BP shooters, best rifle barrel length

[BobinIL]

For thos shooting BP or subs which barrel length on you rifles do you like.  20" or 24"??  It seems that the BP loads are heavier so the 24" rifle might reduce recoil better.

[Mason Stillwell]

Boy this question will bring some different answer's. Kinda like what kind of shorts do you like.

I like the longer barrels as it helps steady my old hands and arms . Also reducing recoil along with moving the smoke a little farther down range away from my face.

Just my $ 0.02 worth
Your mileage might very
Hope this helps

Mason

[sundance44`s]

The longer the better for Black Powder ..longer gets a better burn on your powder , I read somewhere last year 24 inches was the shortest recomended for a rifle shooting Black . ( correct me if I`m wrong , I do a lot of reading ) 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I prefer 24" on all my CAS rifles, Black Powder or Smokeless. I like the extra weight and how they tend to hang better on the target. Since all my Black Powder loads are stuffed full of powder, they do recoil a bit, but frankly, even with 35-40 grains of powder behind a 200 grain 44-40 bullet, a big heavy '73 or Henry barely moves in recoil. It just is not much of a consideration. Probably a different story with a light weight carbine. Also a much different consideration with a handgun, but not so noticeable with a rifle.

I do not agree with the statement that the longer the barrel the better, and I have never heard of a recommendation that 24" is the shortest recommended length. The thing to bear in mind when shooting Black Powder through a rifle is that the reliability and sustained accuracy of the piece is directly proportional to the extent that fouling can be kept soft in the barrel. My own experience shows that when shooting BP with a bare minimum of BP compatible lube on the bullet, the bullets tend to run out of lube as they approach the muzzle. That is where barrels tend to have a crusty build up of accuracy ruining fouling. Back when I was pan lubing regular hard cast bullets with 50/50 Beeswax/Crisco, the single skimpy lube groove on a typical hardcast bullet would regularly run out of lube for the last 6" or so of the 24" barrel on my '73. This ruined accuracy after 3 or 4 stages, requiring swabbing out the bore to clean out the crud. I can only surmise that if I was shooting a 30" barrel, I would have 12" of crud buildup rather than the 6" I had with the 24" barrel. According to the same theory, a 20" barrel would have had almost no buildup. If you are shooting a marginal amount of lube on your bullets, or resorting to cookies and other such folderal, a longer barrel will be a disadvantage.

These days with Big Lube bullets, the fouling stays soft for the entire 24" of my barrels, and I suspect they would be good for 30" too, however I have no data to back up that assumption. But if you want a long barrel, consider how much lube your bullets carry.

My Sharps has a 30" barrel, and I do not use Big Lube bullets in it. But it is a long range rifle, and I use a blow tube after every shot to keep the fouling moist. Can't use a blow tube in the middle of a CAS shooting string.

[Russ T Chambers]

Had to get out the tape measure to check for sure.  My '73 has a 19" barrel, holds 10 .45 colt, which is perfect.  It has never had anything in it but Black.  Never had a problem with it, and it defiantly shoots better shoots better than I do!  I like the short barrel for its maneuverability if the stage requires moving between window openings.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy!

Put me in the longer tube group.  I like the extra weight out there to steady the rifle.  I have 3 rifles for CAS shooting: a '66 and a '92 in 45 Colt.  They both have 24" barrels.  My Sharps has a 32" barrel.  I HAVE heard that to a point, the longer barrels, shooting EITHER BP or smokeyless, develop more power and somewhat better accuracy.  I hadn't heard specifically that 24" was picked for BP optimum performance.  I'd say that is WAY over-simplified from the general "longer is better" way of thinking!  I think (but can't prove) that way too many factors contribute to shooting performance to say that one length of barrel is better than another!  Now, what seems to BE true is that the shorter barrels are handier and easier to get on target quickly.  Even short barrels can have weight added to steady them, so doing that might negate SOME of the inherant quickness factor of shorty barrels while keeping some of the "manueverability." 

There is also the fact that looks play a factor in choosing barrel length.  I have an old (40+ yrs. old) Marlin "Golden 39A Mountie" that, to ME   looks better than the longer 39A versions.  Mine has a straight stock and I changed the lever to the older styled squared type.  It is a cool looking package.  However, the longer barreled ones have a pistol-gripped stock and again, to ME   that stock and barrel length go together better than any lever action with a short barrel and a pistol-grip type stock.

Mason:  Hanes boxer-briefs!    Perhaps TOO much info!!   

[Dr. Bob]

Howdy,

My 73 has a 20 inch barrel.  The recoil of a full case load in 45 LC causes less movement than cycling the lever.   

[Wills Point Pete]

 I have two CAS lever action rifles, well a carbine and a rifle. My Marlin is the same one that rode in my county cruiser for half or more of my career, it's a .357 same as my service revolvers were.
My '92 clone is a Navy Arms stainless .45 Colt with a 24 inch octagon  tube. My Marlin is faster to move with it's 18.5 barrel and is quite a bit lighter. When I was younger and steadier it was like it was radar guided.

Shortly after getting involved in CAS I had a stroke, the residual damage makes the lighter rifle more difficult for me to shoot, that extra weight out front of the rifle makes a huge difference. Now my circumstances are not universal, by any means, but there are a bunch of us that can use the steadiness of the heavier rifle. There are a bunch of younger guys that can use the speed of the lighter carbines.

The bottom line is that what is right for me means nothing to another shooter. The beauty of CAS is that I have only seen a few Pards that won't let a complete stranger fire off a gunfull out of almost any rifle, pistol or shotgun. I have fired guns at a CAS Shoot that I would NEVER be able to afford, even if I'd have sold the kids to the Arabs back when they were young enough to be worth something.

Bobin, go to some matches and ask the Pards there to let you try a few rounds out of the various rifles and find out what is right for YOU.

[Ransom Gaer]

I have two rifles I use regularly for CAS.  One is an 1866 Winchester 24" barrel and the other is an 1860 Henry 24" barrel.  When I bought them that is what I could get.  So that is what I use.  Both in .45 Colt.  Recoil is almost non-existant and I tend to shoot heavy loads.  The longer barrels do seem to be more steady when on target and I like that.

I have heard that the shorter barrels are quicker to move to the next target.  Not actually having shot a short barrel I can't comment on this.  At matches I tend to see more guns with shorter barrels than the long ones for what it's worth.  Which ain't much.

On my Sharps I don't use big lube bullets either.  I use the more common Lyman molds and SPG lube and don't have any fouling problems at all.  I always have a nice lube star at the muzzle.  But then the more common Lyman molds have 4 or 5 lube grooves in them and that seems plenty in a 32" barrel.

Ransom Gaer

[Dick Dastardly]

At SASS match distances barrel length don't make no practical nevermind.  But, you will have preferences and they do matter.  Shoot some guns before you plunk yer money down on the mahogany.  Yer doin' the rite thing by askin'.  Also, do some shootin' before ya buy.  Most pards are only too happy to hand ya a rifle and ammo to run it.  Take notes and keep askin' questions.

Then, when you do make up your mind you will have a happier outcome.  Of course, you could just keep on buyin' guns like I did, till ya get one ya like.

DD-DLoS

[sundance44`s]

How true .DD at SASS distances any barrel lenght would be fine , what ever fits ya the best your just dinging a big target  ...
One reason I favor the longer barrels for B/P is just me trying to stay Historicaly correct with my arms ...I really like shooting my Remmie with the 5 1/2 barrel ..but it stays in the safe much of the time , because it was never offered by Remington  . Same with the rifles .
Other reason i favor the longer barrels , is shooting through a crono ..barrel lenght does matter ,I want all the MPG I can get for my powder and lead slinging .
Shooting through a crono shows big numbers falling off with the shorter barrels .
I feel like they didn`t just pick a number when these fine guns were invented for barrel lenght . There was lots of testing , and sales shooting going on . After all the Army had the mind set for bigger better more powerful ..and the Army contracts were much needed to keep these gun companys in business .
So it just depends what your intentions are when buying barrel lenghts . I never met a Black Powder gun I didn`t like .

[litl rooster]

Boy this question will bring some different answer's. Kinda like what kind of shorts do you like.

Mason

LOL   you hit that one on the nail......


Me....If it's not broke I shoot it............haven't put much into the lenght