Is a 24 inch barrel too long for a 44?

B

Boogershooter

New member
My buddy is wanting to get rid of his 92 in 44 mag with 24 inch Oct barrel. Is the 24 inch barrel too long for the 44 mag? I understand that a short barrel will decrease velocity in certain cartridges but 24 inches sounds pretty long for the 44 mag. Anybody have real world experience with the long barrels? No I do not reload and this will probably end up as a saddle gun for one of my kids.
 
My opinion is 24" is unnecessarily long and the only advantage is sight separation. 16-18" should be adequate to burn the amount/type of powder used in 44 mag ammo.
 
I believe you'll find that faster burning powders like 231, will deliver their maximum velocity before the bullet gets to the end of that 24" barrel. On the other hand, the slower burning powders like 296 and 4227 Will continue to add velocity throughout the length of your barrel.
 
One thing not mentioned, it will be pleasant to shoot, not as much muzzle blast as a shorter barrel, if that's of any concern. It is to me. I like pleasant, and dislike sharper muzzle blast if given a choice.

Longer barrel on most lever guns equals more rounds in magazine.

Shooting 44 spl level loads will be like an overgrown 22.


I believe you'll find that faster burning powders like 231, will deliver their maximum velocity before the bullet gets to the end of that 24" barrel. On the other hand, the slower burning powders like 296 and 4227 Will continue to add velocity throughout the length of your barrel.
Click to expand...

He said he doesn't reload.
 
Right you are Malamute. However, factory loaded 44 Magnum ammo is generally loaded for higher velocity that can only be achieved with a fairly large charge of slower burning powder. Thus, a 24" barreled 44 Magnum can be expected to deliver higher velocity than one with a 20" barrel. Keep everything else the same, but change the caliber to 45 Colt, then perhaps the shorter barrel may give higher velocity in typical factory loads. Chance out the ammo to Buffalo Bore or similar and loads and the 45 Colt will also shoot faster in the longer barrel.
 
Pathfinder I have several reloading friends that say buy this brand and load of commercial ammo because they use such and such powder and such and such brass. I give them all my brass and always figured they told me to buy it for the brass. I've never seen where any ammo manufacturer gave their powder load info. Am I just a dummy and missing the info or do they have some loading book or website that tells them what powders the ammo manufacturers are using?
 
Another subtle factor that barrel length introduces is the balance of the piece. If you like a more muzzle heavy firearm then a longer barrel will affect that. :)
 
24" isn't too long. While you might not get maximum velocity out of factory ammo with a 24" barrel, animals won't notice and it will be easier to shoot because of the longer sight radius and less recoil.

The recoil will be less not only because of of the added mass of the longer barrel, but because less energy will be put into the rifle because when the bullet exits the muzzle, the gas behind the bullet is already at a lower pressure. Lower pressure means lower velocity of escaping gas means lower recoil from the gas portion. This is a good thing in my opinion as it also reduces the total decibel level of a shot, although you would need instrumentation to tell the difference.

Now 24 inches might not be the most handy option for a saddle carbine, but it should be handy enough, and if you really want it shorter that's an option too. If I had the opportunity to pick up a 24" octagon barreled 44 mag 92 carbine for a reasonable price, I'd do it.

Hope this helps.
Jimro
 
I will say that a 24" is a excellent shooter, does not give as much bark and the additional weight tames some of the rise. I do perfer my Marlin 1894 45C Cowboy but would not pass up the chance to get a good 44 in the same setup. I take out my Marlin 336 44mag and it reminds me why I like the longer barrels VS a carbine. So how much is your friend offering you the rifle for?
 
$350. Hes been unemployed for a couple and he doesn't shoot the rifle much. I figured if I buy it he will have the option to have it back if he changes his mind. If he doesn't after a year or so this rifle will fit into my eldest sons saddle scabbard. I've always preferred longer barrels for them shooting off of horses. He's been carrying the repro Quigley. This is a much cheaper gun if his horse should ever fall or he drop it.
 
I believe you'll find that faster burning powders like 231, will deliver their maximum velocity before the bullet gets to the end of that 24" barrel. On the other hand, the slower burning powders like 296 and 4227 Will continue to add velocity throughout the length of your barrel.
Click to expand...

Even though he doesn't re load powder choice and barrel length are irrelevant. The powder that delivers the best speed from an 18" barrel will also be the fastest powder in a 24" barrel.

I wouldn't want a 44 with a 24" barrel. But there is nothing wrong with it if you like it.
 
Unfortunately they starting cutting down an 18" bbl, not a 24", but this might help some:

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/44mag.html

As mentioned, the upsides are
1. Longer sight radius
2. Less Recoil
3. More velocity (but only the tiniest bit - not really worth mentioning)
4. More magazine capacity - if the tube mag runs all the way to the end
5. Nostalgia: More true to the historical old west, espec. with octagonal bbl (but would be even more so in .44-40 etc.)
6. Steadies better in wind shooting offhand (better offhand practical accuracy)

The downsides are:
1. Not as light (big one for me)
2. Not as handy

Only you can decide which outweighs the other, depending on your use. I like to think of all my guns being actual field use potentially (whether SHTF or hunting), so I would prefer a 16" or 18" in .44 mag myself, but nothing wrong with it.
 
Well it's helping a friend out, it's a good price, and I'm a fan of longer barrels for firing from horseback. And I get my sharps back. I just didn't know if the longer barrel would slow the bullet down. There comes a point in everything where a Lil more is too much. A few years ago when our primitive weapon season had to be a true muzzleloader I tested the two I owned. Both were rated for 150 grains of pyrodex but the old chronograph showed that anything past 120 grains was just wasting powder. No gain except in muzzle blast.
 
A quick "back of the eyelid" calculation says that minimum legal barrel length (16") would be good enough.

Unlicensed Dremel's link to BBtI supports my assumption.


So... I'd would most definitely say, yes, a 24" barrel is too long.
If it were me, I'd chop that sucker as short as possible without completely ruining the looks of the rifle. If it has a full-length or 3/4-length magazine tube, that would mean 16.25", since I can chop the mag tube to match, without complication.
 
A mans rifle is a mans rifle and he can do what he wants with it, but I don't recommend chopping the barrel down, at least not right away.

BBtI's data for 18" barrels doesn't refute the 20" and 22" barrel data other folks have posted elsewhere on the net. Some 240gr 44 Mag loadings are still gaining velocity from a 22" over a 20" barrel with some loads tested.

Not every load is going to peak out at the same barrel length, so I wouldn't chop down the a 24" barrel until I confirmed that it was negatively impacting performance in a manner that I actually cared about.

Remember that a 44 Magnum is going to be tossing that 240gr bullet 1,600 to 1700 fps (or more, depends on load) from a 20 to 24" barrel. That advantage gained from shortening the barrel is going to be meaningless. No animal is going to tell the difference from 50 fps gained.

In my opinion, the lower recoil, noise and better off hand balance is better for horseback. If it were for hunting in thick brush, I'd say shorten that barrel down to legal minimum.

Jimro
 
Back in the day, (80s) I had a Win 94 in 30 30 with a heavy 24" octagon barrel. It was a joy to shoot with open sights. I loved the way it felt shooting offhand. It was one of a two gun collector set with a mate that was one serial number different, identical except a 20" barrel. I held them and shot them both and to my preferences, greatly preferred the rifle over the carbine.

I remember "wasting" a whole box of ammo one day, punching holes in a six inch circle spray painted on a 55 gallon drum. That was fun stuff... I wish I could still shoot irons like I did then.
 
BBtI's data for 18" barrels doesn't refute the 20" and 22" barrel data other folks have posted elsewhere on the net. Some 240gr 44 Mag loadings are still gaining velocity from a 22" over a 20" barrel with some loads tested.
Click to expand...
Comparing a 20" rifle to a completely different 24" rifle, to a completely different 18" rifle will get you nowhere. Every barrel is an island. We discuss that daily on this forum.

Even so...
The advantage gained from keeping the 24" barrel is negligible.
No animal is going to tell the difference from 50 fps lost. (See what I did there? ;))


If a 24" barrel makes sense where you hunt, then have at it.
For where and what I hunt, the only time a .44 Mag rifle makes sense is when it's light and very compact (18" or shorter barrel).
If ~1,600 fps with 240 grains of lead, isn't good enough, then I shouldn't be asking .44 Mag to do the job, anyway.


And that's not even taking into account the fact that I have two .444 Marlins sitting here, as well. One of them, gun gods forbid(!), even has a 19" barrel that keeps the cartridge from attaining max velocity! :eek:
(2,300 fps vs 2,400 fps, but 5 inches shorter and a little lighter? Yep, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.)
 
Comparing a 20" rifle to a completely different 24" rifle, to a completely different 18" rifle will get you nowhere. Every barrel is an island. We discuss that daily on this forum.
Click to expand...

If you'd bother to read the rest of my post you'd see that I advise actually testing some actual loads in the actual rifle.

See what I did there? ;)

Until you pull the trigger for real, it's all academic. It makes sense to get some real data to work with.

Jimro
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top