shorter barrel accuracy

[Bruce W]

I found it perplexing that I could not sell my 30 major barrel which is a Kreiger 18 twist finished at 18 inches, panda tenon with the muzzle end threaded for an Ezell tuner. It is brand new never fired. Cost for barrel ,chamber, threading,shipping etc would probably be in the conservative range of 700 bucks. I was going to use it on a bench pistol. An 18 inch barrel would certainly be able to be used on a rifle. I'm thinking that fellow shooters may believe a shorter barrel is not accurate. I am posting a pic of a tuner test (3 shot groups ) fired from a pistol platform in 6 ppc lower node of N133 . The numbers below the targets represent the tuner setting I believe I was asking $450 shipped for this barrel. Very cheap for what it is. In summary I just wanted to say short barrels can be accurate. Thanks for allowing me to vent. Bruce

 

[Steve Blair]

There is nothing wrong with a short barrel except somewhat lower muzzle velocity. If a large cartridge is chambered, it may be unpleasant to shoot and have some problems with turbulence due to high muzzle pressure. A short barrel is stiffer than a longer barrel of the same weight. I bought a .308 Win Remington 788 in 1980 that had an 18" barrel. It was deadly accurate, light and very easy to handle. It also left plastic butt plate pattern bruises on my shoulder.

 

[Ned Ludd]

Perhaps the hesitancy for someone to purchase the barrel stemmed from the notion of setting back an already relatively short 18" barrel another inch or more. I have a DTA switch barrel rifle in .308 Win with 16" and 18" barrels. The precision/accuracy is good with both, but as Steve noted, the muzzle blast and recoil took a few trips to the range to get used to.

 

[Bruce W]

30 br, majors have been known for long term accuracy some past 10000 rounds

 

[284winner]

There's a niche market for 18" barrels. It's just a small one

 

[boltfluter]

The 18 twist would stop me more than anything else.

 

[joshb]

I looked at your barrel add with interest. Like Paul stated, the 18 twist was the killer for me, not the length.

 

[uncle fester]

I have seen some persuasive stories that shorter barrels can be more accurate than longer barrels because they are inherently stiffer. Of course, they have lower velocity.

As to OP's barrel, it seems like a niche barrel in a niche caliber at a niche length. Someone wants it, but it is hard to find that person.

 

[Walt Krafft]

The short 30 cal barrels I have done were all for suppressed rifles. The 18 twist is the problem.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

One of the best barrels I've ever had, I set back multiple times. After the last set back it was 18.5 inches long and it won a lot more matches there. It too, was a 30 Major. The 17 or 18 twist is typical for 110-118 gr short range br bullets. It's certainly not a long range bbl but it's amazing how well the small 30's will shoot and they last a long time. I'd say in the range of 6000 plus rounds is the norm, not the exception...and that's for br quality accuracy. If you've never had a 30 Major or 30 BR, you don't know what you're missing. Both are fun and easy to load, tune and shoot. They will put a smile on your face and you can win bets with it to pay for it. Lol! It can be re-contoured for a 30 cal ar15 that smacks hogs and whitetail sized animals like crazy.
If I needed it, I'd buy it myself. The small 30's are a hoot to shoot. Most have never had a gun that will shoot like they will.

 

[jelenko]

Do I have it right that the with the 18 twist you're 'limited' to 115 gr or less bullets?

I did find that Berger has a 115 gr FB bullet - that would be for short range accuracy work, yes?

 

[joshb]

Do I have it right that the with the 18 twist you're 'limited' to 115 gr or less bullets?

I did find that Berger has a 115 gr FB bullet - that would be for short range accuracy work, yes?

As explained to me by Randy Robinette, it’s the length of the bullet that rules. I wanted to shoot some Sierra 125s in my 30br. Years ago, I bought 6000 at a bargain price. My 17 twist barrel wouldn’t stabilize them well because of their length. I was stuck with shooting a shorter custom 118 grain bullet, which were much more expensive. Someone suggested using a Speer TNT. I bought some but haven’t tried them yet.

 

[Bruce W]

For what it’s worth. It is indeed a 17 twist. I purchased it Aug 18 2020 from a member here. Not that it matters.