After much angst, I have decided my next FN Mauser 98 project will be in 7x57. My Gunsmith will soon have a standard spec. 7x57 Reamer.

I will be trying to utilise 140 grain projectiles for light to medium game and wonder if there is an optimum barrel length to obtain velocity with this round. Handling a long barrel doesn't worry me. Is there a point of diminishing returns with this cartridge ?

A scoped 7x57 with a 24" barrel, has a near perfect balance....however if you should choose to have ironsights..26" gives you a wonderfull point abillity, with the heal dropped 1.75-2".

Code 4,

Don't try to make it a 270 or 7x64; the 7x57 does great work all by itself and 140 grainers are a good way to go IMO. O.K., I'm precudiced becaue this is what I use and have found that vanilla-flavored Cup & Core 140 gr. Sierra SPBT's work perfect at the velocity spectrum this cartridge offers, so there's no need to bother with exotic Boutique bullets, either.

Many traditional German Sporters chambered in 7x57 had 60cm (24") or even 65cm (25.6") barrels.

Since you can get away easily with a featherweight barrel in this cartridge for a lightweight sporter you could tack on a 24" tube but if it was me I'd go the pencil-thin 22" for the ultimate in portability. Whether you obtain 2760 fps or 2725 fps isn't gonna make a Hill-of-Beans to whatever succumbs to your shot. Again, my preferences as I am afllicted with "The Older I get, the Better I was" Syndrome I appreciate the light to carry Boomers and recoil with this cartridge even in an ultra-light is practically non-existent.

Have fun with your project.

24" should do the trick and seems to be the most popular.

My recent 7x57 build has a 23" barrel.
Not a whole lot of difference in velocity with it than one in 24".

Don

I have had 22 and 24 inch barrels on my custom 7X57's. My custom M70 in 7X57 has a 22 inch barrel, I can't imagine wanting more!

My wife's 7x57 has a 22". Can't imagine needing more.

quote:

Originally posted by Huntr7X57:
I have had 22 and 24 inch barrels on my custom 7X57's. My custom M70 in 7X57 has a 22 inch barrel, I can't imagine wanting more!

I have two Rugers with 22", an FN Mauser M24 with 23", and a Mann-Schoen. with 20". All are satisfactory.

My does it all 7x57 has a 19 inch heavy sporter barrel on it. A real tackdriver. While "Boutique" bullets aren't needed the 140 gr. Partition is a favorite of mine. So is the 150 gr. Ballistic Tip. I would hunt anything up to elk with this rifle but so far the biggest animal taken with it has been a 400 pound feral hog.

My Ruger and Model 70 Featherweight both manage to get 2800 fps MV with a 22 inch barrel and 140 grain ballistic tips with a charge of 44 grains of IMR 4895....

Although I have a preference for 24 inch barrels on a hunting rifle, the 2 inches shorter doesn't seem to handicap its ability to kill game whatsoever...

How do you hunt and how will you use it? If you mostly carry it and portability is important, then you might want a shorter, lighter barrel. If you primarily shoot from a "hide" or from an otherwised fixed position (like an overlook of a game trail), then a heavier, longer barrel is in order.

However, my view of the cartridge itself is that it is a medium-range, medium-game cartridge which is best utilized in a light sporter. If I were building a 7x57, I would make give it a pencil barrel of 21 or 22 inches with a classic, schnabel-tipped forearm and non-Monte Carlo stock.

Heart warming to see so many guys shooting 7x57's..
140 grain Partitions are my go-to bullets too, and they are more accurate than I could ask for; 47 or 48 grains of H-414, depending on the rifle.

I have a HVA with steel btm., Wisner 3-pos. safety, Brown kevlar stock and QRWs, it shoots "bugholes" with the 140NP and has a 20.5" bbl. I also have a Brno 21H with the nicest lumber I have ever seen on any Brno and it also has a 20.5" tube and shoots like Brnos do, better than I can!

I have two longer bbled 22Hs and I have these reamed to my favourite standard round, the superb .280 Remington as they just seem longer than needed for the great old 7x57.

I would re-barrel and may well in the near future as I am getting another HVA in 8x57 and have a Fwt. Krieger bbl. in .284 diameter, to the 7x57 with no longer than a 22" tube, about perfect, IMHO.

I put a 22" Chanlynn barrel on my 7x57. Great rifle for the late elk hunt with 150gr bullets.

Glad to hear it somewhere between 22-24 in. should do it.Good Luck

My two sport 19" barrels with forward mounted scout type scopes. They are fast handeling and make great off hand hunters. Personally the barrel length isn't as important as the confedence level you aquire when using it.
If you use open sights of course the longer barrels give you a greater sight radius. roger

20' works for me

My old 7x57 Ruger M77 has a 22" tube.No complaints from me or the critters.

I like a 22 inch tube on a 7X57.
The gains by going to a 24 would not likly be vary much.
Its a great cartridge. If I was going to go with a 24 inch barrel, I would build a 7mm mag.
My 22 inch ruger gets me right at 2900 faps with a 140 grain bullet.
...tj3006

For what its worth, I did a velocity test on 3 of my 7x57 rifles.

Ammo was Norma 150gr soft points.

Average of 3 shot groups from each gun.

BRNO Mauser 20" bbl shot 2553fps

Custom Mauser 22" Douglas bbl shot 2716fps

Oberndorf Mauser 28" bbl shot 2811fps

PS - I tested a 24" barrel gun but got such eratic velocities that I tossed the results from the test. I still haven't figured out whats wrong with that gun.

barrel length equates to maximum potential velocity for any given bullet weight/case volume combination. if you are building a gun for lighter bullets, ie., slower twist, faster powders, a shorter barrel will suffice. if for heavy bullets and a faster twist, slower powders, longer tube will be called for. there really is no ideal length, that is, a short barrel will give away velocity with heavy bullets and slow powders, just as a long barrel will steal velocity with lighter bullets and faster powders.
you almost have to pick a bullet weight range you think you will use most often and use a barrel length and twist that is suitable to that weight range.
it's all a compromise, but i can't see using less than 22 inches in any situation with a 7x57, longer if you plan on shooting heavy stuff alot.

I,ve posted this before

One of the best hunter, outdoorsman I ever knew hunted the Rockies with a Mod. 760 ,30-06 with an 18" barrel. He accounted for more game than most people I ever knew.
Although barrel lenth plays a role, over all it is not nearly as important as the capability of the cartridge and the comfort level one has in the use of his rifle. Again ,case in point Ray's grand pa's 25-35 and his many elk. roger

I prefer 22-24 inches for that class of cartridge. My final decision would be predicated on overall balance and handling characteristics of a particular rifle. Lou

quote:

Originally posted by merlinron:
barrel length equates to maximum potential velocity for any given bullet weight/case volume combination. if you are building a gun for lighter bullets, ie., slower twist, faster powders, a shorter barrel will suffice. if for heavy bullets and a faster twist, slower powders, longer tube will be called for. there really is no ideal length, that is, a short barrel will give away velocity with heavy bullets and slow powders, just as a long barrel will steal velocity with lighter bullets and faster powders.
you almost have to pick a bullet weight range you think you will use most often and use a barrel length and twist that is suitable to that weight range.
it's all a compromise, but i can't see using less than 22 inches in any situation with a 7x57, longer if you plan on shooting heavy stuff alot.

As stated, I will be useing mainly 140's if they shoot accurately in my rifle with AR2209. A 1 in 9" twist will stabilse up to 175 Woodleighs but is not as fast as a 1 in 7 or 1 in 8 twist.

Since your having the rifle built get it with a 26" barrel. If that's too long cut it to 24" and try it, then cut to 22" if still not happy. Easy to do that way, very hard to add barrel if you have it made too short to begin with.

I prefer 24-26" barrels on most of my rifles but have to admit my 7x57 sports a 22" barrel (bought it that way) and I wouldn't have it any shorter.

Larry Gibson

Just found an old rifle magizine, from late 2003. lenght article on velocity and barrel length.
The article was writen by Wayne Van Zwoll.
Using 5 cartridges from 22-250 up through .340 weatherby, with barrels starting at 27 inches cutting them an inch at a time.
The difference was not so much,
For example a .270 winwith a 130 grain bullets over H-4350 from a 27 inch tube was 3115. The same load through a 21 inch was 3001.
So , in 6 inches he lost 114 FPS.From 24 to 22 it only lost27 FPS.
A suprise to me , but the 300 remington ultra mag, using 220 was tested with 2 powders.
the velocity from a 27 inch barrel with H-4895 2740 cut to 22 was 2612 or 28 FPS. with the
H-870 at 27 was 3107 and at 22 was 2997 for a drop of only 110 fps.
I think that means use a barrel length tah is comfortable for you...tj3006

I'm probably more interested in rifle aesthetics today than I was years ago when every bit of velocity I could get was important.
If my never ending fleet of 7x57 rifles, I'd have one with a 20" barrel and a Mannlicher stock. Don't have one like that now, maybe some day soon.
One just like this Ottmar 7x57 would be fine...

I have to agree along with the thoughts of Bartsche, in my prime I carried a 760 .30-06 and with it and the short barrel has accounted for many Ak. med/big game.

Going for a long tube is personal, seems like a fine cartridge. Short barrels are good for the in close to med. range if you will and the longer tubes used to burn powder completely and the supposed longer ranges.

Nothing wrong with a 22".

7x57 is a great round, no need to try to speed it up. Both of mine have 22" barrels. One is very utilitarian, a Ruger barreled action, fiberglass stock, I put it together as a "loaner" for quests. The beauty of the 7x57 is that a person who rarely fires a centerfire rifle can handle it without recoil problems, yet it kills out of proportion to its ballistics. Mostly used factor ammo, usually Federals with 140gr Noslers, never chronographed either rifle, they just work great, why bother.

yup, 140's....pretty much middle of the road... can't go wrong with 22-23 inches....hhmmm....., middle of the road length. 9 inch twist will stabilize 175's, too fast for 120's and 130's no doubt.....7 inches too slow for 150's-175's, what's left?....8 inch twist......, hey, another middle of the road player!
you'll probably give up more to under- stabilization of the heavies than to over- stabilization of the lightweights with a 8 inch twist and 22-23 inches of tube, but that's the way i'd go knowing i have other guns for heavier bullets abd bigger than deer sized game. even then, keeping the ranges moderate, with heavystuff, the 8 inch twist and 22-23 inch tube won't do you so terribly wrong....

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Gibson:
Since your having the rifle built get it with a 26" barrel. If that's too long cut it to 24" and try it, then cut to 22" if still not happy. Easy to do that way, very hard to add barrel if you have it made too short to begin with.

Larry is indeed a wise man! I was thinking the same thing but didn't feel qualified to say anything!

I do have lots of anecdotal stories about the qualities of that fine round!

The Question of Barrel Length - is longer always better?

Is longer better, because it yields more velocity with a flatter trajectory, or because it is more accurate, or both. Is there a standard answer that applies in all circumstances and to all calibres - standard and magnum calibers? What are the negatives, if any? Does the hunter, the tactical shooter and the long range competition shooter, all have the same needs? What do available empirical tests tell us? The purpose of this article then is to explore these questions. Although it may not appear to be a major decision, as we are generally stuck with the barrel length that the factory fitted, it may be of interest to the reader to know some of the underlying influences that govern the decision as to what length of barrel to fit.

Just a general note on velocity - tighter barrels will produce higher pressures and thus higher velocities. Advertised factory ammo velocities are based on test barrels that are generally tighter than the sporter barrels that are used on commercial rifles. Then there is still the question of varying throat tolerances. Furthermore, no two barrels are exactly alike in terms of velocity potential. The very same ammo shot through two barrels, with different twist rates, in the same caliber, will produce different velocities - the faster the twist, the more the pressure will be and hence increased velocity is the result. Also, note that factory velocities are generally based on 24-inch band 26-inch barrels for standard and magnum cartridges respectively. Many sporting rifles have shorter barrels from '18 - 20' inch carbines to '22 - 24' bolt action rifles. Single shots like Ruger's No 1, typically have 26 inch barrels. So, advertised factory velocities will mostly differ to velocities obtainable in your particular rifle. Obviously, reloaders develop their own loads in terms of the best accuracy produced by the rifle, for a specific bullet, and then they live by that velocity - the most sensible way in my opinion.

I see velocity just as the vehicle to get the bullet over different ranges (short, medium or long) with enough velocity to be terminally effective. Higher velocity with a flatter trajectory for the long shots and lower velocity for short range work. I maintain that each type of bullet has a velocity band for optimum performance, and so striking velocity must be considered at various ranges. Typically frangible bullets fail at short range at magnum velocities, while they perform well between 1,900 and 2,100 fps, and refuse to expand at lower velocities of 1,700 fps at longer ranges of 400 yards plus. My view differ from the typical American view to maximise velocity as they believe "it will hit harder at all ranges". This mistaken belief is based on bullets that will perform regardless of striking velocity, and this is seldom, if ever, achieved in reality. Not all bullets are created equally. The strongly constructed Failsafe bullets generally perform well at high impact velocities but fail to open up at lower velocities. Overly soft bullets, that are bonded, over expand again with resultant shallow penetration at high impact velocities. The more frangible ones, loose weight and shatter.

Having got this out of the way, we can now consider the significance of marginal differences in velocity, by virtue of differing barrel lengths. There are various empirical test available, but I wish to quote the work that was done by Clair Rees and published in a special edition called "Rifle Tests" by Shooting Times in July 1980. The gunsmith, Dennis M. Bellm, who took over the manufacture of P.O.Ackley barrels, assisted Mr. Rees with this project. He provided a 26 inch .308 caliber 4140 chrome-moly barrel, that was shortened for every consecutive firing test. Federal Premium ammo was used, loaded with 180 gr Nosler Partition bullets. Velocities were measured 5 feet from the muzzle and five shot averages were taken in each case.

Barrel --- Velocity ----- Drop-off
26 inch -- 2,833 fps --
24 inch -- 2,792 fps -- 41 fps -- (20.5 fps per inch)
22 inch -- 2,745 fps -- 47 fps -- (23.5 fps per inch)
20 inch -- 2,699 fps -- 46 fps -- (23.0 fps per inch)
18 inch -- 2,643 fps -- 56 fps -- (28.0 fps per inch)

The drop in velocity per every inch, goes up the shorter the barrel became, most noticeably when it fell to 18 inches. Practically, this means that if a rifleman wants to change his 22 inch sporter barrel for a longer 26 inch barrel, he would only gain 88 fps. Conversely, he would only loose 46 fps by switching to a light and handy carbine with a 20 inch barrel. This proved that barrel length is not all that critical to practical hunting performance in a 30-06 Spr rifle. Please be aware, that these velocity decay figures will differ from caliber to caliber, particularly with something like a 7 mm Rem Mag, using relatively slower burning powders that will worsen the situation. Different calibers will react differently as the velocity loss is dependant on the type and amount of powder, the weight and bearing length of the bullet and the expansion ratio relative to the barrel.

Longer barrels sag more and results in more barrel whip and vibration as the bullet travels down the bore. Barrel sag, induces longitudinal stress that can cause the stringing of shots. Using a shorter and heavier barrel, which is stiffer, is less affected by the induced stress and barrel vibration and this will improve sustained accuracy. Longer barrels give the powder more time to work on propelling the bullet. Longer barrels generally provide higher velocities, all else being equal. Shorter barrels are often more accurate than longer barrels. Both competitive target shooters and hunters are using fluted barrels as they offer some advantages. Improved accuracy due to increased barrel stiffness over a standard contoured barrel is the main one. Barrel length and contour determines the relative "stiffness" of a barrel, i.e. how much a barrel will tend to vibrate. Fluted barrels are larger in diameter for the same length and weight, and the increased diameter greatly increases its rigidity. When the oscillations are of a smaller amplitude and of a shorter duration, it equates to less barrel motion at the muzzle. The greater amount of surface area (about 180% more) exposed to the air, allows the barrel to cool off quicker.

Bull barrels are not tapered at all, and these heavy barrels, are designed for extreme accuracy, and are usually fitted to target rifles as excess weight is not an issue for this type of application. Heavy barrels take longer to heat-up, thus maintaining good accuracy for more shots. Shorter barrels generally have oscillations of smaller amplitude than longer barrels. Thicker barrels generally have fewer vibration nodes than slimmer barrels. The use of a shorter barrel also allows the use of a heavier contour without making the rifle unwieldy.

A lighter rifle, with a lighter barrel, is easier to carry for long distances or for those that hunt in mountains. They are also faster to get into action. The medium weight barrel is an attempt to find some reasonable compromise between portability and performance. Standard hunting rifles, usually have medium contoured barrels, which have proven to be suitable for most purposes. For example, in the Remington range of rifles, the '700 Mountain Rifle' has a lightweight barrel whilst the '700 Sendero' long range rifle, has a heavier fluted barrel. These Senderos are probably the most accurate production rifles on offer, as evidenced by various shootouts. For the same weight, fluted barrels, allows for a longer barrel than a bull barrel and for this reason it is getting more popular.

It is interesting to know, that just before the start of World War 2, the Germans replaced the 154 gr Spitzer bullet at 2,880 fps in their 7,92 mm Mauser (8 x 57 mm), with a 198 gr Spitzer Boat Tail bullet at 2,575 fps. The main reason was that the bigger powder charge of the 154 gr load, produced excessive muzzle flash in the shorter barrel of the K98 Karabiner - 23.62 inches versus the previous 29.13 inch barrel. The burning rate of the powder relative to barrel length is important.

Muzzle blast and muzzle flash are valid concerns with shorter barrels, particularly so with more powerful or high pressure cartridges. The effect is less severe with a relatively mild cartridges ranging from the .223 Rem to the 308 Win. The problem really manifests itself when slow burning powders are used in bigger cases, like with a 300 win Mag. In the tactical application, law enforcement agencies have addressed the issue of increased muzzle blast and flash, by installing sound and recoil suppressors. Hunters generally do not want to clutter their rifles up or to add unnecessary weight to their rifles.

Shorter barrels generally result in increased gas volumes and higher gas pressures at the muzzle. When the bullet leaves the muzzle, the expanding gas leaves the muzzle at a speed higher than the bullet and expands in all directions. This is a negative in that the increased muzzle blast could have an effect on the bullet - if the base of the bullet is not perfectly concentric or may exacerbate the initial yawing of the bullet. Also, a perfectly cut crown at the muzzle, is of vital importance so there is a clean 90 degree brake with an even flow of the blast going past the bullet for the initial few inches. So, a lower muzzle blast, tend to minimise bullet instability, as the shock wave that forms, is less. This is one reason why some competition shooters prefer somewhat longer barrels.

There’s a growing trend to shorter barrels on tactical precision rifles. In years past, 24 to 26 inch barrels were practically a given. Conventional wisdom was to sacrifice a little maneuverability to gain a more complete powder burn and significantly reduced muzzle flash. A Tactical .308 Win with a 20-inch barrel still provides for a complete propellant burn when using 168-grain Federal Match BTHP bullet, which has become a law enforcement standard in the USA. The 20-inch barrel became quite popular and some agencies even specify 18-inch barrels for quicker handling in urban areas. It was found that the 18-inch barrel, only lost 32 fps against the 20-inch barrel. The target will not know if he's being hit with a bullet that leaves the muzzle at 2,660 fps or 2,628 fps. This scenario applies to a .308 Win, and will differ for a 30-06 Spr or 300 Win Mag, as their cases hold more powder and they will most probably use slower burning powders. There isn't any definitive answer, as to how much velocity will be lost per inch of barrel length reduction.

For hunting there are other considerations apart from velocity. I like a rifle to balance more or less in the center, and when the barrel is too short, this will not happen. The fullstock Stutzen rifle though, rectifies the imbalance situation. Very short barrels, like 18 inches, will increase the muzzle blast - not so much in mild cartridges, but more severely in high intensity cartridges. An 18 to 20 inch barrel is fine for a caliber like the .308 Win, with a relatively modest powder capacity, and they make fine lightweight mountain rifles, but definitely not for a .300 Win Mag.

For carrying, handling, and maneuvering in dense brush, a shorter barrel like 20 to 22 inches, is usually much better than the longer ones. Cartridges with smaller cases, that burn less powder, like the .243 Win, 260 Remington, 7 x 57 mm and the .308 Win, do very well in 22 inch barrels. Muzzle blast is minimum.

For more open terrain 24 inches is a more popular choice. Cartridges with medium cases such as the 270 Win, 30-06 Spr, 9,3 x 62 mm, and various others, are doing well with 24 inch barrels. The criteria being that the amount of powder to be burnt is in relation to the length of the barrel and it will yield a bit more velocity for medium to longer ranges.

A 24 inch barrel is the minimum practical length for most magnum cartridges. 26 inch barrels are usually found on rifles chambered for high velocity magnum cartridges. A long barrel is required to burn the large amounts of slow burning powder used in this type of cartridge. Cutting a magnum's barrel down to 22 inches does not make sense. The muzzle blast and flash becomes severe. People that buy magnums, need more velocity than in a standard cartridge. (Example 7 mm Rem. vs .270 Win.) Ultra Magnums, with large cases do need longer barrels to burn the powder completely.

Unfortunately, most Bolt Action rifles with 26 inch barrels balance too far forward. They are muzzle heavy and slow to swing. The long barrel seems to bump more often against branches in bushy terrain and a hunting rifle so equipped can be very awkward to carry in steep terrain. For this reason, many magnum rifles now come with 24 inch barrels, which sacrifice some of the magnum's velocity.

Long-range competition shooters seldom use barrels shorter than 26 inches - typically they vary from 27 inches for a .308 Win to 30 inches for a 300 Win Mag. Barrel length is an important consideration when one is looking for top velocities, especially when burning the slow powders. Top velocities means less bullet drop and less wind drift for them. There comes a point of diminishing returns, where additional barrel length, will not yield more velocity. The barrel remains one of the most critical components, when it comes to accuracy for competitive long-range shooting. So they typically opt for the highest quality high precision custom barrels, just like they would choose the sleekest aerodynamic bullet made to near perfection. Unlike the hunter, competition shooters are not worried about excess weight for obvious reasons.

Way back in the 'black powder' days, hunters liked long barrels, because they helped to burn all the powder. Big bore doubles, by virtue of their short actions had longer barrels of 26 to 28 inches, but their overall length was as short as a handy bolt action rifle. The overriding concern must be balance and fit for the hunter matched to his needs. Short barrelled rifles, handle much better in the bush and since the range is close, velocity optimisation is seldom important. However, I can site one example where the 458 Win got a bad name for shallow penetration on elephant, because propelling a 500 gr bullet at velocities lower than 1,900 fps, was lacking in the penetration stakes .... relative to elephant. Will I fit a 20 or 22 inch barrel to a 458 Win? Hell, no! It already suffers from having a low velocity - I will rather fit a 24 inch barrel. When the Mauser factory launched their Sporter version for hunters, they also offered two carbine versions, type S and type M, but the carbines were wisely not offered in their bigger calibers such as 9,3 x 62 mm, 10.75 x 68 mm and 404 Jeffery. These carbines had 20 inch barrels (19.69"), which were not long enough for complete combustion of the heavy powder charges. These cartridges all got Mauser's standard length (23.62") barrels. On the other hand their 7 x 57 mm carbine worked fine and became quite popular. Let me give a practical example - it would be sensible to opt for a 22 inch barrel for your 7 x 57 mm bush rifle that swings and mounts quick, 24 inches for your 30-06 Spr for a Savannah application and a 26" barrel in your 300 H&H for plains application, where there is not so much pressure on you to shoot real quick, but rather more velocity since a flatter trajectory is your prime concern. The amount of powder must basically be ballanced with the barrel to get a complete burn with different velocity objectives.

In summary then, the appropriate barrel length is closely tied to the caliber and the load that will be used. Complete powder burning is an important issue for me, and hence it is a consideration as to what length of barrel ought to be fitted to a particular cartridge. If a shorter barrel provides equivalent or better accuracy, why go to a longer barrel? Why sacrifice ease of handling and add additional weight to your hunting rifle? For long range varminting and competition shooting your call may be different.

Just before you come to the conclusion, that their is no redeeming benefit to long barrels, I wish to remind you and share with you something remarkable. During World War 1, the Germans made a gun in 8 inch caliber. Yes, this is not a typo! The gun was made with the express purpose of shelling Paris, the capital of France, at a distance of 75 miles! Very enterprising, you might agree. The barrel was about 90 feet long and properly supported. Not a short barrel, by the stretch of anybody's imagination. The chamber was about 13 feet long, so the expansion ratio was about 7 times. The powder charge was about 305 lbs of Nitrocellulose and the shell weighed a whopping 264 lbs - heavier than a bag of mealies! The muzzle velocity was 5,120 fps. A bit faster than our present day hunting magnums, I would concede. The chamber pressure of the gun was a very reasonable 55,000 p.s.i. for such a mammoth load - actually lower than a 375 H&H load. Truly a phenomenal artillery wildcat!

Warrior

/

Code 4: Lots of fine advice here. Let us know what you decide. I would go 24 or 25 myself, but must admit that I have long lusted after an iron -sighted English .256 Mannlicher with 26-inch barrel, so you know my prejudices. In 7X57, I would even consider 28 inches on a Ruger No. 1. Goofy, I know.

quote:

Originally posted by Warrior:
The Question of Barrel Length - is longer always better? Warrior

Nicely written and quite acceptable for the most part. A little hit and miss in places IMHO. roger

When I had my custom 7x57 built up, I went with a 23" barrel, just to be a bit different. Th rifle is accurate and balances well. It worked for me.
Paul B.

Alf,

Perhaps you can give a better explanation of the powder burning process and the distance, but essensially slow-burning powder is releasing more gas at a slower rate, and as such, it works well in longer barrels, rather than shorter barrels. It comes down to the burn time being extended by the length of time it takes the bullet to travel to the end of the barrel. Slow burning powder keeps on generating gas for a longer time, and so yields a lower peak pressure, but keeps up the average pressure for longer. This then explains that 'fast magnums' need slow-burnibg powder. Depriving a Magnum rifle from a long barrel is working againt velocity maximization, which is the essence of being called a high-velocity Magnum. Black powder is also slow burning.

The Quickload program also gives an indication, as to what length a complete burn has been achieved.

If this is not correct, please correct me.

Thanks
Warrior

I have a Ruger with a 20" and a Savage with a 24". I use the 20" the most.

Some examples of early 7x57 mm Mauser rifles:

1) THE SPANISH MAUSER MODEL 1893 RIFLE had a barrel length of 29.5 inches.

http://jeanplam.www3.50megs.com/sp93.html

At the time the powder in used in the 7x 57 mm Mauser was called ballistite and it only reached a velocity of 2,230 fps in that long a barrel with a bullet of 173 grains. Quite a bit slower, as smokeless powder was improved and became much faster over its life cycle. Alfred Nobel patented ballistite in 1887, and it was composed of 10% camphor and equal parts of nitroglycerine and collodion. Today we can reach 2,530 fps with the same bullet in a 23.6 mm barrel (PMP loads its 170 gr bullet to 2,428 fps with S365, a medium slow-burning SA powder)

2) THE SPANISH MAUSER 1895 CAVALRY CARBINE had a barrel length of 17.56 inches.

http://www.gunsworld.com/spain/95carb.html

Warrior

2) THE SPANISH MAUSER 1895 CAVALRY CARBINE had a barrel length of 17.56 inches.

http://www.gunsworld.com/spain/95carb.html

Warrior[/QUOTE]

I think the photos say it all.Utilitarian and attractive to boot. roger