Never could understand why they use 20" on the 41, 44 and 45 but chopped off 1.5" for the 38 and 357 models.

 

Then it would be longer, a little heavier, less handy, and only one more round. 9 should be enough for almost any circumstance. 18" of pistol caliber length cartridge turns it into a whole new realm of power.

My minimalist approach to life is why carry more baggage than you will likely ever need?

AC

 

For the balance point, so when you carry it by the receiver the barrel doesn't want to droop. A 20" .357 would be a heavier chunk of steel. The .44 has thinner barrel walls, so the center of balance shifts ever so slightly.

 

Amen, brother rob42049.

There's a reason for these magic numbers.

AC

 

I have a factory 336 30-30 with an 18 -1/2" barrel. 82 I believe.
Shorty's are cool!

 

I chopped one of my 35's down to 16.25. And yes Shorty's Are COOL.:rock:
Oh by the way, my 357 rifle has a 24" barrel.:flute::flute:

RP

 

1.5 inches less to save weight? To balance better? Then why 20" on the CB models, including the 357?

 

Not to save weight,but to distribute it for balance and ease of carry. The 20" and 24" CB models are slightly muzzle heavy. They were made for looks, and to sell to the Cowboy Action Shooters and Traditionalists. The 20" round barrel 1894 .44 mags are balanced just perfectly with 5 or 6 rounds in the magazine. The balance point is about an inch back from the forend, right where it's held for carry. You can level my rifles on one finger there. I don't own an 1894c, someone will have to make a balance test and post the results.

Here's a balance test made as we speak. I shot this left handed with my phone while balancing an 1894 ,44 Mag on my right pointer. There were five 240 grain softpoints in the magazine. Sorry about the blur, but this was a slight challenge.

 

If you need 10 rounds instead of 9 load it up with 38 specials.

 

It's the thousandths of an inch and the 1/4 ounces that eek out the most accuracy, most speed, and the best mileage in a mechanism.

AC

 

And the feel of the machinery. A well balanced, smooth silky feel makes a person shoot better. The psychological factor. All sports disciplines have it.

 

My .357 GP-100 has a 4" barrel. That's how Ruger made them in the '90s.
Now, they make them 4.2" instead of 4" which I believe is to comply with Canadian gun laws on handgun barrel length.

I always wondered about the barrel length on Marlin rifles and assumed (I know, when you ASSuME ...) that it was for ballistic reasons, but the BALANCE of the rifle makes a lot of sense (which, i think, is why some of the longer barrels have the shorter magazine tube).

And then there is the cosmetic factor of the Cowboy models.

I really like the 16" Trappers (which are actually 16 & 1/4" nowadays to avoid any question of being too short for legal issues) - when they get that short, balance is less of an issue for me because the 'handiness' makes up for it.

 

20" barrels are boring!! Rifles of old had 29" barrels because of propellants. Today more efficient powders allow shorter barrels. Back to 20" barrels. I do have 20" marlins but they are seldom used. 16, 18.5 and 24"ers get used, 20"ers set at home.

Papalote

 

Did a quick search and found this site, which I had seen a while ago: BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: Home

Unfortunately, they only have handgun cartridges and not rifle cartridges, and the upper chart only goes up to 18" barrel length.
They do list a Henry rifle with a 20 barrel in the 2nd table for 44magnum.

Even with the limited data, I think it is interesting.
If anyone knows of a better source for this kind of data, I'd be interested.