16” Barrel on a .308

Is a .308 with a 16” barrel braked, too loud to be fun?

  • Way too loud to be fun to shoot at the range.

    Votes: 18 56.3%

  • It’s all good! Just don’t shoot next to someone you like.

    Votes: 8 25.0%

  • I have no idea, but I have to vote if there’s a poll!

    Votes: 6 18.8%
  • Total voters
    32
  • Poll closed .
Interesting, I’d had of thought a shotgun or a good old lever in something like 45-70 or 444 would be the choice for guides way up north where the Browns live. A good shotgun or lever as a rule swings as nice or much nicer than a bolt, and generally speaking takes less practice getting that second shot off on target. Interesting.

If I was shadowing a friend in black bear country, I’m positive I’d be packing my 30-30 over any bolt I had. But then that might be premature, I still don’t have my 16.5” bolt lol.
 
I have a Mossberg MVP in 308 with a 16.5" barrel. It's loud, but not enough louder that I object to it. It is about the same as my 300 mag. I never fire any of them without plug or muffs unless I am hunting.

When hunting I don't cover my ears, but I also don't shoot much. Most times it's one shot per animal. One of he elk I killed I had to shoot 2 times, but that's the only animal shot with this 308 so far that took more then one shot.

I have killed several antelope deer and elk with my MVP and I have no complaints ----- except for the fact that, like Remington, they have a safety that doesn't lock the bolt. 3 times now I have had the bolt come open when I am carrying the gun on the sling and it makes me mad at Mossberg, but I am going to make a locking bar and fit it to the safety, then make a slot on the bolt handle to fix that ill. (Ok...rant over...)

But the short barrel is not a problem to me. The rifles shoot quite well.

It does give up some velocity. No enough to concern me. The old 300 Savage and the 30-40 Krag were both very useful 30 cal rounds for hunting, and the 308 even with a 16" barrel about the same or maybe a smidgen better then either one of them, so I see no room to complain.
If I want more speed from a 30 cal bullet I'll carry a 30-06 with a 22" or 24" barrel, or a 300 mag with a 27" barrel.

But that just me.
Others have other preferences.
 
Folks have different perspectives and opportunities to shoot.

If "going shooting"means going to the local range and typically having someone shooting in the lane next to you,I can understand being low impact,considerate in choosing a rifle configuration.

And if I have a rifle that is loud,I'll take steps to be considerate.

But I generally do not design or conceive a build to be a range toy.I have another use for it.If that includes a 16 in bbl and or a brake,the only ears I'm concerned with are my own. I build the rifle to suit my purpose.

If you want a 16 in .308,do it
 
"Like I said, I don’t want to talk velocities but it seems it’s going to come up in spite of that, so i’ll ask this, “are velocities out of a 20” barrel 308 ok?” Because you’re only losing 100fps between a 20 and a 16 inch barrel."

A 20" barrel is just fine. One time I had to shoot a deer my hunting partner wounded and the shot was at 426 paces when all was done and counted off. Rifle was a Remington 660 .308 Win. with 20" barrel. Load was the 150 gr.Sierra Pro Hunter over a stiff load of H335. It was back in 1973 so no velocity data available. Muzzle blast was very loud and I though recoil was way out of line. Ear plugs made the apparent recoil go away.

Another .308 Rifle I have is a Ruger M77 RSI with 18.5" barrel It took a while to find a load I would accept for hunting but I have taken quite a few deer with it from up close and personal (31 feet) to 250 yards). Velocity with the 165 gr. Speer Hot Core was only 2550 FPS using W760. (Don't ask, it's a long story) That same load does 2610 FPS from a 22" barreled Winchester M70.

Both rifles are very loud so I wear hearing protection with the built in speakers when hunting. I'm almost totally deaf in my right ear and the left ear is about half or more gone in the high frequency range so the muffs are mandatory for me. Nice thing is when it's +4 degrees F. on an elk hunt that keep my ears warm. Not all that bad a trade off. :D

One of these years I'll have to break out that 660 and try the 165 gr. load in it.
Paul B.
 
I have two AR-10s one with a muzzle brake and one without. The one with the brake has a redirector on it that is removable and can push the gas forward when I am shooting at a range with other people nearby to keep them from getting washed in gas (and sound). When shooting rifles larger than .22lr I always use double ear protection.

16" is a great length for 308. The AR10 very accurate out to 600 yards and does well at 800 with drop being noticeable at 400.. After 400 yards ammo selection becomes more critical. Inside 400 it does not seem to matter much.
 
They are loud, but not terribly so. The muzzle brake would make it nasty to sit next to, but then that goes for pretty much any center-fire rifle. Either way, I recommend double ear pro while shooting center-fire rifle.
My 10.3 AR with an A2 flash hider is probably the worst offender I own, definitely worse than the 16in .308 bolt gun.
...but if you can, get a suppressor. They make things much more pleasant.
 
I have a Rem 7400 Carbine (18") in .30-06...

Yeah...It's loud...

Still one of the best brush guns I have ever had...

The short stiff barrel is more accurate than many long barreled bolts I have seen...

No idea how that translates to an AR-10 shorty in .308...
 
Why rob a full power rifle cartridge's velocity like that?

A 16" 308 effectively creates a louder, heavier 7.62x39. Total inefficiency.
 
I wouldn't want to shoot any cartridge with a 16" barrel. To me it would be neither fish or fowl. To long for a handgun and to short for a rifle. There are probly lot's of people that could find a use for one though!
 
I built a FAL from an Imbel parts kit during the '94-'04 AWB. I had the barrel cut down to 17" to make it handier and had a brake silver soldered on. That was a mistake. I hated that brake, especially when firing under a roof at the outdoor range.

For whatever reason and most likely not due to the brake, it wasn't very accurate in that configuration either. It would consistently string about 6-8 MOA vertically.

3449r35.jpg


Eventually, due to another project, I ended up with an spare Austrian STG-58 barrel that was cut down to 18" so I rebuilt the Imbel with that and put a Phoenix flash suppressor on it. Now it is so much more pleasant to shoot and doesn't handle any differently even with the added length. On a side note, it's much more accurate due to a better quality barrel and some tweaks I did to stop the stringing and other minor nagging problems.

28qvo5x.jpg
 
Have a 16 in AR-10 style with muzzle brake. Underneath a shelter it can be truly irritating to someone without adequate ear protection. The concussion is also severe for it's caliber. However it's main purpose is not the sheltered 100 yd line, but out in open at up to 600 yds. The brake is brand specific suppresser adapter, which is main purpose for it. It also works for maintain sight picture after shot releases un suppressed.

While a short 308 can be obnoxious, almost any big bore or larger type magnum can be also. Especially if a shorter barrel. The only place I will leave the firing line due to excessive noise/concussion is an indoor range that allows up to 30-06 rifles.

Anytime I go shooting, electronic or double ear protection is with me. Have never been next to a 50 bmg, our range does not allow them.
 
The concussion is also severe for it's caliber.
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That's something I forgot to mention. If you were standing next to someone shooting my FAL when it had the brake, you could feel a pretty severe pressure wave hitting you. The only other gun I've felt that was worse was an 8" barreled .223 AR pistol with a brake.
 
When shooting rifles larger than .22lr I always use double ear protection.
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I use it 22 or not but next to folks with larger guns.

Been doing that for a long time.

Hearing loss is real pisser, protect it at all costs.

I did for most of my life but period when we did not have it, it was not taught (we did not have bicycle helmets growing up either) , so I am about half gone in my right ear and 30% in the left.

The right is shooting, I think some of it is getting sick over the years, not anything to be done about that part.

You miss a major piece of day to day and even for someone as A Social as I am, its a major loss.
 
jaysouth said:
I hunt with a Remington 7600 Police patrol rifle. It is .308 and has a 16.5" barrel. No pig or deer has ever complained about the noise.

https://www.wolverinesupplies.com/p...emington-7600-police-308-win-165-barrel-black
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A 4-shot pump-action .308 patrol rifle?

Isn't this supposed to have a scope? Just an odd duck. Maybe as a replacement for a 700 Police but I would not want the average street cop with this thing. Not enough capacity and why be limited to a pump?

But as a hunting rifle I'm sure it's excellent.
 
The 7600P has a ghost ring rear sight from Wilson Combat. When you think about it, we do not want viet nam style firefights with AR-15s in our neighborhoods.

If a trained officer can't hit his target with 4 shots, maybe he should have a sling shot.
 
jaysouth said:
The 7600P has a ghost ring rear sight from Wilson Combat. When you think about it, we do not want viet nam style firefights with AR-15s in our neighborhoods.

If a trained officer can't hit his target with 4 shots, maybe he should have a sling shot.
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Wow.

Maybe you should contact almost every police department in the country and tell them AR-15s aren't an appropriate patrol rifle for the threats they face?

Get real.

If anything, the .223 is a far safer cartridge to use in neighborhoods than a .308. I guess you have the "if you can't do it with __ # of shots, you can't do it with anything!" than perhaps you also think they should revert back to six shot .38 special revolvers too?

I'm glad you enjoy your failure of a police rifle.
 
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