Rem 700 in 308 Barrel lenght help

[botticelli]

I'm set on a Remington 700 in 308.

Only one issue... do I go for the 20 or 26 barrel length?

Purpose of the 700 is target shooting,(bench rest and prone) paper punching at 200 and 300 yards to start and then hopefully going for more distance.
I am not a hunter, that is not even a consideration. If it can make a hole in the paper at distance, I'm happy!

With a scope I know there is no difference in sight radius to consider, So ....

I am a re-loader, and will be reloading 308 when I get the rifle.
I know the 308 has no problem out to a conservative but confident 600+ yards so from the gun side of things ....
My consideration is velocity and trajectory.
My big question is,, I assume I will be loosing velocity with the 20 and if so, is it a considerable amount to the point of getting the 26?
Will the 26 shoot, or tend to shoot flatter with all else the same?
Will the 20 be more difficult to compensate for drop and windage due to velocity loss?


Any and all feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

~Pete

 

[nheric]

308 is not as sensitive to barrel length as other rifle rounds. Some studies have showed no velocity loss in a 20" barrel others have showed very minor loss . Here is a good read on a test
SWAT Article BARREL LENGTH
I have a 20" barrel Remington 308 and I have used it out to just under 800 yards using 175gr smk and varget with great results.

 

[Rate_of_Twist]

rate of twist for the projectiles you plan on using is more important than length

 

[rogzballz]

rate of twist with for the projectiles you plan on using is more important than length

Twss

 

[botticelli]

Thanks for the article, very informative. I was leaning hard towards the 20 but, and was really hoping that, there were not any major deal breakers.

The twist rate would be the same on the 2 barrels 1 for 12. From what I can find on the inter webs it seems that the 168 to 175 match HPBT are great performers.

308 is not as sensitive to barrel length as other rifle rounds. Some studies have showed no velocity loss in a 20" barrel others have showed very minor loss . Here is a good read on a test
SWAT Article BARREL LENGTH
I have a 20" barrel Remington 308 and I have used it out to just under 800 yards using 175gr smk and varget with great results.

 

[DrRansom]

You will lose some velocity dropping from 26 to 20. It won't be enough to stop you from getting out to 600, but it will affect your overall ballistics, and therefore your trajectory and wind resistance. If you're doing this only for benched shooting, I can't think of any reason why you wouldn't get the 26". With a .308, you'll want all the MV you can safely get.

168 and 175s are great performers, yes. I don't think the .308 has the case capacity to really make the 185 and above really shine, YMMV. The 168 SMK's effectiveness is stunted a bit by the angle of its boattail; if you're going to try and explore the limits of the gun, either go with a better 168, or bump up to the 175.

 

[jasons]

Such an over-rated caliber.... Even so, when talking about precision shooting at distance, even a few extra FPS is worth having. The faster the bullet goes, the less time wind and gravity have to mess with it. Unless you plan on humping it, go for the longer barrel.

 

[DrRansom]

Such an over-rated caliber....

This. If you really want a <= 1000yd paper gun, I'd be looking at 6mm or 6.5mm (or Rem equivalents). If you want to go farther, step up to a 300WM.