Barrel contour and length for nrl hunter rifle.

[Anderhammer52]

Tried using the search function but found limited results. My situation and question is as follows:
Have a possible job opportunity coming up in Wyoming and really want to get back into PRS and get into NRL Hunter. I have my ideal prs build in mind but that's farther down the road. I have an xray chassis already and want to get an origin in it with a barrel chambered in 6.5 prc. My budget doesn't allow for a carbon fiber barrel. So what length and contour will be best to bring me in under a 16lb weight limit while still being suitable for a suppressor? I've looked at prefered barrels, pva, and looked at different Palma contours to try and spec it out. I've got a spread sheet of component weights but the barrel is the real unknown. Does any one have any advice or experience on what length and contour would be suitable. Thanks in advance.

 

[Maxduty]

16lob? Jesus. I had an old varminter with a 22" MTU in an HS Precision police stock that only tipped the scales at 13lbs with a scope

 

[kthomas]

Given your spec list for the other components, how much weight do you have reserved for the barrel?

No real way to give an answer to this until you provide a weight budget.

 

[Anderhammer52]

Max weight allowed for the barrel is 4.6 lbs.
I haven't been a fan of the traditional stocks I've shot for whatever reason. I'm also trying to save a little cash there and use what I already have that's servicable

 

[gopherslayer]

16lob? Jesus. I had an old varminter with a 22" MTU in an HS Precision police stock that only tipped the scales at 13lbs with a scope

Factory class is 12lb. I’m hoping next year I can give it a whirl.

 

[Raffy]

Are you planning on competing suppressed or are you just wanting the capability for noncompetitive shooting with that rifle?

 

[Anderhammer52]

Are you planning on competing suppressed or are you just wanting the capability for noncompetitive shooting with that rifle?

I will be competing suppressed. I factored in that weight to the spreadsheet as well. Not a fan of the concussions of brakes, jets messed up my hearing enough as it is lol.

 

[Raffy]

Your desired barrel length with your suppressor is going to pretty wildly affect your answers. For ex. I have 2 different 3 pounds barrels +/- an ounce. Both are 24 inches, one is stainless and the other is carbon fiber. The stainless is a Tikka ctr barrel that is a 6.5 prc and is closest to a light Palma profile. The other is a carbon six Tikka prefit barrel in 7 saum that is their magnum contour that is effectively a proof sendero barrel profile. The carbon six barrel is way thicker than the ctr barrel. Then I have a different barrel that is also a Tikka barrel cut for 6 dasher in a proof competition contour at 26 inches and she is a chunker. By far the thickest barrel I own and by far the heaviest but only 2 inches longer than the other two. On Proofs website it says the 28 inch blank is 7 pounds 12 ounces. If I cut that back to 3 pounds who knows how long it would be, but it would be way shorter. It is probably a 7 pound barrel chambered and threaded at 26 inches.

 

[KnowNothing256]

I would aim to try to retain length at the expense of a somewhat lighter profile, in your shoes. For reference, I have mostly M24/M40 24" barrels, and in general they're about 5.5 lbs each, so you'll need to drop a pound from there. Medium Palma in 22-24" is maybe a decent fit?

Let's ask @bohem or @Front Range Precision

ETA: Gents, the question is "What stainless barrel length and contour can I get that will keep me at or just below 4.5 lbs barrel weight in a 6.5PRC? Carbon isn't an option."

 

[bohem]

I would aim to try to retain length at the expense of a somewhat lighter profile, in your shoes. For reference, I have mostly M24/M40 24" barrels, and in general they're about 5.5 lbs each, so you'll need to drop a pound from there. Medium Palma in 22-24" is maybe a decent fit?

Let's ask @bohem or @Front Range Precision

ETA: Gents, the question is "What stainless barrel length and contour can I get that will keep me at or just below 4.5 lbs barrel weight in a 6.5PRC? Carbon isn't an option."

Medium Palma at 24-26"
Marksman at 22"
M24 at 22 with our spiral heavy flutes

 

[kthomas]

IMO, a Marksman profile at 22" is a good trade-off in length and contour.

Probably the route I would go if it was me.

 

[Anderhammer52]

PVA is at the top of my list thanks for the input everyone, definitely de mystified a lot for me. Besides 50-80 fps is there any other negative going from a 24 to a 22? 1/7.5 an appropriate twist rate?

 

[KnowNothing256]

PVA is at the top of my list thanks for the input everyone, definitely de mystified a lot for me. Besides 50-80 fps is there any other negative going from a 24 to a 22? 1/7.5 an appropriate twist rate?

That’s a fine twist for basically anything you would want to put into a SAAMI 6.5 PRC chamber.

 

[Raffy]

Having a 22-24 inch barrel with a suppressor gives shorter overall length is all I know of, which is in my opinion not a bad thing for a hunting (competition) rifle. I personally would be in the 20-22 inch suppressed bracket, but that's just me. The 50-100 fps loss in velocity at the distances your going to shoot aren't going to make or break the shots your going to make. Plus the suppressor might gain you back some speed. My .02 so take it for what it's worth given inflation nowadays.

 

[Mr. F]

Consider keeping the barrel at max length possible. Field matches don’t really penalize you for having longer setups.

Suppresed 24-26” guns with triple pulls are not rare. The extra speed pays dividends with hard to range targets and keep in mind tie breakers on the NRL series are based on power factor.

A finished 26” 3b will be right at or just over 4 pounds and still has enough meat for a decent shoulder after 5/8x24 threads. A 24” 3b chambered on 6.5prc will definitely be under 4 pounds. Fluting a heavy contour will also add cost which you mentioned is a factor on this project

As long as you dont go super heavy on your optic, getting the rig under 16 is not that hard. Leave some headspace for a legit bipod too.

 

[dgheriani]

I went wth a 24" Sendero but a med palma woulda been the same weight. Rifle is a Rem 700 in an MDT HNT26. That barrel allows me to run in open-heavy with a Razor Gen 3 6-36 and a triple-pull Ckyepod or in light-open with a Razor LHT 4.5-22 and a lightweight double-pull Ckyepod. 24" lets you easily make (or exceed) power factor with a 6.5 Creed so you'll obviously have no issues with the PRC.

 

[CShooter92]

Personally I'd go Medium palma if you could make it work. Those contours used to be the most popular in PRS a few years ago until the really heavy rifles became popular.
I shot a medium palma in competition for a few years and that thing hammered.