My 300WBY has the shortest lightest barrel of all my rifles. 23" number 1 contour in a Weatherby MarkV Deluxe. The end of the barrel is back bored and the last 1 1/2" is magnaported so it's really more like a 21.5" barrel. Believe it or not it will still shoot 180 grain Partitions at over 3200 feet per second. Here is a 100 yard target from last month.

Minus .308 makes this group .261" yes a skinney barrel can shoot.

Light barrels can be very accurate. Stiffness is more of a factor, and of course, that is related to both length and bore diameter - lightweight short barrels are stiffer than long lightweight barrels. As general rules, short, lighweight barrels usually shoot better; light barrels are usually also a lot more sensitive to bedding problems, and also usually require longer cooling times between shots than heavy barrels when testing for accuracy. But for the first two or three shots, some very lightweight barrels will put them all into the same hole.....



For a hunting rifle, less weight is often a more desirable trait than tack-hole grouping ability.

I've got 4 rifles in .224 and .243 that will reliably print in the .2"s and .3's (5 at 100yds). Unfortunately the lightest is still over 9lbs, the heaviest 14lbs. You can get decent accuracy from a sporter with a standard diameter muzzle, but it's going to heat up after the third shot. I usually reach around and grab the barrel about an inch or so beyond the action. If I can keep my fingers there I'll shoot. If not, I take a whiz, smoke a cigarette anythng to give it time to cool. I don't think there's any way around this unless you settle for 3 shot groups. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I've got three featherweights, a 250-3000, 6.5x55 and 30-06.
All are very accurate but the groups tend to enlarge as the barrel heats up. Skinny barrels start getting hot after 4 or 5 shots. I don't use featherweights in high volume shooting situations, ie ground squirrel or prairie dog shooting.