Well,
My order is in with AHR and it may be a moot point now but I was wondering what those of you with behemoth rifles thought about barrel length.

I have never had a problem with the 26+2" barrels on my .416WBY or .30-378WBY. I can't say I notice much difference between the handling of these vs. the 24" tubes on my 8mm RemMag, 257 WBY or 450 Marlin XLR or the 22" barrels on my 350 Rem. I can feel a difference comparing these to 20 and 18" barrels on some of my other rifles, but I don't care much for the feel of these shorter barreled guns as much.

So, in short:
Any of you with 26" barreled big big bores and have hunted with them wish the barrels were shorter?

How about you guys (600 Overkill and SAFARIKID among others) wish your's had longer barrels?

If I go longer and decide to go shorter later, i guess i could always have it shortened.

Here is the same rifle with a 22 1/2" barrel that I photoshopped to look like it had about a 26" barrel:

Ok,my 2 cents...IF,if you have to go long on a HUGE Bore such as the 600,go 22"...I had two made with 19 and 20" with NO Regrets,but I hunt my rifles and carry them alot,Plus,I just think it makes them look Meaner and handle somwhat easier...If you are just a bench guy and are looking to squeeze out every FPS,then go long such as 26-28".I just had built a 338 Snipe Tac and it sports a 34" Carbon Fiber barrel,but it is needed for what it is designed to do,Kill at a mile!...NOW,for the picture you show here,that is Also MY Rifle!Its my 700AHR whiich should be in my hands next week!!That my friend is a 20" barrel!!Yes,it looks longer,but the reason is I Always have the forearm shortned British Style so all is in proportion...thats the trick to prevent it from looking to "stubby"! Hope that helps some and Congrats on your new Cannon!

quote:

Originally posted by SAFARIKID:
Ok,my 2 cents...IF,if you have to go long on a HUGE Bore such as the 600,go 22"...I had two made with 19 and 20" with NO Regrets,but I hunt my rifles and carry them alot,Plus,I just think it makes them look Meaner and handle somwhat easier...If you are just a bench guy and are looking to squeeze out every FPS,then go long such as 26-28".I just had built a 338 Snipe Tac and it sports a 34" Carbon Fiber barrel,but it is needed for what it is designed to do,Kill at a mile!...NOW,for the picture you show here,that is Also MY Rifle!Its my 700AHR whiich should be in my hands next week!!That my friend is a 20" barrel!!Yes,it looks longer,but the reason is I Always have the forearm shortned British Style so all is in proportion...thats the trick to prevent it from looking to "stubby"! Hope that helps some and Congrats on your new Cannon!

I didn't know it was yours! That, my friend, is one beautiful rifle and frankly, I would never have considered a shoter barrel at all if I hadn't seen that picture.

All of my rifles (and handguns, save the defensive ones) have been blooded and all have been carried fair distances by yours truly. Let me say to those who haven't tried it - trekking at 13,500 feet with 12lbs of rifle was tough for a flatlander like me (grew up in Brooklyn, NY). Switching to my dad's ultralight at 7lbs loaded wasn't much different, though.

Tough one for me - I keep going back and looking at the photo of your rifle - damn you!!!

I do not do a lot of hunting, but I do enjoy shooting a lot of big bores. Safari Kid is right. I always opt for the longer barrels, 26" plus the brake, but I am interested in pushing the hotter loads and like the gun a little heavier and longer for the extra ft./sec. Is it really needed, no, but thats what I like doing. I even had 24" barrels put on my 4 bore instead of 22" bls. The extra weight, I'm sure would get cumbersome if you had to lug it around all day.

My choice was the 26 inch bbl for the 600 OK. Really no reason, except it seems to balance the rifle better when it comes to my shoulder. Just a personal preference!

24 inches seems like a good choice if your experimenting as it can always be shortened.

Remember longer is better,

Dak

I have both a 26" 600 Ok and a 23.5" 600 Ok. The 23.5" version is far easier to point but the muzzle jump is more noticable than with the 26". If I had to pick it would be for a 23.5" simply for handeling and feel. JMHO

Paul, I feel your agony. But it's a good pain. I went through the same thing but I have always liked compact guns in the field. I carry mine with a 6' sling in the forward assault position. With that 20" bbl plus brake, 12lbs, scout scope or sights, it snaps into position beautifully fast. I'm with Safarikid on carrying lighter, compact rifles for hunting. As the other guys say, if you're going to be mostly shooting on the range, longer-heavier is more kind to shoot. After shooting mine from a low bench to test sight at the camp and then from shooting from around a tree on the hunt I can honestly say recoil wasn't even considered or noticed. At 70 yards on my boar through the Leupold scout scope, I couldn't see the impact from recoil, but a split second later I did see him drop from the shot & cycled up another round from the shoulder in a flash. Remember that brake will add 4+"'s and more than a pound in weight. Next time hunting I think I will leave the brake off as a test. I'm going to take the Kodiaks up to 2200-2300 fps. Here's my 20" guy so you can get an perspective on length.

DAMNNNN,THAT A GREAT BOAR AND PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!DAMN!

I love that rifle! Problem is, the recoil has more lbs than my body.

With the brake on does the recoil compare to anything "normal"?

OK,
After much lost sleep and a great deal of soul searching (and re-reading the advice here as well as given by Ed Plummer), I settled on a 23" barrel.

Thanks,
paul

quote:

Originally posted by CCMDoc:
OK,
After much lost sleep and a great deal of soul searching (and re-reading the advice here as well as given by Ed Plummer), I settled on a 23" barrel.

Thanks,
paul

You'll love it Paul. When do you get it??

i had been a longer barrel prefence... b ut danny pederson and mike D convinced me that 22" was enough for a big bore, and 23" is a darn nice length... and makes a surprising difference in handle and carry, esp with a long lop

21-23" works!

quote:

Originally posted by 600 Overkill:

quote:

Originally posted by CCMDoc:
OK,
After much lost sleep and a great deal of soul searching (and re-reading the advice here as well as given by Ed Plummer), I settled on a 23" barrel.

Thanks,
paul

You'll love it Paul. When do you get it??

Well,
Ed said "within 4 months" so I am hoping by mid March. Of course I would rather have it yesterday, but I doubt that is going to happen.
I have the dies, brass and bullets, so I will be all set once the rifle arrives.
Now comes the hard part - waiting ...

Those guys will build you one that is "Well worth the Wait"! I know,it seems I'm always waiting for the next one!

I just do not see how ever anybody can stand the sound of the gun with the muzzle brake. True, biggest gun I shot with a MB was a .460 Weatherbu, and my ears hurt more with the brake on, than my shoulder did with the brake off.
Are the breaks so much better theese days? Do they not hurt ears like they used to? SAFARIKID, a comment, please?