I would try a different lot of the Hornady factory bullets before stocking up on the factory loads. My experience with Hornady bullets is that they change from lot to lot.
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Love me a 6.5 creedmore.
Just got mine back from my gunsmith a
Ca Mesa had him change the barrel to 26" 7.5twt Bartlein 5r. Haven't had time yet to try it out. Merry Christmas.
Just got mine back from my gunsmith a
Ca Mesa had him change the barrel to 26" 7.5twt Bartlein 5r. Haven't had time yet to try it out. Merry Christmas.
Have a major surplus of 6.5 bullets and found a big barrel for cheap. Put together a heavy man bun moon beam. Hope it shoots half as good as yours.
30" 1.25 straight Bartlein. 21.5lbs
Hardshot
Well-Known Member
Yes I hate to admit it but up until last year I too was was a basher ! The only reason I bought one was because of the GRS stock that I love and a Savage action that I could change into many other things.Bought 100 Sako 144 grain I believe to break it in (Cheap ) and see what the fad is all about.The thing was a dream to shoot and load for . I have groups in the .3 at 100 .Loves 130 Berger's, 139 Scenars, 140 Berger's or RDF . Dam what is not to like . I have to admit the second one just arrived last week. A new Tikka roughteck bought it to build a 280 Ackley off of and sell the heavy fluted 6.5 creedmoor barrel with brake . Haven't shot it yet and so curious to how it will shoot . The idea was to sell it unfired but so much temptation to keep it as a switch barrel and go shoot it before it gets re stocked . Merry Christmas all
LDHunter
Well-Known Member
My only 6.5CM I've ever owned (Model 700) was simply hard to believe right after I had the action bedded and a custom trigger put in it. It's reliably accurate under almost any conditions and will shoot factory ammo so well I simply have almost quit handloading.
The only other two cartridges I've had that produced this kind of accuracy with almost any load or factory ammo are 308 and 223 but frankly it's noticeably better than them and shooting very high BC bullets at longer ranges is so repeatable that it's almost boring and it leaves me wanting to shoot farther and farther just to challenge myself.
You can talk manbun and needmoor all you want but the 6.5 Creedmoor has literally changed my sometimes frustrating life of chasing accuracy and wanting rifles that can shoot reliably at longer and longer distances to a very satisfying life.
I still hunt whitetail up to 200yds with a Remington Model Seven AWR II in 308 because it's so light and reasonably accurate (sub MOA) but any other situation involving distance beyond 200yds from prairie dogs to elk the Creedmoor will go along as one of the rifles in my battery.
I will still shoot varmints out to 300yds with my Model 700LTR in 223 but the Creedmoor will always go along because beyond 300 it's simply way better than the best that LTR can do.
Another reason to own at least one 6.5 Creedmoor is the plethora of accurate and inexpensive factory ammo available for it. My personal favorite is Berger 135gr Classic Hunter and I scarfed up a couple of cases of it on sale and I'm good to go for a long time by just grabbing the rifle and a few boxes of ammo and heading out. It's allowed me to enjoy hunting and target shooting a lot more by giving me more time in the woods or at the range.
I have high hopes for my 6.5 PRC rifle but so far I've spent almost no time with it.
The only other two cartridges I've had that produced this kind of accuracy with almost any load or factory ammo are 308 and 223 but frankly it's noticeably better than them and shooting very high BC bullets at longer ranges is so repeatable that it's almost boring and it leaves me wanting to shoot farther and farther just to challenge myself.
You can talk manbun and needmoor all you want but the 6.5 Creedmoor has literally changed my sometimes frustrating life of chasing accuracy and wanting rifles that can shoot reliably at longer and longer distances to a very satisfying life.
I still hunt whitetail up to 200yds with a Remington Model Seven AWR II in 308 because it's so light and reasonably accurate (sub MOA) but any other situation involving distance beyond 200yds from prairie dogs to elk the Creedmoor will go along as one of the rifles in my battery.
I will still shoot varmints out to 300yds with my Model 700LTR in 223 but the Creedmoor will always go along because beyond 300 it's simply way better than the best that LTR can do.
Another reason to own at least one 6.5 Creedmoor is the plethora of accurate and inexpensive factory ammo available for it. My personal favorite is Berger 135gr Classic Hunter and I scarfed up a couple of cases of it on sale and I'm good to go for a long time by just grabbing the rifle and a few boxes of ammo and heading out. It's allowed me to enjoy hunting and target shooting a lot more by giving me more time in the woods or at the range.
I have high hopes for my 6.5 PRC rifle but so far I've spent almost no time with it.
I have shot the same loads from 500' ASL @ Quantico, VA to 5,000 ASL in Cody, WY and seen zero difference in MV.
What I have seen, is that after a few years here in this desert environment- my powder began to dry out and run much faster than it did before. Bomberodevil lives in super dry Southern AZ, and you live in swampy PA. I'd bet 100 bucks that the moisture content of your respective powders has more to do with it than anything.
The plastic containers powder is sold in are not airtight, and water vapor can migrate through them. Doesn't matter if it's never been opened. Takes a while, but it does. It will absorb moisture in a humid environment (and burn slower), and dry out in a desert environment (and burn faster). Drove me nuts until I figured it out.
bomberodevil
Well-Known Member
I've read that a few places, but if you have a source stating otherwise, I'd be interested in reading that. I don't mean to say it's gospel, I was just trying to share with the OP he may be leaving some velocity on the table by not checking on another accuracy node farther up the scale.
Has anyone tested the impact .05 grains has on velocity?
When I got my Chargemaster, I didn't like how it operated. I reprogrammed the sequence of when the speeds change and got much faster and more accurate drops. I agree that the speed and precision offered by the system is worth it. I also tested it with my beam scale and while it wasn't quite...
Change in FPS per 1/10th Grain of Powder
Used Sierra Bullets data for two cartridges to calculate how much average muzzle velocity would change for a 1/10th grain change in powder charge weights. A mid-range velocity's powder is listed in order of high to low for fps changes; those either side will be close, but there are some...
www.thehighroad.org
How much difference in velocity will 1 grain of powder make?
In a 7mm-08 with a 24" barrel shooting a Barnes 145 LRX.
Changes in velocity per grain of powder - The Firing Line Forums
Changes in velocity per grain of powder Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting
thefiringline.com
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bomberodevil
Well-Known Member
Here's some loads from the same rifle. I use the MagnetoSporter chronograph, it's not the most expensive unit out there, but I think it's been pretty consistent.
H4350, 0.030" off, COAL 2.712"
41.2 grains, .365 moa
Nosler 140 gr Accubond, Fed 210M, Lapua brass
2734 fps, 5-shot, SD 7.13, ES 24
H4350 2.758 coal
41.0, .368 moa
Nosler BT 140, Fed 210M
2732 FPS, ES 21, Hornady brass
H4350, 2.758 coal
41.8 .430 moa
Nosler BT 140, Fed 210M
2784 FPS, ES 10, SD 3.80, Hornady brass
Jon Bischof
Well-Known Member
LDHunter, My experience with 6.5 CM resonates with almost everything you have said. One of the first ammos I tried when my Sauer was new was the Berger 135 Classic Hunter. I thought, "Hey this new rifle is OK." Then I tried other weights and brands and found some shot even better than the Berger. Ended up getting a lot of cloverleaf one hole groups at 100. So I moved out to 200 so I could see the difference between ammos and it did become easier to tell the good from the better.
At 100, groups look like this:
Attachments
Jon Bischof
Well-Known Member
After trying more ammo, I am now getting groups that are only a little larger than the one pictured above, but at 200 Yards. Norma Tipstrike is really accurate in my Mauser 6.5 CM. Here's my 200 Yard Zero-check target. Two shots, then adjusted scope and shot the 3 in the Red Bullseye. Not bad for Hunting ammo, huh?
Attachments
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
Good to hear about the Sauer 100 series. That's what my next rifle is gonna be, lord willing. The one I got my eye one is the "Pantera" (semi heavy 20 inch) with the hs precision fibreglass stock in a .308. But there may be more than one in the future haha. And the Pantera wideland which is much the same thing as the fieldshot model (laminate stock, bench style) in 6.5 creed really does seem an attractive option as well.
