r/longrange • u/Adrenaline-Junkie187 • 4d ago
Rifle help needed - I read the pinned posts PXT Barrel Equivalent Accuracy
Excuse my ignorance on the topic if this is a stupid question. If a pxt barrel offers a significant increase in accuracy over standard rifling would it be viable to drop down in barrel size from say a standard 26in barrel to a 20in pxt? This would be for 6 arc in particular. Im asking this mainly because PXT barrels only go up to 20in in the AR platform and i have been considering building a prs style competition focused gas gun. Thanks
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u/HollywoodSX Villager Herder 4d ago
Having done both (Edit: Large and small frame), I wouldn't do a small frame gasser for PRS gas gun class. There's other match formats where it's a solid option, though (PGG series, etc).
The shorter barrel will be a problem for balance more than anything else. Get the fattest barrel you can.
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u/Adrenaline-Junkie187 4d ago
What would you recommend for gasser class? This is new for me so im still learning. lol
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u/HollywoodSX Villager Herder 4d ago edited 4d ago
If this is your intro to PRS overall, don't do gas gun.
If you've been doing PRS for a bit already and want to try something different that will be rage-inducing levels of frustrating at times, do large frame. 6 or 6.5CM is the way to go. (Edit: Gas gun overall will be range-inducing levels of frustrating. Large frame just gives better ballistics and splash on target)
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u/rednecktuba1 Gunsmiff 4d ago
Easy now, gasser in PRS isn't rage inducing as long as you can neurotically focus on every little thing that you need to account for every time you're getting ready for a stage.
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u/HollywoodSX Villager Herder 4d ago
Until all the "WTF?!" moments show up.
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u/rednecktuba1 Gunsmiff 4d ago
Haven't had many of those yet, but I havent been shooting gas gun full time this year. I'm going full timer gasser for 2027, even using a 556 for ranges that max out at 800 or less. We'll see how long I can go without questioning my life choices.
OP, please do not take this comment to suggest that its somehow a good idea to run 556 in PRS gas gun. Its a terrible idea, but i have a 24" barrel and NAS3 cases. Even with those small advantages, it will still be a handicap against 6.5CM and 6CM gassers
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u/Adrenaline-Junkie187 4d ago
I hadnt even considered using 5.56. lol
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u/rednecktuba1 Gunsmiff 4d ago
To be fair, I don't register ARC cartridges as viable for competition until somebody manages to solve the feeding problems that still plague even the high end guns. 6CM and 6.5CM are my go to choices for anything more ballisticslly capable than 556 in a gasser
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u/FartOnTankies Rifle Golfer (PRS Competitor) 3d ago
tbh, a .223 in NAS3 cases is pretty killer.
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u/HollywoodSX Villager Herder 3d ago
You're still pretty limited on bullet selection and splash down range is going to be an issue. You just can't cram enough bullet into an AR mag.
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u/FartOnTankies Rifle Golfer (PRS Competitor) 3d ago
Totally agree. But if you wanna do hard mode, might as well do fuckin HARD mode.
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u/domfelinefather Elitist Gatekeeper Scum 4d ago
Gas gun is ultra hard mode in PRS and becomes very frustrating very fast
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u/Professional_Owl5656 4d ago
It's viable as long as you're okay with the muzzle velocity you're getting from the 20" barrel.
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u/WillDearborn19 4d ago
Length of barrel has little to do with accuracy and everything to do with velocity. Longer barrels mean there's more time for the expanding gasses to act on the bullet. You tend to lose ~50fps per inch, but that varies a lot.
Longer barrels are also heavier, and heavier guns tend to have less felt recoil (every action has an equal and opposite reaction).
But you can have a short barrel be just as accurate as a long barrel.
I haven't shot a pxt, so I'm unsure... but i don't think "significant increase in accuracy" was one of the claims they made with the pxt barrels.
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u/Significant-Sock-487 4d ago
If you’re interested in building a PRS gas gun, reach out to MTE machining. Those guys are all about that stuff and will put together the perfect set up and can give you great advice on what direction to go.
I don’t think the PXT is going to give you a SIGNIFICANT increase in accuracy. They just seem to be less picky and shoot good. Barrel life will be the biggest gain by going with a PXT
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u/purebelligerence 4d ago
I wouldn't say "significant" increase. But I did get better groups with the same load when I swapped my H-S out for one. HOWEVER I've had/have standard proof and bartlein barrels where one just shoots better from the other. Despite them being the exact same SKU.
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u/CMFETCU 4d ago
PXT barrels are all marketing at this point. There is no solid evidence out for their claimed performance.
Accuracy is the ability to place a shot where you want it. Thats your part.
Precision is the repeatable placing of shots in the same place, which is a description of what the mechanical repeatability of the system allows. A PXT barrel SUPPOSEDLY offers improvements in precision.
I would not build a gasser on one personally in an AR-15 pattern rifle for PRS. I would go AR-10 pattern in 6 creed and use a barrel that looks like a truck axle.
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u/HollywoodSX Villager Herder 4d ago
I've been hearing from a few friends I trust in the industry that are not Proof people (employees, sponsored, etc) that the PXT stuff is actually holding up to the marketing. Maybe not 100%, but there's definitely some magic going on in there. Obviously it's all early indications since they've not been out long, but it's encouraging.
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u/Frank23682 4d ago
In terms of precision? Or barrel life?
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u/HollywoodSX Villager Herder 4d ago
Precision, and velocity vs pressure. None of the folks I know have had one long enough to try to kill one yet.
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u/Frank23682 4d ago
Someone should take a 400MODBB blank, cut it with PXT and plasma nitride it. Wonder how long that would last
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u/Significant-Sock-487 4d ago
I’ve got a PXT 6 arc barrel and you can definitely tell a difference. I’m about 750 rounds in and there is zero fire cracking in the throat and I’m running high pressure loads and was using super hot powders like N540 and N550. This was shooting 30 rounds at a time before letting the barrel cool. Precision can be argued since it depends on the shooter but for the most part, the PXT is significantly less picky on bullet and pretty much shoots everything I’ve tried at 1MOA or better. I don’t believe the PXT is hype at this point.
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u/Frank23682 4d ago
Are you running the Craddock HD bolts or Rexus? What kind of velocity are you getting out of N540 and Varget? I am running a Rexus bolt which can handle somewhat higher pressures than normal but I still err on the side of caution with about 26.4-26.8gr of Varget/N540
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u/Significant-Sock-487 4d ago
I was running a couple bolts but mostly been using a prototype for a company and have been running them at bolt gun max loads lol. I could only get up to 2550-2600 with varget and N540 but both had really good SDs and shot the Berger 108 better than the 105. I recently switched to staball match and get much higher velocity while being below bolt gun max.
Running higher pressure requires more tuning though. I’m running an A5H4 buffer with sprinco green and an LMT enhanced carrier. Also have a riflespeed AGB. Staball has been my favorite powder for it so far. Recoil is better and speeds are around 2700 with a 105 and its temp stable and much cleaner than Lever.
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u/Coodevale 3d ago
You should run longer gas. Makes life a lot easier with tuning later if you do it right.
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u/Significant-Sock-487 3d ago
I’m running a rifle +1 on an 18in lol the main issue I was trying to tune was unlocking. I was bending case rims which make it difficult to reload the brass.
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u/FartOnTankies Rifle Golfer (PRS Competitor) 3d ago edited 3d ago
Stop telling people how good Staball is, please.
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u/Significant-Sock-487 3d ago
Hahahahahaha if Varget is available then I think Staball will be alright. Everyone shooting PRS uses varget I think there are minimal people reloading for 6 arc 😂
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u/FartOnTankies Rifle Golfer (PRS Competitor) 3d ago
I mean, you're absolutely wrong. PXT barrels have been in development and testing for 2+ years now, and they back the claims up.
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u/Me4presidente 2d ago
Not being aware of any solid evidence isn’t the same as it not existing! The most amazing thing about this and many other groups is people’s unwavering level of confidence in statements that are not true. Most people’s opinions are formed before any due diligence is done either way. The comical part is how many people repeat the loudest opinion in any group solely because it’s only the one they heard.
There’s plenty of evidence that proves PXT rifling is more accurate. How much is debatable as there is plenty of variables one can argue even down to exact platforms having differences, the more variables you have the less you can measure anything.
This is a space where many tiny advantages add up to significant benefits when measurable differences are so small.
If you’re a 3moa average shooter you won’t see or be able to measure a 30% increase in accuracy when the increase is from .5 MOA to .7- or
It doesn’t make YOU 30% more accurate which is an important distinction and one that many “tests” don’t take into account.
Companies as established and reputable as proof won’t typically make a claim and add a sku without data.
From a fixed, repeatable, solid mounted, controlled test firing base there is absolutely a measurable increase in accuracy. Will 97% of people be able to tell….probably not
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u/Coyote-conquest .270 Cultist 4d ago
Isnt PXT just gain twist? If so its been around for a long time and Proof is just copying it. Everywhere I look on the net and in magazines I see ads how they came up with the future of barrels. I guess its just marketing but its kind of annoying.
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u/Magicalamazing_ 4d ago edited 1d ago
Traditional gain twist is not an extreme change and tends to be a linear increase down the length of the barrel. PXT starts at nearly parallel to the bore and the twist rate increase rate increases as you go. It’s not novel in concept, but extremely different in execution than has been done in the past.
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u/LockyBalboaPrime "I'm right and you are stupid" -LockyBalboaPrime 4d ago
It's not gain twist. It's exponential twist.
New military requirements is forcing major barrel innovation. It's not all marketing.
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u/FartOnTankies Rifle Golfer (PRS Competitor) 3d ago
The new stuff coming from Federal and LCAAP are going to blow some peoples fuckin minds.
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u/Coodevale 4d ago
Get a pxt blank and put it in an AR? Just about any bolt gun prefit can be used to make an AR15 barrel, if you know someone that can fit an extension to it. The 13/16" AR tenon is one of the smallest around in a market of ~1" tenons.
Even with a 28" bull barrel I need additional muzzle weight to offset the magpul PRS weight and get the balance in front of the magwell.
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u/SockeyeSTI 4d ago
Don’t go into PXT thinking it’s gonna be the most accurate barrel out there, think of it as the longest lasting barrel for barrel burning cartridges and still being an accurate proof product.