What's more accurate on a rifle, a longer barrel ( 26" ) or a shorter barrel ( 22" ) ?

Question

Is one barrel better for short range and one better for long range or is one the better all around for both? Lets say the gun is .270 or .300 caliber or something of the high power rifle range.

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

Longer barrel versus shorter barrel and accuracy has more relevance when you're shooting iron sights. When you're shooting a scoped rifle the most important job of the barrel is to start bullet rotation and completely burn the powder. In smokeless powder cartridges, the powder is generally completely consumed by the time the bullet has exited the barrel of an 18" carbine... so the difference between 22 and 26 inch barrels is academic.

If you are shooting with iron sights, barrel length is important. The greater the distance between front and rear sight, the finer the adjustment for elevation and windage, making for more precise placement of the bullet.

As an aside... the M1 rifle and the M14 rifle have about 22 inch barrels and both can be counted on to accurately place their shots at 1000 yards.

Good luck.

Answer 2

As people have mentioned, longer barrels tend to be more accurate than shorter barrels. If you look at the extremes, there is no way a handgun with a 4 inch barrel will be more accurate than a rifle with a 26 in barrel. The longer barrel tends to give a bullet more time to stablize and gain velocity.

However, when you are comparing 22 inch to 26 inch barrels, there may not be much difference in accuracy.

Once you are in the 22+ inch range, most cartridges will achieve most of its potental velocity (there is some gain in velocity for every inch of barrel up to about 26 inches for most cartridges...magnum cartridges can gain a little more after 26 inches).

For the lengths you are talking about, much of the accuracy comes from the way the barrel vibrates/resonates and how the barrel is vibrating at the time the bullet leaves the barrel.

Many shooters will tell you a free floating barrel (a gun where the barrel touches nothing once it leaves the action) is more accurate than a banded barrel (a barrel that has a band attaching it to the stock) because the band effects the vibrations of the barrel.

Browning came out with its "BOSS" a number of years back. One of the features of the BOSS system is to be able to "tune" the barrel to alter the vibration patterns so the gun an shoot any load well. Another company (Sims I think) makes a device that fits on the barrel that makes the vibrations in the barrel more consistant from load to load to try and make all loads more accurate.

There isn't much of a way to predict the accuracy of a certain brand of ammo (or a certain load for handloaders) for a barrel in the ranges you are talking about, even in the same make and model of rifle. A brand of ammo that works great in one rifle may have terrible accuracy in another rifle.

In short, a 26 inch barrel will probably be a little more accurate, but not necessarily. There are many factors that determine accuracy. Barrel length is just one of them.

Answer 3

How long is a piece of string?

I've seen 20" barrels shoot more accurately than some longer barrels. Length is just a part of the accuracy - if the 26" barrel isn't floated and glass bedded, and the 22" is, the 22" will be more accurate. It also depends on whether the bullet weight you're using like the rate-of-twist of the rifling in the barrel - some weights shoot better in a longer or shorter rate-of-twist. Also, what kind of action is the firearm? Bolt action will lock up more consistently as opposed to a semi auto.

Now specifically, a 22" barrel on a .270 will do you fine. A 22" would be fine on any non-magnum calibers.

A 26" would be favorable on a .300 Win Magnum. Magnums *usually* (but not always depending on the model) have longer barrels to allow the powder to burn more completely.

Answer 4

The better you can stabilize the bullet, the more accurate the firearm. Typically the longer the better in terms of accuracy, but it all depends on the shooter ultimately. Also, the velocity will be slightly higher in the longer barrel which should help you at longer ranges. You would typically pick a shorter barrel if you will be hunting in thick brush as every extra inch of barrel length will be that much easier to get hung up while swinging onto target. If long range shooting is your plan, your ammo is just as important as the gun. Try a "boat-tail" designed bullet for better long range accuracy.

Answer 5

Generally, a longer barrel is better. To a certain extent. Too long of a barrell can result in loss of velocity and thus decreased range. However, it is doubtful that any barrels are made long enough for this to be a problem.

For a .30 caliber rifle I believe the optimum barrel length is 26". This allows for more complete powder burn and more rotation on the slug. Most are 24" factory stock.

The barrel length you choose also depends on what you will be shooting and at what range. If you intend to shoot large targets at short range it shouldn't matter as much as if you are attempting to hit smaller targets at longer ranges.

There are many things to consider other than barrel length when speaking of accuracy. Trigger groups, bolt faces, type of action, free-floated, and/or heavy barrels, the rate of twist etc. all have an impact on accuracy and consistency.

Answer 6

The longer the barrel the more accurate the more consistant your grouping will be. Just make sure you are comfortable with the barrel length or it will be to no avail. Point of interest; take a look at a sniper rifle it will generally have a long barrel.

Answer 7

There are many factors which go into making a gun accurate. However, if all things are equal between the two guns and the only difference is the barrel length, the greater accuracy will go to the longer barrel.

Answer 8

the longer the barrel the mor accurate it is and less recoil, well the 22" would be a lot better for short range and the 26" is a longer range rifle

Answer 9

The length of a barrel is not a factor in accuracy.
The longer the barrel the greater the force and distance the bullet will travel, and the trajectory may be be flatter, making the acquiring of the target a little easier. But accuracy is obtained by "sighting" the rifle, that is by clamping it, firing a test shot and adjusting the sights to the mark left by the shot. Happy plinking!

Answer 10

That could be considered a very complex question. I think the answer depends on several variables. Do you intend to shoot only factory loads? Will you be re-loading at all for this rifle? What bullet weight do you intend to use? Is the action standard or short? If you are going to re-load, then???????? There's a purpose for every different combination of cartridge, barrel length/stiffness, calliber, etc...