Need Input on 6.5 Creedmoor

[BluntForceTrauma]

Guys, what is your dream 6.5 Creedmoor barrel?

Am thinking about a MONSTER 20" 6.5 Creedmoor in a hunting profile offering but am not familiar with the AR10 platform.

Which AR10 pattern? DPMS or something else?

What twist?

What gas system and gas port size and gas block journal diameter and length for a 20"?

Bead-blasted stainless or black nitrided 4150 CMV?

What is the boltface counterbore depth of AR10 bolts for headspacing?

Who has the best reamer design?

What are the neck diameters of various brands of loaded brass?

Anything else?

What would be really cool?

[lazyengineer]

DPMS is the current benchmark

1/8 is the standard twist

gas port - Couldn't say, though I think it's typical rifle-length location and runs on a typical rifle gas tube. Probably best to just buy a PSA or DPMS CM barrel to confirm, I suppose. Most folks run an adjustable gas-block these days on a Creedmoor anyway.

For material and finish, I like black malonited SS myself. It has an attractive oily looking sheen to it. SS is supposedly easier to cut to precision dimensions, and the maloniting supposedly then surface hardens it. In my own experience, I have found it to be the best of all worlds.

Couldn't say on bolt items, I'd start with DPMS standard I suppose.

Don't know much on reamer

Couldn't say on neck diameter, but I'd build it around Hornady's offerings, since that's the most common brass I find on ground.

For barrel extension, I would suggest going with one 0.001" thicker than normal, for a tighter fit. i.e., standard barrel extension for a .223 AR barrel is 0.999" diameter. In my .233 match rifles I run them at 1.000", and they fit nice and tight into the receiver that way. I don't know nominal dimensions for .308 class extensions though.

[Jakal]

No "Mil-Spec" for the AR-10. 2 major designs, Armalite and DPMS. DPMS is the current front runner.

Eabco.com sells Ballistic Advantage barrels. Aero Precision bought BA in 2014. https://www.eabco.net This is where I would look for ideas about barrel construction.

An AR-10 for hunting is going to be heavy.

My Aero M5E build with Magpul PRS stock, LaRue Mount, and Ziess HD5 5-25×50, heavy profile barrel eabco #194-BABL65CR04P weighs about 13 pounds. I did build this as a heavy, would not want to lug it around unless getting off a horse or drove in. Pencil weight barrel and polymer lower, carbon handguard to keep weight down if ever a future build.

https://www.eabco.net/65-Creedmoor-AR10-...15508.html

I would like a pencil weight, carbon wrapped barrel with a 1&7.5 rh twist. 20-24 inches, rifle length gas, gas port sized correctly for barrel and gas length. standard DPMS .308 bolt will work. I have only shot factory Hornady Precision 143ELDX
then started handloading, so not sure about other brands loaded specs.

Not sure about the reamer.

[A5BLASTER]

20 inch go rifle gas and whatever is the correct port size

Go with a pencil are what x-caliber calls spaghetti profile.

Go with the high pressure bolt design with the small dia fireing pin hole, standard 308 bolt is a pain in the butt in 6.5 creedmoor.

SS for the barrel is fine for a hunting rifle barrel.

8 twist is standard for 6.5mm bore but I would rather have 7.5 twist myself

DPMS is the pattern you want.

Ofcourse 5_8x24 thread pitch for muzzle devices.

A slightly large dia extention, so people could do a heat and freeze compression fit would be very much to my liking.

Sidenote for the bolt ditch the rubber oring under the extractor. Even on the grendel bolts as well.

[BluntForceTrauma]

Great info, guys, thanks!

Jakal: Wow. Beautiful gun!

[FRB6.5]

FWIW LaRue is Rifle +2 gas length on both 18" and 22". I didn't have a pin gage set at the time I assembled mine so I don't have a gas port measurement to give.

[Jakal]

Thanks BFT! It likes 129 SST's and Superformance 2950 fps. so far. Was in a hurry to get a hunting load last year. No further load development at this time.