Why not barrel length choices ?

[lilabner]

When does the bullet reach peak velocity? I'm sure it is well beyond 3 inches past the chamber. Isn't the bullet accelerating as it is pushed through the bore? And, isn't much of the pressure pushing the bullet liberated when the muzzle is reached? I'm not talking about the .22 rimfire here - it reaches top velocity somewhere below 20 inches and is slowed by longer barrels. If a shooter buys a big magnum that burns 80 grains of powder and weighs 9 + pounds scoped, why shouldn't he be able to get a 26 inch barrel that will give him the performance he deserves for hauling that beast up the mountain and getting knocked around by recoil? It bothers me that some pencil necked bean counter is dictating what he can have. When I shopped for a new .270, it bothered me that so many makers are handicapping that fine cartridge with 22 inch barrels. Why couldn't they offer different lengths as an option and charge a few extra bucks for it? 

[R.W.Dale]

I'm not talking about the .22 rimfire here - it reaches top velocity somewhere below 20 inches and is slowed by longer barrels.

 I've read some data that suggests that STD rifle cartridges such as 308 continue to pick up velocity in barrel length that border on the insane. Something like 40 or 50 inches.

 On the subject of .22's I'm not so certain about that. I have a CZ with a 28" barrel that has no problem exceeding the ammo manufacturers published velocities.

[flintlock]

Go to the Remington website, look at the 700s and go to CDLs, they have .270s with 24 inch barrels, either blued or stainless...Take your pick...

[beemanbeme]

Our forebears seemed to make out okay along the east coast with their 4' long rifles and muskets.

I've hunted elk with 26" barrelled magnums in the dark timber out west and hunted WT's with 18" rifles in the east.  To tell the truth, I've never noticed any difference between the two.  I often take the strap off the rifle and put it in my pack to make sure the rifle is in my hands and not acrost my back when I need it so I just unconiously guide the muzzle around and through stuff as I go along. 

Krochus, that still doesn't sound right.  I agree that the powder is burnt shortly after ignition. I agree that the pressure begins dropping immediately after or shortly after the bullet begins to move BUT pressure is a measure of the increase of the volume of "air" that is in the cartridge.  The exspansion of the gases.  And that brings another question: ( ) Why does it take say 15 grains of 3031 in a 30-06 case to produce 50,000 psi but it takes 30 grains of 4350?  ALL IMR powder is the same stuff. What controls the burn rate is the size of the extrusions and the surface deterents. 
Maybe I'd better go back to my "monkey see, monkey do" style of reloading.

[SHOOTALL]

Pressure peaks the first time when it builds enough to cause the bullet to move , second when the bullet engauges rifling and starts down the BBL. and third some where down the BBL. depending on rate of burn of the powder amount of powder etc. . consider also the chamber size as part of the equasion .
Then add that short 16 inch bbl. should be more accurate because the bullet is under the influence of the gun/bbl. for less time than say a 26 inch bbl.
In the end the manfacture makes what isells best and shooters buy what looks good ( most of the time ) . I bet if some custom builder started selling square bbls. and they caught on the big guys would offer them !

And yes our fore fathers got along well with 4' guns and theirs with bow and theirs with spear and theirs with rocks , ..........

[jmayton]

Really, I'd like to see more options for barrel choices.  But it's more about feel and handling than performance to most of us.  Unless we shoot competition, then we will most likely not notice the difference in a few hundred fps between different barrels.  What we do notice is how the gun feels, how it shoulders, how it points.  It's really about preference and aesthetics.  And if we are shooting in competition, then we're not really talking about production rifles anyway and we can choose whatever length we want. 

I would however like to see some data on pressures and velocities recorded before the bullet leaves the barrel.  That would be interesting.

[BBF]

 There is a reason why the H&R BH has a 32" barrel because that is the lenght that will wring out the most energy(V) the 45-70 can produce. This pressure spike of slows vs fast powders is not that insignificant as you may think.  The peak pressure is the same, but not the time and gradient of the curve. A bullet will not loose velocity in a barrel even if the powder is all burned. The gas is still there and the pressure may have dropped but there is still a lot more then athmosperic pressure. Gases still have approx 8000 fps on exit from a rifle barrel. This is the velocity used I believe when calculating  recoil  .

[SHOOTALL]

45-70, was that with black powder or smokeless ?

[lilabner]

I don't buy the argument that they build what sells best. If a maker offers only the 22 inch barrel, it stands to reason that the 22 inch barrel will reliably sell best for that maker. When I purchased my .270, I gave first consideration to Savage as I believe it to be the best reasonably priced out of the box shooter. They offered only the 22 inch barrel in their sporter. After considerable research, I settled on the Weatherby Vanguard with 24 inch barrel. It turned out to be a good choice, though I did have to replace the factory trigger.  The makers are selling a lot of magnums with 24 inch barrels, so that is what sells best. However, if I were in the market for an ultra long range shooter, I would want a 26.

[MGMorden]

I don't buy the argument that they build what sells best. If a maker offers only the 22 inch barrel, it stands to reason that the 22 inch barrel will reliably sell best for that maker.

The thing you're forgetting though is that there is a reason 22" would have been selected.  In manufacturing, there will ALWAYS be pressure to standardize.  Choices cost money.  So, when it comes down to picking a standard size, past sales, market research, etc, will yield a general preference that they'll settle on.  That doesn't mean that no one would would something different - just that the average person wants that config. And in general, that's to be expected with any mass production item.  You can get some level of choice, but overall, if you want something really specific it's up to the custom market.

As to reasoning - I think the bottom line is that MOST people buying your average mass production rifle today aren't buying them with the same thought as many years ago.  Many only have a passing interest in hunting or shooting, and to them a few FPS or a slightly smaller group isn't worth it if the rifle could be cheaper, smaller, and lighter.  22" is a good compromise.  Besides the custom market's primary purpose in life is to supply us with stuff that isn't quire appropriate for the mainstream. 

[SHOOTALL]

i once new a lady that cut the hams she cooked off about a 1/3 on the shank end . When he daughter years later asked her why she said her pan was small !
maybe their bbl making machines are small ?

[lilabner]

I hate to wear out my welcome here, but a final point: the list price on rifles, especially European rifles with the dollar as weak as it is, has gotten pretty high. You can buy a car with three engine choices, a couple of transmission choices etc. You may even be able to subscribe to a magazine for red haired, left handed bench rest shooters. They cater to splinter groups now. So if you are paying hundreds of dollars for a rifle, why don't you get a choice of barrel length? Wouldn't they be able to figure out that they needed X number short barrels, Y number long barrels? Couldn't they tack on a charge for anything other than the best seller? I get all warm and fuzzy when I think about them catering to our tastes. 'Nuf sed!

[R.W.Dale]

You can buy a car with three engine choices, a couple of transmission choices etc.

 Have you looked at cars in awhile? The notion of an "optional" engine is a thing of the past. IF a manufacturer offers a choice <most don't nowadays> you must buy a specific options package to get it.

I get all warm and fuzzy when I think about them catering to our tastes. 'Nuf sed!

 Buy a Savage and let Shilen cater to your particular taste in barrels