20" barrel on a Vanguard Sporter in .308?

[Boulder Mountain Man]

I'm putting together a light mountain rifle for a very rugged Utah mule deer hunt.  I sold my Winchester Model 70 and I don't really want to carry my Mark V because it weighs over 10 lbs and is so long and .270 WBY on mule deer is overkill, in my opinion.  Anyway, I'm considering the wood/blue Vanguard Sporter in .308, but I would like to cut the barrel down to 20".  Will the Custom Shop do the cutting and crowning?  Or is a better option to order the rifle with the 20" barrel used on the Vanguard Carbine?  Is the Carbine barrel compatible with the Sporter wood forestock?  I estimate that the Sporter with the Carbine barrel would weigh a bit under 7lbs, which would make my shoulders very happy.  I've read two papers recently that claim that no accuracy is lost at 20" shooting .308.  The new 1/2MOA Les Baer .308s have 18" and 20" barrels.  Your advice?  Thanks!

[Derrill Fox]

I would buy the vanguard you want then take it to any good gunsmith and have it cut and recrownded. Weatherby would do it but i am sure it would take a long time being a custom. You might want to call Weatherby and see what they have to say.

[zonie]

Might look at a Kimber 84M Montana , they are a littly pricy,  22 " bbl,  mine weighs 5 # 2 oz in 308, and  under 6 lbs with Leupold 3x9 lightweight, rings bases, sling and ammo.   It does get your attention from the bench but a joy to carry.   

When you get into these #1 thin barrels they can be a little finiky in the accuracy dept at times.  If they are bedded pretty decently they can be very accurate, they aren't made for long strings from a bench when  heating the barrel too much.   Mine will shoot sub moa from the box  with factory ammo,  and I've seen other Kimbers not as accurate as one would expect  also in other brands. 

I agree with Derrill if I went the Weathwrby route I would have a qualified  gunsmith cut and crown the barrel ,  probably be cheaper and turn around time is a lot faster.   

You won't lose any accuracy by cutting a barrel to 20 "  usually it will improve it  slightly by being a little stiffer,  the flip side you lose a little velocity. 

[jimincolo]

Boulder Mtn.,
I know what you mean about carrying a big rifle in rugged country, especially at altitude. My Mark V has not been hunted for a couple of years, & with the possible excepton of a "from the truck" antelope hunt, will not see action this coming season.

As Ron said, a shorter, stiffer barrel should not affect accuracy in a negative way. And as the others have posted, a local smith can cut & recrown quickly & inexpensively.

There are many lightweight choices in the market. It really comes down to what floats your boat. The Kimbers are beautiful. They look like a miniature Model 70. You've also got rifles from Savage, Tikka, & Ruger. Your idea of a cutdown Vanguard is good also. To me, the most important attribute of a rifle used far from base camp, is absolute reliability. Then comes overall weight & acceptable accuracy. The Howa action is certainly tested & reliable, & the Vanguard is accurate,& hopefully makes the weight requirement.

Keep the scope light, a nylon sling in your day pack, & a Kifaru butt holster on your pack belt if necessary. As you already know, it just doesn't get any better than a high country hunt.
                                                                                       Jim

[hodgeman]

The .308 does fine in a 20" barrel. In fact, there's very little to gain from a 24" tube on one. I've had 18", 20", 22" and a 24" barreled .308s....not much velocity difference in any of them. The 24" had a 1:12 twist and would run pretty fast with 150s but you had to load it hot, hot, hot to do it. The 18" would shoot 165s as fast as any of them.  Field difference? Nothing worth talking about.

The 20" is the perfect length for a .308 hunting rifle IMHO. Once you go light carbine everything else seems too much...

[Boulder Mountain Man]

Thanks tons for your responses.  I do like the Kimbers, but am leaning toward Weatherby i guess to keep the arsenal consistent.  Don't want to go TOO light.  I like the Leupold Ultralight 3-9x33, only 8.5 ounces plus mounts and rings.  I think that'll be a good set up for this terrain.

[zonie]

Everyone that has ever picked up that little Kimber with the 3x9 ultralight has all said the same thing ,  man is thing light.   The whole purpose for me when I was putting mine together was to get  weight down as far as I could  in a caliber I felt suitable for mtn elk hunting without going to a full custom.  Considering  my setup with scope & ammo  weights less than a win model 94 carbine with iron sights without ammo,  it's very light.    This comes at a price even with kimbers very good  straight back stock design and nice recoil pad this little rifle has noticably more recoil than a std weight rifle.   I can live with that just for sheer less weight I have to carry.  It's not my prairie dog rifle that's for sure.