30-06 barrel length

[CA48]

I’ve taken my suppressor off at night and shot loads with h4350 and there’s almost no flash in the 16” Switch to h1000 and there was a pretty good fireball. But h1000 is to slow for this cartridge and doesn’t give good velocitys

 

[FNSafari]

I stumbled across some chatter on cutting down a 30-06 barrel.
No one seem to agree on much as i did more searching, it only revealed more questions.
What is the shortest you can have a 30-06 barrel and still have all the powder burn?
Can ya go 18-20" on barrel lenth?
And if you were going to cut down a 30-06 barrel that short, wouldnt it make more sense to switch to 308win ?
Seems to me the 308win would stomp on a 18 or 20" 30-06 barrel with efficiency ..i could also see that short barrel being a flamethrower probably set the lawn on fire every time you shoot it right!..hahaha..bunch of burning powder particles rolling out of the barrel hahaha...thats what i envision in my head anyway..
I found the concept worth talking about.
Thanks

Depends on the powder. Look for safe loads that use the fastest burn rate powder and go from there.

 

[kevinbritvec]

I stumbled across some chatter on cutting down a 30-06 barrel.
No one seem to agree on much as i did more searching, it only revealed more questions.
What is the shortest you can have a 30-06 barrel and still have all the powder burn?
Can ya go 18-20" on barrel lenth?
And if you were going to cut down a 30-06 barrel that short, wouldnt it make more sense to switch to 308win ?
Seems to me the 308win would stomp on a 18 or 20" 30-06 barrel with efficiency ..i could also see that short barrel being a flamethrower probably set the lawn on fire every time you shoot it right!..hahaha..bunch of burning powder particles rolling out of the barrel hahaha...thats what i envision in my head anyway..
I found the concept worth talking about.
Thanks

IMO, hunting rounds should have full length barrels. I'm weird like that.

I even prefer 18" to 20" barrels on AR's.

 

[searcher]

Seems there are a lot of manufacturers coming out with much shorter barrels which make for better handling with cans on them. Seems like I've seen a lot of 20" barrels, though not sure about 30-06. If you don't mind the velocity loss and a bit more muzzle rise and recoil, (without a can) why not?

 

[joshb]

I have never understood this thought process. Guys want the bigger faster cartridges for the extra oomph on target, then cut them off at the knees with a shorter barrel. It makes no sense!

 

[TC260]

I have never understood this thought process. Guys want the bigger faster cartridges for the extra oomph on target, then cut them off at the knees with a shorter barrel. It makes no sense!

It's just a matter of perspective. You're not throwing 30" barrels or your hunting rifles to gain FPS. You'd rather cut them off at the knees with a 24" barrel because the extra FPS isn't worth the added weight and hassle. Same reason I use 18" barrels hunting in the swamp, the extra length and weight isn't worth the gain in FPS. We're just drawing the line of what we're willing to trade off in different places.

 

[David Milisock]

I have never understood this thought process. Guys want the bigger faster cartridges for the extra oomph on target, then cut them off at the knees with a shorter barrel. It makes no sense!

In my opinion a custom 30-06 for me would have a 26" tube and a custom load and I wouldn't have a 30 magnum.

 

[Gary in MD]

I have never understood this thought process. Guys want the bigger faster cartridges for the extra oomph on target, then cut them off at the knees with a shorter barrel. It makes no sense!

I’ve been saying the same thing for years. It’s like ordering a sports car with the V8 performance motor option and then unplugging two spark plug wires!
24” barrel in my custom ‘ought six

 

[TC260]

Different types of hunters I suppose. Y'all can't imagine losing some velocity. When the miles add up I can't imagine wanting to the carry the extra weight. In the end all that matters is we have the freedom to choose.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

In my opinion a custom 30-06 for me would have a 26" tube and a custom load and I wouldn't have a 30 magnum.

What powder do you have in mind for that longer barrel setup? Sounds interesting.

 

[David Milisock]

What powder do you have in mind for that longer barrel setup? Sounds interesting.

Depending on the bullet weight and use. I'll do some research and post back. A lighter weight like 168 used for longer distances would require a different powder than a 190+ grain for elk and bear. In the past I've done well with the lighter weights with a burn rate around Winchester 760.

The other issue is deciding how to cut the throat.

 

[Syncrowave]

In my opinion a custom 30-06 for me would have a 26" tube and a custom load and I wouldn't have a 30 magnum.

And then there are those of us who want the 30 magnum with the 26" tube. As Nigel said, "Ours go to eleven." ;-)

 

[Rat44]

I dont have the numbers handy any more but when I cut my barrel I believe the short barrel '06 was ballistically equal to a long barreled 308.
And the 308 is still a very capable round for anything I would hunt for in the lower 48 .

 

[Bamban]

Here’s some handloads for my 16” 30/06

Rem brass
215 berger
2550 with rl17 or rl26
2420 with h4350

RWS brass
185 juggs
2630 with h4350

Rem brass
125 TMKs
3200

Thank you for sharing.

The 2550 with RL17 is about right for 16 inch barrel. My 28 inch skinny KBI with 4-port Salmon River Solutions Ti-Pro launches 215 Hybrids around 2840. Rifle weighs less than 11 pounds with Trijicon Tenmile. I can interchange RL17 and N560 for the combined precision and velocity.




For reference, one of my buddies 20 inch 300WM runs 215s at 2850. Another guy runs the same bullet from his 18 inch 30N at 2750. The latter double duty as flame thrower.