Hey all, it has been awhile since I have posted a thread, but I have a good topic for those on a budget or for a beginner. I will include the pricing and information in this thread for those that may be interested in getting into long range shooting. I will also continue to update this thread with further information and experiences with this setup.
I decided to purchase a Savage 12FV in 6.5 Creedmoor this past winter for my brother to use and learn the ropes with. He has shot with me before, but never had his own rifle setup for this type of shooting. I have always been a Remington man, but there's no denying the value of the Savage rifles and what they bring to the table. I was able to pick this rifle up for $350, along with a Black Hawk picatinny base, a set of Leupold 1" rings, and a box of Hornady 140gr ELD bullets all for just under $500 at my local Cabelas. All of the above was purchased for the price well under what most long range style rifles cost. Additionally, I ordered a set of Hornady dies and 50 pieces of Peterson 6.5 Creedmoor LRP Brass (which is excellent by the way). These two items were around $80 together.
Reloading is not required for the 6.5 Creedmoor or for most popular long range cartridges nowadays, but I reload for everything and wanted to get the most out of this rifle and setup. The components I chose to use were Peterson brass, Hornady 140gr ELD Match bullets, Alliant RL26, and Wolf Large Rifle Primers. I had the primers and powder on hand already, but if you're interested in reloading for your 6.5 Creedmoor, there is a metric ton of load data and information out there using many different components.
The weather has not been ideal and time has been limited, but last week I was able to take this rifle to the range for the first shots. I threw together a load using 46.0 grains of RL26 and the 140gr ELD seated .005 off the lands. This has been a good load from my experience, I know it has worked for other rifles and I know it is safe from previous experiences as well. (Do not use my load or any other load that is unknown to you and always start low and work up! Consult a reloading manual for more information.)
At the time we did not have a scope for it yet, but I threw on an old scope of mine for this session. I fired a total 10 shots through the rifle. The first one got me on paper at 50yards after bore sighting, and the second hit near the center after a quick scope adjustment. I proceeded to fire 3 for a group at 100 yards and printed a nice clover leaf just under 3/4 MOA. I let the rifle cool and attached my Magnetospeed chronograph to the barrel and fired 5 through it. This group measured closer to 1 MOA, with the last 3 going into a 1/4 MOA ragged hole with the first two just high and left. I was battling some mirage and did not have the most suitable rest, but I won't complain for an out of the box rifle with no load development done. My load averaged 2875fps with an ES of 27. There were no pressure signs and velocity was excellent from the 26" barrel. I will be going down half a grain to see if that tightens up the extreme spread, and if not then I will be doing some more extensive load development. I would like to comment and say, the rifle does not have the best stock, but it is free floating from the factory and has small aluminum pillars in it. I would also like to compliment the AccuTrigger, I like a good trigger and this is very nice for a factory rifle!
Yesterday we received a Bushnell Elite 5-15x40 that we got off eBay used for $230. Forums and online auctions can be a great place to pickup new/used equipment for a good price. We also ordered some more Devcon 10110 and will be bedding this rifle in the upcoming weeks and mounting the new scope. The total amount invested in this setup is around $800, not including the primers and powder that I had on hand. I will keep everyone updated on my findings and results. I hope some people find this thread helpful and interesting! Take care.
Below is the target I shot, bottom left group is the first three. The top right are the five with the Magnetospeed attached.
I decided to purchase a Savage 12FV in 6.5 Creedmoor this past winter for my brother to use and learn the ropes with. He has shot with me before, but never had his own rifle setup for this type of shooting. I have always been a Remington man, but there's no denying the value of the Savage rifles and what they bring to the table. I was able to pick this rifle up for $350, along with a Black Hawk picatinny base, a set of Leupold 1" rings, and a box of Hornady 140gr ELD bullets all for just under $500 at my local Cabelas. All of the above was purchased for the price well under what most long range style rifles cost. Additionally, I ordered a set of Hornady dies and 50 pieces of Peterson 6.5 Creedmoor LRP Brass (which is excellent by the way). These two items were around $80 together.
Reloading is not required for the 6.5 Creedmoor or for most popular long range cartridges nowadays, but I reload for everything and wanted to get the most out of this rifle and setup. The components I chose to use were Peterson brass, Hornady 140gr ELD Match bullets, Alliant RL26, and Wolf Large Rifle Primers. I had the primers and powder on hand already, but if you're interested in reloading for your 6.5 Creedmoor, there is a metric ton of load data and information out there using many different components.
The weather has not been ideal and time has been limited, but last week I was able to take this rifle to the range for the first shots. I threw together a load using 46.0 grains of RL26 and the 140gr ELD seated .005 off the lands. This has been a good load from my experience, I know it has worked for other rifles and I know it is safe from previous experiences as well. (Do not use my load or any other load that is unknown to you and always start low and work up! Consult a reloading manual for more information.)
At the time we did not have a scope for it yet, but I threw on an old scope of mine for this session. I fired a total 10 shots through the rifle. The first one got me on paper at 50yards after bore sighting, and the second hit near the center after a quick scope adjustment. I proceeded to fire 3 for a group at 100 yards and printed a nice clover leaf just under 3/4 MOA. I let the rifle cool and attached my Magnetospeed chronograph to the barrel and fired 5 through it. This group measured closer to 1 MOA, with the last 3 going into a 1/4 MOA ragged hole with the first two just high and left. I was battling some mirage and did not have the most suitable rest, but I won't complain for an out of the box rifle with no load development done. My load averaged 2875fps with an ES of 27. There were no pressure signs and velocity was excellent from the 26" barrel. I will be going down half a grain to see if that tightens up the extreme spread, and if not then I will be doing some more extensive load development. I would like to comment and say, the rifle does not have the best stock, but it is free floating from the factory and has small aluminum pillars in it. I would also like to compliment the AccuTrigger, I like a good trigger and this is very nice for a factory rifle!
Yesterday we received a Bushnell Elite 5-15x40 that we got off eBay used for $230. Forums and online auctions can be a great place to pickup new/used equipment for a good price. We also ordered some more Devcon 10110 and will be bedding this rifle in the upcoming weeks and mounting the new scope. The total amount invested in this setup is around $800, not including the primers and powder that I had on hand. I will keep everyone updated on my findings and results. I hope some people find this thread helpful and interesting! Take care.
Below is the target I shot, bottom left group is the first three. The top right are the five with the Magnetospeed attached.
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