Competition Barrel contour 6mm XC

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Build:
MPA BA Competition Chassis
Bighorn TL3 20 MOA Action
Triggertech Special
Nightforce ATACR 7-35 Mil-C
Spuhr 30mm height mount O MOA
Atlas Bipod
Barrel - 26” 6mm XC

The question is what barrel contour should I go with. It will likely be a Bartlein. Heavy Palma, M40? I’m not really trying to save weight but I do want the rifle to have good balance.

 

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The gun will be used for PRS style shooting. Some prone and some positional. Not a hunting rifle.

 

[M338]

I like the heavy Palma .

 

[tomcfc11]

Another vote for heavy palma

 

[Sheldon N]

I have pretty much the same setup, I like the balance of Heavy Palma. I might go even heavier next time around for additional recoil reduction and stability on barricades and whatnot (PRS focus).

 

[kthomas]

Current barrels for my PRS rifle are a 28" HV (6BRAI) and a 24" MTU (6.5 CM). Previous barrels were M24/M40 and Marksman.

The Marksman contour is too light, IMO. Lightest I would go now is Heavy Palma. As Sheldon mentions above, weight is your friend in the PRS game.

 

[LongCut-]

Heavy Palma it is. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[BJames]

Why not medium Palma?

 

[mpk1996]

Why not medium Palma?

the heavy palma will balance better. the balance point will be just in front of the mag, which is nice when you put the rifle on a barricade. if its a lighter contour the balance point would be further back, and then you will have to support the rifle more, which could lead to more of an unsteady shot. most guy are going towards a free recoil shooting style, so the balance point is important. And, the extra weight adds to less recoil (movement of the rifle, not less shoulder pain) which again is a benefit for the free recoil shooting style.

the HP is a great choice for the MPA chassis. I ran an MTU (love that contour) but its a little close down by the NVG bridge. I think a profile that has just a tad more space would be better.

 

[BJames]

Huh. I guess it depends on which chassis/stock a guy is running. I’ve got a M24 in a Cadex that balances quite a bit in front of the mag, suppressed. I’ve got another rig with a med Palma in another Cadex that balances perfectly right in front of the mag well, again, suppressed. That rifle is a joy to shoot positional stuff. I can see your point, but I’m don’t and am not a fan of the free recoil mindset. To each their own though

 

[dgheriani]

Yeah, I think it depends on your chassis for sure. I have 2 rigs in MDT ESS chassis and one has a 26" med palma and the other has a few barrels one of which is an MTU and the other a M40. I can say that the 2 heavier contours definitely balance better off barricades and the like. The med palma is perfectly balanced in front of the mag well until you put any kind of bag there, then it's rear heavy. For a field rifle, I'd get another med palma but for a rifle for PRS I'll be using an M40 going forward. I believe that a Heavy Palma and M40 weigh the same though.

 

[BJames]

I was thinking about going to a heavy Palma on the next barrel in my 6x47. I’m pretty much 100% suppressed so that helps with the balance. I was thinking of HP running a few inches shorter than usual, with the can it should balance out

 

[mpk1996]

Huh. I guess it depends on which chassis/stock a guy is running. I’ve got a M24 in a Cadex that balances quite a bit in front of the mag, suppressed. I’ve got another rig with a med Palma in another Cadex that balances perfectly right in front of the mag well, again, suppressed. That rifle is a joy to shoot positional stuff. I can see your point, but I’m don’t and am not a fan of the free recoil mindset. To each their own though

well sure. a can will push the balance point further out and would balance more like a overall shorter heavier step up obviously. As far as liking or not liking the free recoil shooting style is irrelevant. You asked why guys want the heavier barrel, and this is why. balance and recoil reduction, especially when shooting free recoil.

different chassis are cut different, which is why I recommended the HV over the MTU for the MPA chassis (which the OP) said he was using. the MTU gets a little close with the NVG bridge. It might work fine in a bunch of other stuff (I have on in my Manners stock and love it)

 

[BJames]

I get the general jist of heavy versus light barrels. I missed it for the MPA, I don’t have any real, meaningful experience on one. Apologies if I came across like a dick