Input Please on SAVAGE 20" 300 WSM

[Sausage]

To all the Shooters on this Awesome site:

My Objective to arm my nephew with a Hunting/Tactical Rifle. He is huge and a nationally ranked Heavy Weight Freestyle Wrestler who will be pursuing a career in Law Enforcement. We want to purchase a 300 WSM. Savage offers a 10FM model of which is a 20 inch barreled carbine chambered in 300 WSM. Of concern is the following:

Would the 20 inch barrel feature reduce the velocity significantly of the 300 WSM?

If so, What would be the minimum barrel length that one would recommend?

The Savage 10FM contains a Blind Box Magazine. Please input on this feature.

Thank You again.

[ 11-05-2002: Message edited by: Sausage ]

 

[meathead]

Howdy Sausage

Don,t do it! The Savage is an excellent choice for your idea, but IMHO you and he will be very unhappy with a 20" barreled 300WSM. That barrel length would be alright for the 308 Win., but the 300 WSM needs at least 24", or even better, 26"! The 20' barrel would also have a horrific muzzle blast, along with a significant loss of velocity. Sounds to me that your nephew would be able to handle a heavier rifle, so go for the length, you will be glad you did.

 

[speedbump]

Ditto, 26"+........

 

[kraky]

There was a gunsmith that took a barrel on a 300 rum and shortened it by 2" increments. He started with a 28" barrel and took it down to about 18". I don't have his post at my fingertips BUT IT WAS UNREAL HOW LITTLE VELOCITY HE LOST. If I remember right it wasn't even 150 fps. SO-don't put too much value in barrel length!

 

[Mysticplayer]

Rule of thumb is a loss of 25 to 35fps for every inch of barrel loss.

Browning has a 23" barrel and I think that Savage has a 11F that has a 24", Win in 24".

Personally, I would go for the 23 to 24" barrel because if I am shooting a WSM, I want WSM performance. If I really want a shorter barrel, I will shoot a 308 or '06 instead.

Why put up with recoil and noise when there is little difference in performance?

If he is going into tactical work, why not get a 308? That will be what is issued and used most often. There are a few very nice Tactical models made by savage that should also shoot well.

Good luck...

Jerry

 

[Brent]

Kraky,

I know of many such tests also.

Fact is, a 308 win. will even gain velocity with every inch as well and if I remember right, all the way to 36" were they stopped the test. The longest barrel thaey had. It was one that had more to gain from this as they concluded.

The test you refer to must have started out using a fast powder to begin with, not benifiting from the longer barrel much at all, therefore it still held velocity at 18".

Fact is if a real slow powder was used and the barrel shortend, the velocity will undoubtedly decay at the rate suggested, maybe more. If one switched to the faster burn powder it could gain it back to a point. When you get to 20" or less the likelyhood of gaining it all back are not good all while limiting your powder choices too.

I have a 20" 308 win. and a 18" 358 Norma Mag and they are handycapped in the order of 150 to 250 fps even with the faster powders.

These guys shooting the Ultras in 30+" barrels can all get velocities that you can't touch in the shorter 26" tubes so there will always be the velocity advantage in the longer tube.

You could have a short 18-20" tube with the WSM and still outdue the long tube 308WIN though. I would too stay with the long tube if hunting was the interest, if it were tactical, the 308 WIN would be it for sure.

 

[kraky]

It was Charlie Sisk--a pretty well known gunsmith over on one of the other boards. I came accros his data the other day. He actually was using max loads of h870 and went from a 28" down to 20" and I'm pretty sure the entire loss was only 150 fps. I was very surprised. I think the good thing about his test was he was using the SAME GUN and not comparing guns with different chambers etc. It surprised me (an him to)!

 

[Brent]

Kraky, I can only say... WOW! I may have to look at that load when I get my new barrel to replace the 300 Ultra I have now. I wonder if I could duplicate it and have an 18" sleeper for packin on the wheeler. I wonder what bullet he used and what MV he ended up at with 18 inches. Could you find out?