Best place to get 6.5CM barrel for 737R

L

LostInTranslation

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 16, 2020
114
11
#1
Have 737R action on order need to get barrel. Thinking Bartlein or Proof (stainless) 26in, target/competition appropriate profile (MTU, Palma). It appears those are not in stock - any recommendations on best places to source them from / get on waiting list?

Thank you
 
#4
Call Eric Anderson @ Blue Mountain Precision. He built the Proof prefit for my Aero Solus, and did an absolutely phenomenal job. He even knows where the starter thread needs to be, so the words and info are fully readable when torqued onto the action.


 
#5
Get with @bohem Josh at Patriot Valley Arms. They can spin up an Osprey prefit for you. I have 4 of their Osprey barrels and they are excellent!

 
#6
Thanks to @Rob01, and @bohem, I have 3 of their barrels. 223, 6.5 CM, and 7 PRC, all shoot .5 moa or better easily...if I do my part, LOL. Easy to work with, good quality, and fast service, especially if you pay the rush fee.
 
#9
He will continue to get my business going forward after this .25CM barrel... His work is absolutely stellar. He came highly recommended by the guys at Evolved Ballistics, so that's who I had them send the blank to. Glad I did. 👍🏼

I tell you one thing, CarbonSix is genuinely trying to make the 7 SAW barrel fiasco right, so I will give them that... But, even if this new barrel shoots good, I'll never buy another barrel from them. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me... And if this new barrel won't shoot worth a shit, I'm just going to get a refund, and order a Proof blank, and have Eric build it out for me...Because I KNOW it will be 100% right.

I'll stick with Proof blanks & having Eric building the prefits. It's a winning combination.
 
#11
Yep, Eric will definitely get my business from now on, not only because he puts out an excellent product, but because he actually gives a damn about the quality of work he puts out with his name attached to it. Something that seems to be severely lacking in ALL the trade industries these days. 👍🏼
 
#19
I purchased a barreled action a couple of years ago that included a Impact Precision 737R SA and 26" Bartlein M24 chambered in 6.5 creedmoor. I am now considering a barrel refresh. Of the excellent gunsmiths mentioned above, do any of them offer pre-fit barrels or will i have to send the action in to get a new barrel built?
 
#20
All of them likely have blanks available They are easy to install. I use Southern Precision Rifles but they have an 8 week backlog, others can maybe supply them faster.
 
#21
We don't need your action, though most of the reputable shops in the country don't need a 737R SA to send you a replacement barrel these days.

I have blanks in stock in any contour you want, lead time can be as quick as 1 week depending on the options you pick. Doing a plain M24 in 6.5 Creed with 5/8 muzzle threads is a daily type occurence.
 
#22

Awesome... I will be in touch

As for barrel length. Like i said earlier, mine is a 26". I have heard of some building a 27" for the 6.5 creedmoor. Is it possible to go out to 28" for a 6.5 creedmoor and is it even feasible to make used of that extra length.

This is strictly a precision target rifle i use for fun and doing things like one-mile shoots (not an ELR gun of course) and FClass F/TR. I know it is not the ideal shooting platform for FClass either but i shoot at a local club just for fun.
 
#23

The 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge was designed around a 28" barrel so yes 28" works fine and all I have used since 2008 for my 6.5 Creedmoors. I like the little extra free velocity over a 24". A 26" will work and I wouldn't go any shorter personally.
 
#24
I'm running Nosler 140 RDF's in my 22" Solus 6.5CM with StaBall 6.5, and getting around 2,835 FPS MV. I'm pretty happy with that. Personally, I would have preferred 20" barrel, since I run suppressors on everything, but with modern powders, you can really makeup for a large portion of the missing barrel length.

 
#25

Imagine how much faster it would be going with a 28" barrel. ;)

Seriously though that is very fast from a 22" barrel so you are pushing it pretty hard and that is going to effect barrel life also. It's easy to get that velocity from a 28" barrel and not push it as hard but with your use of a can all the time then your choice to go shorter for being more maneuverable for you. But with a 22" barrel and 7-9" can it's the same length or longer than a 28" with a brake.
 
#26
True, but 28” + 7” to 9” can = Hell No

I run Alpha 6.5 CM SRP brass. 45.0 StaBall 6.5, CCI 400’s, and seated 0.010” jump. It’s close to pressure in that rifle, but no ejector swipes even with virgin brass, and it still shoots around 1/2 MOA, so I’ll keep running it. And the ES and SD on that load are great. 👍🏼

I’m not too concerned about barrel life on a factory tube…I’m just waiting until the day I can screw on a Proof CF 20” 6.5CM barrel onto it. 😂
 
#29
Yeah, all but one of my magnums are still 26” + can. The only on that’s not is a purpose-built 22.5” 7mmRM for hunting. And after a powder change, I’m still getting 1/4 MOA 3-shot groups (I don’t do 5 shot groups with magnums due to heat), and 2,935 w/ Berger 168 VLD’s. Brass life sucks, but it’s a hammer, and I only use it for hunting.
 
#30
Never one to want to push a rifle hard, however, why give up free velocity on a rifle meant to shoot targets. It’s not like you are humping your 6.5 Creedmoor in the brush of Kodiak Island in search of a thousand+ pound brownie.
 
#31

I've personally have settled on 24" barrels for 6.5 Creedmoor.

For me that's the sweet spot for balance and ballistics performance. A 140 Berger Hybrid going 2800 fps is more than capable ballistically.

I also happened to shoot suppressed, and while its still manageable, a 28" barrel and a suppressor is not as much fun to move around obstacles as a 24" barrel w/suppressor.

Everyone's preference is going to be different. There's not really any wrong answers here. In the grand scheme of things, a difference of 4" in barrel length is pretty negligible.
 
#34
What should cost of pre-fit barrel be (sweet spot - not "best of the best with no cost concern")? I see some (such as stainless Proof) at less than $600 and up for others on the list.
 
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#35

Usually the $600-800 range is the area you will find most. Proof is good but you don't get the choices as you do from other places for contour, length etc. You save some money but lose some choice. This is why I like PVA as Josh will make you whatever you want for a barrel. Contour, length, muzzle threading, flutes, etc. Lots of choice. I actually just ordered a new 6.5 Creedmoor barrel from Josh last night.
 
#37
On their site I saw Benchmark prefits - $800. If I were to follow your suggestion - proof blank / Eric build - how much would that run? And when people refer to "Eric" - do I actually call and ask for him and order on phone or go through website and he is the main guy who builds them?
 
#38

But you aren’t as you are getting a blank and then going to a guy to build off it. Lol You can order the same thing through Josh with an Osprey blank. He is in this thread already and can answer any questions you have. It’s easy though. Just order from the site and use his drop down menu. Place the order and done.

 
#40
I think the tread took a bit of life on its own... :) My original post was "Have 737R action on order need to get barrel. Thinking Bartlein or Proof (stainless) 26in, target/competition appropriate profile (MTU, Palma). It appears those are not in stock - any recommendations on best places to source them from / get on waiting list?" Going one of routes on thread may still be the simplest way forward - but I'd probably be saying "build me whatever is most common in precision shooting"
 
#41
Common is easy. For the 6.5 Creedmoor:
26-28”
M24-Proof Comp contour
7.5-8 twist
5/8-24 muzzle thread
Stainless finish

What I just ordered last night was:
28”
7.5 twist
Proof Comp contour
5/8-24 muzzle thread
Stainless finish.
 
#42
I would check out the impact precision web sight and find the barrel and order it. Simple and they know the action, are shooters and deliver great products. I guess I am just not sold on a proof barrel. I am a Bartlein/ Krieger/CRB/ Osprey person. But minimum size is M24, i am actually using more Heavy Varmit/comp contour tubes.
 
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