New PRS Shooter - 6mm or 6.5mm Creedmoor

sonichanxiao said:
Lol, if the information on Internet is not trustable (not all but at least from others who experienced already or trustable source), where am I supposed to get all the information from these days?

Well, I haven't, but with about 250-400rounds per month I guess I am about to reach the 2k mark really soon. Will see.

Also it really depends how you shoot, hot load, fast shooting will burn the barrel quicker. (I've seen people shoot 6.5 with only about 1k rounds in a bartlein, because he shoots hard)
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It happened on the internet, it must be true? Bahahaha

Maybe get information from your own experiences? Also, if your buddy burnt out a 6.5 barrel in 1k rounds and wasn't running crazy hot loads through it, I'd be talking to Bartlein because he probably got a bad barrel, which happens.
 
rugbydave said:
Just because you can't reach the lands anymore doesn't mean it won't still shoot plenty accurately. 2500-3000 is generally what you'd get from a 6.5 Creed/Lapua. Of course, if you run crazy hot loads then you'll get less life. In any case, yeah, when it burns out, you get another one and life goes on. It just gets tiresome hearing people go on about how you get 10k rounds out of a .308 and 2k from a 6.5 when that's just really not the case, especially since most people saying that have zero experience with a 6.5 anyways.
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For my experience the 130 Berger VLD needs to be jammed 15 thou to shoot well. If I have anything over 5 thou jump accuracy falls off. The 139 Lapua is less fussy in my rifle but the 130 shoots better.
 
Shoot the 308 for a match or two, see how you like it and how the rifle performs. Then if you decide you can either get a new rifle or rebarrel the Sako and go from there. I currently shoot a 6XC, shot one PRS event with it and learned a lot from both the experience and the rifle. I have shot lots of 6.5 too, mainly 260 rem, but performance is similar enough to the CM that I would strongly prefer the 6mm for a serious match rifle. Good luck with what ever you do, and great choice in optic!
 
I've had 2 RPRs so I'm speaking from experience here...

I would caution you not to make your decision to run an RPR based solely upon accuracy claims. There is much more to a good PRS rifle than accuracy alone.

The RPR does not come with a long and heavy enough barrel to have proper weight distribution.

The rifle needs to balance at the back of the forend so you can put it on a barricade rest and walk away without it falling over. If you have to constantly muscle it, then your shooting accuracy will suffer.

So sure... If you go into an RPR knowing that you're going to get an aftermarket barrel, with your eyes open, that's fine, but don't think you're going to like it out of the box. (once the initial enthusiasm fades)

And once you rebarrel it, it will never be a TRG... I would rebarrel that or even just use it as is. TRG is a great rifle.

Oh, and the RPR trigger... uggghhh junk... expect to spend another $500 on a Timney.

So between the cost of new trigger and barrel... what else could you buy when you put it all together.... and add it all up?
 
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rugbydave said:
It happened on the internet, it must be true? Bahahaha

Maybe get information from your own experiences? Also, if your buddy burnt out a 6.5 barrel in 1k rounds and wasn't running crazy hot loads through it, I'd be talking to Bartlein because he probably got a bad barrel, which happens.
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Read what I said, trustable source or someone experienced already. What you experienced must be the fact? Then why we need to share experience and discuss topics here?

He shoots hard and hot load for sure that will shorten the barrel life. So it's all depends on those varies factors, but average from people have shoot out barrels before, 2k more or less is about the count.

Yours has a longer barrel life, good for you. But it doesn't make information others shared online become invalid or wrong just because I haven't done that yet.
 
Keep in mind guys that once a barrel has been shot out, it does not need to be replaced.

It is common for guys to cut off the threads and chamber up the barrel a couple more times.

Cutting off the threads moves the throat forward and into fresh rifling enough that it will shoot well again.

While you still need to pay for a chambering job at least you are not into the cost of another barrel.

This builds a case for a heavy barrel BTW because a skinny barrel will run out of diameter for the cartridge wall thickness quickly, but a nice fat barrel can be moved forward until it gets too short.

We just did this on a toasted 6x47L barrel last weekend and chambered it for a 6 Creed. Shoots great again.
 
True, but you won't get the same lifespan from a set-back barrel as you would from a brand new one.

How did the rifling at the muzzle look? A lot of the time you have to cut off the last 1-2" as well, easy to go from a 25" to a 20" barrel.
 
sonichanxiao said:
Read what I said, trustable source or someone experienced already. What you experienced must be the fact? Then why we need to share experience and discuss topics here?

He shoots hard and hot load for sure that will shorten the barrel life. So it's all depends on those varies factors, but average from people have shoot out barrels before, 2k more or less is about the count.

Yours has a longer barrel life, good for you. But it doesn't make information others shared online become invalid or wrong just because I haven't done that yet.
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I was talking about a 6mm Creedmoor, not a 6.5, shooting well past 2k rounds. It was to illustrate that "barrel burner" rounds can and often do go past what the internet says they will. I think if you do a better job of digging around you'll find the generally accepted consensus on how long a 6.5 Creedmoor lasts is closer to 2500-3000 rounds than the 2000 you seem to take for gospel.

It also depends on what your acceptable level of accuracy is. Some guys dump their barrels when they no longer shoot 1/4 moa, some top level shooters run them till they hit 1 moa and some guys can barely shoot 1 moa from the get-go, much less 1/4 moa ;)
 
Maple57 said:
Keep in mind guys that once a barrel has been shot out, it does not need to be replaced.

It is common for guys to cut off the threads and chamber up the barrel a couple more times.

Cutting off the threads moves the throat forward and into fresh rifling enough that it will shoot well again.

While you still need to pay for a chambering job at least you are not into the cost of another barrel.

This builds a case for a heavy barrel BTW because a skinny barrel will run out of diameter for the cartridge wall thickness quickly, but a nice fat barrel can be moved forward until it gets too short.

We just did this on a toasted 6x47L barrel last weekend and chambered it for a 6 Creed. Shoots great again.
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Not worth it unless you have your own lathe or get your chambers cut at a huge discount or free.

I wouldn't waste the cash, but I also have to pay full price for my gunsmithing.
 
kthomas said:
Not worth it unless you have your own lathe or get your chambers cut at a huge discount or free.

I wouldn't waste the cash, but I also have to pay full price for my gunsmithing.
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I'm not sure that I would agree with you on this KT...

A new over the counter Bartlien barrel at Hirsch Precision is like $600 and a barrel fitting job is... or should be $300 at any "fair" pipe fitter. Fair, meaning not the rip off opportunists who so often gouge the unwitting consumer.

Ok, so even if you were to pay $450 for the pipe fitting job... its still less than the cost of a barrel alone.

So if the re-fit barrel lasts half as long as a new barrel, then it's still a better value... and it will last at least that long.

Barrels don't wear out all the way down the barrel... they wear out from back to front, so setting the barrel back is a fair option, especially if its for a practice barrel or a competition barrel for someone who is not a top line competitor...

The only real performance problem is that you will lose a certain amount of velocity because its shorter.

I've shot F Class with guys who did this all the time... and still managed to win a thing or two.

It also opens up a certain amount of flexibility for the shooter... Suppose we blend both strategies...

You send your rifle off for a new barrel and while it's there, have the guy re-chamber the used one.

If you purchase an action wrench and barrel vice, you can swap the barrels out yourself to suit your practice, vs competition vs hunting needs. I know at least a dozen guys who do this all the time, counting me that's > 13.
 
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Maple57 said:
I'm not sure that I would agree with you on this KT...

A new over the counter Bartlien barrel at Hirsch Precision is like $600 and a barrel fitting job is... or should be $300 at any "fair" pipe fitter. Fair, meaning not the rip off opportunists who so often gouge the unwitting consumer.

Ok, so even if you were to pay $450 for the pipe fitting job... its still less than the cost of a barrel alone.

So if the re-fit barrel lasts half as long as a new barrel, then it's still a better value... and it will last at least that long.

Barrels don't wear out all the way down the barrel... they wear out from back to front, so setting the barrel back is a fair option, especially if its for a practice barrel or a competition barrel for someone who is not a top line competitor...

The only real performance problem is that you will lose a certain amount of velocity because its shorter.

I've shot F Class with guys who did this all the time... and still managed to win a thing or two.

It also opens up a certain amount of flexibility for the shooter... Suppose we blend both strategies...

You send your rifle off for a new barrel and while it's there, have the guy re-chamber the used one.

If you purchase an action wrench and barrel vice, you can swap the barrels out yourself to suit your practice, vs competition vs hunting needs. I know at least a dozen guys who do this all the time, counting me that's > 13.
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My understanding is that you only get 300-400 further rounds after you set it back, before it's toast again. Perhaps I'm wrong on that.

I personally can't justify it, but if others can, then by all means go for it.
 
kthomas said:
My understanding is that you only get 300-400 further rounds after you set it back, before it's toast again. Perhaps I'm wrong on that.

I personally can't justify it, but if others can, then by all means go for it.
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Not true, depends on lots of things, generally if a barrel last to 2000 rounds a rechamber will last about 1500, maybe more, again depends no how it was treated, how good the steel was in the barrel, etc.
 
JNA said:
Hello Team,

A bit of background information, I am looking to get into the PRS shooting and as such will need a rifle to get started and wasn't sure whether to get a rifle in 6mm or 6.5mm Creedmoor.

Currently I am looking at getting a Ruger Precision Rifle in either of those calibers.

Originally was looking at getting a Remington 700 PCR, but felt more impressed with the RPR.

I would be open to hearing about any other rifles, but dont want to go too crazy on my first PRS rifle cost.

For an optic, I currently have a Vortex Razor Gen 2 4.5-27 ready to be used for this new rifle.

I have an RCBS single stage press, but would like to at least shoot a bit of factory ammunition through the rifle before working up some loads (still a newbie reloader).

I also currently have a TRG22 in 308, which I was not sure if it would be better to re barrel it for one of those calibers above instead of getting the Ruger Precision Rifle.

Any advice is much appreciated.
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A very real point to consider is where you are going to shoot. Having just had alot of fun at the Cdn Sharpshooter Classic, I can tell you in that terrain, big was a good thing. Stubble grass, no backstops and "grey" targets, made it extremely challenging for all shooters to figure out where their misses were going.

And to get scored.....

the shots that seemed to give the most info were the 6.5s and definitely the 308's.

I have never shot in an environment where you can be literally shooting blind... even from an elevated platform spotting another shooter.

so the vast majority of locations and formats will favor the 6mm (and it has many other positives beyond just seeing a splash), however there are a few that will make this choice very challenging.

If you can run and control a 308, to start, that covers all the bases... and you will have a limited number of competitors for the leaderboard (if that interests you). Ideal, nope but in this one format, it definitely made a difference.

Jerry
 
I ran my 308 with 175 tmk’s at the sharpshooter match and agree with the comments to run what you got for a match or two. I also am a proponent of more energy over more velocity. I am building a 7mm SAW for PRS. Be ready next week, and I’ll siting for an optic. PRS really is a gear race, you won’t stop spending at the rifle... bags, rails, meters and I highly recommend a solid pack or a wagon for some courses. Shot my first full match this year and loved it.
 
Thanks everyone. For now I will keep the TRG and see how I do at my first match. Got to get better at reloading (going to buy some Lapua brass) and see what I can do.

Also thinking about a KRG stock, but will wait until after the first couple of matches to see if required.
 
Going back to the Cdn Sharpshooter match. I ran it with a 6.5 Creedmoor and did well. Spotting misses was tough for sure but I don't think it made a difference what you were shooting. It was all about if you happened to hit a dry enough spot to kick up some dust. What I did hear some shooters talking about was being able to pick up their own trace to see misses... that only comes from good recoil management (which the 6mm's have an advantage).

All that being said, I'm in the process of ordering a new barrel and it's going to be 6.5CM again. I see no reason to change from what works for me, plus I have all the components to load for it.
 
JNA said:
Thanks everyone. For now I will keep the TRG and see how I do at my first match. Got to get better at reloading (going to buy some Lapua brass) and see what I can do.

Also thinking about a KRG stock, but will wait until after the first couple of matches to see if required.
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Best advice is to go to a match with what you have. See what works, what doesn't and adjust, buy gear from there to help you out where you might have dropped some shots due to gear. Lots of shots will be dropped simply because you're not practiced up in the PRS game.
 
Just showing up with a positive attitude is step number 1, Knowing your dope #2 and being completely comfortable with your gun #3. The sharpshooter match was a blast i was very happy with how my match went but it was a marathon had bad and good stages just had to not give up and have confidence in your drop and keep a eye on the mirage, good glass is very important.
 
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