7mm-08 in 18" barrel

[TxAg]

I figure it'll be a little louder but no biggie.


What i'm curious about is the efficiency of the round in this length. I know 308 can get by with a shorter barrel, but some calibers need the length.

Thoughts?

[Drycreek3189]

Might be closer to a 7mm Mauser, but there wouldn't be anything wrong with that either.

[catslayer]

It will get by just fine. Gona lose a little speed but not world ending

[LWD]

I'd want 20" or 22" myself but 18" will work fine. Spitballing it I'd think you'd have to be shooting beyond 400 yards for it to matter.

[Leverhunter]

18 is fine. You will lose a little speed but not enough to be concerned about. An Encore with a 15" barrel in 7mm-08 is good out to 300 yards at least.

[mavrick]

M16 has one in 17" maybe he will chime in. I am intrigued with the encore he has.

[jmeghunts]

I've got one with a 16" barrel. It's no different than running a 308 at that length. You may lose a little speed but it still performs well. I cut mine down and threaded it to run a can on it.

[Brute Killer]

I don't know a whole lot about it but I can say that I went with a 22 in barrel on my daughter's rifle in 7mm-08 for the extra weight to help with recoil. In a #4 contour.

[M16]

I have one I cut down to 17 inches. I haven't run it across a chrono but it kills just like a longer barrel. I guess when you get long in the tooth velocity doesn't matter that much. Whether it shoots 3000 fps or 2750 fps if you hit them in the right place they die. If I get time tomorrow I will chronograph some loads thru a couple of my 7mm08's with different barrel lengths and report back.

Here's a pic of my T/C with the 7mm08 17 inch barrel. 25-06 with 28 inch barrel and .223 with 17 inch barrel.

[BLACKFINTURKEY]

My brother was getting 2950 out of a 20" barrel shooting hand loads with 139 grain sst from Hornady. If you load your own just choose a fast burning powder to optimize powder burn in a shorter barrel. Either way i don't suppose you will have any issues. I shoot a 260 and my pet load is 140 grain BTHP@ a whopping 2700fps and I've killed white tail out to 310 yards and other critters at 650 yards. It's shot placement and bullet selection.

[bboswell]

I have one I cut down to 17 inches. I haven't run it across a chrono but it kills just like a longer barrel. I guess when you get long in the tooth velocity doesn't matter that much. Whether it shoots 3000 fps or 2750 fps if you hit them in the right place they die. If I get time tomorrow I will chronograph some loads thru a couple of my 7mm08's with different barrel lengths and report back.



Here's a pic of my T/C with the 7mm08 17 inch barrel. 25-06 with 28 inch barrel and .223 with 17 inch barrel.

This will be interesting

[Billy Bad Bass]

I have a Remington Model 7 , 7mm-08 with the 18.5" barrel and a brake. Been shooting it for 20 years and it is a winner. Loud as a howitzer but when it speaks there is rarely any tracking required.

[Ironman]

The muzzle blast would be pretty noticeable, I would think.

[Saltyag15]

I'm glad this came up, because I was wondering the same thing. I'm looking at the ruger american rifles, and wondering if I could get by with the compact in 7mm-08.

[TxAg]

I'm glad this came up, because I was wondering the same thing. I'm looking at the ruger american rifles, and wondering if I could get by with the compact in 7mm-08.

Bingo! Same gun I am considering.

I have the Ruger American 243 in a 22" barrel and a Weatherby in 7mm-08 with 20" barrel. I like both of these a lot but the ruger in 18" intrigues me