.243 Win Surpressed 20 inch barrel vs. 22 inch barrel

Iron_Road

Iron_Road

New member
So I'm looking at acquiring one of the 2nd generation Ruger Americans in 243 and plan to put a suppressor on it. But I can't decide between the regular splattered grey 20 inch version, or the American Predator splattered green 22 inch version and how a suppressor will effect ballistics and velocity. Here are the links from Ruger's website of the guns I'm considering.

ruger american gen2

ruger predator gen 2
 
I’m going with the American GenII in .308. With the Gen II in the predator line they increased the barrel length. I have the original Predator in .308 and a regular American in .308 and the barrel lengths were the complete opposite.
If you’re going to shoot suppressed the 20” is about the max I’d go, unless your suppressor is real short.
 
Spurchaser said:
I’m going with the American GenII in .308. With the Gen II in the predator line they increased the barrel length. I have the original Predator in .308 and a regular American in .308 and the barrel lengths were the complete opposite.
If you’re going to shoot suppressed the 20” is about the max I’d go, unless your suppressor is real short.
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So what would you say is the average suppressor length, what's short and and what's long? And say I had two suppressors. One 6in and one 10in can. What X suppressor length would you pair with X barrel length?
 
Guess it all depends on what you use the rifle for.
How far you have to walk in to use the rifle (weight).
And I’d guess how far your shots are.
My suppressor is 9” long so I went with the shorter barrel length. I want as light as possible in a total package. And 300yds is about the max range I can see or shoot. Most of my shots are 150 or less. Most of my walks in/out are close to 300yds.
 
Most .223 Ar-15s have a 16" barrel and have no trouble getting to over 500 yards, my 6mm's have 16" and 18" barrels with a Dead Air Suppressors, have no trouble getting to 1000 yards. although I rarely shoot a critter over 200 yards because of our habitat. Murl B.
 
I have a gen 2 American and an original predator. Personally I notice the extra 2". I may have my predator cut down to 20". I wouldn't worry about the minimal loss in velocity. At the range most people hunt at, you won't notice a difference.
 
Spurchaser said:
Guess it all depends on what you use the rifle for.
How far you have to walk in to use the rifle (weight).
And I’d guess how far your shots are.
My suppressor is 9” long so I went with the shorter barrel length. I want as light as possible in a total package. And 300yds is about the max range I can see or shoot. Most of my shots are 150 or less. Most of my walks in/out are close to 300yds.
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Both rifles are comparable in weight according to the spec sheet. Just under half a pound difference. I'm not walking far, it's walkin in, sitting down and, calling coyotes is what I'm going for.
 
If you're planning to screw a can on the end I'd opt for the 20in version. Like crapshoot already mentioned the velocity difference won't be noticed but when you start screwing a can on the end of these things they get long in a hurry so I would go with the shorter barreled version for convenience and not even worry about anything else.
 
I was trying to make the same decision whenever I bought my 2nd 6mm arc. I already had an 18'' and was trying to decide if I wanted a 20'' or 22'', I went with the 20''.

So now I have 18'', 20'', and 22'' bolts that I use my suppressor that is 8-1/4" long and weighs 17oz. I can tell a HUGE difference in the handling of the 18'' vs 22''. The 18'' stays pretty snug whenever I put it on my shoulder. The 22'' is hard to keep on my shoulder and tends to want to turn here and there and upside down and it's a mess. The 20'' stays put like the 18''. Overall I like the 18'' the best, but the 20'' seems to be a really good meet in the middle.
 
I run 105's out of 20" suppressed .243 around 2900 fps. As others have stated that 2" will not be missed one time while shooting. Hell, if I was doing it again and based on my own experiences with 18" tubes on other rifles, I would do an 18" barrel on my .243 I built.
 
On my bolt guns I run a 16", 20", and 26" barrels and on my AR 15's (Wildcat) I run a 16" barrel for spot & stalking. My AR 10's in 243 (20" & 24") using a tripod with thermal calling at night in open country.

PS: All my rifles have aftermarket stock upgrades and balanced, except my Ruger AM 450 BM, being that I still use the factory stock, my barrel is 16" to prevent it from being front heavy with a Ti can.

Everything is suppressed except centerfire pistols.
 
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TXCOONDOG said:
On my bolt guns I run a 16", 20", and 26" barrels and on my AR 15's (Wildcat) I run a 16" barrel for spot & stalking. My AR 10's in 243 (20" & 24") using a tripod with thermal calling at night in open country.

PS: All my rifles have aftermarket stock upgrades and balanced, except my Ruger AM 450 BM, being that I still use the factory stock, my barrel is 16" to prevent it from being front heavy with a Ti can.

Everything is suppressed except centerfire pistols.
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That's what I have to do, balance mine out. I will probably end up putting the Howa 20" in a chassis.
 
DoubleLungRage said:
That's what I have to do, balance mine out. I will probably end up putting the Howa 20" in a chassis.
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My 26" Bargara in 6mm Creed is in an XLR Element chassis and it balances out well with a 10" Ti can. My Rem 700 in .308 w/20" HBAR is in an Asbury Saber chassis with a folding stock and it balance out well too. My 700 trued SS action and jeweled bolt with a 20" SS CBI barrel in 243 is in a Magpul Hunter stock which I use in rainy/misty weather, and it balances well with a can too.
 
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I remember when I was in high school, Mossberg sold a shotgun with a select adjustable choke on it. Back them we referred to it as a potato on the barrel. I don't really understand this suppressor deal. What is it a suppressor does, lessen recoil or quiet down the rifle while firing. I'd read somewhere about a guy that was going to put one on his 223! I can't imagine getting a nice custom rifle and cutting off some barrel so you could put a potato on it! Boy IMO, the rifles I've seen with one are pure ugly.
 
Polock said:
I remember when I was in high school, Mossberg sold a shotgun with a select adjustable choke on it. Back them we referred to it as a potato on the barrel. I don't really understand this suppressor deal. What is it a suppressor does, lessen recoil or quiet down the rifle while firing. I'd read somewhere about a guy that was going to put one on his 223! I can't imagine getting a nice custom rifle and cutting off some barrel so you could put a potato on it! Boy IMO, the rifles I've seen with one are pure ugly.
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Bro go buy a suppressor already :ROFLMAO:
 
Polock said:
I remember when I was in high school, Mossberg sold a shotgun with a select adjustable choke on it. Back them we referred to it as a potato on the barrel. I don't really understand this suppressor deal. What is it a suppressor does, lessen recoil or quiet down the rifle while firing. I'd read somewhere about a guy that was going to put one on his 223! I can't imagine getting a nice custom rifle and cutting off some barrel so you could put a potato on it! Boy IMO, the rifles I've seen with one are pure ugly.
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I basically thought all of this too, until I tried one. Now I want them on most of my firearms...
 
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