Loads for 6.5 Creedmoor

[triggs75]

So my RPR is in order in 6.5cm and my first rifle in this round so would like to see what others are using.

What is have so far:

Bullets: Amax 140 and 120
Brass: Hornady
Powders: Accurate 4350, IMR 4166 for 140s and Varget for 120s
Primers: Currently only have Winchester LR and CCI 200s

Will be getting some H4350 and some IMR4350 powders and some federal primers and CCI BR2s

Will post some loads and results once my rifle comes in.

In the mean time please post what you're trying

Chad

[J-cat]

Cuz everyone has a RPR

[NewbieLoader]

Cuz everyone has a RPR

Well I have one and I'm using Hybrid 100v just loaded up a ladder test using Win LRP, Hornady brass, AMAX 140 gr pills. I am also going to try Win 760. When I get some results I will post them.

I'm sure your rifle will come in soon J-cat and then you can be a positive contributor to this thread.

[triggs75]

Well I have one and I'm using Hybrid 100v just loaded up a ladder test using Win LRP, Hornady brass, AMAX 140 gr pills. I am also going to try Win 760. When I get some results I will post them.

I'm sure your rifle will come in soon J-cat and then you can be a positive contributor to this thread.

Will be interesting to see the results from the Hybrid.

I am interested in loading up the 4166. Since it seems like most are loading the H4350 with about 41.5 to 42 grains in theirs and are getting great results.

The Hodgdon site is very conservative with their load data as seen here:

IMR 4166
C.O.L. 2.820"
Starting Load
Grains 31.7
Velocity (ft/s) 2,359
Pressure 48,300 PSI

Maximum Load
Grains 35.2
Velocity (ft/s) 2,576
Pressure 60,100 PSI
_______________________________

H4350
C.O.L. 2.820"
Starting Load
Grains 36.0
Velocity (ft/s) 2,464
Pressure 49,200 PSI

Maximum Load
Grains 40.0C
Velocity (ft/s) 2,660
Pressure 59,200 PSI

Also here is a link working on a Load Development with 142 Sierra MatchKing (SMK) & H4350

http://rifleshooter.com/2015/08/6-5-creedmoor-142-sierra-matchking-smk-h4350-load-development/

Chad

[NewbieLoader]

One of my buddies is going to load his with H4350. We are going to use the same brass, LRP, pills, brass trim length and OAL. We will compair results to see how each powder does. I know I have read on other threads that H4350 is the go to powder for 6.5 creedmore, but the Lee book has W760 and Hybrid 100 V in the top 5. This is what makes reloading fun and frustrating at the same time . Hopefully you get your rifle soon and can post data for IMR 4166.

[ar15barrels]

The standard creedmoor accuracy load is a 140gr bullet over 41.5gr of h4350

[JMP]

The standard creedmoor accuracy load is a 140gr bullet over 41.5gr of h4350

That is a fact. I do not have a RPR, but I have a 6.5CD. 41.5gr of H4350 is where I have landed with a 139 Scenar and a 140 Berger Hybrid Target. You really want H4350 for 139-142gr bullets. Otherwise, Reloader 17 is the second pick. Indeed, all guns are a bit different, but H4350 has proved to be universally the best powder over many many rifles.

Here are two 5-shot groups of both bullets, where both the Scenar and the Berger provided good one shot groups with no flyers (they are about the same size, just the scaling is different). The 6.5 Creedmoor is intrinsically a very very accurate cartridge. They are shot from a bipod and rear sock at 100 yards. With a good rifle and any of the mainstream bullets, it should be a cartridge that provides true 1/4 MOA groups even without a lot of experience in reloading for the cartridge.





However, pay close attention to length as your seating depth will vary based on the bullet's profile. I do not know how long the throat is on an RPR, but I have a pretty short throat on my 6.5CD, with the very secant Bergers, I am seating to 2.880", which is maximum magazine length in a metal AI mag. With the Scenar shown above, I am at 2.800" as it has a less secant profile and I would not be able to chamber a 2.88" Scenar or 142 SMK.

Thus, you will want to see what bullet fits your throat. Generally factory guns leave the throat on the long side so you may not find success with a really efficient bullet like the Berger 140 Hybrid Target. The bullets to choose are really among the 139gr Scenar, 140 Berger Hybrid Target, 140 A-Max, or 142gr SMK. Avoid the 140gr SMK if you can as it gives up too much ballistically to the 142gr SMK.

Then, if you can, you want to get Norma or Nosler Brass. The Hornady brass is quite inconsistent as I have typically found about a 5gr spread in weight among the same new 50 case lot with Hornady brass. As Hornady brass is what is most available, if you use it, you should get a fair quantity and sort it. I've found the Norma and Nosler to all be within 1gr in the same lot. Also, the Hornady necks can vary from side to side, being about 0.013" on one side and up to 0.015" on the other. So, it would also be more advantageous to turn the necks on a Hornady case so you do not get this run out. The Norma and Nosler lots I have gotten have been concentric right out of the box. The Norma is defintely the best. If you have a chance, get the Norma brass or Nosler brass as a second, even though they are more expensive than the Hornady, it is well worth it.

You may find that Federal primers are hard to prime with the new brass, and Winchester primers are susceptible to piercing if you have a large firing pin in this cartridge. Thus, the CCI 200 is what I favor and has provided good results.

Another way to go that I expect would be the best would be to use a set of small primer 308 Lapua brass, then form and neck it down, trim it, and fireform it, and you will have a stellar case with the advantage of the small primer, which tends to produce better consistency. I have not tried this, but that is what I would do if my only choice was Hornady brass.

I strongly suspect that this rifle should be used with an AI metal mag to allow for a longer length as the optimal length may be inhibited with the PMags they provide.

Here is a Berger on the left and a Scenar on the right, which is why you can notice the difference in length and they all must be tuned to the correct seating depth.

[NewbieLoader]

That is a 5 shot group at 100 yards on a windy day. I used 40.2 gr of H100V with Hornady brass, win LRP and an AMAX 140 gr pill. I did not crono this load, but I did shot 39.5 grains through my chrono and got a 2618 fps for 5 shots. I am going to tweak it a little more then shoot it through my chrono.

[ar15barrels]

A customer texted me this the other day:



I trued and rebarrelld his 5r into a 6.5 Creedmoor.
That is factory ammo.

[jlucas50]

Don't discount RL17....

I have truly shot a ten shot group from a stock Savage barrel at 200 yds to the tune of .767 CTC using 41.8gr Reloder 17 in once fired Hornady cases. I really am hoping to try an RPR!

[milotrain]

A customer texted me this the other day:
I trued and rebarrelld his 5r into a 6.5 Creedmoor.
That is factory ammo.

This is why I don't really understand all the 700 hate. Sure it's old school and doesn't have a lot of the upgrades in balance and functionality that a Hall, Borden, AI, etc has but tuned right they are quite accurate. Even stock with a decent barrel job they are usually quite good.

Yeah I know it's a 3 shot group, point's the same.

[ar15barrels]

Yeah I know it's a 3 shot group, point's the same.

This was the first day at the range so he was just getting the scope zeroed.
No need to waste ammo when the pattern is so obvious with 3 shots.
I told him to quit shooting groups now and just shoot dot drills.

https://www.caprc.com/targets/10dot.pdf

[milotrain]

The level of performance with a fresh barrel and factory ammo is pretty exciting. I can see serious benefits in adverse envrionments and manufacturing with other actions, but other than benchrest what more do you want from an action?

[JMP]

This is why I don't really understand all the 700 hate.

Nobody hates R700s. They are the absolute most common short action rifle you will see. If they aren't using R700s from the factory, they are using aftermarket R700s, which some people refer to as "customs".

Where I see the R700 being particularly strong is that it is easy to get a small firing pin hole bolt face. Even if you don't have one specially ordered, you can send your bolt to Greg Tannel and he will bush it for the 0.062". Now that Lapua makes a 308 case with small primers, just about all the short action cases can be made to shoot small primer from the 308 brass. Small primers have proven to have a higher level of consistency and are appropriate for all short action cases, except possibly the WSM.

Thus, I see R700 or "custom" actions to do best in the 6mm cases where you want that small primer. The large primer is mostly a carry-over from the old days to ensure an ignition, and it is pretty much out of date. The small primers make the cases superior in longevity and in a controlled burn rate.

That said, some rifles, like Accuracy International, who makes the nicest short action rifles, are limited by the fact that they cannot shoot small primers except in 308. I pressure tested the AI firing pin with small primer 308 brass and I started getting the piercings at 46gr IMR 4064 with a 168gr bullet. So, these standard firing pin holes are probably fine for 308 as that's a pretty hot load, but if you go to a 6 or 6.5mm with a small primer, the bushed Remington bolt is the way to go. There are a lot of bolts that can be bushed, but AI is not one of them due to the steel used.

6.5 CD seems to shoot very well with a CCI #200 or BR-2, so only a little is to be gained with the small primer, but it would be nice to have it as an option. If you can't get Norma or Nosler brass, I'd be forming 6.5CD from small primer Lapua.

Large primers on short action rifles has pretty much died off after the 20th century. Then, if you really want a nice load, get your hands on some RWS primers.

6.5 CD doesn't need a lot of tuning or hocus pocus, just 41.5gr H4350 with a reasonable seating depth. As will every rifle, you are limited to the barrel, the ammo, and the shooter. 6.5s are very good for shooters to start out with, or for shooters that have one-gun. They are a bit better multi-purposed than the good old 308 as they are a bit lighter, but they are retaining more energy past about 600 yards.

Plus, you get a reasonable barrel life from them so it makes it a really good compromise as it gives 308-like results with better ballistics. It isn't quite as good as a 6mm, but it doesn't eat the barrel the way a 6 does. I think that's why it is becoming such a popular cartridge.

I am still old-fashioned in some ways where I think a 308 is a good learning cartridge as it forces you to cope with the wind. With a 6.5CD in the 140gr class doing 2,850fps, you don't get the opportunity to make many wind adjustments. The reality is that most people do not have the opportunity to make frequent practice past 600 yards. In fact, some shooters are limited to only a few hundred yards, and things like the rimfire rifles and .223 also start making sense.

That said, I think the 6.5 CD fad is a craze that is here to stay for a while.

[Sir Toast]

CCI Rifle primers
42.8 grains of H4350
Hornady Brass
140 gr Berger VLD's.

gives me 2,813 fps. I use 42.8 grains because it was the best result in my ladder test.