.308 Barrel length

[martinp]

I bought a really nice Remington 700 for my 14yr old. it's an ADL "Varmint" in .308, with a 26 inch barrel. My son is 130 lbs and the rifle is a bit heavy for him. What would we lose if we have the Barrel shortened to say, uh, 20 inches? it would probably lose 2 pounds (it is a heavy Barrel)
or, should I just put it off, and hope he grows into it.
it's a phenomenal rifle with groups under an inch at 100 yards, even with the crappy scope that came with it. is it just a velocity issue?
thanks in advance
mp

[n64atlas]

You would lose about 50fps per inch. This would shorten its effective distance. Greater bullet drop at longer ranges ect.
It would be a bit handier for carry in the field. These are not really ment for off-hand shooting. More for using a bi-pod or rest.
If you are only punching paper, leave it alone. Your son will get stronger and be able to lug it to the range. If it is a hunting rifle,
then figgure what the max range you would be shooting it and what kind of game you are going after. There are bullet drop tables out there
for the different .308 loads that will let you know effective range. If you deside to have the barrel cut, have a good gunsmith do it.
Have a 11 degree recessed crown done to it.

[Bill H]

In theory, shortening the barrel a few inches would not harm accuracy, might might even improve it a little. Velocity loss is hard to predict, my experience suggests 25-30 fps per inch for the first few inches.

There is no logical reason for a 26 inch barrel for a .308. 22 inches is more practical.

Do be careful who does the job. Joe the plumber can ruin the accuracy.

[Jim in Salt Lake]

I bought my son his first hunting rifle at that age. It's a Weatherby Vanguard in 7mm-08 with both a youth and adult stock. The barrel length is about 17" and he still hunts with that rifle at 20. I think the short barrel makes the rifle real handy, especially getting through the scrub oak we have here. If hunting is what you're doing, I'd recommend a shorter, lighter barrel. My last elk trip got up to 9500 feet and those ounces get real heavy. We haven't shot at anything past 300 yards except for antelope. I'm guessing your Remington barrel is a heavy contour design and it'd still be a little heavy after you cut it down. That rifle would be a blast at a mid range prone match (300, 500, and 600 yards) and your kid would have a ball. I'd keep my eyes open locally for a used youth sized hunting rifle. You can get an adult sized stock when he grows. What kid doesn't need more than one rifle?

[Art]

Sounds like what in Texas is called a "Sendero Rifle." These guns are build for shooting from fixed stands to disances from about 150 to 350 yards. Since they are fired from stands that are usually elevated and the hunters are taken to the stands most often by vehicle the weight isn't an issue.

Theoretically shortening the barrel shouldn't affect the accuracy....theoretically. As was mentioned above, if you get it cut down make sure the smith who does it knows his craft.

[martinp]

Thanks for the replies, this was one of the Black Friday specials from Dicks (can I say Dicks?).
We're on Long Island so the ranges are unlikely to exceed 200 yards, but rifles last a long time, so I'm hoping he'll grow into it, it seems like the big problem now is finding (or being able to afford) ammo for it.
thanks again
mp

[Johnny in Texas]

I have a model 70 .308 varmint cut down to 20" and it will stack 168 SMK's one right behind the other at 100 yrds. I have shot it a 1000 yrds. and it did very well with 175 to 190 gr SMK's .

[Darreld Walton]

My Folks, or more appropriately "Santa Claus", gave me a Belgian Browning BLR for Christmas of 1970. That .308, with it's light, 18" barrel, would put five rounds into little teeny tiny groups that a lot of heavy barrel rifles would envy. Most enjoyable was 130 gr. Speer HP's over 45 gr. of 4895 when it sold from Skagg's for .49 cents a pound in a paper bag that they measured out of a Hodgdon keg. Using that load, I'd keep shooting prairie dogs way out there when the .22 centerfire guys were having fits trying to get hits beyond 150 yards. I later "stepped up" to a 700 Remington with a 22" barrel, and it would not give the same accuracy, nor for that matter, match the velocity I got from that 18" barreled Browning! To paraphrase from a loading manual "that's the reason ballisticians go prematurely gray"....
I wouldn't touch a rifle that was giving the kind of performance you're getting from that long, heavy beast, but instead, would go down and take a look at one of the Marlin short action .308 bolt guns. Around these parts, they go for $339 or so, sometimes with a scope, and the two that I've had would shoot every bit as well as my old Browning, and with a helluva lot better trigger. Their light barrel just won't do it all day long after the barrel heats up like a heavy barrel will.