26" barrel important?

[roysclockgun]

My in laws lived at 1055 Kepler Rd since 1959. The house is now owned by my sister in law. I am only a few blocks off of Kepler Rd. Small world.
The cover where I saw mule deer at 10,000 was open parks, borderd by aspen and dark forest. They moved lower quickly during the snow. While I still found many elk tracks in the snow, there were few deer tracks after the first day of snow.

 

[cal sibley]

I like a 26" barrel in my varmint rifles for long range woodchuck shooting,
but wouldn't want a barrel that long for big game as it will probably just get in the way. Just one mans opiion. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

 

[live to shoot]

I like long bull barrels, not for the velocity but for the weight. It seems to me that the less recoil a gun has, the better I can shoot it. My 7 mag with scope and all weighs about 8 1/2 lbs, I wish it weighed 10 or more. Its a great rifle, but if you are going to be serious about hunting with it, you need to practice with it often. recoil is the main reason why every one doesn't practice like they should. Gun weight is the only shure way to reduce recoil, less recoil equates to a better shooting form and smaller group size.

 

[roysclockgun]

live to shoot did write : "Gun weight is the only shure way to reduce recoil, less recoil equates to a better shooting form and smaller group size."

I disagree. The only rifle that I ever owned that I felt needed a muzzle brake was in 300RUM. Muzzle brakes do work and will help in allowing a lot of range work without developing a flinch. I have seen hunters with muzzle brakes on a .270Win. I say, what the heck, if they feel more comfortable with the muzzle brake, go ahead and hang it on there!
The older one gets, the more one appreciates a light weight rifle. Lugging around a heavy rifle just to reduce perceived recoil is not the way to go if you intend to hunt hard all day long, especially at high altitudes. If the "kick" bothers you, get a muzzle brake and practice with a lot of ear protection. On game, the extra muzzle blast is never noted.

 

[Guy Miner]

Although I've enjoyed shooting and hunting with a lot of different rifles over the years, with barrels from 18" - 26" for hunting, and up to 30" for targets... I'm sure I could have killed all my big game with my old 21" barreled .30-06 rifle and fixed 4x scope. The other rifles have been a hoot, but the old .30-06 could have handled almost any hunting situation presented over the years.

Now and again, with a hot-rod rifle/cartridge/scope I've sought out some tougher shooting challenges. I do like the way the high-intensity cartridges pick up some good velocity with the longer barrels though.

Regards, Guy

 

[roysclockgun]

Guy Miner did write: "..... I'm sure I could have killed all my big game with my old 21" barreled .30-06 rifle and fixed 4x scope"

I'm sure that I cannot say the same. On bull elk, pronghorn and mule deer, I have on a number of occasions needed the extra range that a 26" bbl on a 7mmRemMag has provided. This is not to say that if I were carrying a 30-06 with 21" bbl, I could've not stalked closer if I had to. Except for the times when light was failing, I could've most likely simply taken the time and effort to work around the terrain and get my shot with the shorter bbl. That said, I do get an extra thrill from taking long shots now and then, regardless of what some say concerning "inappropriate". Each hunter should set his own set of restrictions upon himself.

 

[Transvaal]

Hi Fellow Hunters

I'm from South Africa and our circumstances and hunting areas are quite different the yours.
It's interesting to note that the most popular calibres for the average hunter is either a 3006 or 308W with a 4x or 3-9x scope fitted, the guys living in the Karoo or Kalahari mostly uses 243W or 270W.
Because of legislation you are limited to only 4 firearms so when you choose you should choose well.
For guys regularly hunting game in the Eland, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe and Big Kudu bulls class the most popular is the 9.3 or the 375H&H.

As you see none of these need 26 inch barrels so 24 -21 inch is the most useful and popular

The 300 Magnums is always less popular because of meat damage but come into their own when bigger animals are hunted @ long ranges such as the kalahari.
Some 338 magnums are in service but nobody here uses something lighter than 250gr, when loaded with 275-300gr bullets it's penetration is phenominal!!
It's not justified to buy a 300 Magnum without at least 25 inches of barrel

The main thing about a magnum(read 26 barrel) is to propel heavier bullets at usefull velocity that a standard calibre can't do