6.5 PRC Barrels - best options?

[Jvoelcker]

I'm about to get a 6.5PRC for everything from Foxing to stalking Munties, Roe and Fallow down here and Reds in Scotland.

I assume I'll end up using a 95gn V-Max for most things and then a heavier round for larger deer and possibly boar.

I'm still undecided whether I'll go Blaser R8 or a custom build, but as with most of above that is a debate for another day.

The rifle will be used for hunting, so negligible range time, but I do want to have the accuracy to stretch some shots if required, useful on ground I shoot in Scotland on Reds, and on some of the ground I go foxing on.

Shot sting wise, 99% will be single shots but once in a while I have ended up with relative rapid fire when culling Red hinds or Fallow.

So.....

What is a good average length to go for (I would be using an over barrel mod to keep the length down)?

Is it worth bothering with heavier barrels or fluting to aid cooling for the rare occasions it warms up?

Finally, shoot me now, but I do quite like the look of a fluted barrel and am debating going slightly heavier and fluted so not to loose and strength - does that make any sense.

Am I over thinking things?

I look forward to your comments

 

[AndyCM]

Have you found any 95g loads ?
Factory ammo or reloading recipes ?
I’ve had a 6.5 PRC for a year or so and not found any (easily listed, Sierra, Hornady, Nosler data for a bullet that light).

I’ve loaded up 130 - 147g’s and they’ve all done well.
Bergara HMR wilderness 24” & Wildcat Predator 12…….my use before buying & now…..don’t carry it far !!!

Cheers Andy

 

[scotch_egg]

Fluting is aesthetic at this level.

 

[samdk]

Fluting is aesthetic at this level.

Perhaps in therms of heat dispersion, but it does offer a significant weight saving with minimal loss of rigidity.

 

[Mungo]

Don’t go shorter than 22”. 24” is probably better.

Fluting is utterly, utterly pointless.

Heavy barrel is also completely pointless on most applications.

I have a 6.5 PRC. 24” Lothar Walther bog standard sporter barrel on a tikka T3 action (work done by the incomparable @Ronin ). Shoot roe, sika, fallow and red. Often shot 3-4 in a string and never had a problem.

Don’t overthink it.

 

[scotch_egg]

Perhaps in therms of heat dispersion, but it does offer a significant weight saving with minimal loss of rigidity.

It really doesn’t provide a significant weight saving.

 

[samdk]

It really doesn’t provide a significant weight saving.

It is dependant on the number of flutes and the depth they are cut to.

Six deep flutes on a barrel removes a significant amount of material and weight, usually 8 -12 ounces on a 24” barrel.

 

[Jvoelcker]

Have you found any 95g loads ?
Factory ammo or reloading recipes ?
I’ve had a 6.5 PRC for a year or so and not found any (easily listed, Sierra, Hornady, Nosler data for a bullet that light).

I’ve loaded up 130 - 147g’s and they’ve all done well.
Bergara HMR wilderness 24” & Wildcat Predator 12…….my use before buying & now…..don’t carry it far !!!

Cheers Andy

Not looked that seriously at the loads side of it yet.

 

[Jvoelcker]

Fluting is aesthetic at this level.

That is what I suspected.

 

[Dave_45]

24 inch barrel,if it was me ,I'd go 26 .

I've never seen the point In getting a magnum calibre and cutting the legs off it.

The blasers seem to hide longer barrels quite well, I think there PRC offering is 24.

You can probably get a semi custom for the same or less from a reliable smith.

 

[Jvoelcker]

24 inch barrel,if it was me ,I'd go 26 .

I've never seen the point In getting a magnum calibre and cutting the legs off it.

The blasers seem to hide longer barrels quite well, I think there PRC offering is 24.

You can probably get a semi custom for the same or less from a reliable smith.

Yes, I was thinking longer would be better and interestingly looking at Blaser and they recommend 25.5" for the PRC.

 

[Jvoelcker]

It is dependant on the number of flutes and the depth they are cut to.

Six deep flutes on a barrel removes a significant amount of material and weight, usually 8 -12 ounces on a 24” barrel.

Whilst fluting removes some weight, doesn't also weaken it to a degree?

 

[Dave_45]

Yes, I was thinking longer would be better and interestingly looking at Blaser and they recommend 25.5" for the PRC.

I stand corrected.
It's probably up to personal preference, also find out what twist rate blaser offer .

A gunsmith will probably try and get you to go 1-8 or 1-7.5, it seems we need tighter twists for copper bullets , that's if that is a consideration for you.

 

[samdk]

Whilst fluting removes some weight, doesn't also weaken it to a degree?

The weight reduction will be much more that the reduction in rigidity, use an RSJ as a comparison, that has had most of its metal removed and remains incredibly rigid.

The benefits of fluting are not that great but anything that aids your cause is a plus in my opinion.

 

[Mungo]

Whilst fluting removes some weight, doesn't also weaken it to a degree?

It’s entirely unclear what it does, other than lighten wallets.

I really don’t see the point. If you’re that worried about shaving off a few hundred grams, I’d far sooner look to absolutely any other part of my set up than the one most intimately connected with the accuracy of my rifle.

You loose more weight after a good sh*t than you’ll ever loose by carving slices off your barrel.

Wear one fewer layers. Get a x40 rather than x50 scope. Wear ankle boots rather than high leg boots. Eat fewer pies. Carry 4 spare rounds rather than 10. Plenty of cheaper and easier ways to reduce load, none of which have questionable effects on the functioning of your gun.

 

[Jvoelcker]

It’s entirely unclear what it does, other than lighten wallets.

I really don’t see the point. If you’re that worried about shaving off a few hundred grams, I’d far sooner look to absolutely any other part of my set up than the one most intimately connected with the accuracy of my rifle.

You loose more weight after a good sh*t than you’ll ever loose by carving slices off your barrel.

Wear one fewer layers. Get a x40 rather than x50 scope. Wear ankle boots rather than high leg boots. Eat fewer pies. Carry 4 spare rounds rather than 10. Plenty of cheaper and easier ways to reduce load, none of which have questionable effects on the functioning of your gun.

I like the look, but certainly wouldn't do it for weight saving.

 

[samdk]

It’s entirely unclear what it does, other than lighten wallets.

It removes material from your barrel in a way that retains most of its rigidity prior to fluting.

The same as reducing the diameter of the barrel, only people accept that reducing barrel diameter reduces weight yet won’t accept the fact fluting does too.

Personally weight isn't an issue to me.
The aim of my stalk is to shoot a deer, if you can’t carry a rifle that’s 750g heavier than average then a dead deer is going to cause you real trouble!

 

[Jvoelcker]

I stand corrected.
It's probably up to personal preference, also find out what twist rate blaser offer .

A gunsmith will probably try and get you to go 1-8 or 1-7.5, it seems we need tighter twists for copper bullets , that's if that is a consideration for you.

Blaser are 1-8.66. I'm not rushing to copper, but will look in to how others are getting on with it.

 

[Mungo]

I like the look, but certainly wouldn't do it for weight saving.

Ah.

Well, just be aware that there’s very little consensus on what effect it has on accuracy. When paying hundreds (or even thousands) of pounds on a rifle, I’d be very reluctant to introduce an uncertain variable just because I think it looks pretty!

 

[Mungo]

It removes material from your barrel in a way that retains most of its rigidity prior to fluting.

The same as reducing the diameter of the barrel, only people accept that reducing barrel diameter reduces weight yet won’t accept the fact fluting does too.

Personally weight isn't an issue to me.
The aim of my stalk is to shoot a deer, if you can’t carry a rifle that’s 750g heavier than average then a dead deer is going to cause you real trouble!

‘Most of its rigidity’ is the worrying phrase here.

No one seems to have any clear idea about quite how much rigidity is actually retained. And there seems to be considerable uncertainty about what happens to the dynamics of a barrel when the flutes are cut.