I believe the traditional barrel length for most NE cartridges is 24". Yet Heym are making 26" barrels as standard now on their doubles. When I asked them why they simply said it was at the request of their American agent.

I can have anything between 24" and 26" on my custom build .500NE and I'm a bit unsure what length to choose. Any real pros and cons of each?

My Merkel is 24" and my on order VC is 24" IMO, it just makes for a handier weapon.

In the spirit of opinions are like . . . well, I prefer 26" barrels. I think the longer barrels balance better, moves the muzzle blast out a little, makes for a more svelte look, . . . One of the issues I have with the bigger bore VC rifles is that with the shorter barrels they end up looking a little clubbish. Adding a little length I think would make them look better. I personally don't buy that 2" on a double makes for a handier rifle. If that were the case, let's see some carbine doubles.

I like the 26" barrels as well. I think they look more like the older British rifles, whose barrels were often 28-30". Short barrels make a double feel too "toy-like" to me.

The 26inch barrels will also help with weight and balance.

Mike

My Gibbs 450 is sporting 28" and handles like a shotgun, if I were to have a gun made today 26" for a large bore 500 and up and 28 if I could for a smaller bore....
Are shorter barrels handier?
I follow my bird dog for 30-40 days in our heavy New England bird coverts chasing grouse and Wood cock carrying a shotgun with 30" barrels, never once have I swung on a bird caught the barrels against a tree and said if only they were 2" shorter
A well balanced gun will not only be a joy to carry and shoot but even more so to look at ....

If in doubt, split the baby. Make it 25".

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
I like the 26" barrels as well. I think they look more like the older British rifles, whose barrels were often 28-30". Short barrels make a double feel too "toy-like" to me.

Dang Biebs, how many 30" barrel double "rifles" have you seen??

26" is the way to go IMHO.

I would rather have 28" barrels than 24" barrels.

PS, my 450No2 has 28" barrels.

I have hunted elephant and cape buff with it in the thick bush and not found it unwieldly.

I have killed elephant as close as 3 yards and cape buff at 12 yards with it...

I think on a 400 and up double I do not want less than 26" barrels.

Let me add that I like short barreled bolt rifles. I like a 308 and 375 H&H bolt rifle with 19 3/4" barrels.

But on a big bore double I perfer at least a 26" barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by Maximus Brutus:
Yet Heym are making 26" barrels as standard now on their doubles. When I asked them why they simply said it was at the request of their American agent.

And all those answers other than mine are why Chris has ordered mostly 26" barrels. They seem to be more popular than 24" versions. Possibly because the longer barrels are more traditional.

I knew my view would be the minority on this one as I usually find myself at odds with tradition on DRs. I don't know why; I just do. And DRs seem to be heavily steeped in tradition. For instance, I like the 500/416 better than the 450/400, K-Gun Cocking Device (but not the Blaser) better than a safety, TSX bullet better than Woodleigh. I gravitate toward what I perceive to be the better performance option. (Notice I said what I PERCEIVE to be, not an absolute!) And for me, one of the many things I like about doubles is the shortness of the weapon, being sans the extra length required for the action on bolt guns. Same goes for single shots such as falling block or break open designs. I've never had the need for an extra 2 inches!

If it were possible to get the cartridge's design velocity with 22 inches, I'd probably opt for that! I don't know. I do see the aesthetic pleasantness of longer barrels as the caliber reaches certain proportions (577+) but I doubt that one could effectively argue the handiness (or ease of handling in cramped spaces or challenging terrain) of any of the ultra big bore rifles regardless of barrel length due to the heft and dimensions of the weapon itself.

You guys can continue working on me though. After all, when I first started paying attention to doubles, I preferred a beavertail fore-end. But now I'm safely in the traditional fold of Splinter, Splinter, Splinter!!

Cheers!

It's all about proportion and balance. The small Chapuis's look and handle very nice with their approximately 23 inch barrels due to their smaller actions. The larger the action the longer the barrels should be to keep everything in proportion.
Then there is the arguement the further away the front sight is the easier it is for us old timers to get it in focus. Might help with keeping the muzzle blast further away but really have no way of validating this.

Both my Hollands have 24" and that is perfect for me, JA Hunter liked 25" but I think it is largely immaterial, 22"-25" would suit me and IMO shorter is handier, best, Mike

IMO,Longer barrels will increase your velocity, reduce muzzle blast and make the sites easier to focus on BUT the shorter barrels are quite pleasant when in the thick stuff.
As DoubleDon said, split the difference with 25" and compromise with all the benefits.

Interesting replies. Thank you. A few other points to consider.

Firstly I think the present Heym 88 is already a little barrel heavy. The new slightly heavier action should help move the centre of gravity towards the middle of the gun. Of course shorter barrels would do more of the same.

Secondly, I'm 6ft7in tall (actually if we are getting picky I seem to have lost 1/2 inch over the last 10 years ) so my stock will be long, probably around 15 1/2", again helping with balance a little. However, 24" barrels may look a little odd on a gun with such a long stock.

Decisions, decisions!

Heym was producing the barrels for year in 24"
i ordered my .500 N.E 3" also in this lenght.
Shorter is handier

If the gun is custom built the weight will be between the hands, the maker will adjust barrel thickness etc to length of stock et al so balance is the same, or he SHOULD, best

I agree with Mike that the 26 inch barrels are more traditional, and the longer barrels balance better on a rifle made with 26 inch barrels, but so do rifles made with 24 inch barrels. IMO, (There's that OPINION thing again) the 26 inch barrels were likely fu fued as well when they were the new thing that replaced the older traditional 28 inch barrels. The fact is the barrel length is only a problem where balance is concerned when barrels are shortened form the length the rifle was made with.

Barrel length is determined by the length needed to completely burn the powder is uses. The 28 inch barrels were used on black powder doubles and the length was needed. The 26 inch barrels were substituted for on later rifles because Cordite did not need the extra length to work so the rifles built with the 26 inch barrels were balanced well in the building. The same goes for the 24 inch barrels being all that is needed for efficient use with the modern powders available today, and are balance just as well on quality double rifles, all of the different barrel lengths balance with 1/3rd of the total weight between the hands.

SO! What I'm saying with this profusion of words is, have your rifle built any way you want, because it will be balanced perfectly because Heym will make it balance and fit YOU!

I have, and have had double rifle with 30 inch down to 22 inch and all balanced well, and shot just fine!


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quote:

Originally posted by DoubleDon:

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
I like the 26" barrels as well. I think they look more like the older British rifles, whose barrels were often 28-30". Short barrels make a double feel too "toy-like" to me.

Dang Biebs, how many 30" barrel double "rifles" have you seen??

DoubleDon, all the muzzleloading doube rifles that started the whole thing were mostly 30" barrels. I happen to have a 30" barreled double rifle in my vault as we speak. The 28 " barrels replaced the 30" and the 26" replaced the 28", and the 24" has now replaced the 26" barrels, and the trend is going shorter all the time, as many now are in the 22" barrels.

As Todd says thredition is what drives much of the way people percieve a proper double rifle, but in the field there's not a spit in the wind of difference in the effectiveness of a double rifle for it's intended purpose!

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Thanks for the education Mac. I've just never seen one myself. Then again, I've never had any interest at all in ML DR's.

quote:

Originally posted by Maximus Brutus:
Interesting replies. Thank you. A few other points to consider.

Firstly I think the present Heym 88 is already a little barrel heavy. The new slightly heavier action should help move the centre of gravity towards the middle of the gun. Of course shorter barrels would do more of the same.

Secondly, I'm 6ft7in tall (actually if we are getting picky I seem to have lost 1/2 inch over the last 10 years ) so my stock will be long, probably around 15 1/2", again helping with balance a little. However, 24" barrels may look a little odd on a gun with such a long stock.

Decisions, decisions!

At your size and stock dimensions I would definately recommend 26" barrels.

quote:

Originally posted by DoubleDon:
If in doubt, split the baby. Make it 25".

Which is precisely what I did. I wanted 26 but Ken & Jerome suggested 24 so I split the diff. As to the 500, I'd go 26"

My heyms are as follows. 470-24" love that. 450/400 - 26", did not like them that long and sold the gun. 577 - 25" split the differnce, like them for this big of a gun. 375Flanged - 24" perfect. Deciding on a 450/400 again or maybe a 500. Will most likely do 24".

quote:

Deciding on a 450/400 again or maybe a 500. Will most likely do 24".

+1