6.5 Creedmoor

[Sergeant Hartman]

Lol you asked why 308 was better. That's all i can come up with.

[SCJ429]

No worries, I thought you were being a 308 fan boi in a thread about the Creedmoor.

[TassieTiger]

With the now current bullet selection, I’d suggest the 6.5 is superior to the 308 in many areas...
Case almost holds exact same powder.
Faster and flatter is to the 6.5 and after 300 yards, the difference becomes quite large as 308 falls away...and recoil is less.

[killerkoala]

I have a Tikka T3x 6.5CM LA & am having issues with case & case neck length The books give a SAAMI spec but as a long action can't get enough seat depth into case using Nosler Custom Comp. 140gn Antone have a LA model

[killerkoala]

forgot to add , case length in book is 1.91" / is it the same for a long action Tikka T3x CM

[deye243]

Not sure I understand what you are trying to do .

are you trying to seat cartridge overall length to maximum magazine length or is it you can't load a projectile one enough to touch the lands.

Cheers

[bladeracer]

forgot to add , case length in book is 1.91" / is it the same for a long action Tikka T3x CM

Case length won't change.

[bladeracer]

I have a Tikka T3x 6.5CM LA & am having issues with case & case neck length The books give a SAAMI spec but as a long action can't get enough seat depth into case using Nosler Custom Comp. 140gn Antone have a LA model

I'm guessing you might be trying to seat a bullet long enough to touch the lands?
Action length doesn't change the throat length, but a manufacturer has the option to cut a longer throat in an action that allows longer than standard cartridge length.

Have you actually measured the overall length to the lands already? Easiest is with a flat-ended rod down the muzzle. Rest it against the bolt face and mark the rod at the muzzle with a piece of tape, then put a bullet (not cartridge) in the throat, press it lightly against the lands, place the rod against the tip of the bullet and mark the rod again. Measure between the two marks on the rod for your maximum overall length with that bullet. This is at least as accurate as any other method, to less than .001", and well within the manufacturing variation in bullet lengths.

Personally, I would ignore the lands entirely, but if you can seat the bullet as long as possible, you maximise combustion chamber volume and minimize pressure, achieving higher velocities than if you seat long bullets to standard cartridge length.

Or, is your issue that you can't push a long bullet deep enough into the case to get down to the standard cartridge length because you have too much powder in there?

[bigrich]

Rather than start a new topic, I’m resurrecting this one. I’ve scrolled through, and not interested in the technical debates of retained energy at 1000 yards and all that. I’ve got a T3 sporter coming and am looking for people’s opinions on hunting bullets. Mostly pigs, goats with the possibility off deer. After reloading for Swedes for a few years I found the 129sst worked well in that . Never got around to trialing other projectiles. Ideally I’d like to run 120 nosler bt’s , but these aren’t available due to shortages these days . 140’s are too slow and over penetrating from previous experiences in the Swede. Anyone using the plain hornady 129 interlock bullets or tried the new Sierra 130 game changer projectiles ? Cheers

[Jorlcrin]

Bigrich,

I was just looking at the Outpost Website(Rocky, Emerald, Charters Towers), and they say they have Hornady 123gn SST's in stock for the 6.5?

No idea what they are like(havent got a 6.5 to find out....yet!), but they might be a close approximation for you?

I know I've been very happy with the 125gn SST's in the .308 for some years.

Food for thought, anyway.
https://theoutpostarms.com.au/hornady-6 ... -100-pack/

[JimTom]

Mate I use the 143 ELD X out of my Creedmoor for pigs and deer. I find them to be good performers on the aforementioned game.

[bigrich]

Bigrich,

I was just looking at the Outpost Website(Rocky, Emerald, Charters Towers), and they say they have Hornady 123gn SST's in stock for the 6.5?

No idea what they are like(havent got a 6.5 to find out....yet!), but they might be a close approximation for you?

I know I've been very happy with the 125gn SST's in the .308 for some years.

Food for thought, anyway.
https://theoutpostarms.com.au/hornady-6 ... -100-pack/

thanks for your response mate . after research i've discovered the 123sst are apparently designed for lower velocity use in the Grendel . new a bloke who tried them in a 6.5 swede and bullet blow up was a problem on pigs .

[bigrich]

Mate I use the 143 ELD X out of my Creedmoor for pigs and deer. I find them to be good performers on the aforementioned game.

thank you also for your response mate , these projectiles pop up a lot in US forums on this topic , many people rate them highly . i'm looking at a lighter projectile for flat shooting speed , point and shoot . 140's have high BC's and all that , but they do drop more than 130's and lighter . most pigs are under 100 yards , but longer shots on goats and deer are more iffy allowing for drop . 300 yards is about as far as i'll try with a sporter rifle leaning off a tree or my toyota

[JimTom]

Yep fair enough mate. The lighter 123 SST I use in a Grendel and haven’t tried them in the Creedmoor other than on a paper target, so do not know for sure how they will go on a pig. In saying that I can’t see why they wouldn’t be any good out of the Creedmoor.

[Billo]

Yep fair enough mate. The lighter 123 SST I use in a Grendel and haven’t tried them in the Creedmoor other than on a paper target, so do not know for sure how they will go on a pig. In saying that I can’t see why they wouldn’t be any good out of the Creedmoor.

123gr SST suitable for small pigs but they blow up on Boars 120gr BT is a much better pill

[bigrich]

Yep fair enough mate. The lighter 123 SST I use in a Grendel and haven’t tried them in the Creedmoor other than on a paper target, so do not know for sure how they will go on a pig. In saying that I can’t see why they wouldn’t be any good out of the Creedmoor.

123gr SST suitable for small pigs but they blow up on Boars 120gr BT is a much better pill

120bt’s would be my pill of choice in the creedmoor, but are unobtainable at the moment, even nosler list them as out of stock

[Jorlcrin]

I see Rebel have a 1000-round box of the Lapua Scenar 123gn BTHP pills for $853.

Going to be on the hard side of what you want, but certainly nasty on large Hot Pork..
Lapua list their use as 'Tactical', as well as 'Target'.

Rebel also list 4 x 100-round packs of same, but for $104 apiece.

Food for thought, at any rate.

[deye243]

I see Rebel have a 1000-round box of the Lapua Scenar 123gn BTHP pills for $853.

Going to be on the hard side of what you want, but certainly nasty on large Hot Pork..
Lapua list their use as 'Tactical', as well as 'Target'.

Rebel also list 4 x 100-round packs of same, but for $104 apiece.

Food for thought, at any rate.

They will pencil straight through been there done that unless they changed them .
The only so called match hpbt I have used that was any good for meat was the hornady in 224 243 and 308 they have a very nice internally fluted jacket the 224 52gr was especially explosive on rabbits and fox's out of my old 222 .

[bigrich]

I see Rebel have a 1000-round box of the Lapua Scenar 123gn BTHP pills for $853.

Going to be on the hard side of what you want, but certainly nasty on large Hot Pork..
Lapua list their use as 'Tactical', as well as 'Target'.

Rebel also list 4 x 100-round packs of same, but for $104 apiece.

Food for thought, at any rate.

They will pencil straight through been there done that unless they changed them .
The only so called match hpbt I have used that was any good for meat was the hornady in 224 243 and 308 they have a very nice internally fluted jacket the 224 52gr was especially explosive on rabbits and fox's out of my old 222 .

do you have any projectile recommendations for a 6.5 CM ? ideally , the 120bt , but i can't get them so i'm leaning towards the 129sst . however sierra have a new ballistic tip version of their 130 GK . opinions ?

[Harronek]

I load 129 SST Hornady’s in my 6.5 CM .
They shoot accurately and they certainly kill stuff without drama ( mainly Dogs , but I have shot a Chital Stag and a few Pigs )
I am a Sierra fan though and when the SST’s run out I’ll be giving the 130 GK’s a spin .

[deye243]

I see Rebel have a 1000-round box of the Lapua Scenar 123gn BTHP pills for $853.

Going to be on the hard side of what you want, but certainly nasty on large Hot Pork..
Lapua list their use as 'Tactical', as well as 'Target'.

Rebel also list 4 x 100-round packs of same, but for $104 apiece.

Food for thought, at any rate.

They will pencil straight through been there done that unless they changed them .
The only so called match hpbt I have used that was any good for meat was the hornady in 224 243 and 308 they have a very nice internally fluted jacket the 224 52gr was especially explosive on rabbits and fox's out of my old 222 .

do you have any projectile recommendations for a 6.5 CM ? ideally , the 120bt , but i can't get them so i'm leaning towards the 129sst . however sierra have a new ballistic tip version of their 130 GK . opinions ?

Sorry no I can't I don't even pull out my 260 until I'm going to shoot 600y + anything around here is covered by a 223 for short range but in other cals I have found the speer pills great for hunting out to 200 odd y if you could find some speer 120g gold dots they would work for you but so would any of there spitzers .
there a very underrated bullet company.

[bigrich]

Thanks for the advice fellas

[Jorlcrin]

bigrich,

Seems like a lot of people like the Sierra 120gn Pro-Hunters in 6.5.
Sierra Pro-Hunter Bullets 264 Caliber, 6.5mm (264 Diameter) 120 Grain Spitzer (100pk)
SKU: 1720

I see Rebel have 700 of them in stock.

I also see The Barn(Dalby) list them differently:-
S1720 Sierra 6.5mm 120gr Spitzer (100)
I havent found The Barn to be 100% reliable on having what they list in stock, but might be worth contacting them to check if they have any?
(Their pricing being 3/4 the price of Rebel)

Seem to be A LOT of people in the US forums who use these projectiles, and found quite a few references to shooting pigs with them.
Also quite a few mention shooting them in a 6.5CM.
And a lot of comments that they were a great alternative to the 120gn Nosler BT.

[bigrich]

bigrich,

Seems like a lot of people like the Sierra 120gn Pro-Hunters in 6.5.
Sierra Pro-Hunter Bullets 264 Caliber, 6.5mm (264 Diameter) 120 Grain Spitzer (100pk)
SKU: 1720

I see Rebel have 700 of them in stock.

I also see The Barn(Dalby) list them differently:-
S1720 Sierra 6.5mm 120gr Spitzer (100)
I havent found The Barn to be 100% reliable on having what they list in stock, but might be worth contacting them to check if they have any?
(Their pricing being 3/4 the price of Rebel)

Seem to be A LOT of people in the US forums who use these projectiles, and found quite a few references to shooting pigs with them.
Also quite a few mention shooting them in a 6.5CM.
And a lot of comments that they were a great alternative to the 120gn Nosler BT.

I actually had a bit of luck that one of my local stores had 120 bt’s on the shelf. Yay! I’d looked at the 120 Sierra, and they were going to be my projectiles of choice if I couldn’t get the noslers. As you say they’re quite well regarded on yank forums. I got some 129sst as well. If I can load them out to get a few more grains in before hitting pressure they might be alright too

[Jorlcrin]

I looked at the 125Gn .308 Pro-Hunters, and wondering if I can justify buying a few hundred..
Already way too many .308 pills sitting on the shelf, but there's always room for a few more...

I was thinking about my experiences with 125gn SST pills, and I realise that I had much the same conclusion; they might be a bit light for pigs.
I'd chrono'd them at 3050fps, so nigh-on identical to the 130gn HP factory ammo I had been using previously, and the 125s did work well on lighter game.
I'd shot a lot of roos and other wildlife with them with great success, but the few large pigs I'd shot, it was touch & go once they were more than about 75 yards away..

So I'm now thinking the 125gn Pro-Hunters might be good to try for my .308.

[bigrich]

I looked at the 125Gn .308 Pro-Hunters, and wondering if I can justify buying a few hundred..
Already way too many .308 pills sitting on the shelf, but there's always room for a few more...

I was thinking about my experiences with 125gn SST pills, and I realise that I had much the same conclusion; they might be a bit light for pigs.
I'd chrono'd them at 3050fps, so nigh-on identical to the 130gn HP factory ammo I had been using previously, and the 125s did work well on lighter game.
I'd shot a lot of roos and other wildlife with them with great success, but the few large pigs I'd shot, it was touch & go once they were more than about 75 yards away..

So I'm now thinking the 125gn Pro-Hunters might be good to try for my .308.

I’ve used the 150gn pro hunter in my 308, and yeah, they work. Probably not that flexible on the lighter pigs in my experience. The most flexible bullet in my 308 is the 150gn sst. Works well on light stuff like goats to 80kg boar . I get really good accuracy with the pro hunter however, the SST are just under an inch on average, .4’s for the pro hunter. 44.8gn 2208 with ADI brass and Winchester primer at 2.8” COL.

[on_one_wheel]

[What would a 308 do that the 6.5 couldn't do with similar weighted projectiles?

Fire over 10,000 rounds before wearing out:thumbsup:

I won't knock the 6.5, it's a fabulous round. When my .243 completely flogs out I'll screw my action to a 6.5 barrel.

[deye243]

[What would a 308 do that the 6.5 couldn't do with similar weighted projectiles?

Fire over 10,000 rounds before wearing out:thumbsup:

I won't knock the 6.5, it's a fabulous round. When my .243 completely flogs out I'll screw my action to a 6.5 barrel.

I totally agree as long as the targets are hard enough to stop a 6.5 pill

[bigrich]

[What would a 308 do that the 6.5 couldn't do with similar weighted projectiles?

Fire over 10,000 rounds before wearing out:thumbsup:

I won't knock the 6.5, it's a fabulous round. When my .243 completely flogs out I'll screw my action to a 6.5 barrel.

Because of the wider bore of the 308, with appropriate projectiles energy transfer and wound chanel are much better. It just hits harder. If I was chasing after BIG boar or reds, 308 is my first choice. 140’s in the 6.5 over penetrate in lighter game, 130’s worked better in my old Swede. Creedmoor case limits speed with heavy’s, so I’m taking a bet on 120’s . For pigs under 60kg it should work well. The thing that’s attracted me to the creedmoor is its flexibility. 95vmax for hoppers, 120-130 for general game, 140’s for target work/comps . Tikkas have a long throat in the CM. I dummy seated a 129sst last night with the bearing surface up in the neck, at 2.9” it didn’t touch the lands. Seating with the bearing surface just past the base of the neck the col came in at 2.840”, the 120 nosler at 2.770” . The ogave on the nosler is further forward than the sst. I’ll do a dummy round and check contact to the lands before loading these. Tikka in CM come with a M+ 3” col mag as well. This is an advantage over most internal mag rifles as I believe they’re 2.8” 308 length mags. A Mauser 98 being a intermediate length action would probably be a good choice to build a CM on . 308 and 222 have great barrel life, the CM isn’t as good as that, but is probably double the barrel life of a 243. If I could’ve got a tikka in 260rem I probably would’ve gone that way. But CM brass is a lot more common than the 260 which makes things a bit more practical

[bigpete]

Kinda tempted to turn my 22-250 into one. Very up in the air about it. Options for rebarreling are 22-250 fast twist,250 savage,243,6.5cm,260 rem,or just another 308. Have dies for 22-250,243,and 308,but I'd have to buy different powder for 6.5cm. Decisions Decisions