Hunter wrote:Very nice indeed.
Why would you prefer 20" ? Simply because you'll probably never need to fire at targets Loooooong ways away? (plus 20" will still give you a good distance anyway)
And do you rather to use natural objects for resting or sand bags? (in regards to no bipod)
Long ago when I first started hunting Elk in Colorado, I used to use a Browning A-bolt stainless stalker composite with a 6-24x leupold scope & 24" extendable harris swivel bipod. It worked well with Federal premium (<3/4 MOA box stock). After several years of pounding mountains out there, I found all that crap hanging on a 24 or 26" barreled rifle is a pain in the ass - especially when you get down in the spruce and Gambel oak areas.
Later, after shooting competitively for a short time I realized that during the "open" relays - e.g. no sling or weight restrictions - or during relays with minimal requirements, all the precision shooters are using front and rear rests instead of bipods (if you look at the "Dude", the aluminum trusses on the forearms and butts are there to "slide" on rests).
A bipod is unnecessary and can screw pinpoint shots up, since on slopes it is hard to adjust for cants, etc. It's okay for short distances that police snipers are typically firing at (<200m typically), but for seriously long shots (>400y) - like competition or hunting antelope or high elevation spooky animals, it's better to rest the forearm on a more solid base. Daypacks will suffice for forearm rests. Competition front rests are actually tripods - but they are not - and this is the important part - attached to the gun. If a gun is heavy enough >10lbs. or so, it is sometimes better just to support the butt of it and let the front end move with the recoil. Bipods don't allow for the natural movement of the recoil - and that affects precision.
A 20" bbl. in 6.5 Grendel designated marksman will get out to 1,000 yards with plenty of precision (with the right ammo "tuned" for that barrel). Let's face it - there is very little NEED to shoot much of anything beyond that distance with small arms- truly the 20" long bbl. is a good compromise when you want to reach out and touch something at a fairly long distance, but you don't want to be hauling a long ass stick through the brush getting it caught up on limbs and shit - Plus it is lighter and that is going to make a difference once you start humping.
If you're young the weight thing won't matter - but as you age you start to realize the difference, especially when your feet are on 45 degree slopes. :-)
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