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18" barrel, best 500 yard ballistics?

I had DMR build me a 18 inch 6.5Creedmoor and put a Crux Titanium can on it. I was able to get 2860FPS with RL26 and a 215primer with a 143 but could of pushed it harder. Without the CAN though.....it was unbearable to shoot!!lol Loud as heck.
 
21fps per 1" is what I have found with the 6.5SS. I have a 26" and a 20", and the exact same loaded rounds are 125fps difference. And my 26" is a slow barrel,and my 20" is a fast one.
I'm getting ready for some Sherman in a short barreled rifle configuration. Load data I'm seeing is trading off about 10fps per inch of barrel- I can live with this.
 
I would try Sierra 168g in a 30-06 PPU (tough heavy) case with Magnum primers and work up to see if a case full of 4064, Varget or H4831 [work to burn all the power in the 18" barrel] would get near 2900fps.
Years ago Remington made their 760 pump in a carbine model with an 18" barrel chambered in 30-06 and 270. Sweet timber gun, I have a couple friends who have one but have never convinced one of them to sell me one.

With the short barrel your limiting factor is going to be burning the powder before it all blows out the end of the barrel, so going to huge cases is going to get you diminshing returns. There is no doubt the hot cartridges will outperform the old school ones like the 06 and 270. But there is going to be a lot less difference between say a 270AI and one of the new wsm or saum cartridges in a 18" or especially a 16.5" than there is in 24"or 26"
 
You think I could get 2900 with a 160 class and a 7 saum with an 18" barrel? I'd love that. I've been hearing things about the hammers that got my attention for sure.
I've played with the saum and love it, but I'm getting 2950 ish with a 162eldx and a 24" barrel with H4831sc.
I don't see how to get to 2900 with an 18
You'll get close and You will love the Hammers
 
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The gunwerks guys really like the 7saum because it's very efficient with these shorter barrels. 18" 168 Berger around 2750-2800 fps and very little recoil. Hard to beat. They've tested alot of the 7's with shorter barrels and the 7 saum looses the least amount of velocity.
 
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