Barrel advice

[maximus83]

I have a Rem 700 SPS varmint in .308 with a LH action. It was one of the few Rem 700's I could find stock with a LH action and took me a while to find one. For now I'm going to just shoot with it and not get carried away upgrading everything. The one thing I am considering fairly soon is a barrel upgrade because the length (26") makes it pretty hefty and awkward, plus I want to add a supressor. Of course I could just get the factory barrel cut down and threaded , so that's an option too.

Any suggestions for a stainless heavy barrel I should consider with a length of 18" to 20", say a twist of 1:10, and possibly even pre-threaded? I see that AAC has an 18" barrel for Rem 700's that is close to this profile, but I noticed the twist is 1:8 which sounds a bit unfamiliar for a .308 (they say it's for "super or subsonic use" and shooting suppressed, but I don't know if that will affect the perf of standard ammo). Plus I don't know if these AAC barrels have been widely used yet.

[AR15barrels]

I would not bet on a pre-fitted barrel actually fitting.
700's usually get barrels fitted specific to the action.
If you are actually gonna rebarrel, might as well true the action while it's apart.

If you are not gonna true it, just shorten the factory barrel until you are ready for the full rebuild.

[orkan]

1:8 is for shooting 220SMK's subsonic. Few things are more fun to do when suppressed. They run full speed 175SMK just fine as well.

Just remember, going from 26" to 18 will seriously reduce the effective range of your rifle.

[maximus83]

Makes sense about truing the action with an aftermarket barrel. May be better to just cut the factory one down to 20 for now and shoot the heck out of it.

Orkan, on the subject of barrel length and velocity, I'd also be interested to hear your thoughts on this article about shorter-barreled rifles (which I'm sure you've seen before if not at least heard the debate).

http://www.tacticaloperations.com/SWATbarrel/

[AR15barrels]

Short barrels are fine if you are shooting "area" targets, but if you actually want to hit within a couple inches of where you are aiming at say 900yds, you want to keep the barrel as long as possible for the added velocity.
You can heave rocks 1000yds if you have z big enough slingshot, but good luck hitting exactly where you are aiming.
It's so funny that people make such a big deal about having a short barrel.
Are you really gonna jump out of a helicopter and parachute into your shooting spot?
If you are like most people, you are gonna park your truck within a few hundred yards if your firing position.
In that case, the length of the barrel makes no difference to manuverabity, but huge differences to your wind calls...

[orkan]

Maximus, I've shot thousands of rounds out of an 18" 308. Contrary to most that advocate them, I'm fully aware of their benefits as well as their shortcomings.

As Randall said... barrel length is king when trying to hit your target. If I've got a 6" target at 800yds, I would much rather have a 26" 308 than an 18" 308. The difference comes in the form of being forced to read the wind to within 1/2 mph, or being able to read it to 2mph. It's a pretty important factor.

They aren't without their benefits though. My 18" 308 was a Krieger #17 heavy varmint contour. Think truck axle. It was the most forgiving barrel I've ever shot. I did a ladder test from 42gr of varget up to 45.5gr with 175SMK's at 300yds. All shots landed INSIDE a 3" paster. That kind of predictability is pretty damn awesome. I could be a full 3 grains off on powder charge and still hit within 1/2 moa of POA. I won a couple competitions with it... shooting against guys with much hotter cartridges. The wins were squeaked out, and I had to work my ass off being on my A+ game the entire time. Conversely, if I'd have been shooting a 26" 6.5 creedmoor or 7wsm... I would have crushed the closest competitor instead of squeaked by.

Also, it would be good for you to remember that a typical police sniper (SWAT) shot is at an average distance of 60-90yds. In that capacity, an 18" 308 would be my number one choice. You can achieve bullet-on-top-of-bullet accuracy with a 308 in that configuration easier than anything I have ever used.

Let me put it another way. Find the best long range shooter in the entire world. Give him an 1/4 moa capable 18" 308. Put a 12" target at 1000yds. Introduce a 10mph wind. Give me my DTA SRS with 26" 7WSM conversion, and I will kick the crap out of that guy 9 times out of 10. ... and I'm not even close to the best shooter in the world.

There is no fighting ballistics, and in the world of long distance shooting, an 18" 308 is not, was not, and never will be a serious competitor past 500yds.

[orkan]

In that case, the length of the barrel makes no difference to manuverabity

If you add a suppressor it sure as hell does.

Hence why I believe in the DTA platform so completely. It truly is the only available solution to the problem of barrel length and maneuverability. I played the short barrel games... based largely on recommendations from a certain other individual on a certain other forum whom I didn't learn until later really shouldn't be listened to.

The DTA SRS was the solution to my problem of suppressed maneuverability... and I'm certain it will be the solution for many others as well.

[maximus83]

I hear you both on the trade-offs. I have a semi-custom .308 with a 24" 1:10 barrel that I shoot for LR. For this rifle, I want it to fill a "light precision" multi-use role including range shooting (up to intermediate distances), deer hunting, and shooting suppressed. For the hunting and suppressed applications, being light and compact is a convenience not a strict necessity.

What makes me hesitate is that with 18" barrels you've seen a big drop-off in your effectiveness beyond 500y. I figured I'd give up some velocity and ability to get precise hits at longer ranges, but I was hoping the short barrel could do a little better than that when I want to. Guess I'll need to rethink the barrel length.

[orkan]

You need to look past the 308 if you want to get a truly versatile hunting/long range rifle. 6.5 creedmoor would be a fantastic choice. I have no experience with them in 18" configuration, but I bet you wouldn't have to look too far to see someone that's done it. I can't imagine the performance hit is quite as severe in a short barrel as it is with a 308.

Heavy bullets and a 308 are a poor hunting combination. The 150's are a lot better at putting the smack on deer. You can't get a light bullet to run fast enough out of a 18" barrel to be much of anything. About 2700fps is the best I ever ran a 150 out of a 20" tube. That's a pooch of a load.

If looking for something more commercially available... don't discount a 25-06. GREAT deer cartridge. Again, I've no experience with it out of an 18" tube though.

[Dirk Williams]

Off the wall but my gem tech suppressor says shooting bigger boat tail rounds thru it will void the warrantee. Says they yaw quicker then other rounds in some instance they start to yaw as they exit the barrel and enter the suppressor tube.

I'm shooting 168s with 44.5 grains of varget SBTHP. No problems so far, but I haven't shot this one suppressed much yet.

DW