Cutting Down A 223/243 Barrel?

[slipper 116]

Anybody had this done? Thinking of having in done to make it easier to shoot out of the motor, can it be done and if so whats the minimum barrel length for a 223?

[shropshire dan 467]

Aup Chris I'd give Mike Norris a call mate as you know he knows his stuff when it comes to barrels. Did you get that ammo? I was at Tom's friday and he had 4 or 5 boxes of .223 ppu in stock.

[Alsone 789]

I believe 12 inches (30cm legally), but the issue becomes one of loss of velocity if the barrel is too short. A gunsmith is the best person to talk to about minimum recommended length.

[SportingShooter 0]

What length are the barrels at the moment and do you use a moderator?

 

I had my .222 cut down from 24" to 20" and the chronograph results are just about the same range in regard to velocity,

 

That four inches makes a huge difference when in tight spaces though...

[slipper 116]

Its a 24inch barrel and I can have it cut down to 18, was thinking of having it glass bedded aswell, does this improve accuracy in 223?

Also does any body shoot a 223 or 222 without a mod? I have a stainless mod with is over the barrel type but makes it a bit front heavy, also adds another few inches

But because I'll only be having a few shots a night was going to try without it

[walshie 2,804]

I've tried my 223 without the mod at night and apart from blinding and deafening me, it worked quite well.

[Yokel Matt 918]

I had mine cut down from 25" to 18" and while it may have cost me a few hundred fps it's well worth it handling wise and still shoots in near enough a straight line out to 200m.

[slipper 116]

I phoned the gunsmiths he said I will lose 25fps per inch which is bugger all really and its 90 quid to do it

He did say that bedding the rifle might not be necessary anyone else had there 223 glass bedded?

[slipper 116]

I phoned the gunsmiths he said I will lose 25fps per inch which is bugger all really and its 90 quid to do it

He did say that bedding the rifle might not be necessary anyone else had there 223 glass bedded?

[cock grouse 15]

You might find with the shorter barrel and no mod that you get a lot of muzzle flash.

I've got a 16" barrel on my 223 and never shoot it with out a mod.

[collieman 45]

Sixteen inche is the shortest you can go legally, any small amount of fps loss will not make any difference

just make sure you pick a good rifle smith who will make a good job of the crown or your accuracy will be affected.

[slipper 116]

I had it cut down today its now 18inch so out tomorrow to zero it with some rws soft points

[SportingShooter 0]

Sixteen inche is the shortest you can go legally, any small amount of fps loss will not make any difference

just make sure you pick a good rifle smith who will make a good job of the crown or your accuracy will be affected.

 

12 inches is the legal minimum for barrel lengths, or 30cm it actually says.

 

It must also have an overall length from stock to muzzle of 24" or 60cm.

 

So in some cases, 16" may be the shortest, in others, not so.

[slipper 116]

Gunsmith said I could of had it cut down to 16 but said I wouldn't recommend it for some reason

[3175darren 1,100]

I had my Remington done and love it its now 19 inch long and the handling is massively improved, I thought about the issues of velocity loss, and went back to Reloader 7 powder, from Varget, with the view the faster powder would compensate for the shorter burn area available, also tried the 40 grn vmax instead of my 52 grn hollow points, to be honest there is no noticeable difference, now I am back on Reloader 7, I am happy with the results, but I never fire above 300 yd, and to be honest I havn't had to do that, since I had it cut, but I would be confident if it was needed,my back is buggered so I needed something that I could handle on foot, and from a vehicle, most of my shooting I do on my own, and humping something that heavy before I had it cut was just stupid, the silencer felt like a brick on a stick the gun was horrible to handle,with the barrel length just magnifying it, the long barrels are good for the target shooter's but I don't find the practicable in the field,

 

 

 

I have bought a 22 hornet now for carrying on foot,and to be honest I rarely pick the 223 up, and I am fighting the idea of trading it, and finding a varmint load for my 6.5x55 for the odd really long fox, which on the terrain I shoot is rare, but to be fair it was worth cutting down, the gun is accurate and 10 times more usable for me any way, and the 25 fps you loose per inch, is for a every day fox gun in my opinion is unnoticeable, target shooting I don't know,