Good question, don’t know; the deer never complained and I dont have the rifle anymore
6.5 prc in a 20 inch barrell
- Thread starter Davsim
- Start date
It will have been a push if it did get there
I get 143gr at 3100fps using RS60 from a 24” barrel, so I suppose you should be able to get around 2980 from a 20”, which is equivalent to factory speeds. Whether you can get there before you get pressure signs….
I don’t think I’d have bought a 20” PRC.
I've got a 20 inch 270w it's doing 3050 fps with 130g. It's a lot handier than a longer barrel plus mod.
I can remember when I took a rifle to be rebarrelled in 6.5-284. They said you need to have a 30-32 inch barrel to get the best out of it. I said err no, I am going to use it for deer control with a moderator on so i want it 24 inches. I have no regrets.
C h r i s
Well-Known Member
Wow, how many grains of RS60 and what OAL? When I tried to get over 3000 ft/sec with same bullet and powder I was starting to see some case head damage and had to scrap the brass, ran it through Quickload and it was over max SAAMI pressure.
Thanks for all the input gents , as I stated earlier had I realised it was only a 20 inch barrell I would have bought something else. It is a lovely made compact rifle , seems strange that a major manufacturer would make something not fit for purpose ,so I will see what I can get out of it if its still sub par I ll get it rebarrelled . Please keep sending info over as I'm learning from all of your experience Cheers Dave .
What would be a better calibre to get the best muzzle velocity out of a 6.5mm bullet in a 20” barrel?
300 PRC is a magnum, 6.4 PRC isn’t, it’s on a par with 30-06 / .280 / 25-06 in terms of capacity and power.
I’d not have any of them in 20” either!
one that is bigger than 6.5 bore wise…..
To follow the logic of this thread a .264 win mag would be better, as it will give better velocity out of a 20” barrel.
But it’s diminishing returns for the extra powder.
It’s just not something I would do.
It will be the fastest bar the more Exotic 6.5
IE the Sherman magnum
In my eyes you’d have been better off getting a short 270.
It’ll be fine I’m sure but it won’t let you do what the PRC is capable of.
The Sherman isn’t a magnum either! It’s a 30-06 based wildcat.
The Americans are lapping up short barrel short magnums. No end are doing 18” 7mm SAUM’s.
Personally a short magnum should be 26” to achieve optimal ballistics. However, as per the OP’s replies he is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Make the best of a bad situation.
I have just done load development with N560 in my 7mm SAUM. I did a lot of research and believe it would also work well in a short barrel.
If the OP achieves 2900fps he has an excellent combination of compact rifle and higher velocity than a 26” creedmoor. It’s a win in my books. It’s not a range rifle.
It’s about getting complete powder burn and it’s going to be difficult in a tight bore.
The .308 can achieve 3000fps in a 16” barrel. The bullet isn’t as aerodynamic though as the BC is crappy.
Personally a short magnum should be 26” to achieve optimal ballistics. However, as per the OP’s replies he is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Make the best of a bad situation.
I have just done load development with N560 in my 7mm SAUM. I did a lot of research and believe it would also work well in a short barrel.
If the OP achieves 2900fps he has an excellent combination of compact rifle and higher velocity than a 26” creedmoor. It’s a win in my books. It’s not a range rifle.
It’s about getting complete powder burn and it’s going to be difficult in a tight bore.
The .308 can achieve 3000fps in a 16” barrel. The bullet isn’t as aerodynamic though as the BC is crappy.
The 6.5 Sherman Short is based off a .532” case head. This is where you get the magnum from.
Much the same as the WSM and SAUM’s.
They are need a magnum bolt face.
Sherman Wildcat Cartridges
shermanwildcatcartridges.com
Potatoes po-tah-toes
AndThe 6.5 Sherman Short is based off a .532” case head. This is where you get the magnum from.
Much the same as the WSM and SAUM’s.
They are need a magnum bolt face.
Sherman Wildcat Cartridges
What this person said
Entirely normal. Witness all the 20” .270s out there.
They know everyone is obsessed with short barrels and often don’t check either the rifle or the ballistics.
They also know that for most people it makes no difference. A 6.5PRC shooting at 2800fps will be entirely effective in every possible UK stalking scenario, and you would never know that it’s performing nowhere near what it’s capable of, or that you’re making a much louder bang than you need to.
You could easily buy factory ammo, shoot it for the next 20 years and be entirely happy.
Unfortunately, you’re also now aware that you’ve could just as well have bought a Creedmoor or a .260Rem or a 6.5x55.
What you now have is an unnecessarily loud Creedmoor…
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