[uncle buck]

Does barrel length impact rate of twist and the accuracy of a custom Encore rifle barrel?... I like the shorter 24 inch Encore barrels for hunting...However it would be nice to have let say a 20 inch 17 fireball barrel in the standard barrel. However I would not want to impact the 250 yards accuracy that 17 center fires are capable of shooting by going to a shorter barrel...
Is there some kind of formula that takes into consideration rate of twist of a caliber and the length of the barrel?

 

[sawdust82]

the gurus say length isnt supposed to effect accuracy as much as other factors. however for every inch below 24'' velocity is supposed to drop 100 fps per inch.. i have a heavy contor 30-06 barrel thats 16'' with a 2.5'' muzzlebreak attached and i get 1.5'' groups at 200 yards with factory ammo.. my 2 cents..

 

[DCabets28]

I like the 24in taper barrels-------They are short and light for walking in the bush.JMHO

Dave

 

[uncle buck]

the gurus say length isnt supposed to effect accuracy as much as other factors. however for every inch below 24'' velocity is supposed to drop 100 fps per inch.. i have a heavy contor 30-06 barrel thats 16'' with a 2.5'' muzzlebreak attached and i get 1.5'' groups at 200 yards with factory ammo.. my 2 cents..

100 FPS loss per inch? why that would turn that 17 fireball into a 17 HMR?

 

[uncle buck]

I like the 24in taper barrels-------They are short and light for walking in the bush.JMHO

Dave

Me too....I like the 24 incher better then the 26 incher for deer hunting...Not to bad for chuck hunting...However you put a 26-28 on your shoulder and try to carry all that other equipment and the gun fights you going from point A to point B. Now if you should be carrying a shotgun into the house after on the other shoulder...It really fights you....
Me thinks if I do get a custom 17 Fireball made I will keep it at 24 inches. I like that barrel length and for coyote and fox hunting that would be just right!!!!


However now if I was going to get a nice little 35 Rem made..Now I just might make that a 20 incher..
Since that what Marlin does provide the Model 336 35 Rem in. LOL LOL
Maybe that is what people should do...Compare some of the other gun mfg gun models and see what barrel length they offer the particular caliber in??? Maybe if the barrel length is good for Remington SPS, VS-SF, and VTR 17 Fireball it good for the custom Encore too???? the barrel lengths for this caliber made by Rem run in 22, 24, and 26 inch configurations....
So maybe just maybe an Encore barrel in the 22 inch length would be just right!!!!

 

[Harrysigafoo]

Rate of twist is not effected by the barrel length.

Short heavy barrels are generally more accurate than longer barrels, check out the bench rest guys. the short barrel has less severe barrel vibration.

Loss of velocity is about 20-30 Fps for each inch between 20 and 26 inches for medium and small cartridge. The 17 fireball will not lose noticable velocity in a 20 vs a 24 inch tube.

 

[DaveT]

I put together a 17 Fireball on a Stevens 200 action this past summer. I wanted a bolt action with the ability to chamber a second or third round quickly.

I purchased a CZ .221 detachable mag and made it work in the Stevens stock.

The barrel is a Shilen 23" and it is as accurate as can be.

The 17 Fireball is easy to reload as well. My reloads of 25gr. Berger's chrony at an average of 3,691 fps from the Shilen barrel.

I can tell you at those speeds they whack the snot out of groundhogs and crows. Long shots on windy days can be an issue....but for no fur damage, they are the best!!

Dave

 

[flyfishr]

Interesting and timely topic...

Last year i had my 28" pro hunter .243 barrel cut and recrowned to 24". Much better handling and looking.

This past year i got a used 26" heavy .7mm Rem Mag for my brother in law to borrow my encore for a colorado trip... The 26" BBL seems to be a bit unwieldly IMO, and i am considering having it cut to 24" as well.

I really have no reason to keep the 7mm barrel as i have a ruger m77-II chambered in it thats my go-to, but having the 24" encore barrel might make for a nice "pack gun."

 

[DaveT]

I also have a Contender .223 with a factory rifle barrel that's 23" long. It's a real accurate gun with my handloads shootin Hornady V-max over BL-C2.

The 23" barrel and the single shot (with no additional length because of a bolt) makes for a nice carry package afield. The longest groundhog kill I've had with this one was 330 yards. The best part was....it was on my gun clubs rifle range!!!

Dave

 

[uncle buck]

What I like even about a T/C non custom 22 center fire barrel is that the 22250...The rate of twist is 1-12 and not 1-14..
Might be nice to have a custom 223 barrel made with a rate of twist of 1-9. You could use the 60 + grain deer bullets in it...

 

[uncle buck]

Truly if you are having a custom barrel made. Sit down and think about the barrel length...I have a 26 inch bull barrel 17 REM CF. Wow what a chuck gun...However wish it was a bit smaller for hunting fox and coyotes. So if I was going to get a 17 fireball made for me I would get it with 20-22 inch barrel because of the amount of fox and coyotes I hunt.
to bad those fox and Pa coyotes don't hang around longer like chucks...Sometimes the shooting is fast... seconds at a time...big varmint barrels tend to be clumsy when setting up for a quick shot..

 

[tcencoreboom]

Do you guys really think 2 inch difference on barrel length going to make that much better handling or shooting? As for velocity, this increased in barrel length. I have 28" 308 barrel shoots way tighter groups than standard 22" bolt gun. Now we are talking about 4 inches. I think encore frame is built short to complement a long barrel. I have no problem carrying my 28" barrel, still comes out shorter and lighter than standard bolt.

 

[DCabets28]

TC
With the type of hunting I do 4 inches makes a world of difference!! The swamps and thickets we drive makes a 24in barreled Encore too long sometimes!!

Besides it is easier to use in a tree stand also.
It always comes down to what YOU like-thank God for the custom shop!!

JMHO
Dave

 

[bob46]

I had 308 Win. barrel cut to 18" and a muzzlebrake installed by a gentleman in the Bedford area and it shoots excellent but is a little louder with the brake installed.very easy to carry though,just my .02

 

[ConfusiousSays]

I can print cloverleafs with my 308 at 100 yards. 13" barrel on a striker platform with only a 4 power scope.

 

[HOGGHEAD]

First off you are not going to loose 100 fps for every inch you cut off the barrel. I have seen it between 0 and 40 or so feet per inch. It really depends on the cartridge and the powder used. Some powders get the bullet up to speed pretty fast, and some don't. Also the velocity lost depends on how fast of a bullet you are shooting.

Now onto accuracy. All thing being equal a shorter barrel will be more accurate-not less.

If you are a hunter then I believe barrel length is very important. That is the real advantage of the encore. The Encore with a short barrel is truly a fast handling rifle. Personally I would go with a 24" barrel for the cartridge you are talking about. However I would not even think twice about chopping it to 20" if you are in tight spots. that would be a real dandy handling rifle. Tom.

 

[jon8777]

Varmint Al and Rimfire Central use to have charts on brl length/diameter vs brl strength. If memory serves me right you gain 5-15% more strength (less brl vibration) for every inch you cut off.

My old 22-250, 15", 2-7x32 scoped Encore shot just as tight of groups as I can shoot with my 26", .223, 10x40 scoped encore at 200 yards.

IMO brl length/diameter is personally preference, buy what you think is the correct gun weight and length for where you are hunting. I like gun to weigh a ton so it will offset recoil and to have more solid feeling setup.

 

[tcprohunter]

I have a 28 inch barrel on my pro hunter in .243 and I handload 55 grainers for it. I can touch all three at 100 yards...all day long. 1/10 twist I like the longer barrels, although mine is for woodchuckin as of now.

 

[6.5 Bandit]

I have a 7mm08 in a 15" bbl.. shooting 139grainers i reach speeds right around 2600... As far as accuracy goes it shoots excellent.. I have shot steel rams and broke a few claybirds @ 400yds with it.. A few years back a friend of mine tried to tell me that it wouldnt make it 2 1k.. Well it just so happened when i was up shooting a 1k match i brought it along.. After the match I decieded to make a bet with him that I could hit the 1000yd bank with it.. he said its on.. I picked a claybird out on the bank and had him watch it.. I knew it would have no trouble making the trip but was unsure how much drop it would have.. So I put the crosshairs on the claybird and raised the bbl up so i was looking about 3/4 of the way up the tree behind the bank.. I let her rib and honest to god the bullet landed 4' to left of the claybird.. he said to me holly smokes(not really) he used a different word I cant believe it made it and almost broke the bird how did you do it??? I just smiled and said I'm good thats how lololl!!! never did tell him it was luck that i got that close to it on the first shot!!!!