What you think about it??
Thanks
LG

whatcha gonna use it for? paper, fine. game, a bit longer than needed.

beemanbeme,
Game,game,game,game..

LG

A 26" barrel would only be of value if you are using the Federal High Energy or Hornady Light Magnum ammo.

With normal ammo or reloads, 24" is plenty. I have one 30-06 with a 25" Shilen on it, and I don't know if I would go that long again.

It dosn't cost any more to try it first at 26", you can always get it shortened later if you don't like it.

Most of my guns including my 30-06 are 26" barrels...I like the long tube for shooting off hand and the sights are a bit clearer...I only use short barrels on saddle guns...

For game, I would not go over 22" in a 30-06 if I had a choice. The longer barrel is more cumbersome, and heavy.

In hunting one carries a rifle a lot more than he shoots it. Use as light a rifle as you can get and shoot without flinching.

Jerry

My 300 Win Mag has a 24" tube. I wouldn't go any longer than that in a hunting rifle. My 30-06 has a 22" tube and seems to be a better handling gun.

For a 30/06 I like a 22" barrel (that's what my Ruger is). I think no longer than 24" for an 06.

Thanks gentlemen.
LG

Lorenzo, you are really going to "like" that 26" barrel the next time you need to stalk through one of the thickets, weaving, ducking, crawling and in general trying to make as little noise as possible, so that red stag and his hinds in the next clearing won't catch onto you. The 26" barrel will be just what you want in that situation ... (NOT!)

Forget bullet velocity, a few inches more barrel won't make much difference in the field. A short gun handles better in the field.

- mike

Lorenzo,

You can do it in a single-shot rifle, and not have it too long. I have one Ruger No. 1 with a 26" barrel, and the short action keeps overall length down.

My wife shoots a .30-'06 M70 Winchester bolt actionwith a 24" barrel, and that seems a good field combination too. I also have a .375 H&H with a 25" barrel, and I don't notice it being too long.

Good hunting...jim dodd

Thanks
LG

Barrel length is really a matter of what you are used to. I have stalked through some real nasty stuff ... briars, brambles, slamm trees all mixed together hunting deer with shotguns with 28" barrels and muzzleloaders with 33" barrels and not had a problem. You have to be mindfull of the barrel when doing this but after a while it is second nature. The longer barrel does help the rifle hold steadier in windy conditions and when shooting off-hand. If a tree was in the way it never seemed to be at the last couple inches anyway. If the rifle is built with the proper ballance in mind a long barrel need not be ungainly, heavy, or awkward.

I think wieghing the rifle down with a monster scope, bullet holder on the stock and a bipod screw up the balance. We all hunt birds all the time with long barrel shotguns and never complain. I do have experience hunting in brush, I live in SW Oregon. The only way a longer barrel is a problem is if you have it slung over your shoulder. A good little soldier never slings his rifle except to shoot. I also believe a slightly longer barrel aid in safety.

Lorenzo

I agree with Ray Atkinson. 26" is just about right for an '06, good offhand balance, cuts the muzzle blast, gives you a little more velocity, and does not really get in the way in the woods. After all infantry went to war for hundreds of years with muskets with 40" barrels. We are familiar with 24" because it was a compromise between the 30" infantry Krag and the 22" cavalry Krag .30-40, to save $$$ and use one rifle the 1903 Springfield picked 24". My most used hunting rifle is a pre-64M70 with a standard weight originally .220 Swift 26" barrel rebored to '06 by John Van Patten many years ago, in a Pacific Research plastic stock, M70 featherweight dural guard and floorplate which takes off 4 oz., Vari X III 1.75-6x in Warne QD mounts, all assembled by match rifle maker J.K. Cloward who also designed those stocks for Pacific Research. Weighs 8 3/8 pounds scoped, I use the High Energy and Light Magnum factory stuff in it and it shoots as well as any other '06 and better than most. And as some of the gents who have contributed to this thread have suggested, if you end up feeling 26" is too long, you can cut it.

Vigillinus

I too think 26" is good for an 06, and not too much for the field. 2 years ago my brother forgot to check his OAL on the .243 ammo he loaded and had to take my 06. I had brought my stepfather's whelen ai as backup and hunted with that. 1917 winchester with a 26" douglas barrel, balance is great and I had no problem with it. Oh, the rifle has since been given to me.

You could also go .06 ackley (like my hunting rifle) and it could benefit from the extra 2 inches. Mine is on a springfield, 24" military barrel, and I get 3040fps with a 165g bullet (both remington core-loks and nosler ballistic tips chronograph almost the same) using 57.5g of Varget. That was only the 3rd powder I tried too.

Red

Good grief, a 26" 30-06 barrel! Might as well install a big tactical scope and a bipod as well. The 06' is a HUNTING round first and foremost. If I were going to lug around a 26 " barrel (which I don't intend to do with ANY cartridge) it'd be a 300 WM or 300 RUM... then I'd get something "more" for the trouble. No, a 22" barrel is all one needs with this round... course 22" is all one needs with a 375 H&H too!

BA

Some people would have you believe that the extra 2 to 4 inches beyond the magical 22 inch barrel, adds at least 50lbs to your rifle. Its kind of like the supposed weight savings you get by using a short action over a long action,which comes down to no real savings(3 to 4 ounces). If you're really worried about weight savings,lose 10 lbs off your ass and dump the coffee thermos from your day pack.

Go with a 26 inch barrel and while you're at it pick up a chrony and see what you're getting for velocity. I've got several 24 inch 06's and a couple magnums with 26 inch barrels,along with a couple .270's and 06's that wear 22inch barrels. When carried in thick dog hair timber,there's no differance in handling and the longer barrels do produce more velocity(which is more a mental advantage,then actual killing power advantage).However the added barrel weight does have a real advantage in off hand shooting.

As far as real weight savings and handiness of a rifle. In my opinion most of this comes from the stock design, in combination with barrel contour and choice of scope(not some 50mm piece of shit with 36X).

Yeah right guys, that extra 2" to 4"'s of barrel is really going to hamper ones ability to hunt, hell just as well stay home..Al that extra weight is going to wear you down....

I have been packing 26" barrel guns for 50 years without a complaint and it sure helps my off hand shooting...folks that speak badly about 26" barrels have simply not given them a chance and just surmise they are awkward..Well they may be surprised...Of course some folks cannot chew gum and walk at the same time so that 2 inches of barrel may hamper their travel thourgh the bush..

Most all my guns have 26" barrels and 3X, 1x4X or 1.5x5 (at the most scopes)..They all have iron sights...I wouldn't have it any other way unless I'm horseback, then I want 20 to 22 inches and a lever action Winchester or Savage 99....

Tell um Ray. fws

Ray, at 41 years old I'll bet there aren't many 21 year olds that can keep up with me on an elk mountain. 4" of barrel is not just length, it's also another 3/4 to 1 1/2 pounds of weight depending on the contour... I suppose when you're carrying a thirty five pound backpack at 8,000 feet on a 30 degree slope in "dog hair" you'd rather carry up to another pound and a half... ... yeah, right!

A whole extra 3/4 to 1 1/2 pounds. Holy dog shit,thats like carrying an anvil on your shoulder. Thirty five pound pack. Get rid of half that weight and you'll be in good shape. But you'll still be left with 600 or 800 lbs of elk,if you actually kill one.

I have a 25 1/2" '06. I did it just to see what the velocity could be reached in the longer tube. I fully intended to shorten it..... didn't happen. I liked it too much. While the velocity increase was hardly worth it, the rifle has much better hang than my other rifles with their shorter tubes. Now to be fair, the weight and length are sometimes a liability. I do at times hunt in some of the thickest mess known to man or beast, but when you do get to a spot clear enough to shoot, the rifle makes hitting easier.

Some folks may say that you carry a rifle more than you shoot it. This is true. However, when that shot does come those sligthly longer barrels make hitting easier, especially from field positions. In the end, it's the shot that counts.

Gabe