noticeable until the 10-15th round. Teak wood butt pad.

View attachment 1718174

Was the accuracy as good a usual on the shorter Howa?

 

[NDSU]

Ill take a short barrel suppressed in the field 9/10 times... they are really handy and WORK!

14.5" P&W 308W
16" 300 SAUM
2 - 16.5" 6.5 PRCs

I recommend running lighter bullets with faster powders in the short barrels. Ex. In the 6.5 PRCs instead of running 147gr or 153gr over H1000, run the Barnes 127 LRX over H4350, H4831sc or RE26.

In the 308, I run the Barnes 130 TTSX. The 300 SAUM runs everything well and still out performs my 24" 30-06.

308 (130 TTSX @ 2750fps)
View attachment 1717943

300 SAUM (130 TTSX @ 3150fps)
View attachment 1717945

6.5 PRC (127 LRX @ 2850fps)
View attachment 1717947

6.5 PRC (127 LRX @ 2890fps)
View attachment 1717949

Which suppressor on the 308?

 

[cem]

The idea is a finished product that is compact, easily fits in or on the pack.

My own choice for easy transport was a Bergstutzen inspired relatively inexpensive o/u double rifle. This was mostly for easy carry in a dry box for rafting, with the possibility for a day pack for rough country. That's for Idaho which may have different needs than Arizona.

That said for literal woods wandering in timber I have a Steyr Scout (.308) and a Dragoon (.376 Steyr) for easy carry when I'm not especially hunting anything. Either is fine for harvesting a known animal from a known location on family property and great for just wandering around against the possibility that something edible or dangerous will present itself. Not ideal for a paid for trophy hunt on unfamiliar land with the chance of a last long shot on the afternoon of the last day.

For actually seriously hunting on less familiar ground I'll take a 26" barrel chambered in a barrel burner with high powered Christmas tree reticule variable power scope. I've found that if I find the length clumsy it's a sign that I'm getting impatient, trying to travel faster not hunting.

 

[Kimber.204]

All of my match rifles run long barrels. I shoot NRA/CMP Highpower so it's either a 20in service rifle or a 26 or 28in bolt gun barrel.

For hunting I've always preferred 24in and have used the standard 22in a lot, both with great success.
This past year, I bought my first AR15 SBR and put a suppressor on it and it is the most fun to shoot of any guns I own. Very accurate and very quiet. I wouldn't hesitate to use it out to 300yards.

I liked that so much that I decided to cut down my 24in 7mm SAUM I had built a few years ago to 18in and run the same suppressor (Huxwrx Flow 7.62) on that gun. Where I hunt in western/central Pennsylvania it's mixed woods and farm land. I've never had opportunity to shoot at a deer more than 300/350 yards away. My goal was to get get .280Rem performance from the shorter SAUM. Well, I got busy and never did any load development - the load that was 3/8" groups with the 24in barrel (and a slower burning powder) was now more of a 1.25" group. I chose my hunting spot accordingly to limit shots. I ended up taking a nice 10-point at about 50 yards. I was so surprised after I shot that there was no echo - no ears ringing. I could still hear birds singing near me, hahaha.

With no load development I was getting 2750fps with a 150gr ELD-X. That is right there with a .280 Rem, and I've never felt under gunned in the deer woods with my .280Rem and a 150/154gr bullet.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't be afraid to try a 16.5in barrel, but I'd want to play with some faster powders in the 18in first. Even if the 16.5in ended being more of 7mm-08 performance - in my area that is still plenty.

 

[AMG04]

Which suppressor on the 308?

I have an old Gemtech Sandstorm thats been retrofitted with the HUB system. On that particular rifle it has a pinned and welded Deadair Keymo 3 port brake with the hub QD adapter.