16" to 18" barreled 7-08?

L

lefteyedom

New member
Does anyone here have such a beast?

What type of MV are you getting with this short of a barrel with 120 or 140 grain bullets?

I am thinking of shorting my old Savage 110j new 7-08 barrel from 22" down 16 1/4"
Just want a short, fast handling truck gun.:D
 
I have three 7mm08 rifles(20",22", and 24"). The hunting loads I use are 140 grain handloads that I've chronoed at 2925 fps in the 22" and 2800fps in the 20". Not a fair comparison since no two barrels will give identical results even with similar barrel lengths but it gives some idea as to the velocity difference between the 20 and 22".
 
What comes to mind right off is "LOUD!"

I guess one of my best truck guns is my .243 Sako carbine. 19" barrel. Works okay in the cab of an old Toyota PU. No trouble for handiness with a Mini or a 20" AR, for that matter.

I will say that the Sako lights up the night sky quite nicely. :D
 
I don't have a 7mm-08 but i do have an 18" .243 and it's both loud and breaths fire lol. Running 105gr Berger VLDs at 2700fps (max load). Has a bit of a muzzle flash ;)

Most people go .308 for 16-18" rigs because the higher the overbore ratio on the case, the more hit you're going to take for chopping the barrel short.
 
some numbers...

Thanks Tom, !

Nosler's site shows

From a 14" pistol barrel
120 grain bullet, 2500 fps
140 grain bullet, 2400 fps

From a 26" rifle barrel
120 grain bullet 3000fps
140 grain bullet 2800 fps

My guess would be about 100 fps faster firing from a 16 1/2 barrel than a 14.

Using Hornady Ballistic Calculator

120 grain Muzzle 2600 fps 1801ft-lb at 400 yards 1828 fps and 890 ft-lbs
140 grain Muzzle 2500 fps 1943ft-lb at 400 yard 1807 fps and 1015 ft-lb


So it would be fair to say that a 16 1/2 barreled 7-08 shooting a 140 grain bullet would be an ethical 400 yards deer rifle?
 
It should be very capable of taking a deer at 400 if you are comfortable shooting the rifle at those distances.
 
Velocity isn't the issue. Yes you will lose some, but will still have plenty to get the job done. Personal preference, but 20" is about as short as I want to go mainly because of muzzle blast and how it effects the guns balance and handling. Be different, cut it at 19" or 17"
 
Here's some data from the latest HORNADAY MANUAL, these are for the TC Encore with a 15" barrel. 120 grain bullet max velocity 2700fps. With there 139 grain bullet, max velocity 2600fps. With a 154 grain bullet, 2400fps. And with a 162 grain bullet 2400fps. These are with MAXIMUN LOADS.
 
My project gun for the year is a 700 SPS Varmint in 7mm08. Factory barrel length is 26". Right now it is at the Gunsmiths' shop being cut down to 20". I considered 18" and marked the barrel at both lengths, asked the same questions down in the Smithy and Loading forums too. 20" is plenty short to be maneuverable in the stands that I hunt or for most instances IMO. Plus I felt like the balance would be a little better than the 18".

I have the same gun where I kept the 26" length and it'll flat out shoot. It's just long for a tight stand and unwieldy when trying to get on those animals that don't cooperate, hence version 2. Weight doesn't matter that much to me since our style of hunting is mostly stands and blinds and I like a thicker profile barrel. I have a similar set-up to the build in a .308 Savage 10 PC, just don't like the .308 as much as the 7mm08 for deer hunting in my area.

Good luck on the decision, post up some numbers when you decide what to do. I'd be interested to see what performance was like since I could always cut down again.

I think I'm going to have a lot of fun experimenting with different loads and bullet weights on this one. Hopefully the current load will shoot well in it too because it is absolutely devastating on deer.
 
On a typical cold December day in PA deer season I figure another 60-70 fps less for below freezing temps. Another thing I like about Nosler's data is the * denoting most accurate load gives a good clue which powders don't like being maxed out in a short barrel. Nosler's min vel recommendation of 1800fps is just comming into play near 400.
 
The short 16" barrel is driven by the plan to put a suppressor for next years hunting season. Wyoming is very likely to legalize the use of suppressors for hunting during the next legislature session.

The suppressor will be about 9", added that to a 16 barrel, minus 1" for mounting threads the overall length would be the same as 24" barrel rifle. +or-and inch.

The resulting rifle suppressor combo would be about 45" long, the same size as my 300 win mag with a 24" barrel. These is about as long of a rifle as I like to carry in the field/woods.

I should get some extra bullet speed from the suppressor but it is wise to factor what the rifles performance would be with out the it.
 
Unfortunately, the logic eludes me.
Yes, a 20" 7mm08 using H414 creates a large fireball in the dusk and it's bark is "noticeable".
 
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