need advice on cutting savage barrel

S

scouteyes

New member
I have a savage 12fv 223Rem. w/heavy 26in barrel.I want a more carry friendly gun.My local gunsmith suggested cutting it down to 17-18in.thus loosing about 1 1/2 lbs.Gunsmith said by cutting barrel it wont hurt accuracy just velocity.The gun already shoots sum moa,s on factory ammo.But doesnt velocity affect accuracy?Funds are limited,so any suggestions on making my Savage a "walking gun" would be of great help.

Thanks Jim
 
Sub moa's and you even thinking of messing with it. Get a good comfortable sling and carry it on your shoulder. I walk all over with my Ruger 22-250 heavy barrel because I really like the way it shoots. I have a sport barrel .243 if I want something lighter plus my 270. I wouldn't think of cutting down a barrel on a varmint gun.
 
Personally..... I wouldn't start messing that much with it..... If I were looking for lighter weight carry rifle - which I always am - I'd trade it for something like a 16FSS.
 
scouteyes You will lose a little velocity and it will sound louder if you cut it,but your smith is right about accuracy.Four or six inches will make a big diffrence in the way the gun carries.I cut my .223 remington 788 to 20 inches and I like it better that way.If you get the barrel to short the gun wont feel (balance) right so you better be sure before you cut.Once you cut it off you can't put it back on.
 
scouteyes,

I guess I don't follow your "Smiths" opinion. IMO, velocity & accuracy go hand-in-hand over the long haul of things. I've had some "heavy" guns over the years. I always ran my sling diagonally across my chest & carried the firearm across my back. The lighter firearms, I shoulder carried.

Personally, I wouldn't cut that rifle. I'd trade or sell, as already been mentioned. If ya have it cut, & things turn to crap. No one will want it then.
 
For other reasons I cut the barrel back on my mini 14 to 16 1/4 inches and the groups got tighter! Im considering the same thing for my savage H B as well. I can live with a couple of hundred fps loss for a tight shooter that weighs a couple of lbs less.
Be sure to have your smith target crown that bad boy! A bad crown can make even the best rifle shoot like crap.
And when you think about it theres a TON of short, heavy barreled ARs ( 16 and 18 inch) that shoot tiny little groups. Why should your bolt gun be any different?
 
What Jack said is true. I would still sell or trade it though. The 16fss is very user friendly as Me stated, I shot at least a dozen deer with one in 7mm-08. Another good one, even lighter, is the 10fm "sierra" with 20" barrel--2MG
 
Thanks guys for the advice.
I wish I could find someone that want a good rifle for a average price.But for some reason Savages have nil to no resale value or trade in worth.I would love to have a CZ 527or a Remington,but funds allow for so much.I think ill just leave the barrel alone an hope I win the lottery so I can buy that new CZ.Thanks again guys.

Jim
 
Look around on some of the Savage shooter boards.You might find a barrel for sale that would fill your needs. Then you wouldn't have to cut the one you have.Give Fred at sharp shooter supply a call. He will probaly have what you are looking for. He only deals with Savage gun's and parts.He may have a new factory barrel laying around.
www.sharpshootersupply.com I would call instead of e-mail. He's pretty busy. You could switch the barrel yourself. Then if you want to go p-doggin or something you can switch back to the heavy barrel. I got a good deal on a factory stock.I switched my syn.12fv stock for a laminated one for like $80 or so. Good Luck with whatever you do. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
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With advent of Accu-Trigger and some other improvements the days of the Savage being a lower end gun are over, at least on their upper end models. Sub MOA forever.
 
Scouteyes,

i'm new to the board, but learned a hard lesson on this. I had a NEF in 22 hornet that I wanted to shorten the barrel for carry on my ATV. So I did just that. I went from a gun that grouped .5@100yds. to a gun that would cover the paper with ungrouped holes @50yrds. I had the barrel recrowned locally and it came back to about 2" @ 100yds. I was very unhappy. I would look for a differant barrel, or trade the gun off. My Savage 12bvss in 22-250 shoots subMOA and I love it. Just one man's opinion.
 
A shorter barrel "should" make it more accurate, even with a loss in velocity. Velocity and accuracy do not go hand in hand. If you want to get into that argument go over to ar15. com.

It will be a lot louder. That is why I stick with a 20" barrel for hunting on my ar-15's. I can notice a big difference in noise between a 16" and 20", but not a lot between a 20" and a 24".
 
I think most who have adressed this topic of Accuracy & velocity Due to (shorter-barrels vs. longer barrels)are actually in agreement.

Scenario Eg; Same bullit, same barrel twist, same yardage of shot, (same gun, 16" AR vs. 24" AR) . They should both be equally accurate out to a "given" yardage.

After that, the longer barreled AR(because of more "velocity") Should not, have as much "bullit-drop" as the shorter barreled AR @ the "longer yardage". End result...more accurate
 
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"After that, the longer barreled AR(because of more "velocity") Should not, have as much "bullit-drop" as the shorter barreled AR @ the "longer yardage". End result...more accurate"

Not at all. Accuracy isn't any more tied to drop than it is to velocity.

- DAA
 
DAA,
Why are there long-guns then? Just as relevant, why do people buy them? I'm talking about "all" things being equal, except barrel length. Enlighten me then, explain your opinion.
 
Hi,best for the 223 rem. is 20".The shorten bbl.will be stiffer.It will not hurt it if done right,have done many 223.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
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Vmaster59,

I know what your saying. I understand the essentials of "barrel-stiffness", harmonics & whip. My opinion is "only" in reference to velocity affecting accuracy.
 
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Kirby,
There are long-guns to obtain more velocity. And yes, more velocity will give you less drop at longer ranges which is convenient and will help to be consistant when shooting at multiple ranges. But the amount of drop still has nothing to do with accuracy.

Jeff
 
jjrobo,

Yep, I agree..."same gravitational force" on the "same weight" bullit. I'm not talking about that.

What I'm saying is a "faster bullit" (same weight, same gun, different barrel lengths, ect...ect) will fly farther & "Flatter"...Thus more accurate. Until the "long-barreled bullit" slows...& reaches, the "max speed of the short barreled bullit."

Then when they "both" are traveling the "exact-same velocity" Then yes, I agree they should both "drop" the same, with the same accuracy @ "that-yardage"

The same speed should equal the same accuracy is what I'm trying to say. But a faster bullit will be more accurate out past the slower bullit's "maximum velocity"
@ a farther yardage, ie;= less bullit-drop, in equal "air-time" of both bullits.
 
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