CaptnC Wrote:Well if you guys don't want to hear this cover your ears because it for the OP!
I bet you have a pair and could easily carry all the extra weight 4 more inches of barrel weighs! There just isn't a good reason to handy cap such a fine cartridge!
A buddy of mine has a 24" Grendel and he is getting nearly 6.5 Creedmoor velocity with a grain less powder than I'm using.
That has me seriously considering building one. I know I have a pair, so I can easily handle all that extra weight some people have issue with!
All that drama said, with a can (slight gain in velocity) a 16" would be a bare minum.
Oh...one last thing...my other 2, 7.62X39 AR's both sport 20" pipes...got to squeeze every last FPS out of what ever makes you happy!
I don't think you are handicapping the cartridge if you won't ever use it to the full potential of the long barrel. I built a 24" because I want to reach out and touch something at really long ranges, maybe do so competitions with it. And getting creedmore velocity out of is is awesome with the smaller and lighter overall package.
It's not about "having a pair", it's about the intended purpose of the gun. I'm building a 10.5", and a 12.5" that I will use for more tactical (room clearing, maybe 3 gun type stuff) scenarios and hog hunting, but they will still be able to reach out and still be a very viable option when compared to a 300blk or a 5.56/223 that most people pick for those scenarios. This cartridge beats them all and is the best all around round you can get in my book. Running around and doing quick target transitions is much easier with a shorter gun than a long 24".
That said it also depends on the type of hunting you are doing. Are you just carrying it the 200yrd (i've seen guys park right under it and still take a deer almost every time) from your truck to the stand and just sitting there with it? If so then sure bring out the big boy because it won't wear on you all day. Are you stalk hunting and going through the mountains all day? If so that gun can start to feel heavier and heavier as the day goes by and could screw up your shot if you aren't used to lugging it around and are worn out by the time you get to take the shot. Then you have to track it, and bring the animal back to your vehicle or camp if you can't access it.
I also don't think it is necessary to carry more than you actually need. So like the OP said, no shots past 300, so he doesn't NEED anything over even a 16" for a rifle, or even 12" for a pistol/sbr. I would even venture to say he could use a 10.5 with the right loads. At the ripe old age of 27, I have learned I don't need to prove my masculinity by beating myself up more than I have to, been there, done that got the tshirt and injuries to prove it. If I sound like a dick I don't mean to, I'm just saying you don't have to be at the maximum for everything.
Edit: I saw the other thread you linked to. For some it is about getting the max performance in a specific barrel length, you don't have to max out a cartridge everytime, if we wanted to do that we would have a 28" barrel and only have bolt guns. It's knowing what you are sacrificing and being ok with it because it is meeting another requirement you have.
OP get whatever you want, just about any length would work for your purposes. IMO shorter would be better, it would make it more versatile and you wouldn't be using the full potential of the longer gun anyways.