I just want some opions on the legnth of the barrell.

I have a savage 110 and im going to get a new barrell in the same caliber .243 Win..

I want to know what is the best length to get for a bech rest shooter. Whats the best legnth for target shoting?

I have a 32X scope and i want a barrel that will make really nice groups.

So just tell me the most accurate length.

Thanks

Hello,

I'm sure some of the benchrest guys should know for sure, but I'm thinking that 22 1/2 or 23 1/2 inches is the optimum.

This is one of those things I read along the way. There was an article to go with it about barrel harmonics, but I've long since lost it.

Chase it down, I know this is a known quantity.

Lobo in West Virginia

duffymaster -

1st - Welcome to the board.

2nd - Are you going to install a thin sporter, heavy sporter or bull barrel on your 110? Normally, the 24" length will be about as long as you want, however, the bench resters will go for 26" on a heavy rifle.

Im think about a heavy barrel. some where along the lines of a 1.250 inch barrel diameter.

Im think about a heavy barrel. some where along the lines of a 1.250 inch barrel diameter.

For a while it was popular to use a short bull barrel to take advantage of the stiffness. Now days it appears that 22 to 26 inches in vogue.
Jim

The problem with the suggestions so far is that very few serious benchrest shooters use the .243 WCF cartridge. Smaller capacity BR cases like the 6mmPPC are the vogue in BR competiotn, not the too-large .243. Some use it for truly long range shooting with VLD bullets, and those will want the longest barrel practical to maximize velocity for 1000 yard targets.

One problem with the M110 is the action's questionable ability to support a very long, very heavy barrel. Barrel droop and action bending are very real issues when maximum accuracy is desired. This is not uncommon with many factory actions and is one reason that custom actions are preferred for serious LR target shooting. If it were me, I'd go with a varmint weight high-quality barrel in 22-24" length. Barrel quality will have a MUCH greater effect on accuracy than will a few inches in length or a few ounces in weight. Match the twist rate to the bullets you will be shooting the most: a tight twist for long VLD bullets and a slower rate for shorter varmint-weight bullets.

Just for fun here are a few test results published in the shooting press over the past 20 years. The test barrels were chopped off after each length test.

Cartridge........26"......24"......22"......20"
6mmRem.......3162....3127....3077....3004
.243WCF.......NA......3006....2981....2896
6mm Rem......NA......3350....3328....3226

There just isn't as much velocity loss as most folks think when using barrels less than 26".