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> Length vs. Girth
Length vs. Girth
@ 02:06 pm (GMT) |
Scott StruifIs anyone intrigued by the 6.5 PRC, now that "everyman's" rifles are available? It looks like the cartridge was designed for a short action, but the manufacturers are peddling long action rifles instead. |
Replies
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@ 01:04 am (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: Length vs. GirthA magazine article popped up in my Google feed yesterday about the new 6.5 PRC rifles from Mossberg, Howa, Thompson Center, etc. I have no use for a 6.5 Creedmoor, but a mild, flat-shooting cartridge capable of launching 160 grain bullets has a certain appeal. Lugging a long, heavy rifle around does not. It looks like Hornady designed the cartridge a tad too long for the standard short-action, or maybe the rifle manufacturers don't have magnum bolts for them, so they're using their existing long actions. |
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@ 09:55 am (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: Length vs. GirthI'm not into competition or long-range shooting, so this cartridge completely escaped my attention. A little Googing answered my question. Montana Rifle Company already had a short action with standard or magnum bolts, and 2 different magazine boxes, one for standard cartridges and the other for the WSM cartridges. So it was simple enough for them to produce a short action rifle for this new fat cartridge. The other companies, like Sauer, Howa, and Mossberg are using their long actions, probably with a spacer in the magazine. From Nathan's 6.5x55 and 264WM research, one can extrapolate the merits of the 6.5 PRC. All four of these rifles are in stock at a small-town big box store close to me, ranging in price from $450 for the Mossberg to $1000 for the Montana and Sauer. That tells me the retailers expect the cartridge to be a hit. |
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@ 08:34 am (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: Length vs. GirthRuger seems to be the only manufacturer offering a 6.5 PRC rifle with a 22 inch barrel, the M77 "Hunter", a short action available only with a walnut stock and stainless steel barrel, for $1K. Their decision to use a 22 inch barrel seems dubious, as all the other manufacturers are using 24 inches as a minimum for this cartridge. In the past, Howa has had no qualms offering overbore cartridges in shorter barrel lengths (243 20", 25-06 22", for example), but not this one. My inclination is to go with the Howa, which is available with the Hogue stock for $620, or the HS Precision for $1K. Since it will have to be bedded, either way, I wonder if it's worth the extra $400 for the aluminum bedding block, which will have to be hogged out to accept the glass bedding anyway. |
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@ 01:37 pm (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: Length vs. GirthDespite the gunwriters' praise of the Sauer XT 100, it looks like a lame design. They epoxy a 2x2 inch "bedding block" into the stock ahead of the magazine well. A Tikka-style groove is cut into the receiver, which fits over a "lug" machined into, and protruding from, the "bedding block." A headless bolt in the receiver goes through a hole in the 2x2 "bedding block," to which a tall, coupling nut is screwed. The front bottom metal screw screws into the coupling nut. The rear bottom metal screw attaches to the action, but there's no torque specs for either screw. So essentially the barreled action is attached to the stock with one screw (nut, in this case), like most .22 designs. Plus, they use the same length action for 308 through 30-06 length cartridges, with spacers in the magazine for the shorter cartridges. |
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@ 04:42 am (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: Length vs. GirthI probably shouldn't rush judge sauer's bedding system, having only seen pictures of it. But another thing about the gun is the barrel is pressed into the receiver, making removal and replacement impossible. |
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@ 09:21 am (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: Length vs. GirthHowa's 2020 catalog lists the total length of the 300 prc and 6.5 prc rifles as the same, so I assumed they are using their long action for the 6.5. However, UK dealer Livens Ltd. says the 6.5 prc rifle is a short action. The 156 grain Berger would need a COAL of 2.945″., which wouldn't fit in Howa's standard short action magazine box. |
@ 02:01 am (GMT) |
Paul LevermanRe: Length vs. GirthPressing the barrel into the receiver does not necessarily mean replacement is impossible; just more difficult. Never having seen how they do it, I would make the assumption that it now requires machine shop techniques for removal. Any smith with a lathe and a press could probably do it without a problem, just more involved. |
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@ 02:17 am (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: Length vs. GirthHi, Paul. Good point. The article I read said they use heat, too. I shouldn't have said rebarreling is "impossible." But if the receiver has to be torched to get the old one out and the new one in, it's a deal-breaker for me. |
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@ 09:44 am (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: Length vs. GirthI just watched a YouTube video on the 6.5 PRC by a purported expert. It was a review of the Ruger long range target M77, in which he he said Ruger modified the stock to use an AICS magazine, which was helpful. He also made the statement that although the cartridge was designed to achieve 3150 fps max MV, in order to stay within the limit of 3200 fps max imposed by PRS competition, handloaders in the western US should be able to achieve better than 3200 fps due to the higher altitude. I wasn't aware environmental variables have that much impact on internal ballistics. If his statement is true, then I guess the PRS officials chronograph all the competitors rifles before a match, depending on whether the match is being held in Denver or somewhere on the coast. |
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@ 04:17 pm (GMT) |
Paul LevermanRe: Length vs. GirthIt sounds like the author got confused between internal and external ballistics. Or maybe he was misinterpreting info he had read somewhere. I could be wrong here, but I believe you are right in the assumption that environmental conditions, excepting extreme temperatures, would be more pronounced on the external side. Another example of why you just shouldn't accept what the "experts" say. Was there anything in the comments below the video that would indicate that others had clued in, or at least questioned his remark? |
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@ 05:25 pm (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: Length vs. GirthHi, Paul. I haven't studied physics, but certain concepts I understand, like a bullet fired parellel with the earth hits the ground at the same instant a ball bearing dropped from the same height as the muzzle does, or a ball bearing and feather dropped in a vacuum fall at the exact same rate. So when I read or hear shit that defies common sense, I wonder. I imagine ambient air pressure could have an effect on MV, but I don't believe it could be measured. As you point out, temperature would affect the burn rate of powder, but that's not what the guy was saying. I didn't read the comments. When I hear or read, bullshit I close out and move on. |
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