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2019 APR TBH Special Ideas

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    I have received several inquiries about my comments on the 6.5 PRC on this short action. I think there is some confusion, so I'll try to clarify here. I may try to grab a pic of the ejector set up tomorrow so it will make better sense.

    The facts:
    1. Remington style mag box for BDL or floor plate setups = approx 2.880" internal length.
    2. Accurate or AICS pattern detachable magazines w/o binder = approx 2.950" internal length.
    3. The factory loaded 6.5 PRC rounds from Hornady = avg 2.945" in overall length

    So you can see the problem clearly. They will not fit in a standard S/A Remington style mag box and JUST BARELY fit in a S/A detachable magazine. This cartridge is marketed as a short action round, but does not fit well in a number of short actions without some type of modification. It is very much like the 6.5-284 in the fact that it can be forced into a short action, but probably would be better in a true medium or long action.

    That said, the typical fix for this on Remingtons and similarly configured customs is to install a Wyatt's extended mag box. This adds about .110" of extra length as compared to the original. Material from the rear of the mag well is machined away to make room for the longer mag box. This solves the problem on push feeds like Remington, Stiller, etc. that have both the ejector and extractor located on the bolt face. However most controlled round feeds have the ejector located somewhere at the back of the mag well, which is right where the material needs to be removed for the modification.

    The good news about the mechanical ejector is that your brass is going to eject every time.....it doesn't have a choice. It's the most dependable system of the two. The bad news is it doesn't lend itself to altering or trying to stretch the magwell length to accommodate cartridges longer than it was intended to run.

    Knowing all of that should help you make a more informed choice when deciding whether or not to build a 6.5 PRC on this action. There are several ways to go with this if you still want a 6.5 PRC on this build. And it really is an awesome round that brings man bun level accuracy with increased horsepower to the table.

    Option 1 - Do what the 6.5-284 guys figured out a long, long time ago. Build it on a long action and have more room than you'll ever need and the super smooth feeding that comes with it while preserving all of the mechanical ejection designed into the action. The trade-off here is that your overall build will be about 1/2" longer and weigh about 3-4 ounces more. In other words - not much.

    Option 2 - Build it on a short action using detachable bottom metal. It just barely fits, but it does fit.The trade-off here is that you are starting at the finish line. As your throat starts to wear forward, you have absolutely zero room to follow it. How many rounds will that be? I don't know. I set our reamer up with a shorter freebore than the SAAMI version so it is customized to the Hornady factory ammo itself. That alone should make it last a little longer, but you will still run out of road eventually if you hand load. None of this may matter if you don't plan to load.

    Option 3 - This one is a maybe at best. I will be working on the ejector geometry this week to see if I can coax a little more force out of it when running the extended mag modification. I posted earlier that I had done this in testing already and was able to make it work, but positive ejection was on the verge of being gone. We are going to go back and start working forward from where we stopped last time and try to get every .001" of ejector protrusion we can get without crowding the mag box. Trade offs here are additional cost of extended mag box and weaker ejection.

    Options 4 thru 9 - Don't build a 6.5 PRC on this action. Ask us about other alternatives(though there won't be many at this price-point). Wait for the next TBH deal to roll around as it will likely be on a different action. Send us the action you want to build on and we'll take care of you with the rest. Call Hornady and ask them what the hell they were thinking making the OAL 2.950" when everybody else involved with the project thought they were solving all the issues associated with 6.5 mags in short actions. Give up and build another Creedmoor. Sorry, that last one was out of habit.

    Anybody want to talk about the quirks of building a 300PRC?

    Comment


      Originally posted by Stick1 View Post

      Anybody want to talk about the quirks of building a 300PRC?

      Actually, yes. What are your thoughts on the 300 PRC?

      Comment


        Originally posted by TB80 View Post
        Actually, yes. What are your thoughts on the 300 PRC?
        X2

        Comment


          Originally posted by TB80 View Post
          Actually, yes. What are your thoughts on the 300 PRC?

          Somebody finally figured out how to make a 300WM not fit in a magazine! Just kidding...kind of. I expect it to take off based on the calls we are getting on it. Really have not had any issues getting it to fit in a BDL type set up. It does however need CIP length magazines to run in a DBM system. So kind of the opposite issues of the 6.5PRC. Go figure.

          Comment


            is this build on one caliber or is there a choice?

            Comment


              Originally posted by BuckRage View Post
              is this build on one caliber or is there a choice?
              Caliber of choice for the most part.

              Comment


                I might be interested in a tier 1 7mm rem mag

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                  Kicking myself for not doing last year’s build. Very interested in the Tier 1 this year.


                  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                  Comment


                    Interested

                    Comment


                      These actions have interested me for a 375 h&h build. But the light weight part scares me LOL. Is this a caliber you can accommodate with these builds?

                      Comment


                        And the actions are the TL actions right? No wood stock options? (Obviously it would differ from the group but stock. Just thinking on the 375. I fell in love with the TL the first time I saw one

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                          I would be in again if it was the ultralight version. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for a Cooper Backcountry but a full custom that is only 3/4-1 pound heavier at a lower price point would have me changing my mind.

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by trophy8 View Post
                            These actions have interested me for a 375 h&h build. But the light weight part scares me LOL. Is this a caliber you can accommodate with these builds?
                            Yes, the 375H&H is very doable and we have 4 of them in the works right now. One is a high grade wood blank on the case colored receiver that should be a stunner. I would not use this particular blueprint for a 375 H&H build personally, but it could be done. McMillan is doing a new walnut like molded finish that should make for a real classic look, yet still retain the bomb-proof stability of a good synthetic. I'm doing this with a red pad, case colored receiver and banded front sight on my personal 375 project right now. It will look the part, but still be weather proof.....mostly. Yes, the TL was the base for these actions. They have both been modified from the original design to meet our specs.

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by BuckRage View Post
                              is this build on one caliber or is there a choice?
                              Whatever you want, if it fits and functions in the actions.

                              Comment


                                Here are the pics I took today to go along with my explanation in post #166 above concerning the 6.5 PRC on short action builds for this deal.

                                This is a 6.5PRC factory round in a standard short action mag box.


                                This is a 6.5 PRC factory round in a Wyatt's extended mag box.


                                This is the area at the back of the mag well that has to be milled for the extended box.


                                And here is where things get tricky. You can see the ejector will have to be shortened to keep from encroaching into the space of the extended mag box.


                                You can also see here how shortening the ejector will be reduce it's mechanical advantage over the case being cleared from the bolt face. The shorter it gets, the less force it will have clearing empties.


                                Hopefully this clears up the confusion about why we are recommending long actions for those wanting to do 6.5 PRC builds on this year's TBH deal.
                                Last edited by Stick1; 12-16-2018, 05:06 PM.

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