Good / Reliable 6.5 for PRS matches?

[teddy12b]

I'm looking ahead at the 2023 Mammoth, and this year I have a new partner who's going to run a 308. That said, I'm going to run a 6.5cm. The 6.5cm I have I love it dearly, but all in weighs around 17#. I've been kicking around the idea of a semi auto 6.5cm because generally they seem to be a lighter weight rifle. The brands I'm looking at are the Seekins SP10, the Daniel Defense DD5, and Aero. I know that's not all of them, but that's just what I've looked at so far.

From what I can tell, most folks recommend an SP10. Only thing that gives me hesitation on that is a guy in our squad had one at the last mammoth and his gun had problems. The old "it's never done this before" bug seems to have bit again, and they guy had swapped barrels to a proof so maybe it's not an SP10 issue and maybe it is. The DD5 seems to be more of a fighting rifle and less of a PRS rifle, but so long as it shoots under 1 MOA I'm good with that. The Aero builds seem to be all over the place mostly because people swap so many parts it's hardly an Aero build anymore.

#1 the gun has to run, #2 it has to be able to compete in the field. My interest is only in the rifles because they're lighter weight for rucking, and once mammoth is done it'd also be nice to have a semi auto 6.5cm laying around. I've had some cheaper AR10 308's in the past, but I'm looking at 6.5cm only as a caliber.

Thoughts?

 

[JohnDeereGuy1996]

Lmt mws is hard to beat for your purposes it seems. Put in a 6.5 barrel for competition and a 13.5 308 barrel for rucking.

 

[teddy12b]

Lmt mws is hard to beat for your purposes it seems. Put in a 6.5 barrel for competition and a 13.5 308 barrel for rucking.

LMT has been on my crush list for a long time. I didn't see a weight on their spec sheet though for their 6.5cm

 

[hlee]

The Sig Cross bolt action rifle comes in at 6.5 lbs. I don’t think it is an accurate statement to say that semi autos tend to be lighter. I think it is more accurate to say that PRS rigs are built to be heavy pigs. Isn’t that the same thing? No, not really. You should be able to build a bolt rifle that is lighter and more precise than an equivalently appointed semi auto. But, if you want a semi because semi, then by all means go for it.

 

[Yoteski]

I haven't done Mammoth, but from everything I've seen, you're going to want to run a bolt rifle as your long gun. There's plenty of 6.5 Creed builds you could do as light weight. I'd probably say a Bighorn Origin with a 6.5 CF prefit in an XLR Magnesium Chassis. You'd be hand in hand price wise with a large frame 6.5 AR10 from Seekins or the like.

 

[teddy12b]

When I'm saying the semi auto's seem like lighter rifles, I'm saying relative to the 6.5cm I have now which with scope and bipod is around 17# which all things considered isn't that bad for a precision bolt gun. A lot of the PRS type bolt guns start around 15# before scope and bipod. The sig cross has always caught my eye and I can't imagine a more lightweight or compact rifle. I've worked the action on one in a store and just never got that warm fuzzy feeling about the rifle, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't mind buying one though.

Semi auto because.... semi auto still appeals to me, but ultimately the thing still has to shoot accurately and run 100% or I won't like it.

 

[acudaowner]

you can add weight to almost anything if your down to carry it .steel bars lead weights saddle bags to throw over it to make it weight a ton if you do that please send pics I love a good laugh .

 

[DocRDS]

Lmt mws is hard to beat for your purposes it seems. Put in a 6.5 barrel for competition and a 13.5 308 barrel for rucking.

1 major problem---they are near impossible to find!

 

[346ci]

A MWS in 6.5 would be nice but due to the shortage, you are going to pay. The SP10 should serve you well, if not they do take care of their customers. Wilson Combat would be my second choice. I'd go with a factory built gun as they are not as easy as an AR15 to get running 100%.

As for weight, you are going to want some. A light weight large frame gas gun may be good for a hike and hunt, won't be for a comp.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

So you’re wanting to run a gas gun as primary shooter at mammoth? That sounds like a recipe to not have a very good time. I know a lot of people who have gotten the idea to run gassers at PRS matches and I’ve never known a single one to do well. I’m sure someone has but I haven’t seen it. They aren’t easy to shoot accurately as it is, then add in making it light enough to ruck, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

A primary rifle for a match like that should be as close to a PRS rifle as you can get while being semi light to pack. Think LR hunting rifle with PRS features.

If I were doing Mammoth today as primary shooter I’d run a Q Fix with a Proof barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor fed from KAC mags.

 

[White_Shark]

I love my Seekins, but it isn’t light. You might do well with their DMR in 6mm ARC. Will be lighter than an SP10 and the ammo will weigh less.

 

[Yoteski]

I had a Seekins SP10, fantastic rifle. I still wouldn't take it over a bolt gun as a primary rifle. It's one rifle I wish I had never sold, but the increased lock and reciprocating time makes it difficult to shoot as well as a bolt gun. With entry and other costs added, I wouldn't want to handicap myself with a gas gun. You could pick up a Tikka CTR and be more competitive. I'm not knocking the platform, but there's different uses for different rifles; there's precision bolt guns, and there's sort of precision gas guns.

 

[Saf3sh00t3r]

If you can shoot a gas gun and do well you’ll kill it with a bolt gun if you ever switch.

The SP10 from Seekins is a great choice. The quality is amazing and the warranty is almost unmatched.

That said, a gas gun (shooting) will exploit any issues with position, trigger control, NPOA, etc.

 

[db2000]

Seekins SP10 .308 w 18” Proof CF.
Weighs approx 14# as is w/ 20 rds fyi.
You could certainly find a lighter optic and bipod too. You could ditch the can as well.

 

[teddy12b]

I can't really argue against anything you guys have said. The only gas gun I saw at mammoth last year had mechanical problems. My partner and I both ran 223 gas guns because we were thinking the ranges would similar to those from when we did the 2020 mammoth at that base where half the stages were on a 300 meter qualification range that had a backstop at 400 meters. We tried to game it and go with lighter rifles using the same mags & ammo so we could further game it cutting weight. Our rifles ran 100%, but at the distances of the 2022 mammoth we were completely under gunned for the match.

My partner for this upcoming match will be running a Tikka T3X CTR in 308 that is 100% factory other than the muzzle break. I was planning to run some kind of a 6.5cm. The semi auto rifle I'd looked at appealed to be just because they happened to be lighter weight than my GAP bolt gun in 6.5. Worst case scenario I have an outstanding bolt gun to use, but I'd rather not hump the weight if there's a lighter better option. I don't have the ambition to win the match, I just want to finish the event and not come in last place score wise. The last two I attended we were in the middle of the pack point wise and neither time did we shoot on the 3rd day which is a lower point day anyway.

The "Q Fix" or Sig Cross have both crossed my mind due to their weight, and for the money I don't think they'd be a bad choice "if" they shoot well. I was looking for either of those rifles at the event last time and didn't see any. For a 6.5# rifle that gets compact that'd be a hard combo to beat "if" it shot well enough. The semi auto 6.5's I've looked at seem to be in the weight range of a CTR with a 20" barrel. There's a part of me that thinks a CTR or a Cross would be more than fine for this event.

 

[Bluedog82]

I can't really argue against anything you guys have said. The only gas gun I saw at mammoth last year had mechanical problems. My partner and I both ran 223 gas guns because we were thinking the ranges would similar to those from when we did the 2020 mammoth at that base where half the stages were on a 300 meter qualification range that had a backstop at 400 meters. We tried to game it and go with lighter rifles using the same mags & ammo so we could further game it cutting weight. Our rifles ran 100%, but at the distances of the 2022 mammoth we were completely under gunned for the match.

My partner for this upcoming match will be running a Tikka T3X CTR in 308 that is 100% factory other than the muzzle break. I was planning to run some kind of a 6.5cm. The semi auto rifle I'd looked at appealed to be just because they happened to be lighter weight than my GAP bolt gun in 6.5. Worst case scenario I have an outstanding bolt gun to use, but I'd rather not hump the weight if there's a lighter better option. I don't have the ambition to win the match, I just want to finish the event and not come in last place score wise. The last two I attended we were in the middle of the pack point wise and neither time did we shoot on the 3rd day which is a lower point day anyway.

The "Q Fix" or Sig Cross have both crossed my mind due to their weight, and for the money I don't think they'd be a bad choice "if" they shoot well. I was looking for either of those rifles at the event last time and didn't see any. For a 6.5# rifle that gets compact that'd be a hard combo to beat "if" it shot well enough. The semi auto 6.5's I've looked at seem to be in the weight range of a CTR with a 20" barrel. There's a part of me that thinks a CTR or a Cross would be more than fine for this event.

There’s a big Sig Cross (and also Fix) thread over on bolt action. Most people with the 6.5 find that sub moa isn’t a problem.