6.5 PRC 24” or 26” barrel

[djm670]

Were it me, and I want to build one for the velocity advantage over my 6.5 CM for shooting game a bit farther out, I would choose the longer barrel to take full advantage of the PRC performance.

As mentioned, the 50 ft/second advantage or so of a couple of inches probably won't be noticed by what is being shot. But I want to take advantage of a full length barrel.

In fact I am considering a 27 or 28 inch tube. One can always shorten the tube, pretty difficult to lengthen one. The additional length of a suppressor or brake is much less efficient.

 

[B-LOT Banga]

Ok, I will help you out since it will be used for hunting and less than 500 yard shots. "24".

Aloha, thank you Rick for your input. I've been leaning towards a 24" even if I'm a 26" kind of person. I was just making sure I wasn't leaving anything on the table with a 24" barrel. If it boils down to only 70-100 FPS at the cost of 5-7 ounces I will take the lighter option. I wasn't sure if that extra 2" would wake it up and make it into a different animal. Thank you for your time. Aloha

 

[B-LOT Banga]

Were it me, and I want to build one for the velocity advantage over my 6.5 CM for shooting game a bit farther out, I would choose the longer barrel to take full advantage of the PRC performance.

As mentioned, the 50 ft/second advantage or so of a couple of inches probably won't be noticed by what is being shot. But I want to take advantage of a full length barrel.

In fact I am considering a 27 or 28 inch tube. One can always shorten the tube, pretty difficult to lengthen one. The additional length of a suppressor or brake is much less efficient.

Aloha, that's exactly what I was thinking. I actually didn't want to stay within reach of a 6.5 CM and build it for a 100-150 FPS faster. I just gave a rifle away to my sons best friend. Once I started using my 6.5-06 I never touched the CM. This action was just sitting with a damaged barrel and I just wanted to do something with it. I appreciate your input thank you. Aloha

 

[Rick Richard]

Aloha, thank you Rick for your input. I've been leaning towards a 24" even if I'm a 26" kind of person. I was just making sure I wasn't leaving anything on the table with a 24" barrel. If it boils down to only 70-100 FPS at the cost of 5-7 ounces I will take the lighter option. I wasn't sure if that extra 2" would wake it up and make it into a different animal. Thank you for your time. Aloha

Two inches will NOT make it anymore than it is. I have a 6.5SAUM running a 24 inch Bartlein in 3B contour with a spiral flute that is/ was (rebarreling to 300 WSM) perfect for my hunting needs.

 

[B-LOT Banga]

Two inches will NOT make it anymore than it is. I have a 6.5SAUM running a 24 inch Bartlein in 3B contour with a spiral flute that is/ was (rebarreling to 300 WSM) perfect for my hunting needs.

That was my main concern not leaving anything behind. Thank you Rick and everyone else who helped me with your input and suggestions. I really appreciate your folks time.... enjoy your weekend. Aloha

 

[BrentM]

I am building more 20" rifles now then ever. Why, brakes, handling, and suppressors. Heck I am also running chassis with folders to make
Rifles compact for carrying in my
Pack. Most of my long range rifles, including comp, have been 28". Not everyone is going to spin a can on a barrel but I am addicted to the suppressor at this point and set them up that way. My prc has a 22" proof and with my can it will be 28". I would highly recommend the 24" for the range you are looking at and what you gain.

 

[WYMIKE]

No one has mentioned twist rate on your new barrel but I would go with a 24" barrel with a 1-8 twist rate or maybe even a 1-7.5" to stabilize the longer bearing surface bullets available now. Accuracy should be considered first over velocity for what you are wanting. Just my two cents.

 

[Sykes]

I have a Ridgeline with a 24" barrel and with 58.2 of retumbo and a Berger 140 vld I'm running 3020 fps. Thats 1.1 gr below Hornadys max so I have room for more speed but it is very accurate where it's at so I'm happy to leave it alone. Supposedly running a suppressor can add some speed. Because it's a hunting rifle and the desire to run a suppressor 24" is the way to go

 

[CMP70306]

I am building more 20" rifles now then ever. Why, brakes, handling, and suppressors. Heck I am also running chassis with folders to make
Rifles compact for carrying in my
Pack. Most of my long range rifles, including comp, have been 28". Not everyone is going to spin a can on a barrel but I am addicted to the suppressor at this point and set them up that way. My prc has a 22" proof and with my can it will be 28". I would highly recommend the 24" for the range you are looking at and what you gain.

What kind of velocity are you getting with the 22" PRC?

 

[BrentM]

What kind of velocity are you getting with the 22" PRC?

Still doing load development but initial testing shows 2950-3k with a 147 is safe with rl26 and a can.

 

[arch408]

Carry rifle, no doubt, 24". Run the ballistics and see how much that extra two inch barrel length will get you. And how many shots do you think you'll take over 600 yards. A penalty of 50 fps if you want to call it, would be minuscule.

 

[Dean2]

To me this is stuff only you as the guy building can answer. The fps loss per inch is pretty standard on all cartridges. There may be some small differences but not enough for this to be the deciding factor. If it were all guns would have 30" barrels. Type of shooting game being played, or type of hunting being done, and just how far away you want to shoot targets or game plus how bad the country is if you are packing this on your back all have more to do with barrel length than speed. Even barrel diameter is a bigger factor, a 28" #2 contour barrel is not nearly as good an idea as a #4 or larger. The longer the thin barrel is the more likely you will get heat shift and harmonics issues.

Decide barrel contour, what gun is for and then pick length. Effect on velocity wouldn't even be a remote consideration on a hunting rifle but it would be on an F-class rig.

 

[djm670]

Still doing load development but initial testing shows 2950-3k with a 147 is safe with rl26 and a can.

Have you had an opportunity to determine what velocity increase you are getting from the 6 inches of suppressor? Just curious. Seems they are a small plus.

 

[BrentM]

Have you had an opportunity to determine what velocity increase you are getting from the 6 inches of suppressor? Just curious. Seems they are a small plus.

My creed was about 50 last I had checked. That's before the barrel sped up