Best short barreled 6.5 caliber??

[Joe Sanders]

When I was younger a guy that knew had a 6.5 x55 Swede.....it was rough and only iron sights but he kill more nice mature deer than anyone.....everyone else had 06 ...7,mm..270...his deer hit the grown just has fast has the others....6.5 is the most effective round for it's size and weight....140 grain is as deadly in deer as 7 mag or 300 mag I've used them all...all I've learned was those others are heavy and kick....hit them right they go down . Hit them bad they run and run....caliber is the least important after 6-6.5 mm

 

[yorke-1]

The Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Grendel has a 22" mid-weight barrel, takes AR mags, and comes threaded 5/8x24 already for your suppressor. Pretty neat rifle. I plan on getting one soon just to tinker around with, since I've been a fan of the 6.5G since it first came out back around 2003/2004. I always thought it would be a neat little round in a bolt-action platform.

https://ruger.com/products/americanRiflePredator/specSheets/26922.html

I do agree that a Ruger American Ranch (16.5" heavy threaded barrel) chambered for 6.5 Grendel would be a nice compact truck gun to keep around.

As fond as I am of the 6.5 Grendel in a short barreled bolt action, the performance isn't even in the same league as case like the 260/Creedmoor/Lapua cases in a similar length barrel, let alone any of the short mags. I've shot a lot of different 130gr bullets from my 19" barreled CZ 527 in 6.5 Grendel I had built and 2450 fps is getting into the upper limit with most of them. The 140s are just too long to even bother with.

As stated earlier, the 6.5x284/'06/PRC sized cases will hit 2900-2950 fps in a 22" barrel with a 140gr bullet and the SAUM/SS/WSM cases will go over 3000 fps with the same bullet in the same length barrel. You have to really push the little Grendel to hit 2500 fps with a 130gr bullet in a 19" bolt action, a 140 in a 22" barrel might hit 2450 fps in the right action.

 

[MudRunner2005]

As fond as I am of the 6.5 Grendel in a short barreled bolt action, the performance isn't even in the same league as case like the 260/Creedmoor/Lapua cases in a similar length barrel, let alone any of the short mags. I've shot a lot of different 130gr bullets from my 19" barreled CZ 527 in 6.5 Grendel I had built and 2450 fps is getting into the upper limit with most of them. The 140s are just too long to even bother with.

Well, yes, I am well aware of these facts, and I don't disagree with them. But in his original post, he never said anything anything about a minimum velocity. He asked which 6.5 would be best in a short barrel around 16.5". The 6.5G is the only one that will be the closest to a complete burn in a short barrel configuration...Therefore, without giving a minimum velocity to achieve, it is the best option for the short barrel. All the rest are just a waste, as they're blowing tons of unburnt powder out the muzzle, and wasting all the potential they would have with a longer barrel. He said his only criteria was that it has "good brass available", and Lapua makes 6.5 Grendel brass.

So, that's why I tossed out the 6.5 Grendel as my response.

How has the accuracy been in your CZ 6.5G? I have heard in the last few years their main focus was on pistols, so their rifles had kind of gone downhill in the quality department? Just what I heard, no experience, so was curious as to your first-hand experience with it to confirm or deny the rumor.

 

[Joe Sanders]

One thing I've notice about those shorter barrels..and please correct me if I'm off...but I swear they shoot straighter and ste more acuaccur....sure you give up couple hundred for but accuracy is always king....I guess I'm to the point where I don't even for any magnum or even long action anymore...needless with today's advancements....I guess if you hunting big mean things but if use my 260 on a moose or black bear and feel ok.....I've read where someone
killed massive amounts of elephants with a 7x57.....almost same as 7mm08....which is almost same as a 260 rem. Magnums are fading. Acurracy is where it's at....no need for forgiving cannons anymore....hats off to all the 6.5 and 6 mm out there. Y'all the ones who do the work and practice..think about this how many times you been at the range and heard "close enough" from a long action or magnum shooter. Short action shooters are never satisfied....thanks for letting me get my 3 post I had to do in...joe

 

[MudRunner2005]

One thing I've notice about those shorter barrels..and please correct me if I'm off...but I swear they shoot straighter and ste more acuaccur....sure you give up couple hundred for but accuracy is always king....I guess I'm to the point where I don't even for any magnum or even long action anymore...needless with today's advancements....I guess if you hunting big mean things but if use my 260 on a moose or black bear and feel ok.....I've read where someone
killed massive amounts of elephants with a 7x57.....almost same as 7mm08....which is almost same as a 260 rem. Magnums are fading. Acurracy is where it's at....no need for forgiving cannons anymore....hats off to all the 6.5 and 6 mm out there. Y'all the ones who do the work and practice..think about this how many times you been at the range and heard "close enough" from a long action or magnum shooter. Short action shooters are never satisfied....thanks for letting me get my 3 post I had to do in...joe

Shorter and thicker barrels are more stiff and rigid, and will have less harmonic interference, which means they are less susceptible to "barrel whip". Therefore, the accuracy nodes seem to be wider and less picky than a longer or thinner barrel. This is why most LR shooters step up on the contour thickness of their barrels, when they start getting above 24" in length. The added weight also adds for stability for aiming for LR shooting.

 

[FEENIX]

Go Old School with 6.5x55. It just works without any fuss or pomp

Agreed! I have a Carl Gustaf 6.5x55 carbine with an 18" barrel that I started both my sons hunting with at age 10.

 

[Litehiker]

1. The 6.5 Grendel was developed as a better alternative to the 5.56 NATO round, and it is. But what it is NOT is a big game cartridge.

2. "Short Barrels" on hunting rifles don't make much sense to me unless you absolutely must put a can on the barrel. Why lose muzzle velocity/energy for a tiny bit of ease in handling the rifle?
So go with at least a 22" barrel for most 6.5 cartridges and preferably a 24" barrel for optimum velocity and handling ease.

If 2" more barrel length makes the rifle "too heavy" then you better hit the gym 3 times a week Bucky.

Eric B.

 

[FEENIX]

If 2" more barrel length makes the rifle "too heavy" then you better hit the gym 3 times a week Bucky.

Eric B.

 

[yorke-1]

Well, yes, I am well aware of these facts, and I don't disagree with them. But in his original post, he never said anything anything about a minimum velocity. He asked which 6.5 would be best in a short barrel around 16.5". The 6.5G is the only one that will be the closest to a complete burn in a short barrel configuration...Therefore, without giving a minimum velocity to achieve, it is the best option for the short barrel. All the rest are just a waste, as they're blowing tons of unburnt powder out the muzzle, and wasting all the potential they would have with a longer barrel. He said his only criteria was that it has "good brass available", and Lapua makes 6.5 Grendel brass.

So, that's why I tossed out the 6.5 Grendel as my response.

How has the accuracy been in your CZ 6.5G? I have heard in the last few years their main focus was on pistols, so their rifles had kind of gone downhill in the quality department? Just what I heard, no experience, so was curious as to your first-hand experience with it to confirm or deny the rumor.

The OP mentioned that he was hoping for 3000 fps a couple of posts in. As far as the powder burn goes, there's a lot of bad information out there about how much barrel length is needed to burn a case full of powder. I won't go off on that tangent here but I have in the past and will again if anyone is interested. The only way to hit 3000 fps from a short barrel is to burn a fair bit of powder. The added expense of burning an extra 5-10gr of powder is negligible and the notion that there will be a horrific fireball of unburned powder at the muzzle is easily disproven by those who've actually done it. Efficiency is great in some situations but in others it's more about performance. The extra muzzle blast caused by a short barrel isn't really an issue here since the OP's whole plan is to run a suppressor.

As far as my little CZ in 6.5 Grendel, I had mine built off of a 527 donor rifle in 7.62x39 about 2 years before CZ released theirs. We actually talked to the guys at CZ about it while working with them on a different project and were told that they had a production gun in the works at that time. The overall quality on mine was excellent and the quality of the wood on my stock is well above average for a factory gun in that price point. The only other CZ 527s I've shot and owned have all been manufactured in about the same time frame around 5 years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if they let their quality slip on the bolt guns though. They're definitely focusing more on their pistols and the Scorpion line.

 

[yorke-1]

1. The 6.5 Grendel was developed as a better alternative to the 5.56 NATO round, and it is. But what it is NOT is a big game cartridge.

2. "Short Barrels" on hunting rifles don't make much sense to me unless you absolutely must put a can on the barrel. Why lose muzzle velocity/energy for a tiny bit of ease in handling the rifle?
So go with at least a 22" barrel for most 6.5 cartridges and preferably a 24" barrel for optimum velocity and handling ease.

If 2" more barrel length makes the rifle "too heavy" then you better hit the gym 3 times a week Bucky.

Eric B.

It's not necessarily about the weight, it's the OAL and handling a lot of times. I hunt an area where I'll spend just as much time crawling through dense brush as I will shooting 500+ yards. If I could just walk down a trail or through wide open country it would be very different. Crawling through the brush in western WA makes a 22" barrel seem long!

 

[MudRunner2005]

The OP mentioned that he was hoping for 3000 fps a couple of posts in. As far as the powder burn goes, there's a lot of bad information out there about how much barrel length is needed to burn a case full of powder. I won't go off on that tangent here but I have in the past and will again if anyone is interested. The only way to hit 3000 fps from a short barrel is to burn a fair bit of powder. The added expense of burning an extra 5-10gr of powder is negligible and the notion that there will be a horrific fireball of unburned powder at the muzzle is easily disproven by those who've actually done it. Efficiency is great in some situations but in others it's more about performance. The extra muzzle blast caused by a short barrel isn't really an issue here since the OP's whole plan is to run a suppressor.

As far as my little CZ in 6.5 Grendel, I had mine built off of a 527 donor rifle in 7.62x39 about 2 years before CZ released theirs. We actually talked to the guys at CZ about it while working with them on a different project and were told that they had a production gun in the works at that time. The overall quality on mine was excellent and the quality of the wood on my stock is well above average for a factory gun in that price point. The only other CZ 527s I've shot and owned have all been manufactured in about the same time frame around 5 years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if they let their quality slip on the bolt guns though. They're definitely focusing more on their pistols and the Scorpion line.

Yes, but not when I had made my initial post.

Also, I never said anything about a fireball of unburnt powder at the muzzle...Or the amount of muzzle blast it would have due to the shorter barrel. I just said he would be blowing a bunch of unburnt powder out of the muzzle, which his a waste...Which is true. Depending on the burn rate of the powder he uses and bullet weights he shoots, determines how much, but then you compromise fill ratios and pressure spikes by using very fast powder and mid-to-heavy bullets. Light bullets you'll still be dealing with some waste.

I didn't know your CZ was a custom, but that would certainly negate the factory quality issues.

 

[hwy1strat]

I have reopened the idea about making it a 6.5creedmoor. I saw a video by the DMR guys and they are pushing the 18" 6.5 creedmoors pretty fast. I think the creedmoor may be the ticket. If, and that's a big if, i can hit 2700fps out of my desired 20" barrel then that will get me to where I want to be for ME and fps at distance. After reading several other forums and posts from others on here, I think it might be possible to achieve. I think I may try it.

 

[Matt Tatum]

If you are thinking 6.5 creed, I run one that is 18" barrel. I shoot the 130 tipped game kings out of mine, think they call it a game changer, anyway, I get 2685 FPS from my 18" with the 130's

 

[hwy1strat]

2. "Short Barrels" on hunting rifles don't make much sense to me unless you absolutely must put a can on the barrel. Why lose muzzle velocity/energy for a tiny bit of ease in handling the rifle?
So go with at least a 22" barrel for most 6.5 cartridges and preferably a 24" barrel for optimum velocity and handling ease.

If 2" more barrel length makes the rifle "too heavy" then you better hit the gym 3 times a week Bucky.

What doesn't make sense about it? I don't "absolutely need" to put a can on it, but I want to. There is something really nice about shooting a rifle with a can on it if you have never tried it. And this post is my attempt to gather info on what cartridge would perform well enough from a short barrel. I have seen several people now claim that 2700fps is capable from an 18" creedmoor with 143gr bullets. IF I can achieve that then that means the bullet stays above 1800fps out to 900 yards where I hunt. I don't think that I would be losing any capability of that rifle because "I couldn't handle" a couple more inches. This rifle project is less about weight and has everything to do with making a more enjoyable rifle with a suppressor. Posts like these waste everyones time reading it...