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Slow 6.5 PRC

ShadH

New Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2022
Messages
2
Location
washington
Love to hear some thoughts from folks on here: my new Seekins PH2 24" barrel is seems very slow compared to what I was expecting.

It's a new rifle so I expect it to speed up, but it's way under what I thought it would be at this stage.

6.5 PRC Norma brass Federal 210s.

N565 156 EOL 2.320 base to ogive (almost max magazine length).

Magneto speed chrono.

Plan to get through the first 100-120 for barrel speed up before serious load development but I did a OCW today from 54.5-58.8

Not going to list them all but here's the gist:

54.5 avg 2597
55.4 avg 2642
56.3 (there's a node here) avg 2682
57.3 avg 2732
58.2 avg 2795 (node here)
58.5 avg 2797
58.8 2816 (best es/sd all day. faint ejector marks, no other pressure signs - was expecting way more velocity at this level).

Went back and shot 56.3 for ten shots to fire form more brass and because it was a very good node and es/sd. New avg of 2701 vs 2682 after the 33 other shots from when I shot this charge before so it's slowly speeding up.

Tomorrow I plan to continue working up, but I'm already over VVs max and less than a grain from Bergers recommended max, I'd love to find a node anywhere over 2,900 so that I can have 2,000+ impact velocoties at 700, but unless this barrel speeds way up between rounds 70-100, I don't see it happening.

Does this ring slow compared to what most of you are seeing?
 
You're not that slow imop. My 22" 6.5 prc (proof prefit) is only getting 2810 with 143 eld-x (and that's a spicy load for this chamber). I was initially disappointed, but it's been killing critters fine last 2 years! Getting ready to open the chamber to AW specs and see if that helps. Just to satisfy my curiosity at this point.
 
Love to hear some thoughts from folks on here: my new Seekins PH2 24" barrel is seems very slow compared to what I was expecting.

It's a new rifle so I expect it to speed up, but it's way under what I thought it would be at this stage.

6.5 PRC Norma brass Federal 210s.

N565 156 EOL 2.320 base to ogive (almost max magazine length).

Magneto speed chrono.

Plan to get through the first 100-120 for barrel speed up before serious load development but I did a OCW today from 54.5-58.8

Not going to list them all but here's the gist:

54.5 avg 2597
55.4 avg 2642
56.3 (there's a node here) avg 2682
57.3 avg 2732
58.2 avg 2795 (node here)
58.5 avg 2797
58.8 2816 (best es/sd all day. faint ejector marks, no other pressure signs - was expecting way more velocity at this level).

Went back and shot 56.3 for ten shots to fire form more brass and because it was a very good node and es/sd. New avg of 2701 vs 2682 after the 33 other shots from when I shot this charge before so it's slowly speeding up.

Tomorrow I plan to continue working up, but I'm already over VVs max and less than a grain from Bergers recommended max, I'd love to find a node anywhere over 2,900 so that I can have 2,000+ impact velocoties at 700, but unless this barrel speeds way up between rounds 70-100, I don't see it happening.

Does this ring slow compared to what most of you are seeing?
How fast were you expecting to go? You are at a 37% ratio between powder and bullet - its a big bullet for that caliber but definitely doable. I would say try N568 but that may not get you much more
 
Put what you think/read other people are getting and what you are getting in your calculator and see what the range difference is.

FWIW, in Norma brass with a 140 Berger, I am only at 2870 fps from a 24" barrel.
 
I have a 20 and a 22 inch 6.5PRC and couldn't get the speed I see from others. Both of my rifles actually were faster with H1000 than RL26 or N565. I tried Hornady, Lapua, and ADG brass. In my rifles, the Lapua brass showed the best results.
 
I'm at 2895 with a 143 Bondstrike and N565 out of my 21" Seekins Element.

May have missed it, but which powder are you using? Every rifle is different- people are posting 58.5 gr (or higher) N565 with a 156 and there's no way I can reach that in my rifle. I had notable heavy bolt lift at 58.5 and a 140 hybrid.
 
Your only issue is the Norma brass, it has far more capacity than any other brand, this LOWERS pressure and velocity.
It is NORMAL to be slower with Norma brass, BUT, DO NOT try to add powder to boost velocity, Norma brass has thin webs and WILL expand primer pockets with ONE firing if you raise pressure, so be warned…

Cheers.
 
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