Preferred Barrel Length

[gustrolland]

I have to say that this is another of those questions that have more than one answer. The preferred barrel length for a rifle depends on caliber, purpose and architecture. Then it becomes a case of how does the finished rifle fit of the rifle match up to your build. Your 38" swamped barrel should be nice and handy, but you don't mention caliber or style. But there will be little difference in the handling of a 42" swamped barrel matched to caliber and rifle architecture. The extra 4" of barrel will hardly be noticed. The 44 to 46" octagon to round smoothbore barrels matched to gauge to get a light weight barrel can be a delight to handle and have all the performance anyone would want especially on a stock designed for a fowling gun.

Personally have an own flinterst have than range 28 to 42 inch barrels, I may be nuts but each has it's merits. In the brush around here (western Oregon ) I've had really good luck using the short barrels for haunting black tail deer and other critters.

 

[oldwood]

Jager.....At 74 the only way I can see the sights is w/ a peep sight. I still get all goofy over long rifles , so last summer built a .50 cal. , 38" by 7/8" Lehigh pattern flint Rifle for deer and just to shoot. I mounted a homemade peep sight on the tang w/standard front sight. DANG if i ain"t in love again. I can see the sights and the target. Been 10 years since I could do that...Think I'll call a buddy and hit the range tomorrow.. oldwood

 

[Col. Batguano]

It's harder to make a longer barrel stiffer, and thus, harder to get good accuracy from a whippier barrel.

 

[okawbow]

I shoot muzzleloaders to re-create the feeling my ancestors had when they shot their rifles. Most early flintlocks had 48” barrels. There is something about the way a swamped barreled 48” long feels when shooting a flintlock. That log sight radius really works also. I hunt deer with a 54 caliber colonial style longrifle. I really don’t feel like the barrel is too long at all. The balance is wonderful. It is very accurate and points great.

 

[M. De Land]

What is your preferred barrel length on a rifle and why? I only have a 42 inch straight at the moment but am in the process of having a TVM 38 inch with a swamped barrel built. -Larry

I built a flint gun last year with a 36 inch 13/16s straight octagon in .45 cal and love it for offhand shooting. I never though a fairly light barrel would work for offhand shooting but this one sure does. If the stock fit and balance is right weight doesn't have as much bearing on how well a rifle will preform for a shooter.

 

[olskool]

I shoot muzzleloaders to re-create the feeling my ancestors had when they shot their rifles. Most early flintlocks had 48” barrels. There is something about the way a swamped barreled 48” long feels when shooting a flintlock. That log sight radius really works also. I hunt deer with a 54 caliber colonial style longrifle. I really don’t feel like the barrel is too long at all. The balance is wonderful. It is very accurate and points great.

how do you get it to where you hunt? I have one 42in and it is a pain to load in the truck and take to the woods! how do you even load it? to each his own but when they are radically long I think it is over kill,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[oldwood]

I started out in the early 1970's W/ a Getz barreled "C" wt. .50 for target and deer. The plain hard maple stock ran the weight up to an 8+ lb. rifle. The barrel had 7 grooves round bottom rifling around 1turn in 56" . In .50 "C" Wt. , it was good and stiff and would group 3" @ 100 meters all day every day. Last years of competitive shooting were offhand metal silhouettes out to a knock down bear cub @ 200 Yards. Used this rifle until about 1988 when , I quit competitive shooting. This rifle was deadly in the deer woods as you could still hunt and take longer shots W/ good success. Longer shots to me means under 80 yards , but there are so many sizes of deer in the winter woods , and before range finders , I was fortunate to have made a number of kills slightly over 100 yds.. I never wounded a deer at those ranges , and when I didn't hit all were clean misses.
I felt a change was in order , so built a copy of a British American Revolution era military Jager by Durs Egg , copied from one in the Tower of London firearm museum by Kit Ravenshear. It had a 31" .62 cal. Getz barrel and would cut holes at 50 yds. . Good enough for the Pa. late flint season. Killed some deer w/ that one.
Got restless again , and lengthened the barrel to 37' w/ straight 1" .62 . Had longer sight plain , and still lighter weight under 7 lbs. Did some damage to the deer population w/ that rifle. By 2010 , my eyes were so bad , I couldn't see either of the sights , or the target.
I went back to a .50 cal 7/8' , 37" in. length w/a home made tang peep sight. I can again see both sights and the target. Going back to the range after a basic "sight in" and my excitement level is maxed. Have to practice , practice , etc.... oldwood