6.5 Creedmoor — Velocity and Barrel Length — What to Expect
What do you get when you cut a 6.5 Creedmoor-chambered barrel down to just over 16 inches? A lot more velocity than you might think. Our friends at Rifleshooter.com recently did a barrel cut-down test with 6.5 Creedmoor test rifle, shortening the barrel from 27 to 16.1 inches in one-inch increments. Surprisingly, with a 142gr Sierra MK, the total velocity loss (as measured with a Magnetospeed) was just 158 FPS, an average of 14.4 FPS per inch of barrel length. With the lighter 120gr A-Max bullet, the total velocity loss was 233 FPS, or 21.8 FPS average loss per inch of barrel.
CLICK HERE to SEE All Velocity Values at All Barrel Lengths
To perform this velocity test, our friend Bill, Rifleshooter.com’s editor, built up a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle using a Remington Model 7 action, 1:8″ twist Green Mountain CM barrel, and MDT LSS Chassis, all obtained from Brownells.com.
Test Procedure
Five (5) rounds of each type of cartridge were fired at each barrel length and the velocity data was recorded with a MagnetoSpeed V3 barrel-mounted chronograph. The rifle was then cleared and the barrel was cut back one inch at a time from 27″ to just over 16″. NOTE: During this winter test, the air temperature was a very chilly 23° F. One would expect higher velocities across the board had the outside temperature been higher.
Read Full Story with All Test Results at Rifleshooter.com
The photo below shows how the barrel was cut down, inch-by-inch, using a rotary saw. The barrel was pre-scored at inch intervals. As the main purpose of the test was to measure velocity (not accuracy) the testers did not attempt to create perfect crowns.
6.5 Creedmoor vs. Other Mid-Sized 6.5mm Cartridges
The 6.5 Creedmoor is a very popular cartridge with the tactical and PRS crowd. This mid-size cartridge offers good ballistics, with less recoil than a .308 Winchester. There’s an excellent selection of 6.5mm bullets, and many powder choices for this cartridge. When compared to the very accurate 6.5×47 Lapua cartridge, the 6.5 Creedmoor offers similar performance with less expensive brass. For a tactical shooter who must sometimes leave brass on the ground, brass cost is a factor to consider. Here’s a selection of various 6.5 mm mid-sized cartridges. Left to right are: 6.5 Grendel, 6.5×47 Lapua, 6.5 Creedmoor with 120gr A-Max, 6.5 Creedmoor with 142gr Sierra MK, and .260 Remington.
When asked to compare the 6.5 Creedmoor to the 6.5×47 Lapua, Rifleshooter.com’s editor stated: “If you don’t hand load, or are new to precision rifle shooting, get a 6.5 Creedmoor. If you shoot a lot, reload, have more disposable income, and like more esoteric cartridges, get a 6.5×47 Lapua. I am a big fan of the 6.5×47 Lapua. In my personal experience, the 6.5×47 Lapua seems to be slightly more accurate than the 6.5 Creedmoor. I attribute this to the quality of Lapua brass.”
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Tags: 142 SMK, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x47, Barrel Length, Hornady, Rifleshooter.com, Tactical, Velocity
Hard to draw credible conclusions from this test. 23degF, which is horrible for this kind of testing, apparently skewed results so much as to top out 142gr MV at ~2660. I doubt it. The velocities actually went DOWN with common longer barrel lengths for this cal? They had no answer for that..
I have an issue with that too. I wonder if the barrel was new and therefore hadn’t worn in rough to stabilize its velocity prior to testing. Every after market barrel I’ve used continued to gain speed during its first one or two hundred rounds… Add to that, my shortest creedmoor barrel (@22″ and on a AR) is faster than all barrel lengths while using less h4350 than the tested load.
The temperature was cold, but controlled. As for barrel speed the little bit of testing we did indicated it wouldn’t have much effect on the results. https://rifleshooter.com/2017/07/a-look-at-how-rifle-barrels-speed-up-measuring-the-increase-in-muzzle-velocity-in-new-barrels/