07-19-2012, 01:37 AM
For max range, you will need the longest barrel you can deal with in order to generate as much velocity as possible. When I thought about this, I wondered exactly how much more range I needed. With my 19.5 inch barrel, my rounds don't go transonic until around 1300-1400 yards. I so seldom get to shoot much over 600 yards that I don't need to worry much about Grendel rounds going transonic. When I know I'm going somewhere to shoot over 800 yards, I take a rifle with much "longer legs".
I guess I would evaluate how much of your shooting is really 1200 yards and further. The 24 inch barrel will only get you another 100-200 feet per second. If you really want to do lots of shooting at 1200 yards and beyond, I would strongly recommend looking into a rifle built for longer distances. I would suggest the 260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x47 Lapua, or the 6mm varieties of those rounds.
I guess I would evaluate how much of your shooting is really 1200 yards and further. The 24 inch barrel will only get you another 100-200 feet per second. If you really want to do lots of shooting at 1200 yards and beyond, I would strongly recommend looking into a rifle built for longer distances. I would suggest the 260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x47 Lapua, or the 6mm varieties of those rounds.