.308 in 20''?

[Phlyan Pan]

Alright this may get long so bear with me. I'll ask the question first and give you background as to why later. Question is...will they ever offer the .308 R1 in a 20'' barrel? If not, why? It doesn't make sense to me.

 

Ok, now the background, I've had a lot of issues finding a rifle that fits me properly. I believe it's due to my large body type and apparently freakishly long neck. The gun I have found that fits the best is the Browning BLR. I love the way it fits me and especially the way it handles. I attribute this mostly to the drop at comb and the short carbine barrel which I think makes the rifle balance better. But I absolutely HATE the lever action. It's a pain to cock with gloves on, there's no safety, the lever gets in the way trying to carry it...etc.

 

Now on to my current question, I have a Benelli Supersport which I absolutely love. So when I noticed that Benelli was making a rifle...and it happens to be very similar to my beloved Supersport...I thought I'd take a look at it. But I believe the 20" barrel could be critical to the balance and handling I love.

 

Now...I know what you're going to say...why not just get a .30-06 in 20''. The answer is, everyone in my family has a .308 and we have all of the reloading gear to reload .308. I also have a MR lone eagle in .308. So I'd prefer to keep all my ammo the same and not have to get any more reloading gear.

 

So...will they ever make a .308 in 20'' barrel?...if not...why not? Would it be possible to shorten the 22'' barrel and re-crown it? Any ideas what this would cost?

 

Thanks for hanging in there. And thanks in advance for any responses.

[tucker301]

Easy enough.

Buy the 22" and have the barrel cut to 20" and recrowned by a competent gunsmith.

Should cost $75- $100 for the work.

[Phlyan Pan]

Alright, an easy enough solution...but I still don't understand their reasoning for offering a short barrel in .30-06 but not .308. Why should I have to spend an extra $100 for barrel crowning?