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Short barrel 6.5 prc

laker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2017
Messages
1,638
Any of you have a short barreled 6.5 prc? Thinking hard about cutting mine off at 17" to run suppressed. What kind of velocities are you getting?
 
Just know that velocities will suffer, and do it if that is what you want.

For me, I would go 20" at a minimum to run suppressed. You want short OAL of rifle,get a TBAC Gen 2 Ultra 5 6.5mm to go with it. But I live out west, where cross canyon or open flat shot opportunities out to 800 are commonplace. If 500 yards is your max, a 17" should give you the numbers you need pretty easily.
 
Any of you have a short barreled 6.5 prc? Thinking hard about cutting mine off at 17" to run suppressed. What kind of velocities are you getting?
1 of mine is 18". Run 135 a tips at 3000. Add or subtract 10 fps per grain of bullet weight. My loads are warm but not hot so you can push them harder if brass life isn't a concern. The prc does really well in a short barrel with 4831, h1000, 560, and rl26. I use rl26 and 560.
 
My goal is 140 Berger vld at 2800fps. Anymore than that will be a bonus
 
Just know that velocities will suffer, and do it if that is what you want.

For me, I would go 20" at a minimum to run suppressed. You want short OAL of rifle,get a TBAC Gen 2 Ultra 5 6.5mm to go with it. But I live out west, where cross canyon or open flat shot opportunities out to 800 are commonplace. If 500 yards is your max, a 17" should give you the numbers you need pretty easily.
Exactly my thoughts too (live in co). I decided it would be beneficial to have 2 barrels. 1 18" 6.5 PRC built for the backpack hunts or hunts where we will be shooting 600 and in. 2 28 inch 7 mag shooting 180s at 2950... enough said. 2 different barrels for different situations but I can put them on the same action and the same chassis. Feeding is a little bit of a pain with the 6.5 out of the long action but I rigged up a magazine to make it work! Really the only time that the 7 mag barrel goes on is for long bomb canyon shots in some OTC units. Otherwise the 6.5 will do and it keeps me honest with how far I should probably be shooting animals!
 
Exactly my thoughts too (live in co). I decided it would be beneficial to have 2 barrels. 1 18" 6.5 PRC built for the backpack hunts or hunts where we will be shooting 600 and in. 2 28 inch 7 mag shooting 180s at 2950... enough said. 2 different barrels for different situations but I can put them on the same action and the same chassis. Feeding is a little bit of a pain with the 6.5 out of the long action but I rigged up a magazine to make it work! Really the only time that the 7 mag barrel goes on is for long bomb canyon shots in some OTC units. Otherwise the 6.5 will do and it keeps me honest with how far I should probably be shooting animals!
28" 6.5 prc will run 3070ish. Not a bad combo for longer shots if a guy wanted to stick with the same cartridge. Kind of what I did with the 6.5-284's until I moved over to the prc. I have 28" proof sitting on the shelf I might rechamber for it someday.
 
I ran a barrel length test with 56 grains of H1000 and Hornady 140 grain BTHP match bullets and here are the results. I shot a few rounds of factory Hornady 147 EDMs at the 26" length to compare and they were 3010 fps.
Unsuppressed
Barrel lengthAverageESSD
2629612715
2429214523
2228883015
202822168
1827652714
1626594322
 
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