short barrel more accurate?

[gunther66]

I'm wondering if what I read on other websites is hype or can cutting 3 to 5 inches off a handi barrel really improve groups? What are your experiences here?  G66

[petemi]

I've got two shorties, 16.5 in. .357 Max and 18 in. .38-55.  I can't see any difference in the .357 with Maxies, Mags, or .38s.  I've only owned the .38-55 as a shortie, so can't tell you.  It does seem to shoot both long and short brass loads equally well.

Pete

[gstewart44]

Can't say that I have personal experience (yet) with improving accuracy by lopping off a few inches, but Ruger found exactly that with their Mini14 barrels.   the standard barrels were/are  slim contour 18.5 "   barrel that has a lot of "whip" or flex in it under recoil.    By taking the barrel down to 16"   the length of barrel becomes stiffer.   
I don't know the exact physics calculations that cause this to be so but it makes sense.    Take a long piece of rod and try to bend it.  then shorten the same piece.  the shorter it gets the more difficult to flex. 

[Yak Angler]

If target rifles are used as an indicater longer barrels equal better accuracy, but i think thats the smallest part of the accuracy equation.

I think barrel length by itself will not gaurantee any level of accuracy. Rifling, barrel harmonics, crown, trigger control, breathing,  etc,  etc will be larger factors with modern loads than barrel length in my opinion. I feel if we disregard extremely short barels that cause velocity to be too low, that everything else we strive for to try and obtain accurate groups will be more important in acheiving them then having a long barrel length.

[tykempster]

"If target rifles are used as an indicater longer barrels equal better accuracy, but i think thats the smallest part of the accuracy equation. "

Most short range BR rifles use short barrels due to their stiffness.

[quickdtoo]

A recrown may be all that was needed instead of the barrel being shortened, even a crown touch up as shown in the FAQs sometimes makes a big difference in accuracy, so the barrel chop may not necessarily be required to make improvements. With the heavy taper of Handi barrels, cutting a barrel definitely makes the barrel stiffer since the diameter is so much bigger the more you cut off, compare the diameter of the muzzle on a 26" H&R barrel to what it is at 18", ~.650" up to ~.800" which makes it a bull barrel contour.

Tim

[Yak Angler]

No question shortening a barrel makes it stiffer and for short range shooting and with everything else being equal it should make it more accurate. Lost velocity will make a shorter barrel especially a typical handi 22" barrel that if shortened by 3-4" or 18" barrel length will definitely make it inherintly less accurate at longer ranges say 500 yards+ with the flatter shooting cartridges. An 18" barrel 30-06, 270, 308 etc Handi would be useless for long range target shooting. all of those guns have 30" 1 inch diameter bull barrels for a reason.

[moorepower]

As long as the round has enough velocity to remain supersonic, accuracy will not degrade.

[guns-o-fun]

Depends on other aspects of the gun, the caliber and a bunch of other stuff.  I do know that my 500 is more accurate at approx. 17 inches than it was at 22 - but there are all those other things like a good crown that releases the gases evenly and does not push the bullet to one side or the other, forend pressure, free floating, upward push at the end of the forend for some barrels, etc. etc. etc.  Stiffer often better, but not always.  If the vibrations are timed right, a less rigid barrel can be accurate.  I offer as a case in point my Ruger M77 243, which has a light sporter 22-inch barrel, but shoots about 1/2 inch at 100 yards with no problems from a crude stand every time (with cheap factory ammo, no less).