TOO MUCH BARREL LENGTH?

Some folk think that the longer the tool, the better the performance:
(I once read a lady say "-A hard man is good to find"! - as opposed to "A good man is hard to find")

                                A 'Buntline' - That's silly, but quiet pretty eh.

- A barrel needs  to be long enough for the powder charge to all burn and use all its hot gas to accelerate the projectile to optimum velocity - once the powder is used-up - the remaining length of barrel will start to slow the bullet by friction losses.

 You can't really state that one specific length is right for any calibre - as each loading of different pill weight, propellant type and charge weight will have a different need - so the best that can be done is select a length that is either somewhere in the middle of the range of that cartridges possibilities or around the longest ever likely to be utilised.

                                         Hickok45 tests three barrel lengths.

-Then it comes-down to your priorities. If you need something that is handy and of minimum length or weight - it's worth pruning the tube by a hands-width and accept the loss of few hundred foot per second velocity. - Shooters do this all the time with handguns, as nearly all revolvers and pistols throw-out unburnt powder from the muzzle - an unexpected amount when you check - perhaps by collecting it on a clean surface ahead of the muzzle. - You'd have to wonder about 'hot' loads eh.

                                    Ruger 'Alaskan' .44" Magnum 2.5inch
                      - that's silly too  (44 Magnum in a 2.5" !) - but still pretty!

Indoor ranges need to regularly sweep or vacuum the area in front of the firing position as unburnt powder collects and can become a risk of accidental ignition. - I used to sweep my indoor range at intervals and deliberately light the sweepings heap to safely burn it with a spectacular cloud of grey smoke - to test the ventilation system (and for fun!).

It may be possible that by shortening a rifle barrel you might improve accuracy - as a shorter tube may be less floppy and less inclined to droop when it gets too hot.(I refer you to what the lady says above). Another consideration must be that shorter barrels are a lot louder with gasses exiting at higher pressure.

Experiments cutting-off barrels inch-by-inch do show the expected linear changes in velocity but the resulting accuracy changes have been reported as mostly random. For velocities take a look at Ballistics by the Inch web site as they may have saved you from taking a hack-saw to your best gun - and have tested many popular calibres and ammunition options.

Marty K