Building back up rifle

[mooseman100]

Well after running over my mzldr yesterday morning the wife has approved a new rifle. Currently shooting a short treestand rifle built on remimgton ml action with Boyd stock. I think 22” barrel. Tack driver
So for new one I am wondering which way to go. Seems as if slot of guys have these 24-26” long barrels. I guess for long range
I am not nor will be a target shooter, all about hunting. There are some western states that I hunt that might be nice to have a 300-400 yd gun. Some states do not allow smokeless though. I could do that distance with my current set up. So why the big long barrels

[mimath314]

Testosterone 😂. Nothing is ever enough, always looking for a little more, 100 fps, .1 moa, better efficiency. It happens with bows, ML, SML, center fire rifles, handguns...you name it, cars, trucks, houses. I think it’s really at the heart of what has made us (America) who we are.

Now for your answer...If it’s truly a backup rifle, then I’d build as similar to the primary as possible.

[joelmoney]

If you already have the small tree stand gun why not go for a lighter weight long range rig? Price won’t be that much different than having another gun fitting the same nitch. It could be used for tree stand work in a pinch and you will have a longer range gun.

[Dave W]

I would talk to Luke, Bestill and AJ to see how much barrel length you need to push Blackhorn at longer ranges out west and go from there.

[mooseman100]

Testosterone! LMAO!!! The truth is spoken. Laugh as we may, but you are right. I have even been injecting the stuff for fhe last five years on dr’s orders.

So Dave, does blackhorn get alot of states that smokeless does not?

Joel, i was leaning the same way, get a rig that coul dbe used in different application, yet in a pinch go up a tree with me

[joelmoney]

DAVE has a great point. If it were a great Blackhorn open sighted gun it would make a great scoped SML when not being used where laws permit.

[Dave W]

Nov 23, 2018 19:54:35 GMT -5 mooseman100 said:

Testosterone! LMAO!!! The truth is spoken. Laugh as we may, but you are right. I have even been injecting the stuff for fhe last five years on dr’s orders.

So Dave, does blackhorn get alot of states that smokeless does not?

Joel, i was leaning the same way, get a rig that coul dbe used in different application, yet in a pinch go up a tree with me

AJ and Luke are left coast guys, I am from the mideast with zero BH209 experience, they probably have a good idea of legal powders in those areas but always best to check game laws for yourself.
AJ has done traces with BH 209 and Luke builds guns for guys that hunt in those states that are not smokeless powder legal. Bestill builds guns and competes at Friendship with BH 209, not to mention he has probably burned a dump truck load of that powder. If I was building a dual purpose gun, those are the guys with experience I would talk to.

[AJ]

Nov 24, 2018 8:49:06 GMT -5 Dave W said:

AJ and Luke are left coast guys

WHAT?!?!? Left coast? Them are fighting words. New Mexico is a Rocky Mountain state.

But yes if BP subs are legal, BH209 is legal. Some states require open ignition systems, so while BH209 would be legal, igniting it consistently would be very difficult. Pretty much any gun that works with smokeless will work well with BH209.

Long barrels have some advantages. They offer more velocity and give better burns than shorter barrels. In states that do not allow optics, the longer barrel offers a longer sighting distance which can help with accuracy. Also the muzzle blast is farther away from the shooter which makes for a more pleasant shooting experience. As more of the powder burns the muzzle pressure is reduced which also makes less blast. There is a point of diminishing returns where the bullet's acceleration rate can slow down (even though the bullet's velocity is still increasing) and the pressure can spike as the burning gas cloud catches up with the bullet. This is typically in barrels longer than 30". But it can also show up when using very slow burn rate powders with lighter bullets. My Buffalo Classic Handi Rifle conversion still wears the 32" barrel and is great to shoot BH209. The drawbacks to long barrels are weight and maneuverability. My personal preference is 24-26" for a do it all hunting gun. YMMV.