16” Barrel on a .308

[MTT TL]

I have two AR-10s one with a muzzle brake and one without. The one with the brake has a redirector on it that is removable and can push the gas forward when I am shooting at a range with other people nearby to keep them from getting washed in gas (and sound). When shooting rifles larger than .22lr I always use double ear protection.

16" is a great length for 308. The AR10 very accurate out to 600 yards and does well at 800 with drop being noticeable at 400.. After 400 yards ammo selection becomes more critical. Inside 400 it does not seem to matter much.

[raimius]

They are loud, but not terribly so. The muzzle brake would make it nasty to sit next to, but then that goes for pretty much any center-fire rifle. Either way, I recommend double ear pro while shooting center-fire rifle.
My 10.3 AR with an A2 flash hider is probably the worst offender I own, definitely worse than the 16in .308 bolt gun.
...but if you can, get a suppressor. They make things much more pleasant.

[Mobuck]

I don't have much use for any gun that's too obnoxious to shoot at least occasionally w/o ear protection.

[Salmoneye]

I have a Rem 7400 Carbine (18") in .30-06...

Yeah...It's loud...

Still one of the best brush guns I have ever had...

The short stiff barrel is more accurate than many long barreled bolts I have seen...

No idea how that translates to an AR-10 shorty in .308...

[Model12Win]

Why rob a full power rifle cartridge's velocity like that?

A 16" 308 effectively creates a louder, heavier 7.62x39. Total inefficiency.

[Don Fischer]

I wouldn't want to shoot any cartridge with a 16" barrel. To me it would be neither fish or fowl. To long for a handgun and to short for a rifle. There are probly lot's of people that could find a use for one though!

[DMK]

I built a FAL from an Imbel parts kit during the '94-'04 AWB. I had the barrel cut down to 17" to make it handier and had a brake silver soldered on. That was a mistake. I hated that brake, especially when firing under a roof at the outdoor range.

For whatever reason and most likely not due to the brake, it wasn't very accurate in that configuration either. It would consistently string about 6-8 MOA vertically.



Eventually, due to another project, I ended up with an spare Austrian STG-58 barrel that was cut down to 18" so I rebuilt the Imbel with that and put a Phoenix flash suppressor on it. Now it is so much more pleasant to shoot and doesn't handle any differently even with the added length. On a side note, it's much more accurate due to a better quality barrel and some tweaks I did to stop the stringing and other minor nagging problems.

[zeke]

Have a 16 in AR-10 style with muzzle brake. Underneath a shelter it can be truly irritating to someone without adequate ear protection. The concussion is also severe for it's caliber. However it's main purpose is not the sheltered 100 yd line, but out in open at up to 600 yds. The brake is brand specific suppresser adapter, which is main purpose for it. It also works for maintain sight picture after shot releases un suppressed.

While a short 308 can be obnoxious, almost any big bore or larger type magnum can be also. Especially if a shorter barrel. The only place I will leave the firing line due to excessive noise/concussion is an indoor range that allows up to 30-06 rifles.

Anytime I go shooting, electronic or double ear protection is with me. Have never been next to a 50 bmg, our range does not allow them.

[DMK]

The concussion is also severe for it's caliber.

That's something I forgot to mention. If you were standing next to someone shooting my FAL when it had the brake, you could feel a pretty severe pressure wave hitting you. The only other gun I've felt that was worse was an 8" barreled .223 AR pistol with a brake.

[RC20]

When shooting rifles larger than .22lr I always use double ear protection.

I use it 22 or not but next to folks with larger guns.

Been doing that for a long time.

Hearing loss is real pisser, protect it at all costs.

I did for most of my life but period when we did not have it, it was not taught (we did not have bicycle helmets growing up either) , so I am about half gone in my right ear and 30% in the left.

The right is shooting, I think some of it is getting sick over the years, not anything to be done about that part.

You miss a major piece of day to day and even for someone as A Social as I am, its a major loss.

[agtman]

If you're in AK, never use a .22lr on bear. Even a 16" .308 is iffy.

[jaysouth]

I hunt with a Remington 7600 Police patrol rifle. It is .308 and has a 16.5" barrel. No pig or deer has ever complained about the noise.

https://www.wolverinesupplies.com/pr...5-barrel-black

[Model12Win]

Originally Posted by jaysouth

I hunt with a Remington 7600 Police patrol rifle. It is .308 and has a 16.5" barrel. No pig or deer has ever complained about the noise.

https://www.wolverinesupplies.com/pr...5-barrel-black

A 4-shot pump-action .308 patrol rifle?

Isn't this supposed to have a scope? Just an odd duck. Maybe as a replacement for a 700 Police but I would not want the average street cop with this thing. Not enough capacity and why be limited to a pump?

But as a hunting rifle I'm sure it's excellent.

[jaysouth]

The 7600P has a ghost ring rear sight from Wilson Combat. When you think about it, we do not want viet nam style firefights with AR-15s in our neighborhoods.

If a trained officer can't hit his target with 4 shots, maybe he should have a sling shot.

[Model12Win]

Originally Posted by jaysouth

The 7600P has a ghost ring rear sight from Wilson Combat. When you think about it, we do not want viet nam style firefights with AR-15s in our neighborhoods.

If a trained officer can't hit his target with 4 shots, maybe he should have a sling shot.

Wow.

Maybe you should contact almost every police department in the country and tell them AR-15s aren't an appropriate patrol rifle for the threats they face?

Get real.

If anything, the .223 is a far safer cartridge to use in neighborhoods than a .308. I guess you have the "if you can't do it with __ # of shots, you can't do it with anything!" than perhaps you also think they should revert back to six shot .38 special revolvers too?

I'm glad you enjoy your failure of a police rifle.

[44 AMP]

My first deer rifle was a Remington Model 600 in .308 Win. 18.5" barrel.

If you aren't doing houseclearing or constantly getting in and out of vehicles with your rifle there is no point to going with a shorter barrel.
Plus, while the federal legal limit is 16" minimum, there are state laws in some places that require 18" or more for hunting.

No, it doesn't make sense, but game laws don't have to.

[MarkCO]

My .308 pattern AR has a 16" barrel with a comp. I mostly shoot 140s at 2800 fps. and it works fine. Shoots 1 MOA out to about 650 from a stable position.

[ttarp]

Wow.

Maybe you should contact almost every police department in the country and tell them AR-15s aren't an appropriate patrol rifle for the threats they face?

Get real.

If anything, the .223 is a far safer cartridge to use in neighborhoods than a .308. I guess you have the "if you can't do it with __ # of shots, you can't do it with anything!" than perhaps you also think they should revert back to six shot .38 special revolvers too?

I'm glad you enjoy your failure of a police rifle.

Being skeptical of the practicality of a rifle designed for police work to provide a similar manual of arms to the shotguns they carry, fine and well.

Disagreeing about military style vs hunting rifles for police work is fine also.

Personal attacks and the general toxicity you exhibit just reflects the insults you gave the man back on yourself.

You have valid points, try not to be such a jerk when you make them.