6.5 creedmoor

[Kyle Watson]

I'm seriously thinking of building a hunting rifle in a 6.5 creedmoor and was just wonder what everybody's thoughts are on this cartridge and also wondering what other 6.5 users are using for loads

[100zero]

People really like the 6.5, great bullet selection and SD. I just got a LRP in 6.5cm and taking it out this weekend with some reloads. I'll let you know my result. Not a hunting gun but excited to shoot it.


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[elkhunter11]

I like the 6.5 caliber, but I prefer the 260rem or 6.5x55 for a cartridge.

[Nova316]

Currently using the 140gr Hornady BTHP with H4350 which seem to shoot great out of the Ruger Precision Rifle.

Only problem with the 6.5 Creedmoor is the brass, I have been using 1F .243 brass, resizing and trimming them to 6.5 Creedmoor, seems to work well. 22-250 brass would ideally be the easiest to work with if you have some laying around.

Lapua has also sent out their first shipment of 6.5 Creedmoor but it'll be a while before we see it up here.

[3blade]

It's a well designed cartridge that, with the right bullets, can kill everything in Alberta. It's also an excellent way to get into long range shooting.

Like every 6.5, factory ammo availability and selection (especially hunting bullets) is a big problem. The stuff you read on the internet about better pricing and availability is from the states. Here, you are gonna have to hunt for it weekly in store and/or watch for it online. No patience for that kind of nonsense, I went with the 243. YMMV

[Beeman3]

I agree on waiting till you can source some Lapua brass. This I think will really be a bonus for the Creed. I would say go for it. Collect all the parts for your build and keep a look out for Lapua brass. If you are in a rush you could go 260 or 6.5X47 as Lapua has brass for these. I went with the X47. Ballistically they are all very close. Choose which ever one you like better.

[Akoch]

I have a custom target rifle chambered in 6.5CM, personally I don't find the cartridge makes nearly as much of a difference as many other things but I haven't had any problems with it. The CM had been gaining popularity so brass and dies aren't difficult to find, you can even find loaded ammunition without too much trouble if that's what you're into.

I've run Berger 140gr VLD and 140gr Hybrids, just working up loads with Hornady 140gr ELD-M all sitting in front of H4350. Been able to get good results with all three bullets when I find the right load and length for each.

[bubba300]

I shoot 2 Creedmoors,one for target and one is my deer rifle.
Target one gets lapua scenars 139 gr ,hunting one gets 129 nosler LRAB both I use H4350 & IMR 4350,I think the H works a little better but I have lots of IMR so I use it.Have had good luck with H380 and 130 gr accubonds also.I use mainly hornady brass.Have fireformed 22-250 and 7-08 brass and its ok also but I was just trying them out.

[Beached Whale]

What kind of velocities are you getting out of a 24 inch or 22 inch barrel? Does the creedmore really have much on the 260 remington or the 6.5 mauser? I've seen some "modern" 6.5 mausers approach 3100 fps with a 130 grain bullet, which is jumping into 270 territory.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Beached Whale

What kind of velocities are you getting out of a 24 inch or 22 inch barrel? Does the creedmore really have much on the 260 remington or the 6.5 mauser? I've seen some "modern" 6.5 mausers approach 3100 fps with a 130 grain bullet, which is jumping into 270 territory.

You can only push a certain case capacity so far within spec, then it''s outside the pressure window.
In a tight chamber you can get a 6.5X55 going crazy speeds as well, same as a .303 Brit.
Case design will only give you so much advantage, then it's all about pressure versus velocity gain.
Cat

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by 3blade

Like every 6.5, factory ammo availability and selection (especially hunting bullets) is a big problem....... Here, you are gonna have to hunt for it weekly in store and/or watch for it online.

Is this based on fact or speculation? I don't think I've been in a sporting goods store in over a year that hasn't had it on the shelf.

[.300ultramag]

Happy to say that 4 years ago our group contributed to the ammo shortage, we bought everything we could get our hands on every time it was available.
Build the rig, shoot it, kill with it, love it. 6/6 for friends and family that have shot mine that went out and bought their own. I ordered my second rifle in the caliber within the same month my hunting partner ordered his second. There are different 6.5s out there and there are pros/cons to every one of them.

[3blade]

Originally Posted by Trochu

Is this based on fact or speculation? I don't think I've been in a sporting goods store in over a year that hasn't had it on the shelf.

Fact, at least regarding *hunting* loads in the places I visit (cabelas, wholesale, p&d). No GMX superformance, Barnes doesn't make it in a factory load, no federal trophy copper, very rare box of the eld-x loads. Same with 260 (unobtainium), and the 6.5 x 55 are all lighter loads in case someone is stupid enough to not know about their small ring Mauser. Online hasn't been much better and shipping ammo gets expensive in a hurry, not to mention the wait time.

Ammo availability, and lack there of, has sunk many good cartridges. I realize we get the scraps left over from merica, but it's very frustrating.

[catnthehat]

Hand loading gets rid of any factory Ammo issues and gives the shooter better ammo
Cat

[3blade]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Hand loading gets rid of any factory Ammo issues and gives the shooter better ammo
Cat

True, but the 6.5 creedmoor was specifically developed for those of us who want to shoot farther and better, but don't have the time or desire to hand load.

If one hand loads, the world is much bigger and the options for a better 6.5 are limitless, almost to the point of making the creedmoor irrelevant.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by 3blade

True, but the 6.5 creedmoor was specifically developed for those of us who want to shoot farther and better, but don't have the time or desire to hand load.

If one hand loads, the world is much bigger and the options for a better 6.5 are limitless, almost to the point of making the creedmoor irrelevant.

I was never aware that the 6.5 Creedmore was designed like that , precision made ammo can be bought for the 308, 6.5x55,.223 as well
Can you tell me makes that design different ?
Ad far as I know the cartridge was designed for long range target shooting and also to Cycle through AR style actions
Cat

[3blade]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I was never aware that the 6.5 Creedmore was designed like that , precision made ammo can be bought for the 308, 6.5x55,.223 as well
Can you tell me makes that design different ?
Cat

"Originally developed from the ground up to give competitive shooters a factory-loaded cartridge that would allow them to compete and win in the highest levels of competitive shooting. With pedigree firmly rooted in precision shooting, the 6.5 Creedmoor is making its way into the world of hunting. Chambered in various hunting rifles, the 6.5 Creedmoor is making its debut as a hunting round in our Superformance, line of ammunition. Loaded with both the 120 grain GMX and the venerable 129 grain SST, the 6.5 Creedmoor brings a world of precision-based performance to the hunting arena, and it’s light recoil make it a DREAM to shoot for extended periods. It’s perfect for any North American game up to and including Elk."
http://m.hornady.com/store/6.5-creedmoor

Straight from the website. Bold added by me. It's only real purpose is as a precision factory load, which was very rare in the 6.5 caliber. It does nothing a handloader couldnt accomplish with 6.5x47, 6.5x55, 260, 6.5x284, the ai versions of those, etc etc.

Will it work handloaded? Of course. But why, when there's much more common and easily available components for other equivalent cartridges? So my thoughts are, if it is supposed to be available as a factory loaded cartridge, and it's not, it doesn't make sense, and fails at it's stated purpose once they took it into the hunting realm. My opinion only.

[catnthehat]

I realize that but it also stated in that article somewhere ( or maybe elsewhere) that there were many wildcats being used in6.5 so Hornady decided to do a factory offering

You also have to realize that a 6.5x55,or .260 will do the exact same thing as the Creedmore will ifvyhe velocities are the same .
It has a lot more to do with people selling something to someone that thinks they need than it does something that is actually " better"

I know of no higher level competitive shooters by the way that do not hand load
Cat

[Kurt505]

You could always step up to the Creedmoor's big brother the 6.5x284 Norma.

Here is a picture of the Creedmoor 129gr Hornady Superformance SST on the left, and the 6.5x284 Norma 129gr Nosler longrange Accubond on the right. You should get roughly the same speed out of the 6.5x284 Norma as you would out of the 270win, with less recoil.

[catnthehat]

I don't think it will fit in an AR style action
Cat

[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I don't think it will fit in an AR style action
Cat

Ahhhh, no, I don't think it will.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by 3blade

Fact, at least regarding *hunting* loads in the places I visit (cabelas, wholesale, p&d). No GMX superformance, Barnes doesn't make it in a factory load, no federal trophy copper, very rare box of the eld-x loads.

So you have issue with a cartridge specifically designed for "competative shooting" not readily being available for hunting purposes? How much ammo do you require while hunting...

[3blade]

Originally Posted by Trochu

So you have issue with a cartridge specifically designed for "competative shooting" not readily being available for hunting purposes? How much ammo do you require while hunting...

If I could get it, I'd shoot it a lot and hunt with it exclusively. i love the overall idea, the ballistics, and the fact they moved into hunting bullets. The one I shot was a dream, and it would next up on my list...dissappointing that after a decade, they still don't seem to know how to produce enough ammunition to allow us to take advantage of a great cartridge. that should be the easy part.

[bighorn1]

Originally Posted by Kurt505

You could always step up to the Creedmoor's big brother the 6.5x284 Norma.

Here is a picture of the Creedmoor 129gr Hornady Superformance SST on the left, and the 6.5x284 Norma 129gr Nosler longrange Accubond on the right. You should get roughly the same speed out of the 6.5x284 Norma as you would out of the 270win, with less recoil.

glad to see ya back kurt, i have to ask why on this one. 6.5 is great but the creedmoor seems to be a fad not sure why but hey...............

[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by bighorn1

glad to see ya back kurt, i have to ask why on this one. 6.5 is great but the creedmoor seems to be a fad not sure why but hey...............

I never went anywhere. I was at my cabin cutting firewood when someone hacked my account and stirred up a bunch of crap. Got things all straightened out so all is good again though.

I just so happen to be looking into a short action 6.5 right now myself and when I asked the guy who's building my rifle about the Creedmoor his response echo'd yours, it's a fad designed for the AR guys. It's basically a 260 rem with a bit less ump behind it with steeper shoulders for longer brass life, which for some might matter but I'm not looking for a bench rest rifle, and I don't hunt prairie dogs. I was thinking maybe a 260ai but he suggested the 6.5 Norma, less hassle, factory brass and ammo available, with the highest performance out of the three in a short action 6.5.

So for the helluvit I went and checked a couple shops for ammo. I found no 260rem ammo, 1 kind of Creedmoor offering, and 2 types of Norma ammo, albeit outrageously expensive.

There are quite a few manufacturers building the Creedmoor and the 260rem as standard calibers, but not many building the Norma so I figured since it was a custom build I would go with the Norma on this one. Barrel life might be a bit shorter than an average cartridge, but I can always reduce the loads to the 260/Creedmoor speeds and extend the life a bit if I want. I can't bump up the loads in those 2 to match that of the Norma though.

Plus, once this barrel gets shot out I can always bump it up to a 284win!

[Curly Bill]

I'll make a long story short. I happened to pick up a new tikka t3x CTR in 6.5creedmoor a couple weeks before this thread was started. After following along and doing some shooting/load devolopment I figured I would chime in. I LOVE THIS CALIBER!!! So nice to shoot. Have shot a couple boxes of factory loads at paper and steel out to 550yds and am really impressed with its ability to buck the wind compared to a 30cal. Also picked up some components and did some handloads Found a load with the 139gr lapua scenar, H4350 that gives me a nice little 7/8" 5 shot group at 200. Can't wait to take this rifle out mule deer hunting this fall! Still working on the VLD's with the whole seating depth testing.

[jef612]

Now that's a nice group!

[waterhaulerhunter]

I am in the same process of putting together a 6.5. I decided to go with the 6.5-284 Norma. Hoping to get the 129 LRAB shooting good.

[Curly Bill]

Originally Posted by waterhaulerhunter

I am in the same process of putting together a 6.5. I decided to go with the 6.5-284 Norma. Hoping to get the 129 LRAB shooting good.

I was pretty unfamiliar with the 6.5 caliber before this purchase. The more reading I do the more I like it. I've heard 6.5x284norma mentioned a lot. Would like to try it the future, perhaps on a rebarrel. Good luck to you!

[.300ultramag]

Originally Posted by Curly Bill

I'll make a long story short. I happened to pick up a new tikka t3x CTR in 6.5creedmoor a couple weeks before this thread was started. After following along and doing some shooting/load devolopment I figured I would chime in. I LOVE THIS CALIBER!!! So nice to shoot. Have shot a couple boxes of factory loads at paper and steel out to 550yds and am really impressed with its ability to buck the wind compared to a 30cal. Also picked up some components and did some handloads Found a load with the 139gr lapua scenar, H4350 that gives me a nice little 7/8" 5 shot group at 200. Can't wait to take this rifle out mule deer hunting this fall! Still working on the VLD's with the whole seating depth testing

I know I sound like a ******* every time I tell someone that they have to shoot one to believe the hype.....Welcome to the creedmoor club