Need help deciding which 30-06 barrel profile to get

Two questions:

1) Can you guys recommend a barrel profile which will offer a good trade off for somebody who will use the same rifle for hunting (30-200 yds) and longer precision shooting (300-1000 yds). Obviously weight and length are the concern since I'll be carrying this rifle around while hunting (prob no more than 2 miles for each hunt). I had my eye on either the Light Palma or the Medium Varmint profile. Note, the rifle already weighs 11 lbs unloaded.

2) What is your ideal barrel length for a 30-06 precision rifle? My current barrel is a factory 22" sporter which is capable of 0.75 MOA. I plan on replacing it but I'm not sure what length. I know that a 20" works well for the .308 so does that mean that a 22" will work well for a 30-06? I will use a 20 oz. suppressor (Saker 7.62) on the end of the barrel and the rifle will mostly be used ~20% for hunting and the other 80% for precision shooting out to 1000 yards. I would love to be able to cut the length to 20" if possible. I do reload ammo so I could load whatever is needed for the barrel. If the barrel is 20" does it even make sense to load the cartridges to 30-06 pressures or should I used reduced powder loadings to bring it down to a 308 type load? Thanks.


Thanks in advance.

What's the point of a 30-06 if loading to 308 pressures? Not that it's not capable it would probably be fine with a 20" barrel. How heavy depends on what type of target shooting you will be doing. Recreational shoot as fast or slow as you want to or F-class multiple rounds of 20rds in 20min plus sighters. I would probably go with a magnum contour if I was doing more hunting with the rifle, but personally I prefer the Varmint Contour. I also prefer a 26" for precision shooting, but would probably go with a 20 or 22" prefered for hunting. If you go with the 20" barrel you'll probably want to stick with 175-185gr bullets for target shooting as you won't have the barrel to push the heavy target bullets as fast as you may prefer.

This is why I plan to build my next rifle in 6.5-06 A-Square. All the benefits of a 30-06, ballistics similar to 300WM, but preforms like a 6.5-284. If you aren't hunting anything bigger than white tails or something only slightly larger than that is the route I would go for a rifle that can do both.

On a simple note the thinner the barrel you choose the longer you'll want to wait in between shots when shooting for long range precision. The shorter the barrel the more limited you are on FPS you can generate. Speed doesn't always mean accuracy, but if you can get it there faster and be accurate there's less that can mess with your shot between you and your target!

I agree with you regarding loading the 30-06 at lower pressures, the thing is I chose 30-06 for the following reasons:

1) I'm already tooled up for 30-06 reloading since I have 3 other 30-06 rifles, lots of match 30-06 brass, powder and bullets.
2) I was able to purchase the base savage rifle (with cheap optic, mounts, bipod and case for ~$150....the rifle looked like it was never shot)
3) I love the 30-06 caliber.

You have a good point about the type of match this rifle could be used in, I didn't consider dwell time between shots. I don't think I would do F-class, more likely a tactical match, but I would have a similar consideration there. I have already seen vertical stringing when dwell time between shots is ~1min for 4 consecutive shots. I'm going to attach some thermocouple tape and a data acquisition unit to my current barrel to collect the temperature profile over time using different dwell time between shots; I would do the same with whatever new barrel I select. Will be interesting to see how much time a thicker barrel saves between shots. I would be surprised if this has not been done already.

When you mention magnum contour, are you referring to something like a #4 bull sporter?

The rifle would be used around central Texas so, small white tail and medium to very large hogs.

The Marine Corps uses a 10twist in a 20" barrel on the M40 with a Suppressor currently and we use the 175gr SMK for our match ammo. I would expect the 30-06 to continue to follow suit as heavier bullets usually need a faster twist, but there are member that have a better understanding of this than myself for sure.

Magnum Contour is a heavy Sporter Contour. I'm not fully familiar with the number system though. I don't know if it's in your price range, but fluting may be the best option for you to have the best of both worlds.

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Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Magnum Contour is a heavy Sporter Contour. I'm not fully familiar with the number system though. I don't know if it's in your price range, but fluting may be the best option for you to have the best of both worlds.

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Yep, fluting was already part of the plan. I figure if I can keep the barrel under $500 then I'll be happy.

Also, I realize I made an error in my previous statement, it should have read: "Since the barrel is 22" and not 26" the bullet should be be 100-175 f/s slower leaving the muzzle. If 1:10 would be ideal for this bullet weight range from a 26" barrel would I now choose the 1:9 from a 22" barrel?"

You really should get in contact with Jim at NSS or whoever you are choosing to do the barrel for you.

I thought the M40A5 used a 1:12 twist...?

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Originally Posted by BoilerUP

I thought the M40A5 used a 1:12 twist...?

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You're right 1:12, I thought they had switched it over when they decided to go from a 25" barrel to a 20" for the adoption of a suppressor as a standard kit. The Army uses a 1:11.25. All of them put lead on target though.

24 in. light varmint contour, 1/10 twist. 30-06

Twist doesn't change with barrel length, only with your intended bullets bearing surface (which is often linked to weight as heavier bullets generally have longer bearing surfaces).

Personally, I had a Magnum (Heavy Sporter) contour in SS with a 10" twist and 22" long. It was great and shot well. I ended up selling it Frank since I wasn't shooting it as much as my 308 and he reports great accuracy and velocity results.

If I had it to do over again and I was looking at 22" length, I think I would go with a Varmint Contour and get it aggressively fluted, and of course thread the muzzle with a protector in case I wanna add a brake or can later.

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Originally Posted by 452b300

24in. #3 contour, 1/10 twist. 30-06 I find this barrel length and weight an excellent compromise.

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That's kind of what's on the gun now, same contour but 22".

This contour will not have a large enough OD at the muzzle for 5/8x24 threading. Per Silencerco, "we recommend at a minimum the shoulder should be 0.100” over the thread diameter. For example if you are threading your barrel for 5/8x24, the thread diameter is 0.625” so the minimum barrel diameter would need to be 0.725"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bootsmcguire

If I had it to do over again and I was looking at 22" length, I think I would go with a Varmint Contour and get it aggressively fluted, and of course thread the muzzle with a protector in case I wanna add a brake or can later.

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That's kind of where I'm at now: 22" in a medium varmint contour.

...now I'm just trying to decide whether to buy a pre-fit Criterion or a barrel from a different manufacturer.

I've had good luck with McGowen, but you won't go wrong with a Shilen or Criterion either.

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Originally Posted by LoneWolf

I've had good luck with McGowen, but you won't go wrong with a Shilen or Criterion either.

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I originally wanted a Shilen but have decided to stay away from them due to the many quality issues I've read about on several different forums. I was convinced my only other option was the Criterion but you reminded me that McGowen also makes savage prefits. Thanks.

check GunShack. Sometimes they have exactly what you're looking for just sitting there waiting to ship.

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Originally Posted by LoneWolf

check GunShack. Sometimes they have exactly what you're looking for just sitting there waiting to ship.

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or
Gunshack had nothing for me but thanks for the suggestion. Looks like I will be speaking with Jim over at NSS.

Criterion (CBI) barrels are great. I have one in 6BR and a buddy got one in 243AI. Both shoot great and clean easy. Mine shoots so good that I have gotten bored with it and I don't shoot it as often as I should.

Another place to check would be with Jim at Apache Gunworks and see what he can build for you. My last 3 barrels have come from him and my next one that I am getting ready to build will be ordered from him as well. Apache makes some great shooting barrels.

Placed the order for the Criterion barrel today...feels good to finally put that past me! 24", varmint contour, 1:10, recessed crown, stainless bead blast, 5/8x24 threaded. Now I have 4 months to wait .