Anyone have any real life data of a 30-06 with a 18” barrel. I currently have one and was thinking of cutting it down and threading it for a suppressor. Thinking of shooting 165 to 180gr bullets out of it.

Think in terms of approximately .308 velocities.

I hunted with the guide's suppressed .270 in Africa. The full length barrel had a suppressor added to it. I didn't find the length a problem. You might want to consider chopping less off of your barrel.

Holy loud?

quote:

Originally posted by bluefish:
Holy loud?

For sure.

But he is talking suppressing it.

I avg a couple hundred fps less in mine compared to the 22inch ones and longer.

I played with a fellows 18" Rem 760 pump in 30-06.
He had factory 180's and wanted it sighted in with them. I didn't record the vel.,But remember it was 25 hundred something FPS.
I remember thinking whatever it was, was not bad for factory ammo in a carbine.

A guy I know had a rifle built in 300 Wby with a 20" barrel. I told him he had the world's loudest 308 :-)

Or 300 Savage!!

I have pop's win M670 (cheap M70) in an 18" carbine 30-06. I used it with 130 hp on woodchucks. shooting prone used to set the grass on fire

Deer will never notice any difference. I have killed an untold number of deer
with a 20" barrel 8mm mauser. Very handy barrel length. A joy to carry.

it's fine .. rule of thumb is 25fps per inch -- remington made 18 carbine in their pump and iirc the autochucker, people love them back east.

if you are reloading it for suppressor, find the powder that gives you an acceptable velocity for the LEAST powder, i suggest h335/tac,

Winchester and Remington sold plenty of 20" .270s.
O'Connor thought that reasonable while panning the 20" .300 H&H. About the same expansion ratio for those two.

Woodelf,
When you say "cut it down" are you saying you want to have it shorter than 18"? ...or are you just going to have it threaded and maybe re-crowned?

I agree with most of the above posters so figure like 25-35 fps velocity loss per inch of barrel removed BUT this is only a guide.

I have a couple 223's which I suppress. One is 21" and the other is 16" and with the same load, the LabRadar shows velocity is only like 50 fps difference. I don't get it but it's not apples to apples since they're different guns/barrels.

I'd have zero heartburn hunting deer with a suppressed 16.5"-18" '06! Like someone said "the deer will never know" but your ears will thank you for the suppressor!

Have fun,
Zeke

When I was a kid in the '70s, Harrington and Richardson produced a nice bolt rifle on an FN action. The full stock version had an 18" barrel. I had one as a kid and have been searching for a replacement for years. It was a model 300 or 301. I agree with Stonecreek; a reduction to .308 ballistics.
Cal

Why not?
I have a Mannlicher Schoenauer in 30-06 with 18 1/2" barrel.
And a Styer Scout Rifle in .308 with 19" barrel.
Both are ideal deer rifles in my opinion.
Easy to maneuver in a blind and easy to carry.

If that barrel length no longer counts then all we need is a 30-30...The answer is llike most things "moderation" not "extremes", A 30-06 is good at 20 inches, but you start paying the price with a 16 to 18 inch barrels, like it or not, its no longer a 30-06...Same with the 308 Ruger Internationals, a great rifle but with that short barrel your shooting a 300 Savage balistically..

The deer will never know the difference?, but hey that applies to a 22 L.R. or a 22 Hornet if that first well place shot does its job consistently and that's the question, not a single kill..thats always the bottom line..

Ray is absolutely correct about the velocity loose. I do compensate a bit
by using faster burning powders. Itz called cheating.

quote:

Originally posted by woodelf:
Anyone have any real life data of a 30-06 with a 18” barrel. I currently have one and was thinking of cutting it down and threading it for a suppressor. Thinking of shooting 165 to 180gr bullets out of it.

The first centerfire rifle I bought (when I planned on only ever owning one) was a BSA CF2 Stutzen with double triggers in 30-06. It has a 19" barrel. Lots of other rifles have come and gone and I own and use multiple rifle now. However, I still have the BSA; I will never get rid of it. Even with its 19" barrel, the animals I shoot with it have one thing in common: they die. Good hunting!

Steve

The first custom stocked rifle I built was on a Browning Safari 30-06 action that someone had cut the front sight off and left the barrel at 19". I shot that thing for years on everything from antelope to moose, deer, elk, Dall sheep and a big BC Back bear. Then I went and did something really crazy, I bought a chronograph and realized I was only getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 2150 fps and just knew I couldn't really kill anything with that slow a cartridge so I put a new longer barrel on it. Dumb move

Lol
you were shooting a high BC 30-30 and not knowing made it all the more lethal

Schrödinger's rifle lol

Best AR post of the year.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Kobe:
The first custom stocked rifle I built was on a Browning Safari 30-06 action that someone had cut the front sight off and left the barrel at 19". I shot that thing for years on everything from antelope to moose, deer, elk, Dall sheep and a big BC Back bear. Then I went and did something really crazy, I bought a chronograph and realized I was only getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 2150 fps and just knew I couldn't really kill anything with that slow a cartridge so I put a new longer barrel on it. Dumb move

That chronograph is a killer for sure!!

Certain powders in some cases are cheaters and perform quite well, but some of it is heresay so always use the chronograph before you speak on such matters...

FWIW, I once cut a nice 22" 7x57 sporter from
22" to 18". I was not happy with the velocity
loss and resultant ballistics. I sold it and
went back to .22" barrels; 20" at the shortest (.308", which I'm not entirely happy with...)

7x57 is already more efficient than .30-06 AND I was loading it with efficient powder.

I personally wouldn't be eager to do that to a .30-06 but whatever makes you happy ... especially if your ranges are shorter, rather than longer.
John

had an 18" 308 ,killed a lot of game with it, but if you shot it at last light couldn't see anything for a while from muzzle flash.

Ive played with several carbines in 06 and 270 and a few others, so I tried fast burning powders to get more velocity, mostly with the 270 and 30-06, but a 308 and a 7x57...In each case it ended up with the slow burning 4831 giving me the highest velocity IN MOST GUNS!!! I used pre war milsurp 4831..Still have 40 or so pounds of that stuff I save for the 270,and with it I get more velocity than a 24 inch barrel..I found this out many years ago from reading Outdoor Life and Jack O'Connor, and from Jack himself who I knew quite well and guided him for Coues and Mule deer..

I've hunted with a 18" gun for many years yea its a 7=08 but with the load that's killed lots of game I avg 2691 fps. Not a 3006 but I'm sure a 06 will do better then a necked down ,308

Killing power is not the question or the problem, all these guns cut down to say 18 inches kill quite well..what suffers is a lack of velocity and trajectory at long ranges beyond 300 yards or there abouts...

Ive killed a few deer at 400 yards plus with a 30-30 carbine.., but its not a 400 yard gun. I didn't realize that back then but my balls hadn't dropped back then and I needed a big rock to get on my horse..but it helped my tracking skills greatly, and really pissed of my old man...

I stated above that an 18 inch barreled 30-06 was a 300 Savage, it is, but I failed to clarify that the 300 Savage is as good a deer rifle as there is, and not too shabby on elk if you can shoot.