The best thing to do is exactly this: Chronograph your rifle with the bullets you plan to use, get a ballistic calculator, go with the energy and drop it tells you, and stay in those parameters. A longer barrel will increase your distance, but sometimes it’s nice to have a lighter and more maneuverable rifle. 👍🏼 It’s all give and take!

Great video! Now, a velocity comparison between your Gen 1 Ruger American 7mm-08 with 22 inch barrel and the Gen 2 without the can is in order. A real apples to apples comparison! Keep up the good work! Love your videos. Especially the 7mm-08 ones.

I've always been intrigued by the nuances of barrel length and its effects on performance.

Love them rugers and can’t wait to see how that trail hunter you picked up works. Keep up the good work.

I certainly appreciate the numbers from the chrony. Thanks again for the good work.

Love quick videos that get straight to the point. Good work.

It’s funny that people get caught up in this. It’s not as substantial as people think. I went down this rabbit hole years ago when building a 308. Settled on a short barrel, took it to the field and animals reacted the same way to 16” velocity as they did with 24” velocity……down! Even shooting distance, learning mils and moa is where it’s at.

Your content is absolutely amazing, I have to say I’m impressed with all of your work, finds and to share it with us . I can’t say thank you enough. All your content is very helpful to all of us from the average person to the knowledgeable people involved in this great hobby / living . Cheers 🇨🇦

Loving the ruger american gen 2 content!

I've been shooting and hand loading the 7mm-08 for about 20 years using SP or HP bullets running at around 2,775 fps from a 22" barrel and perhaps I could have run them faster (but what for?!). I've accounted for well over 100 deer out to 300 metres (Reds and Fallow here in the UK) with this particular calibre and never lost one, not to say I haven't at all but the one's I did lose were with 7x64 and 6.5x55 and not the cartridges fault, mine! We shouldn't get hung up on bullet speed, start worrying if you can't put the bullet in the right place! I now use 150gr for long range target and 130gr copper at 2,850 fps for hunting with the 7mm-08, perfect. Which means the shorter barrel Ruger American will do just fine.

Thanks for the information

Not disappointed with this. Good. Big thanks

Enjoyed the video thank you!

Thanks for your hard work

Good info to have , especially for reloading .

Cool good info Hey to Paul Jr. ✌

As always thank you for my after work entertainment

Luv the Ruger's '' Great Video Adam 💯💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

Great intel brother. And heck yes that Arken SH4 are sweet! Dude i had no idea you were a arken affiliate with discount. Thanks. Buying a New SH4J 6-24 for my new Savage axis 6.5 creed build

Cool stuff! 😀

Good info. Thx. I prefer 20 inch or shorter for using a can.

People keep saying the ACTUAL barrel length on these Gen 2 's is 18.75" as the muzzle break is included in the 20" measurement. I don't have one, so I can't check that, however, the muzzle velocity u got was great if it's an 18.75" barrel. I have 308 Ruger Scout with an 18.5' barrel and it's fine for me. I wouldn't want a 7mm Rem Mag in that barrel length.

That’s a sweet rifle. If they made a metal trigger guard and a way to smooth out the bolt I’d bet one with a short barrel for Adirondack mountain hunting in maybe 308 or something. That velocity held up fine at that barrel length and outperformed my expectations for it

7mm-08 and 308 are very good efficient cartridges 30-06 will be like a 308 in that barrel length, (magnum rounds also will underperform in that short barrel) so there are cases that need those few missing inches than others

I got to be the 1,000th like on this video! Thanks for addressing this - I think you mentioned that the 20" is really 18" because it includes the muzzle break. Your results confirm conventional wisdom that the 308 (and cartridges based on it) does really well accuracy and velocity wise with shorter barrels. You also get a little bump with the suppressor, right?

Yeah, this is what I expected when I saw the complaints. There’s a point of diminishing returns on length in any caliber.

Good evening wtw nation !👏👏

Better than I expected

Scheels moved into my town. Scheels did not have this caliber in stock. Talked to manager and he called other Scheels and could not find one in that caliber. I waited a little longer and the manager found just one rifle. So I purchased it today 5/2024 and it will be in my store next week. Can’t wait to get it to the range. Bought it off your reviews who tee who!!!

I like the shorter version doesn't seem to hurt. The preformens you can get a shorter Bing bang up easier then a longer one up on target dude

I’ve learned that speed doesn’t kill. It’s the accuracy that matters

More velocity isn't always better. I shoot a carbine Remington 7600 3006 18.5 inch barrel. At close ranges 10 to 125yds I was having major issues with bullets not exiting and overall not performing well. I turned some Hornady sst 165 down to 2475fps and they did an amazing job only recovered 1 projectile out of 8 kills this season. It was complete and mushroomed perfectly . Here in South Carolina in the woods hinting 125yds is a long shot.

Really enjoying the 7mm-08 vids. How much does that rifle weigh empty, including the suppressor, rail and scope?

I love the predator, for hunting that 18 inch is just sweet! Perfect weight and length for most hunting situations in the eastern half of USA! I understand long range out west wanting longer barrel lengths but if you look at some of those western hunting legends (Ron Spomer type guys) they like a shorter lighter rifle for spot and stalk and long hikes up in the hills! Just my opinion!

Good job 👏 👍 😎

I have a savage storm lighweight 7mm-08 that I shoot Hornady SST 139 Superformance. Never chronograph in a 24 inch barrel but suppose to be 2950. I cut my barrel down to 16.5 for nice woods light short gun. Chronograph at 2756. For losing 7.5 inches of barrel compared to the normal I was impressed. Need to find someone with a 24 inch barrel to see what they actually do.

The 223 coming in an 1/8 twist is sweet

Sir, I love your videos, I was wondering if you could do a long range test with your Ruger American Gen II in 7mm-08, say out to 600 yds.. all the videos on this caliber have been great and I am really thinking of picking one up. Thanks, Don

There are Calibers like the 308 Family that work well with Shorter Barrels(cases that hold under or around 45 grains of Powder), a 30-06 on the other Hand doesnt even if you handload and use faster burning powders to get 100% Burnrate with a good 85 to 92% Casefill. Magnums are even worse with Shorter Barrels Another good Cartridge for this is 8mm Mauser wich is the Reason why it has a strong comeback over the last Decade in Europe espacially in Germany where we often Hunt at Shorter Ranges (Driven Hunts, Hunting from Treestands....) and play around with Supressors way longer then my American Friends. So we Tend to want Handy Rifles (Short Barrels with Over Barrel Supressors to get the Shortest possible Package), i am a little bit on the conservative Side and say 20inch is a good compromise Speed and Performancewise others go as far as 14 inch for their go to everyday Rifles but some Calibers are way more suitable for this short of a Barrel then others. The newest and hottest Kid on the Block is 8.5x55 Blaser which is designed to work out of short Barrels without losing to much Power. I stay with my 20 Inch 308 loaded with 130gn Barnes ttsx at 3050ft/s even big Adult Red Stag and big Wildboar Keiler dont like them 😂

Light & handy suits me just fine. I'd be okay with 2" less for "typical" flingin' & slingin' range.

The suppressor helps velocity as keeping gases in the extended suppressor.

Thanks!

I prefer shorter barrels so I’m glad they went that route. I’m curious what the barrel length for the 30-06/300wm and other cartridges will be.

These new rifles are super tempting. How much of a difference does the supressor make? I'd be curious to see what the fps values are with it removed and everything else the same.

Im shorter barrel kinda a guy. I cut and threaded my gen 1 ruger american in 270 to 20" because i wanted a quicker, lighter and shorter barrel to put a suppressor on it. I didnt have a huge drop in velocity. It all depends on the cartridge and how much you lose. Its also good to know your minimum expansion velocity on the bullets your shooting and the velocity to get your max hunting range.

I like the short barrel. I bought my gen 1 ranch for this reason... I like my stuff compact!

Need to see testing video of the stevens 334.

If your gonna load for the 7mm08 use Winchester StaBall 6.5. That powder is made for that cartridge. I’m getting 1/2” to 1” groups and about 150-200 fps faster than any other powder I tried. Best powder cartridge combo I’ve found

Good video but u want loose much velocity not enough powder. And also depends on alot more factors

Would like to see how that does with the 180 ELDs Hornady considering that rifle has a 1-8.5 twist. You'll have to load some.

I have a Gen 1 7-08 compact with the 18" barrel

My 18.5" 308 get deer just fine

Faster than I expected

An extra 2 inches wouldn't make much of a difference. I have a 16 inch Ranch and 22 inch Predator in 6.5 Grendel, the Predator with a 120grn Nosler BT runs at 2400fps and the Ranch 120fps slower. So a bit more load development needed there, but they both shoot extremely well. As a bonus I can use 120 Sierra's and there is no change in point of impact, but the Sierra's don't hold together as well as the Nosler's.

So I have this exact chrono and am curious, after plugging in all your data into your ballistic app and shooting at distance to verify FPS and BC how much is your chrono actually off? I've found mine to consistently read low versus what my app (strelok pro) tells me. It's been the same on multiple of mine so far. Curious of your results

Thanks for the video! I have the same gun in 204 Ruger, went out and shot Hornady Superperformance 40 gr Vmax with an advertised velocity of 3900 FPS and I was getting about 3550. It shot well under sub MOA, but velocity was down. I’ll keep shooting and try some handloads to see if it speeds up.

When you go to reload the 7/08 i got best velocity with rel19 and H4350 and also 748 but maybe faster powder might be worth a shot maybe re15 or varget try it

Should have done test without silencer. Probably would be slower .

Still smokin’ em out.

Doesn't the suppressor add some velocity? Would be interested to see with the brake sent or just the thread protector

Could you when you get time do the speed test without the silencer and just with the muzzle brake to see if there is any difference then it would make a good comparison video because with the can it’s modified and the brake is stock

I'm waiting for the .300 win mag in gen2.

Just FYI having a suppressor on increase muzzle velocity!! 😂😂

I think the problem is that the choice of length is gone. If Ruger would offer the guns in "carbine" and "rifle" marketing terms and have the barrels be something like 18'' and 22'' or 16 1/2'' & 22'' I'd bet most people would have been much happier. Velocity of 1 load in the 20'' barrel length doesn't mean all that much. Different powders and different bullet weights react differently in shorter/longer barrels. The cartridges in the 7mm-08 powder volume class (such as 7mm-08, 308, 6.5 Creedmoor) average about 45-75fps gain/loss per inch of barrel depending on bullet weight and powder. The difference between 20'' and 22'' isn't going to make a big difference to a deer at 200 yards but it will change bullet drop and drift at 600 yards and beyond by a significant amount. Again, the big problem I see is choice. Give people the choice between a longer and shorter option and most people will be happy. And let's improve the look of that cheekpiece. It looks like somebody found an old recoil pad and some JB weld and slapped it together

I like the SHORT barrel, and lighter bullets. I've hunted with the 7mm-08 from 1982 until now. The 120gr. Hollow points are sure death on whitetail. The Remington 140 is to hard , I also reload. Great round, wish more rifles were putting this round out. Hint Springfield waypoint redline.....

You should do that without the can on the front.

How about without the can? Not everybody have the cans. Do they increase velocity?

Very impressive velocities but I’m pretty choked to see the spread in that Remington Ammo

My vote is barrel length only matters if you’re a long range western hunter. For someone like me hunting in the thick NH woods a shorter and lighter rifle is best. My Ruger American Predator with 18” barrel in 308 works perfectly for me. Slap on an $80 Bushnell 3-9 and good to go.

my guess is you loose approximately 20 to 25 fps per inch of barrel under 24. You should run the numbers with out your can and the break on. I don't think the number will be huge but I would expect it to be less than what you came up with. my 2 cents

What's the numbers with the factory setup vs that shusher can ?, if you wouldn't mind flinging them.

Overbore cartridges like 243 will be effected much more

Those velocities seem right in line with what I would expect with 140 gr. I’m wondering how much that suppressor may be helping. I’d love to see the test again without the suppressor. Just for reference I’m getting an average of 2910 with a 24 inch barrel using 140 gr Sierra pro hunter and a max charge listed in the Sierra manual.

Pretty sure you already have but have you seen the new Ruger Predator Gen 2. They have the 22 inch barrel with brake. Cool color also.

Love the rifle , the two piece stock just kills the looks

Can't believe nobody has hooked you up with the garmin xero 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

Here’s a couple barrel length/velocity stories you’ll think are just that, stories. 22” vs 18” 17HMR. 18” Ruger chronied almost identical to 22” Marlin 917V. And this will blow your mind or have you calling me a liar, but I have chrony data to back it up…..22LR MiniMag (both weights) faster in my 10” TC Contender match barrel than ANY of my rifles! Including a 26” Mauser (which was second slowest). So barrel length isn’t always what we think. But in centerfire I have seen more of the generally accepted 20-40fps drop per inch. Take care!

Is there any difference in the speed without the can

Doesn't the suppressor act as a barrel extention? Just saying I think it does

I’m a fan of the short barrel for the looks, but I imagine it still performs quite well. I’m also posting this at the beginning of the video 😂

Can you redo this test without the shusher?

They aren’t a 20” barrel though are they? They are including the muzzle break in barrel length

I'm sure you've already done the video but I hope you might have done it With the straight barrel with the muzzle break and with the can.

Will the stock and mag fit on the old ruger and work ? Has anyone tried this yet

What height rings where you running on this setup if you don't mind me asking?

Does it come with a thread protector, like most threaded barrels. I'm not a fan of muzzle brakes and I don't own a can to put on it.

I wonder, when they take two inches off the barrel length, do they change the twist rate as well?

And what is the speed with the 22" barrel???????

Fantastic test 200 yards easy you kill a dear

* How about shooting the gun without the can? Most shooters don't have a suppressor. It would be more relevant to see what the muzzle velocity actually is compared to what is printed on the ammunition box. Interested to find out what differences are realized between a plain barrel and one with a suppressor.

Put a wrap on the shusher!! Trust me, I have a 30 Gold as well. But the one that comes with it sucks, it slides with each shot... But wrap it...

What Camera do you use?

Take the can off and check the velocity

What velocity WITHOUT the can?!?

Try the same test without the can and see how much of an impact that will have on the velocity 😊

C what u get with out your can thanks

In the first 100 yards of bullet travel a 140 grain bullet from the 7mm-08 will loose 232fps in a 24 inch barrel. Between 300 and 400 yards it will loose 199fps. So if your really hung up on velocity from this barrel you can look at it this way. It would be like standing 50 yards further from the deer. Considering the 7mm-08 is very capable of taking a deer at 500 yards I don't think that 50 yards different or 50 fps difference in muzzle velocity would make any noticeable difference to hunter or the deer. There can be a more difference in calibers that are overbore like 243 or magnums or PRC cartridges thy nerf longer bsrreld tp strain tartar higher vrlovities. For hunters hunting at ethical distances its not a factor; you you just hav to stalk 50 years closer and you got the same prrformance on deer. So you can expect a 50 yards difference in Maximum point blank range and effective range with the 7mm08 Not enough difference to even consider. You just have to stalk 50 yards closer. About the only thing you notice is a little more muzzle blast. Not much of a penalty in the grand scheme of things. Wtiht reloads you can gain some of that velocity back .My Sako has a 21.5 in barrel and my reload are about 2800-2820 with 760 and 414 with various 140 grain bullet and. will push 160 grain bullets at 2590 fps.. That load kill a moose with one shot at 200yards with one shot and it was quartering towards me. It fell right there.Don't underestimate the 7mm-08. It's a very efficient hunting caliber.

On some rifles barrel length does make a difference and some it don't

How about without the can?

I recently picked up ruger hunter american in 6.5 creedmore and with the short barrle my 140grn home loads and 95 grn factory loads have the same point of impact,my buddies 6.5 110 savage with longer barrle the 95grn hits 4-5 inches higher than his home load 140grn???? 95 grn v max box says 3300fps my 20inch barrle 3130fps,home loads 140grn eld match 41.5 h4350 2553fps,I love a short barrle ,hunting in and out of blinds and vehicles more gooder?when go back to a long barrle I end up hitting the darn thing off everthing????