Looking for best short barrel performance cartridge

[Jakeweb09]

I'm fixing to chamber a 25 saum in a 20" shortly. Just got the reamer in this week. May do that today. Your post got me itching to do it.

I've got one with a 22" benchmark carbon. Sweet round

 

[Longtine88]

Oh I've entertained the 25 saum myself. The quarter bore one caliber I've never had.

I was gonna do a 6mm saum but I have a reamer for 6mm PRC so I just went that route.

 

[JuddL]

I was gonna do a 6mm saum but I have a reamer for 6mm PRC so I just went that route.

We're on the same page…last two reamers I've had delivered from JGS…6prc and 25 saum. I've never had a quarterbore either and figured why not. Brux barrel was delivered last week, it's on the list.

Back to OP…I don't like long barrels, 22" is about as long as I go on personal rifles and those are typically big magnums.

16" 7-08ai, h4320, 120 ballistic tip, 2960fps
16" 6.5 saum, mr4000, 130 hvld 2950…123 scenar @ 3050 (same powder) I've done 3 of these, someone has wanted them worse than I did…they've been nicknamed Nasty
18" 22 Gaymoor h4350 80.5 freebore 3150fps
20" 22 Gaymoor h4350 80.5 3300fps
20" 6 Gaymoor h4350 105 hybrid 3000fps

The 25 saum and 6prc I mentioned earlier will also be short barrels. The 6.5 saum is impressive in a 16" barrel and I'll likely always have one. Lately, I grab the 22 Gaymoor more than any of the others though. Just enjoyable to shoot, cool to watch stuff happen in the scope and punches way above its weightclass.

Good luck and look forward to what you decide.

 

[kgarrett]

Have a 20" 6.5 PRC - 2815 fps with factory 147 gr ELDM. My tikka CTR with a 24" 6.5 CM is only get 2594 fps with the same bullet. Lots of boost with the 6.5 PRC over the CM.

For deer and BIGGER, 6.5 PRC is as small as I'd care to go in a short barrel. 7 SAUM, 300 WSM would also be good options from what I've read. (I love the 7 mm's, but currently only have a 7 RM. The 7 SAUM and 280 AI have always appealed to me though).

 

[Get_Saum]

I was gonna do a 6mm saum but I have a reamer for 6mm PRC so I just went that route.

I do like the 6.5 prc case as well and have owned a few really accurate 6.5 prc's at that. Nothing wrong with it except for the initial growing pains of chamber, brass, and die specs but that's been getting sorted out. I've been seeing the 7-6.5 prc gain traction too. No surprise there but I'm sticking with my 7 saum. I'm too far down the saum track with dies and brass to switch. That 6.5 prc case was the answer to Remingtons lack of foresight and Hornady has capitalized. I was just ahead of the 6.5 prc with my first 6.5 saum. When I first learned of George Gardner, Pat Sinclair and the other early guys shooting the 6.5 Saum I was hooked and for good reason. In fact this was my first 6.5 saum built by GA Precision before the 6.5 prc was a thing.

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[Kimber7man]

bullets matter more than headstamp...

 

[Longtine88]

I do like the 6.5 prc case as well and have owned a few really accurate 6.5 prc's at that. Nothing wrong with it except for the initial growing pains of chamber, brass, and die specs but that's been getting sorted out. I've been seeing the 7-6.5 prc gain traction too. No surprise there but I'm sticking with my 7 saum. I'm too far down the saum track with dies and brass to switch. That 6.5 prc case was the answer to Remingtons lack of foresight and Hornady has capitalized. I was just ahead of the 6.5 prc with my first 6.5 saum. When I first learned of George Gardner, Pat Sinclair and the other early guys shooting the 6.5 Saum I was hooked and for good reason. In fact this was my first 6.5 saum built by GA Precision before the 6.5 prc was a thing. View attachment 629047
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I agree. 6.5 saum > 6.5 PRC