Thoughts on the "Howa HLR 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle"?

[TheFirearmEnthusiast]

Hi Guys

I hope youse are well

I've been doing some research and

I was thinking about purchasing a:
"Howa HLR 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle"

From what I've heard and seen, the Howa HLR 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle:
- It seems to be quite accurate over long distances
(Even at 1000x yards out)
- It seems to have quick a bit of kick/power to it
(Which it's always pleasant to feel a bit of power)
- It's quite affordable, they sell at around $850 I believe
(Which is awesome)
- That particular brand and rifle do seem to have quite a good reputation in the shooters community
(Which is always good)

What do you guys reckon?

What are the Pros and Cons of the "Howa HLR 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle"?

Thanks guys

[pomemax]

for the price howa,s are ok with some good deals around

[in2anity]

Nah it’s only a 5/10 on the Power Feeling scale. You need a SBL 45-70. Excellent long range bucket shooting caliber; just watch the movie Quigley Down Under as proof. Just be sure to buy high power hunting ammo so you feel the power.

[SCJ429]

Here we go again......

[GojiraSteve]

Here we go again......

Yup...

[Sergeant Hartman]

Mate cam i ask... do you like the movie broke back mountain... the scene where they share a tent your favorite?

Do you wear pink shirts and ask permission before you pass gas?

Do you think climate change is real and how being untidy with your feline side will reverse climate change?

Do you really want to become the laughing stock at the local range


If so get the gaymore in 6.5.

If you think size doesn't mate get the gaymore in 6.

[JimTom]

Oh dear. Another 6.5 Manbun hater. May I be so bold as to ask why owning a ManBun suddenly makes you enjoy scenes from Brokeback Mountain, wear pink shirts, and become in touch with your feminine side (which is what I think you meant to type above). I am somewhat perplexed.

[allthegearandnoidea]

I think this post is a gee up but anyway...

308 ballistics same up to 500 metres (correct me if i'm wrong) so in a hunting scenario I'd go the extra punch from the three o.
Good luck with the 6.5 - all calibres equal here but wanting to buy a calibre developed for 1000 yard long distance target shooting will most ,likely end up at the back of the safe with a first time rifle buyer if that's what you plan to do with it. I'm with the other posters - get a 22 and buy 500 rounds of ammo and practise like mad.

[Diamond Jim]

I think this post is a gee up but anyway...

I agree, this just doesn't feel right. And if it doesn't feel right don't do it!
There isn't any suggestion that this is a first firearm in the OP but I concur that a .22LR and a bucket of ammo would be my choice for a new convert. Next in line would be a 12G shotgun and you'd be well on your way to covering a lot of bases. I'd leave a centrefire until you've decided just what sort of shooting you're interested in.
That said, if 6.5 Creedmore floats your boat then the Howa definitely has potential to do well and you can't argue about their pricing.
The cartridge just looks weird to me unlike the classic look of the venerable .270W which is just a whisker larger in diameter than 6.5mm and is a real man's cartridge like real cowboys might carry...hang on, I don't like where this is heading. Did I raise aesthetics? Ban me now!

[Flyer]

Apart from the restrictions on shooting sambar in Victoria, there is nothing in Australia a 6.5 Creedmoor can't take. It covers everything from .223 up to .308. It is inherently accurate (has tighter SAAMI tolerances than any other 6.5/.260 and many other calibres), brass is available in large and small rifle primer (allowing higher loading pressures), factory ammo is plentiful, it fits in a short action (unlike .270 etc), it has similar recoil to a .243 but has longer barrel life, it has a better choice of projectiles and brass than .270 if you hand-load, it has more energy than a .308 after 500 yards, and just about every rifle manufacturer today offers a 6.5CM – so plenty to choose from.

Everyone should own a .22lr – no argument there – but for just about everything else in Australia, the 6.5CM is hard to beat.

Don't listen to the naysayers – they've been predicting the Creedmoor's demise for the past decade, but it's only getting stronger in terms of sales and ammo availability. There is nothing wrong with it at all.

Of course, people will make fun of you. But if you're comfortable with your own sexuality, you have nothing to fear from gay jokes.

[Potatoes]

I think i would get a 6.5mm creedmoor over a 308 if i liked interior decorating, kylie, and a round that bucks the wind better than a 308.

I own a howa 223 sporter and its a good rifle, consistently shooting sub moa even with the hogue stock that everyone bitches about. I read an article on news.com that the Japanese aren’t having sex anymore. Maybe this enables them to fully focus on their job of making good quality rifles for a reasonable price.

[Sergeant Hartman]

You have been reading the marketing blurb to much.

My suggestion, get what you want to get. And search as 308 vs 6.5 been covered a lot. My 308 had almost the same felt recoil as a how hcr in 6.5.

308 vs 6.5
45gr vs 41gr
155gr vs 140gr projectile

The difference is 10% theoretically.

[Bill]

The 6.5 CM does OK with the longer 26inch tube and it goes close it match a 6.5x55 with a 22 inch tube.

If it's for range only work then you'll enjoy the moderate recoil and the good ballistics 6.5 pills can offer

[flutch]

Hi Guys

I hope youse are well

I've been doing some research and

I was thinking about purchasing a:
"Howa HLR 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle"

From what I've heard and seen, the Howa HLR 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle:
- It seems to be quite accurate over long distances
(Even at 1000x yards out)
- It seems to have quick a bit of kick/power to it
(Which it's always pleasant to feel a bit of power)
- It's quite affordable, they sell at around $850 I believe
(Which is awesome)
- That particular brand and rifle do seem to have quite a good reputation in the shooters community
(Which is always good)

What do you guys reckon?

What are the Pros and Cons of the "Howa HLR 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle"?

Thanks guys

hunting or purely long distance target/plinking?

after some recent activities with fox shoots, if you plan on varminting with it regularly dont get a 6.5 creed, or a 260rem or any of that slow nonsense. too slow, too much guess work needed and from what I've seen of most target cal's theyre useless in practical applications.

However, if youre planning on ringing steel at a distance, or poking holes in paper a long way off go for it.

[sungazer]

Flutch do you care to expand on the statement

"after some recent activities with fox shoots, if you plan on varminting with it regularly dont get a 6.5 creed, or a 260rem or any of that slow nonsense. too slow, too much guess work needed and from what I've seen of most target cal's theyre useless in practical applications."

Exactly what calibre do you recommend what weight projectile and speed do you think you could get with what powder?

By Practical application I assume you mean 200yrds and below..

[flutch]

Flutch do you care to expand on the statement

"after some recent activities with fox shoots, if you plan on varminting with it regularly dont get a 6.5 creed, or a 260rem or any of that slow nonsense. too slow, too much guess work needed and from what I've seen of most target cal's theyre useless in practical applications."

Exactly what calibre do you recommend what weight projectile and speed do you think you could get with what powder?

By Practical application I assume you mean 200yrds and below..

well no often on the turf I'm on we can be shooting out to 400m from the ute. but I have had more than my fair share of F-Class competitive shooters with their paper punching calibres come along, as well as know more than at least a dozen farmers who can attest also to them not hitting a damn thing ever when spotlighting.
Personally if I was buying a creedmoor or rem 260 I would be getting the lightest projectile possible. 95 grains will get a bit over 3100fps and maybe over 3200 depending on powder, but youre going to throw away that B/C youre chasing, however in a paddock, when the animal has its own volition to move around when it pleases youre best off not having to account for drop.
I personally use 223 and 270 for most varminting and have both going well over 3200fps, 130gn in the 270 and 55gn in the 223, longer stuff and canola stubble I use the 270 and for most medium stuff I use the 223. I will happily stretch out with the 223 too on foxes and cats depending on wind etc. I just think if youre choosing a creedmoor but its mostly going to be a hunting rifle you would be better off with a 6.5x55 or a 270 or maybe even a .284,
yet to see a target gun worth two knobs of s**t out in a spotlighting/varminting scenario, except maybe when you set a bench up to snipe some bunnies and you have already ranged the warren or whatever. at night most people cant tell the difference between 180m and 250 and I see them miss all the time, they shoot possibles all day with the same gun, but can never hit a fox to save themselves.
A lot of shooters put completely impractical scopes on them too... knowing from experience I can say a dedicated highly adjustable scope with exposed turrets is a s**t idea for most hunting situations as it will be f***ed with by anything that touches it and there is a penchant among people who have them to spend all night/day messing with it...


In conclusion having something that requires half a mortar team to fire accurately on the fly at varying and ever changing distances is pointless for most hunting in my opinion, and its a good way to get yourself uninvited to future shoots....

hence saying, if its for paper and gongs knock yourself out, if its to kill stuff then I suggest getting something a lot flatter shooting which means faster.

[flutch]

it has a better choice of projectiles and brass than .270 if you hand-load,

seriously not meaning to pick on your posts, but this one is a bit of a non issue really depending on what you want the firearm for. after all a 270win loaded with almost any 130gn projie can take down pretty much anything and at awesome ranges. guys frequently use them on plains game in Africa out at ~500m and have no issues. and when it comes to heavier projectiles it kicks the snot out of most 6.5 due to powder capacity. I have dropped plenty of large things with my cheap clunker of a 270 well out past 400m without much of any holdover and with little fuss, cant say the same for most things... but again depends what he wants, most High BC bullets in 270 are secant ogive which from my understanding lose stability sooner than Tangent ogive rounds however nosler make great projies that are tangent and perform marvellously, and there are ever increasing 6.8mm competition rounds... so the old limited choice thing really is an old target shooter myth, who knows maybe they just couldn't afford to reload the 270 on their pensions.

as for brass there is tonnes of it, almost every major manufacturer makes 270 factory rounds and therefore makes 270 brass to suit, norma, hornady, Remington, Winchester, federal etc etc and most other household names all make and sell it. so no there isnt a limited amount, last time I looked in the three major firearm stores here also there was a tonne of 270 and a little corner of 6.5 creed, 260 rem etc. not just that but for starting out, factory ammo for a 270win is usually substantially cheaper.

so yeah, but again all depends on what he wants the gun to do... if he is green and expecting to hit targets at 1000m then good luck to him, more power to him if he can. but most people want a dual purpose rifle and most 1k guns aren't dual purpose. so yeah, preferences.

[Member-Deleted]

TheFirearmEnthusiast you've got some good advice from capable shooters here and I wouldn't like to contradict any of their info in any way but my opinion is if you're new to shooting then i'd start with a smaller caliber and get comfortable with handling a rifle but if you've done some shooting and want to move up in caliber the i'd stick to the standard calibers until I was capable of shooting 1000yds with comfort I know you didn't say you were going to shoot that far just that the rifle was capable of shooting that distance without too much trouble if you are hell bent on getting a 6.5 then i'd price ammo and if you were going to reload then i'd price all the consumables to load it before buying the rifle most likely cost will be a factor compare the prices with a similar or close standard calibers but if you are going to buy the 6.5 anyway then go for it it's quiet a capable caliber and is used for a lot of long distance shooting overseas the 6.5 is used a lot for hunting it was also a military caliber but I think it preformed better with a longer barrel but you'd have to ask someone that knows a little more about that at the end of the day it will be a personal choice for you on what you buy so don't panic listen to all the info as everyone has a valid point that suits them then decide what sounds like the rifle for you if its not the right one in the end then it would have been fun just finding that out shooting it and all, that's the attraction to rifles it's the fun you can have with them when used properly if you're new to shooting or not new it most likely won't be the last rifle you buy so enjoy whatever one you choose

[sungazer]

Flutch you really should check some of your facts before you go on such long rants. The difference in drop between the calibres you mention is 2/5s of bugger all. A 120-130 6.5 Vs and 270 with 130 grn. A 223 55grn at 400 yrds at 3200 do you know the drop on this VS a 6.5c and then to compare them with the 6.5 *55 again at 400 yrd or even 200 yrds Sweet F A. This has nothing to do with F class rifles of which the 223 and all the others you mentioned are.

[flutch]

in all practicality it doesn't work out like that... a great amount of time in the field tells me so

also I wasn't actually comparing the 6.5 to a 223, I was comparing it to a 270 and 284 and even the swede. the CM is under powered compared, that isn't debatable. its a fact. and flat means fast, if you have a bullet with the same BC and fire it slower it will not be flat shooting, just the same as lobbing a rock underarm is not as flat as ditching it full pelt, but then like i said if he wants it for shooting targets who cares, go for it, but end of the day I have never seen anyone have success with target crap in the practical world. and if he wants dual purpose there are better choices, cheaper choices, and more abundant choices.


that and if he gets a real calibre he wont need to use tampons and hand cream.

[SCJ429]

in all practicality it doesn't work out like that... a great amount of time in the field tells me so


that and if he gets a real calibre he wont need to use tampons and hand cream.

Getting very juvenile there Fluch. I enjoy reading your rants and we all understand that you love your 270 and get very defensive when someone points out that it is an old, inefficient but capable case design.

No need to run down another persons choice of case either, the CM and 260 are very effective at the 250 metre ranges you are talking about. You should be able to take down a pig or goat easily at reasonable ranges.

I am interested that you always say that speed is your thing but you are pretty conservative with your choices. Even the 300 Win Mag is not the class leader when it comes to speed.

[sungazer]

The thing is no one provoked Flutch or criticized any calibre. But good old Flutch launches into a rage having a go at anyone that may paper punch has a wide swipe at f class without even knowing what it is, and dumps on other calibres that are 6 thousands of an inch different to his chosen favorite.

[flutch]

Im just saying if he wants it to be versatile beyond small stuff and target shooting, lots of stuff is better than the creedmoor including the swede and it all comes down to capacity.

and sure you can take things with it... just saying if he is green, he would enjoy something a bit more point and click. given a heap of competitive shooters have been with me on the back of the ute and on the land of rellies and friends and all have pretty much sucked at hitting foxes even at 150m with loopdie loo target fanboi rounds despite their many thousands of shots down range I would happily tell someone to either load the creed up light with a lot of velocity or go something with more case capacity and fire the heavier pills faster with more energy.

and no but all my firearms shoot over 3100fps. and with the 270 and 300win theyre both pushing heavier pills to do so 185gn in the 300 and 130gn in the 270, my mates 260rem is only pushing 2800fps with max powder load with 123gn projies... . never seen anyone hand loading a 260 or creed getting more than 2800fps, although I am not ignorant that it can be done, its just not a given like with other cartridges.

and its a lot for a green stick to have to endure, not just that but depending where you live factory ammo for the 260 and creed isnt exactly cheap meaning its more prohibitive for a green stick shooter... that and he would have to spend a small fortune on reloading gear to get the most out of a 6.5 and considering he is already talking budget rifle tells me he probably isnt ready for that.

[flutch]

The thing is no one provoked Flutch or criticized any calibre. But good old Flutch launches into a rage having a go at anyone that may paper punch has a wide swipe at f class without even knowing what it is, and dumps on other calibres that are 6 thousands of an inch different to his chosen favorite.

bold statement from someone who knows nothing about me at all...

my only motive here is to have someone enjoy their choice in gun. not have something where they have to spend the next 3 years load testing and re-zeroing their optics every time they want to use it in a different application.

but like I said before there are plenty of other choices. I'm gonna happily sit in the camp of the other boys from the page prior and have a scotch while the rest of ya plait ya top knots and iron ya Gucci flannel shirts.

[allthegearandnoidea]

Flutch - I cant speak from hands on experience but when you say bugger all holdover @ 400m for your 270, I looked up the ballistics and a 145gn 270 pill drops 14" when zeroed at 250 yards. Same 250 yard zeroed 6.5 CM with 143 gn pill is 16" -bout the same ballpark I reckon and at real world Aussie hunting distances of 150 - 250 yards there's even less difference. Energy at 250m is 1879ftlbs for the 6.5 and 2196 for the 270 - again not a deal breaker if you ask me.

[Flyer]

I was going to stay out of this, but I do have some 6.5CM load data here if anyone's interested:

24.4" barrel (Sako A7 Roughtec Pro), 123gr Lapua Scenar, Lapua SRP brass, BR4 primers, 45.2gr of 2209, 2.850" COAL (0.015" off the lands), chronoed at 2960fps.

Same as above, 44.2gr of 2209, chronoed at 2880fps.

Same as above, 43.2gr of 2209 (preferred target load), chronoed at 2815fps.

No pressure signs. The small rifle primer brass allows you to load at higher pressures. 43.2gr of 2209 is mild but very accurate (.375" 4-shot groups at 100m). I don't need the extra velocity. Drop is the easiest thing to compensate for compared to wind.

There's a ton of info out there on all sorts of calibres. That's what makes choosing one so much fun. But this is quite a thorough article: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/25-06 ... or-vs-270/

The OP asked about a Howa HLR in 6.5CM and I shoot 6.5 so am happy to share my experience. I got the impression he wanted to use it for long-range work (hence "Howa Long-Range Rifle – HLR).

The 6.5 Swede is a great round, but the CM is more efficient and can push pills just as fast (even for modern Swedes with higher working pressures). It's also a short action, which is nice. Stiffer receiver, shorter throw etc. I almost bought a Swede, but the Creedmoor is more modern and already more popular.

End of the day, he who has the money has the choice.

[Sergeant Hartman]

Where is ma popcorn order... I need ma popcorn.

[SCJ429]

Thanks for the data Flyer. A friend has a 260 and shoots 143 grain ELDX at 2910 fps. Previously the rifle was chambered in 6.5x55 and it shot the same projectiles 100 fps faster. The rifle is a Barnard with a Maddco barrel.

To get 2800 fps from a 123 grain projectile seems a little slow. Needless to say if you cannot get a positive result hunting with a 260 or a Creedmoor, you definitely need to spend some time at the range getting coached by Metalic Silhouette shooters or the F Class shooters who can do it in front of everyone with no where to hide. No need to be jealous of them, they can teach you a lot about marksmanship. They are usually a good bunch of blokes.

[flutch]

right for the last time, there are more versatile rounds, there are less versatile rounds, still haven't seen him say if he wants to plink or hunt. I would personally go a 6.5 swede if I were buying all over again. In any case, say/think what you want, nothing wrong with my "marksmanship" and don't need to be taught anything about it.

if we could have one convo without the moronic conjecture that would be great. I'm glad you've got target shooters your chummy with that can hit things, the majority however that I have encountered or whom have attended red card fox shoots on property of FAF have been useless... but each to their own, I never said they cant "shoot" but as I mentioned before actually hitting an animal at a non fixed range as it moves about and presents limited opportunity is vastly different to a piece of paper at a pre-determined distance. Also never said they werent good blokes, but that has no direct bearing on their ability to shoot live targets or any bearing on whether or not that round suits a novice shooter.

anyways. have a good one.

[SCJ429]

No need to be defensive, we can all learn a bit about marksmanship. If you don't feel comfortable displaying your abilities for all to see in a competition setting we understand. It can be humbling, it happens to me often.

To suggest that a Competative F Class shooter would struggle to hit a fox sized target at ranges up to 250 is naive.