16.5 Inch 6mm Creedmoor Performance - The Perfect Youth Hunting Rifle?
- Thread starter Tex_Hunter
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tydaws
Well-Known Member
Hey Guys, just curious if anyone has any updated results from these shorty 6mm CMs. I had WTO build a 16.5" 6CM for my 9 year old son. We've shot some factory loads through it and I'm on the tail end of finishing up load development with 95 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips for it. I'll post build specs, load results and maybe a few pics soon.
How soon is soon
I ask because I'm working on a short 6cm and trying to decide on barrel length, so the more examples the better.
tydaws
Well-Known Member
Hahaha....I guess I got side tracked on this one!How soon is soon
I ask because I'm working on a short 6cm and trying to decide on barrel length, so the more examples the better.
My son's build specs are as follows:
Zermatt Origin Short Action
WTO Switch Lug
Proof Carbon Barrel - 6mm CM, 1:7.5", 16.25" finish length
Timney Trigger
MDT LSS Chassis with Magpul CTR Stock with cheek riser (6 position AR style adjustability)
AB Raptor 4 Suppressor with 4" Reflex (7.62)
Salmon River Solutions Arca Pic - tripod mount on arca & pic for bipod
MDT steel mag (5 rd)
Hawkins Precision Rings
Leupold VX5 3-15x44
He has shot 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip hand loads exclusively, since the first two boxes of factory ammo that was purchased when I picked the rifle up.
His load is as follows:
95 NBT, 0.010" off the lands
RL 16 - I forget the exact charge
Lapua SRP brass
CCI 450 Primers
2885 fps
His rig shoots crazy good. He has accounted for 6 whitetail, a blackbuck, a Texas exotic sheep & a pronghorn, as well as dozens of hogs with this setup. Distances have ranged from 87 to 299 yds. We've recovered 3 or 4 bullets to date, with great performance.
Tex_Hunter
Well-Known Member
Don't overcomplicate the decision, if you plan to run a suppressor stick to 16.5", that is such a handy overall length with a lightweight 7" can on it and in practical terms you give up minimal performance. The 6 Creed is very efficient.How soon is soon
I ask because I'm working on a short 6cm and trying to decide on barrel length, so the more examples the better.
If unsuppressed maybe go to 20"
I no longer own the rifle that I started this thread for (parted it out and sold it this summer to fund another project) but if I could go back and do it again I would change two things:
- Chamber it in 6GT
- Have the smith cut some deep fluting or just go with a carbon fiber barrel
Why? Because the 6CM is good, but the 6GT is even better from an efficiency perspective. For the barrel, the M24 contour I was running was pretty heavy, even at 16.5". The rifle balanced great and the heavy barrel was great for controlling jump/muzzle rise when my son was younger, but last season even as my son had already outgrown the rifle (he's 13 now) he still complained a little about the carry weight if we were walking long distance and when shooting it off hand.
Hope this helps!
EDIT: a third thing I would change (the response above me reminded me) I would have built it on an action that takes pre-fits… probably wouldn't have sold the rifle if I had done that.
Building on an Origin LA (eventually will be something different so I'm just using it for the meantime). It will be suppressed, so I originally was thinking 18", but may go 16-17". I'm gonna put the thinnest steel barrel that will still allow 5/8x24, possibly a #5 X-Caliber. Not sure about going to the 6GT since it's a LA…I think I'm flirting with things already using the 6CM on a LA. It'll be using the Hawkins Hunter with spacer kit.
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Tex_Hunter
Well-Known Member
Also, if you cut a #5 or a 3B contour steel barrel back to 16.5" you should definitely have enough shoulder leftover for squaring up a suppressor, that should be a viable alternative to fluting/carbon fiber (and definitely cheaper). I like the look of the heavier contour and my stock was already inlet for an M24 so that's why I went that route on mine.
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I tested some of my 6.5CM rounds in the action/bottom metal/mag earlier today and everything seemed to feed reliably. Hopefully after putting the rest of it together with the 6CM barrel, it all goes smoothly.
Pics?
tydaws
Well-Known Member
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While not super short, I have a 6mm CM with a 19" barrel. My velocity with handloaded 103 ELDx is 3040 fps and with the 108 ELDm is 2915 fps. Assuming I were to lose 25 fps per inch at 16" that would put me about 2965 fps 2840 respectively. Still plenty of juice, in my opinion.
Plenty in my opinion as well. I think I'm gonna settle on 17", just to split the difference. Probly 1:7.5…for sure gonna load around 103-108's…hope I can play around with lighter loads as well if I wanted to. ~80-90's
You should be fine with the lighter bullets and a 1-7.5". My barrel is a 1-7" and it shoots the 80-95 grain bullets that I've tried just fine.
