Short barrel trend

[BryceM]

I like a 22 inch barrel with a thunderbeast ultra 5 suppressor (5 “) for hunting.

For me it's a 21" barrel with a 5" Ultra 5.

 

[Angelo_orygun]

A short barrel rifle has its place, but it doesn’t belong in every place.

 

[Altitude sickness]

an old classic rifle does not look correct without a more traditional length. 24-26”

But an MP5 with a 20” barrel is not beneficial

Everything is negotiable for me and the target and distance dictates the tool.

 

[ZG47]

I don’t understand the recent trend to shorter and shorter rifle barrels. I recently aquired a Howa 1500 in 350 legend with a 16” barrel in a raffle. Now the original short barrel rifle the Mannlicher Schoenauer model 1903 is a beautiful form of the hunkers art. These new half stock short barreled rifles not so much. The shorter barrels do not maximize a cartridges potential and at least for me lessen their pointability making them whippy in the hands. They are handy in a tree stand for sure but I like a bit more barrel for stalking.View attachment 686312

A short barrel is frequently chosen so that the rifle can be mounted transversely on a quad.

 

[HankBuck]

I don’t understand the recent trend to shorter and shorter rifle barrels. I recently aquired a Howa 1500 in 350 legend with a 16” barrel in a raffle. Now the original short barrel rifle the Mannlicher Schoenauer model 1903 is a beautiful form of the hunkers art. These new half stock short barreled rifles not so much. The shorter barrels do not maximize a cartridges potential and at least for me lessen their pointability making them whippy in the hands. They are handy in a tree stand for sure but I like a bit more barrel for stalking.View attachment 686312

@MS 9x56 - like Womens skirts it seems barrel length on shotguns & now rifles is a “trend” with some “facts” built in: Some powders used with certain cartridges Can achieve effective performance in barrels less then 20”-22”, and also need to make room to add the latest & greatest UNneeded accessory “suppressors”. Shotgun barrel lengths make even less sense for 99% of shooters will not shoot any better or worse with 26” out to 32” barrels - but how can you sell more guns without “creating” a need. I admit that I have also fallen for some “fads” and now like a 30”-32” barrel for Sporting Clays…although my scores w/28” barrel are just as good. But, since I’m Not a Master Class shooter (or even “A” class) I might be beyond help….it’s the Indian, Not the arrow.

 

[CamoManJ]

I prefer shorter barrels on my rifles for a couple of reasons. Besides making the rifles nimbler to handle for off hand shooting, traversing thick terrain & wearing a suppressor…short barreled rifles are just bad ass looking, IMHO!

In addition to that, more efficient cartridges of today’s market are conducive for short barreled rifles. I’m a 300 WSM fanatic & my 19” barreled Win M70 suits me perfectly. It’s a hunting gun, @ 5 pounds with scope & loaded it’s a light carrying & short barreled killing machine.

I use suppressors on short barreled rifles for concussion, recoil & barrel rise reduction. Besides, the game don’t seem to run like hell & scatter for dear life after a sonic boom shot.

The exception, for me, are DG rifles…UNsuppressed 100%. But Short!
I run a 19” 458 B&M, it handles and shoots like a dream.

I think I hate long unwieldy barrels!!!!
But I respect those who love them…

To each its own, good times, horns on the wall and game meat in the bbq.

 

[MS 9x56]

I guess I should have clarified my question. Being a still hunter I have always gravitated to carbine sized rifles and barrels18-22” barrels in lever, pump and bolt actions. I really enjoy the Mannlicher style stocks. I found the Howa M1500 16” barrel to be a detriment to quick target acquisition in offhand shooting. Fine in a tree stand but not so much in still hunting. Never thought of suppressor use as they are not legal in my state. I now understand due to the many helpful individuals on this forum. Thank you all for my illumination.

 

[ldmay375]

I don't currently use suppressors. But, I do like 20-22" bolt rifles, and lever guns 16-20".
I have a few 24-26" bolt rifles, but extremely rare for me to use one. Were I a long range shooter, or just wanted the velocity boost, I would use the longer barrels.

 

[noafrica4me]

My 16" STEYR SX 308 has a 1-6 Leupold patrol mounted silencerco scyth.
1000 yard first round impacts with match 185.
So I'll take half that distance with Norma Bondstrikes and be just fine for any hunting shot.

 

[Daisy]

+1. I might buy a suppressor if one plus the tax stamp wasn’t almost the price of a new rifle. However, the two suppressed pistols and one rifle I’ve shot still required me to wear ear plugs, so?

For hunting situations almost no suppressor requires hearing protection.

For practice at range hearing protection still a good thing.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

I have several short barrel hunting rifles. A 16" Winchester model 94 in 44mag. Light and handy and the 44mag has burned all of its powder in the short bbl. On deer it has a near 100% record of 1-shot kills for many years. I have a FN Browning in 308 that I took on Safari last year. It worked great with 180g ammo and took five animals all with 1-shot kills. I have a 20" Ruger 338 RCM. The short mag was designed to be efficient in 20" bbl's. It performs close to a 338 Win Mag but with a 6-8" shorter bbl. Great package for rough country hunting in Griz territory. Finally, I have a 22" long Fierce Firearms CT Edge in 7mm/08. That rifle will accompany me to Africa this year for PG use. This is a Carbon Titanium ultra light weight rifle and I have another in 7mm Mag. I had planned to take the mag to Africa when I bought it but the more I shot the little handy 7mm/08, the more I came to respect its capabilities. I chrono'ed that rifle at 2840fps using the Hornady CX 139g ammo. Compare that to the 7mm Mag with a 26" bbl using the Barnes 160g TTSX is getting only 2870fps. Sure it is a heavier bullet, and it tops 3000fps with a 150g bullet, and can be reloaded to a bit faster than factory, but they generally both result in a full pass thru on most critters when hunting with monolithic copper or bonded lead core ammo. Pretty sure that the animals are not going to know the difference. I like the short handy nature of the short action, short bbl rifles and if you plan to shoot suppressed, that is another bonus.

FN Browning 308 Ultra Light Medallion Grade

Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact Mag 338RCM 20"bbl

338 RCM vs 7mm Rem Mag

FF CT Edge 7mm/08 w/22" Carbon bbl​