25 prc issue

[bigngreen]

If you've covered the basics, barrel tight, action fits in stock and barrel floated, scope base and rings, and scope the barrel is poop, a good barrel will shoot everything decent, 2-3 inches with anything is a tomato stake in my book, and it should shoot better than that before a die even touches it so blaming dies is a non starter for me!!

 

[Jakeweb09]

If you've covered the basics, barrel tight, action fits in stock and barrel floated, scope base and rings, and scope the barrel is poop, a good barrel will shoot everything decent, 2-3 inches with anything is a tomato stake in my book, and it should shoot better than that before a die even touches it so blaming dies is a non starter for me!!

I'm leaning this way myself. Everything has been pulled apart and put back together and pulled apart again. Every screw torqued. Like I stated it's in an xlr element so barrel clearance isn't an issue and this same set up shoots bugholes with a bartlein carbon in 6.5 prc. Multiple zco scopes have been tried and concentricity has been verified to be .001 or less on bullet runout. Barrels been cleaned and retried with zero improvement. Scoped it and it looks good, crown looks good. Ive tried h1k, n565, cci200s, cci250, and federal 215s with no change in accuracy across the board. Only thing that hasn't been tried is a different bullet. But I've never seen a rifle shoot this bad even when it doesn't like the bullet. I can see shooting it 1.5". But 2-3"?!?. PBB wants me to try custom dies but those are months out and cost more then the barrel lol. And when I've proven my concentricity is there then how can the dies make any difference?

 

[bigngreen]

Concentricity is lower on the list than other things and won't cause the mess you have going. Trying another bullet may be good in an effort to get a replacement barrel, I wouldn't give a factory barrel more than 25-30 rounds of that kinda shooting before pulling it much less a custom!! You sound experienced enough you already know the answer!!

 

[lancetkenyon]

If a bullet change doesn't better groups right away, I say swapnthat barrel.

 

[Jakeweb09]

If a bullet change doesn't better groups right away, I say swapnthat barrel.

I'll try some others here shortly, one down side to this caliber and a fast twist barrel is there is very limited options available. Especially with blackjack flopping on everyone (thanks sierra)

 

[aaronraad]

Have you bore scoped front end? Suspect that copper fouling might be the culprit on most new, yet broken in barrel. Just a few shots MVs over 3000 FPS can copper up much more than you can imagine on new barrel. I would mild patch pressure lap barrel with JB Bore Bright about 10 strokes clean out, then finish up clean out with Bore Tech Chameleon 2-3 x, then clean patch several strokes until smooth pass achieved. Again mild mid-range patch tension. Finish up with patch of good quality light amount of bore oil (such as Hoppes #9) leave sit wet few minutes - then dry patch clean out. If this shows reasonably better group improvement then you're on the right path. Might need to do this a few more times to achieve continuous good groups…then when and if you reach expectation go to a maintenance routine with Bore Tech Chameleon or like then every 200/300 rounds or go to JB for light touch up. You'll find over time with a good regimen of JB and Chameleon (or the like cleaners) for new bores that will foul significantly less and less over time.

I'd agree with checking for copper fouling, especially if you had 1" groups and they disappeared. The copper will be pretty evident as streaks when looking from the muzzle unless carbon has layered over again.

I've brought back a couple of barrels (SS & Cr-Mo) with Bore Tech Copper Remover and nylon brushes to bare metal, then broke them back in again. Had trouble cracking the carbon layer but flooded them with aerosol carby cleaner and that moved everything faster than boiling water.

If you get a carbon layer down again first after stripping back to bare metal, it's a pretty good sign your barrel is reasonably smooth. If you get copper layers again you're probably dealing with roughness, or a significant imperfection and JB Bore Bright is worth trying then. Use a patch to ID rough or tight sections in the bore and work those sections first with JB BB, no point lapping out more than you have to. You might need to flood the barrel with carby cleaner or electrical contact cleaner or similar to make sure you get all the JB BB out again.

 

[lancetkenyon]

I'll try some others here shortly, one down side to this caliber and a fast twist barrel is there is very limited options available. Especially with blackjack flopping on everyone (thanks sierra)

I have had excellent results with all 3 of the .257" heavies. So it baffles me that a quality barrel won't shoot the 135s well.

 

[Mcranch]

How about your headspace? Did you use a go no go? Like others, if it's a quality gauged barrel something should be coming together. I hope you find the issue

 

[Another Casual]

I would certainly try different bullets. If you're dead set on this bullet I would at least try a different batch (assuming you haven't already).

 

[willfrye027]

I sent PBB back my 25-284 prefit. It was pressuring out at 2900 fps. They were very responsive to my phone calls and also recommended I try custom dies (never tried it, also using a good bushing die). My barrel did shoot very accurately though. They told me they made a mold of the chamber and the barrel itself was in spec. Sent it back and it sped up about 150fps and has a great node at 3015fps (still slow but very accurate with a wide charge weight and seating depth node).

I would call them and discuss all that you have troubleshooted. Send it back under their 1MOA guarantee.

 

[Tommy T]

I use RL 26 powder in my 6.5 Prc with 140 Berger and 55.6 load of powder and it shoots 1/8 groups

 

[Stonyman88]

I ordered and received a 25 prc preferred barrel blanks prefit for my origin, and so far can't get it to shoot at all. 2-3" groups are the norm, I had a 1" group once but didn't repeat. Tried h1000, and n565 with 3 different primers and the 135 lrht from Berger. Brass is prepped fully lapua 6.5 prc brass. I'm using whidden gun works dies with a .283 bushing then expanding with a Sinclair expander mandrel. So the only inconsistency issue I can find is the seating depth varying a few thou, concentricity is .001 and under. While I don't feel like the small variation in seating depth should impact groups to that extent I suppose it's possible..preferred barrels says I need to get custom 25 prc dies, and whidden says a .257 stem won't help and that I need full custom seater to fix the issue. What y'all think? Worth the custom dies? Or barrel issue?

Sounds like barrel, mine shoot .50 groups with Hornady 143 eld-x and match ammo, 140 match. Reloaded with RL 26 and got a bunch of same hole shots. Did you move the depth off the lands, start with 15 thou, and go out to 60+ my 6.5 Creed shoots +60 off the lands, .50 at 200, use Hornady 143 ELD-X and the match for him also. That bulled doesn't know who put them in there, everything you are doing sound right, so the next issue is the barrel but try jump first.

 

[MW204]

Talk about bad luck, I just bought two barrels, one from Shilen that I suppose they forgot to lap at all, sent it back and now it works fine. I ordered a barrel from Douglas and once I fired a full magnum load the inside carboned up like crazy, it took me 3 days to get that crud out, but once I did I had hundreds of small circular rings from the chamber to the muzzle. I called Douglas, described what I had and they're sending me a new barrel.
My point about the above, it sounds to me like you have a bad barrel issue and no amount of shooting/breaking it in is going to cure it. I'd send it back tomorrow, a good company will take care of you as you saw the two above did for me.

 

[Muddyboots]

I've had 5 barrels from PBB, all shoot great. I would send it back possibly the entire rifle for them to evaluate. You have good chunk of $$$ invested in barrel. Sounds like you have tried all reasonable avenues now its their turn to prove out barrel. JMO.