6.5 Creedmoor barrel length
- Thread starter JT Towny
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stillquietvoice
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What is your intended use for your rifle? Optimal length would depend on your primary use, hunting, target shooting, long range... Your bullet weight and twist rate also figure in to the what is optimal question.
Varminterror
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24” for me.
Neither is a bad choice, but I’d personally pick the 24”.
Why?
1) If I’m carrying an AR-10 instead of an AR-15, I need to do something more than what a smaller cartridge is capable of handling. Either bigger game or longer range. Otherwise, it’s simply not worth carrying the extra weight.
2) Since we’re talking 6.5 creed, we’re not talking the largest of game, so “more” in that case can only mean “longer range”.
3) Given the combination of the above two indicators, weight is less critical, performance is more critical, so I’d carry the extra ~7oz to gain the extra ~100fps.
Neither is a bad choice, but I’d personally pick the 24”.
Why?
1) If I’m carrying an AR-10 instead of an AR-15, I need to do something more than what a smaller cartridge is capable of handling. Either bigger game or longer range. Otherwise, it’s simply not worth carrying the extra weight.
2) Since we’re talking 6.5 creed, we’re not talking the largest of game, so “more” in that case can only mean “longer range”.
3) Given the combination of the above two indicators, weight is less critical, performance is more critical, so I’d carry the extra ~7oz to gain the extra ~100fps.
Yes Sir, was thinking the same... just curious if a better barrel length exists given the caliber. Like the round is most productive in whichever barrel length?
Varminterror
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All depends how you define “better” or “most productive.”
What are you asking the rifle to do for you?
Buckeye63
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https://rifleshooter.com/2016/02/6-...el-length-on-velocity-cutting-up-a-creedmoor/
Article on that vary subject...
Article on that vary subject...
If you're going to add a suppressor at some point shorter might be better. You'll get some velocity back with the can though. I'm building a .308 Win lightweight "do it all" hunting/tactical rifle and went with a 24" barrel, and I am running a suppressor. For me bullet velocity trumps overall rifle length since I'm not jumping in an out of tanks or armored vehicles. 
10 4, thanks Sir.
Gordon
Member
I went with a 22" Criterion barrel on my AR10 .
Hows it going?
Gordon
Member
Not done accuracy testing. I been playing with the 4K electronic sight at 200-400 yards wit mixed results. When the weather gets good again in southern Oregon I have a Vo\rtex Viper HST 6-24 to put on in for load development . I been shooting Hornady American Gunner 140 inexpensive ammo to get cases for reloading . Both scopes have good QD mounts so the switch is easy. I also have another Aerotex lightweight .18" .308 upper With a 4-14 Leupold Varix 3 LR scope on it. The Creedmore barrel seems more accurate than the .308 gun but it is a Heavy contour barrel . The .308 has an adj gas block, which it needed to fire the Military and civilian loads , the 22" Criterion just has a fixed rifle length gas and works fine with the 140 grain American Gunner loads at least. It Chrono graphs close to 2700 FPS FWIW.
Gtscotty
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Depends on the purpose, I have a 20" barrel on my suppressed hunting rifle, and a 24" on my longer range target rifle, both 6.5s. The Creedmoor does well out of a shorter barrel, but you obviously gain some velocity going longer. If you're going to be using the rifle suppressed and if it's going to be hunted, I'd go on the shorter end. Once you add 6-7 inches to a rifle, anything over about 20" barrel length gets annoying to me, I might would even go 18" on my next hunting 6.5. I mostly hunt open country, but I usually manage to find dark timber patches that need to be investigated and 30+ inch equivalent barrel lengths grab every branch in the joint.
If it's not going to be suppressed, a 22" or even 24" would be fine for a hunting rig. If it's just going to be used for LR gun games 24" works well, I might try a 26" when I rebarrel.
I'd probably go 20" or 22" personally, but it would always be suppressed, and I probably wouldn't use it for any real hunting (too expensive to get AR-10s to what I consider a hunting weight).
If it's not going to be suppressed, a 22" or even 24" would be fine for a hunting rig. If it's just going to be used for LR gun games 24" works well, I might try a 26" when I rebarrel.
I'd probably go 20" or 22" personally, but it would always be suppressed, and I probably wouldn't use it for any real hunting (too expensive to get AR-10s to what I consider a hunting weight).
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