XL7S Varmint in 308 Win What barrel length

[howdydoit]

This sounds perfect to me.   24inch varmint i would 100% buy one.

[airtractorfan]

I would prefer a XS7 308 with 24" BBL [Heavy Fluted] with a total weight of approx. 7.5 LBS. before Scope and accessories.

[DKA]

I put 24" Barrel. That's long enough to maximize accuracy and FPS.

[Kaptainkash]

I say 24inch Varmint is damn near perfect for my son, who is only 13 and a rookie shooter. Easy to maneuver in the brush,and not to heavy. As for me I would like it with the 26er. I could make her reach out allot farther, with a little heavier handload. Im no help at all! . My vote would go with 24" in. in a 243 for my son.

[Darkker]

24"

[Ruark]

You forgot to include "neither" as a voting option. I wouldn't want a 308 as a varmint rifle.  Better a 22-250 or 6mm RM, perhaps. Now, a 22-250 with a heavy 26" barrel and a glass trigger... that would be a Coyote Terminator....   

Ruark

[irukandji]

You forgot to include "neither" as a voting option. I wouldn't want a 308 as a varmint rifle.  Better a 22-250 or 6mm RM, perhaps. Now, a 22-250 with a heavy 26" barrel and a glass trigger... that would be a Coyote Terminator....   

Ruark

I was wondering the same thing, i think the largest i would go would be a 7mm-08, now make that with a heavy 26 inch barrel and i will be all over it like stank on crap

[Tommy Kelly]

Call me strange but what I would buy in a heartbeat would be a varmit weight bbl in a 20" it would handle great and be a nice little rifle. My current favorite 308 is a 308 youth model with a full size stock and a recoil pad added for extra length. This is a mod 700 youth. It handles great and is super accurate. If it weren't so accurate I would already have a varmit weight bbl on it. I like the sierra 165 gr gameking bullet in all my 30 cal rifles. This little rifle will make cloverleaf patterns all day at 100 yds. I have a old winchester mod 70 varmit that was cut back to 20" in 243 that is also a great shooter so I would go for a shorter tube and easy handling package that is super accurate.

[Lead Poison]

Definitely a 24" barrel!!!

[LoneStarWings]

Any word on rather or not we'll see this rifle next year?

[jayd4wg]

the shorter the better - to a degree. 

18-20" would be ideal...and would allow for the majority of the powder in the .308 case to burn.

A shorter barrel is stiffer than a longer one of the same diameter or profile.  if you need any proof of this, try bending a 2" piece of half inch dowel with your fingers.  then do the same to a 20" piece. 

Stiffer barrel = more accurate. 

Now, you just have to cut your barrel, and crown it accurately.  Perhaps an 11 degree target crown with a kit from brownells?  Now yer talkin...and all you have left to do is to work up a load for your favorite .308

Many folks have written that with all things the same, cutting the barrel will shrink your groups and affect your downrange trajectory as little as 3MOA @ 1000yds.  That's not alot guys... and with careful load development, and a slightly faster powder, you could get those 3MOA back quickly if you really needed to.  Personally, I think a lot of sportmen could take clues from what LEO/SWAT and military snipers have been saying and finding lately.  A carbine length barrel does NOT affect accuracy. 

Now...if your ONLY concern was (since this is a VARMINT GUN) giving the barrel enough metal to heat up, think about this.  I PERSONALLY think you would be better off with a sporter weight barrel that is capable of throwing 6 or so rounds before seeing deflection from heat than a heavy barrel that takes longer to cool off.  it's all in the surface area and I'd love to have the time and assets to prove this out, but i'm thinking a sporter that could fire 6 in rapid succession (in a minute) then return to ambient temp in 5 4-5 mins would be better than a bull barrel that can lob 20 rounds and require an hour to return to ambient...

now...who has a bull barrel and alot of ammo so we can test this little theory?

[egore]

Is this the same as the X7S?  I got a XL7 last spring in 270.  I love the rifle, 270 not so much.  So when Cabela's had the X7S in 308 on sale two weeks ago I snapped one up.  Barrel measures 22 inches from muzzle to closed bolt face.  The 308 is a great cartridge.  The 308 is only a little slower than the 270 but it uses 30% less powder and uses a easily obtained 30 cal bullets.  The 308 runs much nicer thru the press as well.  I am much happier with this rifle. 
Now I just have to figure out what to do with a XL7 and 200 rounds of 270 reloads. 
Joe

[Snakum]

Is this the same as the X7S?  I got a XL7 last spring in 270.  I love the rifle, 270 not so much.  So when Cabela's had the X7S in 308 on sale two weeks ago I snapped one up.  Barrel measures 22 inches from muzzle to closed bolt face.  The 308 is a great cartridge.  The 308 is only a little slower than the 270 but it uses 30% less powder and uses a easily obtained 30 cal bullets.  The 308 runs much nicer thru the press as well.  I am much happier with this rifle. 
Now I just have to figure out what to do with a XL7 and 200 rounds of 270 reloads. 
Joe

Sell it to me? 


About barrel length ...  I would have said 26".  However, I just read two separate tests on .308 and .300 Win Mag barrels where cutting a 308 from 24" to 18" yielded a total velocity loss of only 34fps (iirc) and taking the 300WM from 26" down to 22" they saw NO loss at all (though they were sure they would if they went further).  Also, the smith that cut down my 7mm mag two weeks ago swore to me that his testing indicated that "all the work is done for a .270 or 30-06 by 18 inches or so."  So I am rethinking everything I have been taught about barrel length.

Negligible real world velocity loss, stiffer and equally (or more) accurate barrel, and lighter to haul in the woods.  Give me a .308 with a 20" barrel rather than a 26". 

[bcp]

Put a 24 or 26 on it.  If you like it shorter, then shorten it. 

It is easy to shorten a long barrel, impossible to lengthen a short barrel.   

Bruce

[OKIE2]

A shorter barrel is stiffer than a longer one of the same diameter or profile.  if you need any proof of this, try bending a 2" piece of half inch dowel with your fingers.  then do the same to a 20" piece.

if your 2" dowel represents the 20" barrel who makes the 200" barrel (16feet 6inches)
I would like to see one of them.