Barrel length 16.5 vs 20

[dad]

Besides loss of velocity and a longer sight radius is their any real difference? I like the 16.5 its handier I'm really looking at the Big boy steal in 44 mag with factory ammo. I don't reload so that is the way I will go with factory ammo and 100 yards shots for hunting. what are you experience with this?

[tractortad]

I suggest you hold both of in your hands and shoulder them. I've got a BBS 44 carbine(16.5") and a BBS AW 44 rifle (20") - they are both excellent, but if I had to pick only one, it would probably be the 20" rifle - to me the balance is perfect on the BBS rifle. They are both short, handy rifles in the field...

[RanchRoper]

I shouldered a BB Carbine recently and quite liked how it felt. Very compact and knowing the BB 20" and how it shoots, that carbine is a little powerhouse.

[dad]

I have been shouldering both! I can't seem to make up my mind. I have the privilege of hunting private land of 40 acres. Their are houses that I can see their lights when I'm hunting. So I carefully set shooting areas so I can shoot away from the houses. As a matter of fact Its legal to hunt from a tree stand in Michigan and I'm up in one of those also. I have used 308, and 30/30 and I'm nervous about jump hunting because I have jumped up deer and have passed on shots because of my concern that even if I make the kill shot in those safe zones I'm worried about bullet travel when it passes through the deer of if I miss. That's why I'm considering the 357 or 44 mag for short range hunting. I won't change the way I hunt the property, but I feel I would have a few more shot options with a short range round and also a peace of mind. I don't want to use either of these two rounds 308 or 30/30 out their. I have taken several deer out their hunting and I'm the sole person that gets to hunt the land.

[North Country Gal]

If you check ballistics by the inch website, the 357 mag actually reaches its peak velocity in 16" of rifle barrel and starts to lose a bit for anything longer. Not much, mind you, but the point is loss of velocity is not an issue for the 16". This is not uncommon for revolver cartridges being shot in a rifle, given that they were designed to be shot in a shorter barrel gun in the first place.

In other words, as the other have said, mostly going to be a personal preference based on balance and handling and maybe a bit extra sight radius with the 20" if you'll be shooting iron.

[JBlaisdell]

I don't hunt, the following is just what I've gleaned in my short learning experience. A flat or round nose 30-30 round is only going to travel a couple hundred yards at best. Spitzers might go a bit further, but I don't think you need to worry about excessive travel. From what I've been reading on other forums, the differences of 30-30 vs 357 vs 44 against deer aren't that much at typical hunting distances. Googling will return quite a few discussions, including info on things like trajectory and force at impact, which can be more important than muzzle velocity. Overall, I get the impression that it comes down to personal preference of 44 vs 30-30, with the 44 being a bit better for bear.

[BigAl52]

I agree with personal preference. What little barrel length there is isnt going to make much difference. I like the 16.5 myself. They handle really nice and the pictures of them dont even do them justice they look way better in person. Al

[RanchRoper]

They are a pretty rifle.

[BrokenolMarine]

I chose the Carbine because it came with the large loop lever, and I was going to install one if it didn't have it. Saved me time and money and I liked the shorter length for getting in and out of the truck and UTV around the farm. There is a bit of a difference in the weight as well with the longer barrel. I can tell you, that the little Carbine I have is VERY accurate.

[JEBar]

we went with the rifle but I don't believe there is a good/bad or right/wrong choice .... it all boils down to personal preference .... for us, the positives in choosing the rifle it holds 10 shells, its longer barrel gives us the potential with our reloading for a bit more muzzle velocity, and it has a bit longer sight length .... both the velocity and sight length could be a small help at longer ranges .... we did add a large loop lever to our 357 rifle

[SGC]

I have the Carbine version (16.5) of the Small Game Carbine one in .22LR and one in .22 Mag and also a BBS .357 carbine. I handled both the long and short barreled versions of all three and picked as you see above. The .22s balance very well compared to the 20" that felt barrel heavy(keep in mind these have the octagon barrels). There seemed to be less difference in balance in the steel .357 versions, but I liked the more compact package of the carbine. As has been pointed out, the velocity differences are not huge, but in .44 you may want a little more weight to help keep the recoil dampened. The .357 really shoots easy, only get a little bit of recoil when you really step up into the hotter .357 loads. Good luck, you will really get a fine firearm either way

[gunman5646]

as far as which is better, I believe it's a matter of how it fits the individual. As stated here earlier most pistol calibers(and 22lr), reach peak velocity in 16", so sight radius is the only advantage. I originally preferred the 20", but after having bought the little 16" small game carbine with the large loop lever, I have gone the other way. Skinner sights should be offered in a deluxe model from the factory on all big boys. Peep sights and lever guns were made for each other.

[JEBar]

while I haven't seen it mentioned already (and it certainly could have been) the carbine has a 7 shot capacity, the rifle a 10 shot capacity .... I've never found that such a 3 shell difference made a difference .... historically I've hunted with bolt action rifles that have a 4 or 5 shot capacity .... but there is a difference none the less .... as has been correctly noted, the extra length may not add to muzzle velocity .... I do find it interesting that newer reloading manuals have separate listings for 44 mag rifles and handguns ..... while the recommendations for powder and charge are the same, as one would expect, the rifles show a 300 +/- fps greater muzzle velocity

[y2k-fxst]

I went with the rifle on my .44 mag BBB after handling both of them. The extra barrel weight felt good while holding it to my shoulder, and also I liked the balance point while carrying it one handed. I know I loose a little on the velocity due to the extra length. But, eventually I want to develop 225 grain hard cast hunting loads for the rifle to take advantage of the extra barrel length for hunting.

[Conax]

Whatever appeals to you, the buyer, is best. I've gone over to the short barrel side due to my vision. I'm badly far-sighted. I got old and am now having trouble with iron sights on long barrels. The more distance between the two sights, the blurrier the rear sight becomes.
I'm waiting right now for a short shanked rear sight for the BBS carbine. I intend to install it reversed, to move the sight more toward the front sight. This will clear up most of the haze and I'll be shootin a lot better, I hope. The rifle won't look as cool, but those groups will tighten up for sure.
Also, with pistol cartridges and factory loads, there isn't a lot to gain from having a really long barrel. Reloading with slower burning powders can remedy this.