Gunsmithing 6.5mm barrel help

P

picone

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Minuteman
Jul 26, 2006
75
7
So Cal
#1
Rebarreling to a .260. Do I want 8 or 8.5 twist to shoot the heavier bullets?

I'm looking for a straight taper (#7 or i think Kreiger calls it a #17). I would like to find a barrel in-stock, so I was looking at the Shilen's on midway, but is it a mistake not to wait for a Kreiger 5R of some other cut rifled barrel?

Any other place that would carry something like this in-stock?
 
#3
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

Either would work but an 8 twist would be the safest bet. I have an 8 twist on my 6.5 Creedmoor and it shoots both the 120s and 140 AMAX equally well.

I would look a little longer to find a good cut rifled barrel. After having both button and cut I found the cuts to be much closer to true listed twist and also more accurate and cleaned easier. Might have just been the barrels I have gotten but it's enough for me to stick with cut rifled from now on. I am sure some with button rifled barrels will chime in and say I am full of shit LOL
 
#5
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

Grizzly Industrial stocks Bartleins by the chord.

6.5mm calibers are available in a variety of flavors from them. Great service and your supporting a guy who does a great deal for the shooting community. (Shiraz, owner of GIS)

+1 for a cut barrel. WE always try to encourage folks to go with a cut rifled barrel. Machine much nicer and they seem to last a pinch longer than buttoned ones.

Either twist will work fine.

C.
 
#6
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

I'm inclined to agree with most of whats been said so far.

A Shilen Select Match will shoot with any of the good cut rifled barrels. I've seen some pretty impressive long range groups shot with them and even fired a few of them myself. That having been said, they do seem to die a bit quicker than their cut rifled brethren.

The standard grade Shilens can be hit or miss. The most recent one I used is toast at 500-600 rnds. It's an 8 twist cm chambered in 22-243. I'm guessing it's a fluke, but it's enough to keep me from using another or recommending them. I normally get more than 2x that from my 22-243 barrels.

Bugholes seems like an easy guy to do business with. I have my second Brux coming from him (an 8.5 twist 6.5) as we speak. I'm sure Grizzly would take good care of you as well.
 
#7
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

Thanks guys. big help, as always. Sounds like up to 140gr, the 8.5 is fine, but I'm still going to look for an 8. Host, you backed up what I was feeling anyway. The select match, to me, isn't worth getting over a nice cut rifled or 5r barrel if I can find it in stock...same price.

Now I gotta pick a profile and see how much work it is to stuff it into an HS stock.

This thread was helpful too regarding profiles (the one I was looking for isn't too popular, for in-stock):
http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2170756&page=3
 
#8
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

Another internet myth born....you must have a cut rifled barrel to achieve maximum accuracy. I have both a .300WM and a .260 Remington with Broughton button rifled barrels. Both shoot sub .250" consistently. In fact both have shot sub .200". Interestingly enough, Broughton sells many barrels to the elite military units who build their own rifles. The shop that built my rifle uses nothing but Broughton barrels and all their rifles shoot sub .250".
The bad news is that Broughton is no easier to get than any of the other top rifle maker's products. There are some advantages to using cut rifled barrels but they have nothing to do with the accuracy. Good luck with your hunt for a quality barrel, don't dismiss any of the top barrel makers. The person doing the machine work and the shooter will ultimately determine the accuracy of any rifle assembled with a quality barrel.
 
#9
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

Paul,

No myth born here because I don't have an accuracy knock towards button rifled barrels. I simply would not know any better. The Shilen, in particular, on their standard barrels, the tolerances are 3x or more than their select match. I'm sure 75% or better shoot great, but I would expect the life of the accuracy to be much less. If parts of the barrel have 3x tolerance, it won't be long until the entire thing has 3x tolerance. Simple steel wear. Gunna cost $700 to swap calibers anyway so it's not worth saving a hundred bucks to me.

Point taken on your Broughten, but that said, I would be more comfortable with a barrel that has the higher volume of praise (Krieger, cut rifled, 5R, Hart, Rock, Bartlien, etc...) just so I don't screw up the first time. The Shilen select has much praise, but I don't ever read anyone going out of their way to get one. Finding these stocking distributors of other brands changes things, as I need to get this thing together in 45 days.
 
#11
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

I sure will. Whatever you select, it is wise to buy quality the first time out. You might check with bugholes.com to see what his delivery schedule is on his Brux, Rock, Krieger barrels. Guys like him that order in volume usually get re-stocked pretty quick. As mentioned, you can get Bartlein through the Grizzly lathe folks and the last time I looked they had them in stock. Bartlein and Krieger are at the pinnacle of cut rifled barrels. You pay a little more but $35 isn't much in the scheme of a new rifle. Good luck with your build, your going to love the 6.5.
 
#12
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rob01</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Either would work but an 8 twist would be the safest bet. I have an 8 twist on my 6.5 Creedmoor and it shoots both the 120s and 140 AMAX equally well.

I would look a little longer to find a good cut rifled barrel. After having both button and cut I found the cuts to be much closer to true listed twist and also more accurate and cleaned easier. Might have just been the barrels I have gotten but it's enough for me to stick with cut rifled from now on. I am sure some with button rifled barrels will chime in and say I am full of shit LOL </div></div>

What Rob says here is really important and this what I always tell guys. The more uniform the bore and groove sizes and the more uniform the twist the more forgiving the barrel is going to be. Cut rifled barrels have a way more consistent/uniform twist rate. When button rifling a barrel if the button hits a hard spot/soft spot in the material it will generally slow the button/twist down. It could speed back up or just keep getting slower. To me this makes the barrel more load temperamental as to what it likes.

Also some other comments made by Chad etc...that the cut rifled barrels seem to last longer. This is because the button rifling process work hardens the bore. Button rifling displaces the material. It doesn't remove the material like cut rifling does.

With that being said I do know of button makers trying to help guide the rotation of the button to make the twist more consistent in a button rifled barrel.

Also button barrels have more than proving themselves to be capable of really good accuracy. To me though and feed back I get from other people (not just shooters but companies that make ammunition and use ammunition test barrels and keep much more detailed data then the majority of shooters out there confirm the same things about barrel life and accuracy etc...

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels
 
#15
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TxShooter63</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I sure will. Whatever you select, it is wise to buy quality the first time out. You might check with bugholes.com to see what his delivery schedule is on his Brux, Rock, Krieger barrels. Guys like him that order in volume usually get re-stocked pretty quick. As mentioned, you can get Bartlein through the Grizzly lathe folks and the last time I looked they had them in stock. Bartlein and Krieger are at the pinnacle of cut rifled barrels. You pay a little more but $35 isn't much in the scheme of a new rifle. Good luck with your build, your going to love the 6.5. </div></div>
And Broughten it is. It is in the mail, as I type.
 
#16
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DOMINIC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">PS, if you know of a 6.5mm straight taper Broughten, in-stock, let me know. </div></div>

I'm pretty sure that if you were looking for a truck axle 6.5 barrel on the caprc forums that there are a couple guys with them sitting in closets from our last bartlein group buy...
More guys are looking for rem varmint or medium palma now that they have had a truck axle barrel.

I got a truck axle 260 barrel for a surgeon 591 that's got maybe 50 rouunds through it that I'm pulling off the gun to rebarrel to a lighter profile here shortly.
 
#17
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 2156SMK</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DOMINIC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">PS, if you know of a 6.5mm straight taper Broughten, in-stock, let me know. </div></div>

I'm pretty sure that if you were looking for a truck axle 6.5 barrel on the caprc forums that there are a couple guys with them sitting in closets from our last bartlein group buy...
More guys are looking for rem varmint or medium palma now that they have had a truck axle barrel.

I got a truck axle 260 barrel for a surgeon 591 that's got maybe 50 rouunds through it that I'm pulling off the gun to rebarrel to a lighter profile here shortly. </div></div>

We can recontour your truck axles. $40 plus s&h back to ya.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels
 
#18
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

My first 6.5mm barrel was an 8 twist Brux finished at 25.5". My second was an 8.5 twist Bartlein 5R finished at 30". I went all in for bullet speed. I've seen no bullet stability difference between the two. All I shoot are the 140's. I got the Bartlein truck axle from Grizzly and had my smith turn it down to the contour I needed.

B
 
#19
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

I would go with a 1 in 8 twist if you are planning on shooting the 140grs at close to sea-level when it is cold. Otherwise, at higher temps and altitude, a 1 in 8.5" probably will be fine.

Shilen has a good reputation. I'm partial to Kreiger and Bartlein barrels, they are just what has worked for me in the past, and what I prefer.
 
#21
Re: 6.5mm barrel help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 2156SMK</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DOMINIC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">PS, if you know of a 6.5mm straight taper Broughten, in-stock, let me know. </div></div>

I'm pretty sure that if you were looking for a truck axle 6.5 barrel on the caprc forums that there are a couple guys with them sitting in closets from our last bartlein group buy...
More guys are looking for rem varmint or medium palma now that they have had a truck axle barrel.

I got a truck axle 260 barrel for a surgeon 591 that's got maybe 50 rouunds through it that I'm pulling off the gun to rebarrel to a lighter profile here shortly. </div></div>

This was interesting condescension. You seriously had me worried that I was putting something together that was going to be obscenely heavy. Its not. I honestly can't tell the difference in weight from when the sps barrel was attached. Just got it back and loading ammo for a trial run in two weeks.
 
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