While the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge was devised primarily for High Power and Across the Course shooters, it has also found favor with tactical shooters looking for a highly accurate round that feeds well from a magazine, but offers significantly less recoil than a .308 Winchester. In fact, the 6.5 Creedmoor has become so popular that some vendors we checked were sold out of both brass and loaded ammo. (Don’t worry though — Creedmoor Sports has both 6.5 Creedmoor brass and loaded ammo in stock.)
6.5 Creedmoor vs. 6.5×47 Lapua — Cost Factor
The 6.5×47 Lapua and 6.5 Creedmoor offer very similar ballistics with 120gr and 140gr bullets. However, 6.5 Creedmoor brass AND loaded ammo are cheaper. That’s a big plus in the tactical game. At tactical competitions, there are “move and shoot” stages where you need to shoot quickly and then move to another position. It’s very difficult to recover all your brass. Losing a piece of 6.5×47 brass (at $1 dollar a pop) is painful. The Hornady brass is $34.49 per 50 (69 cents each) at Sinclair Int’l or $34.95 per 50 (70 cents each) at Creedmoor Sports.
Hornady’s 6.5 Creedmoor loaded ammunition is also much less expensive than the loaded 6.5×47 Lapua rounds. For shooters that don’t have the time (or skills) to reload, the 6.5 Creedmoor (at $25.95 per 20-rd box) makes more financial sense. Grafs.com currently sells loaded 123gr 6.5×47 Lapua ammo for $52.79 per 20 rounds.
On the other hand, the Lapua brass is tougher. Forum member Mudcat observes: “[As to] the Hornady brass, while it’s good, it ain’t no Lapua, so don’t try to run hot loads cause all you are going to do is blow out the primer pockets. Keep your loads reasonable and you will get over 20 loads out of em. I have some I have loaded well over 20 times during testing…they grow like a mother though, as they are a lot softer than Win or Lapua, which is why the pockets will go. However the necks haven’t been splitting.”
Barrel Life Looks Promising
Barrel life appears to be pretty good with the 6.5 Creedmoor. Barrels will last significantly longer than with a typical .243 Win or 6.5-284. Forum Member Mudcat reports: “Based on my throat wear at 600 rounds on my 6.5 Creedmoor barrel, I bet we are looking at 2500 rounds EASY of great accuracy and then probably to at least 3000 where you ain’t going to notice it shooting Cross the Course — you might see something at 600, but nothing worse than a few less Xs. At 600 rounds, I have not had to move my VLD seating depth yet.” Forum member Rob1, who shoots tactical comps with Team Blaster, notes that Hornady puts its load and velocity on every box (see photo below), so it’s easy for reloaders to duplicate the factory ammo. That way you can start with a few boxes of factory fodder, and then load your own.
The August 2011 digital edition of Shooting Sports USA is available online — free for the reading. This issue contains a “must-read” expert symposium on the subject of Eye Dominance, as it affects both rifle and pistol shooting. No matter whether you have normal dominance (i.e. your dominant eye is on the same side as your dominant hand), or if you have cross-dominance, you’ll benefit by reading this excellent article. The physiology and science of eye dominance is explained by Dr. Norman Wong, a noted optometrist. In addition, expert advice is provided by champion shooters such as David Tubb, Lones Wigger, Dennis DeMille, Julie Golob, Jessie Duff, and Phil Hemphill.
Development of the 6.5 Creedmoor Cartridge
Also in the August Edition of Shooting Sports is a feature on the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge. This story covers the origin of the cartridge and its performance both as a match cartridge and as a hunting round. Hornady Chief Ballistician Dave Emary explained: “the original intent of the cartridge was as an across-the-course match cartridge. We envisioned it as an off-the-shelf round that would produced the accuracy and ballistics to compete in all match disciplines right out of the box. At the same time we realized that the same characteristics would make an exceptional hunting cartridge with the right bullets.”
6.5 Creedmoor Brass No Longer Washed After Annealing
Here’s an interesting update on Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor brass and loaded ammo. In a move to improve case quality and neck uniformity, Hornady recently changed the 6.5 Creedmoor production process, eliminating the case-washing step after annealing. So now you will see annealing coloration on 6.5 Creedmoor brass, just like on Lapua brass. Dennis DeMille of Creedmoor Sports wanted to improve the consistency/uniformity of 6.5 Creedmoor case-necks. At Dennis’ suggestion, Hornady conducted tests which showed that the “standard industry practice” of washing brass could potentially alter the necks in undesirable ways. Bottom line, unwashed annealed brass was determined to have an accuracy edge over washed brass. Looking at these results, Hornady decided to forgo the post-anneal washing process. As a result, the latest 6.5 Creedmoor brass now displays the distinctive coloration left by neck/shoulder annealing. Learn something new every day, eh?
Frank Galli, aka “Lowlight”, runs the popular SnipersHide.com website. Frank recently completed a gunsmithing course with Robert Gradous. Frank recounts the learning process in an informative, nicely-illustrated article on the ‘Hide. Frank explains how he put together a new 6.5 Creedmoor tactical rifle using a Bartlein barrel, Bighorn Action (Rem clone with floating bolt-head), and a “lightly used” Accuracy International 1.5 chassis. The HD video below shows the process start-to-finish. READ Full Article.
During Frank’s “hands-on” training sessions with Gradous, Frank learned to thread and chamber a barrel, fit a recoil lug, and install the barreled action in the AI chassis. Chambering was done with great care: “We spent the better part of the day working the barrel. I feel this is a critical component and seeing the attention to detail in Robert’s approach confirmed it for me. When it came time to chamber Robert had a custom tight chamber reamer there for a 6.5CM but I’m shooting a tactical rifle, tight chambers aren’t for me, and this was clear, as out came the standard SAAMI reamer.”
Frank also learned how to modify an aluminum chassis: “the AI chassis had the recoil lug opened up, but it was opened in the wrong direction. This was going to require milling increasing the gap to at least a 1/2″ in size. Robert was really leery of this, but my attitude was, ‘it’s just a chassis and nothing a little Marine Tex can’t handle’.” Thankfully the chassis mod came out OK.
Once the barreled action was complete and the AI chassis was successfully milled, Frank applied a tan Cerakote finish to the barreled action. This would give a proper tactical look to the rifle, while providing superior corrosion resistance for the metal parts. To learn more about Cerakote finishing, check out the Cerakote Application Video, published last week in the Daily Bulletin.
When the rifle was complete, Frank took it out for testing with a variety of ammo, both factory fodder and handloads. There were some initial worries about accuracy as it took a while for the barrel to break in. A few sessions of bore cleaning were required before the barrel stopped fouling and then — like magic — the rifle started printing really small groups.
By the end of his load testing session, Frank was getting good groups with Hornady 120gr GMX factory 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, and really superb groups with handloads. The 120gr GMX ammo “was going 3100 fps with no ill effects”. The best handloads were approaching 1/4 MOA for three shots, and Frank’s load with Berger 130 VLDs shot even smaller than that: “In my opinion the load development we did was worth its weight in gold. Where else can you build in a rifle in two days, then go out and develop a baseline load using everything from 120gr ammo to 140gr ammo with a few in between? My favorite load and clearly the rifle’s too, was the [Berger] 130gr VLD. This gave us great velocity, awesome groups [with some one-holers] and really nice results at distance.”
Lowlight’s Gunsmithing Story is a ‘Must-Read’
We recommend you read Frank’s story. It shows that, with the right tools, and the supervision of a master smith, even a novice can produce an ultra-accurate rifle. For those of you who have considered taking a gunsmithing class, Frank’s successful experience with gunsmith Robert Gradous should give you plenty of motivation.
The 2011 Snipers’ Hide Cup took place from April 7 to 9 at the Rifles Only facility in Kingsville, Texas. The popular three-day tactical competition, organized by SnipersHide.com, featured a rich prize table with thousands of dollars worth of scopes and tactical gear. The match drew 63 of the nation’s best tactical marksmen in the civilian, law enforcement and military communities. The multi-stage event places competitors in a number of tactical scenarios with shooting out to 1000 yards. The vast majority of the shooting is done with rifles, but there is some pistol action also. This year, the match format involved “a lot of run and gun, positional, and movers”. The wind played a major role this year, exceeding 24 mph on some stages.
Top Two Finishers Use 6.5 Creedmoor
The overall match winner was Geordie Richardson of Weatherford, TX (via Australia), with a score of 1385/2300. Geordie shot well on nearly every stage, staying in the top three throughout the competition. One fellow competitor remarked: “I was two spots down from [Richardson] and watched the magic happening. He couldn’t miss.” Geordie’s match-winning rifle was a Surgeon Rifles Scapel chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor in a Sentinel stock with Atlas bipod. On top was a S&B 5-25x56mm with Gen2 XR reticle. Geordie shot Hornady factory 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, as did runner-up Tate Moots, as well as the fourth place and seventh place finishers.
Charles “Tate” Moots (Team FNH) took second place overall with a score of 1305/2300 points. Moots used a FN SPR A5M bolt-action rifle, chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and topped with a Leupold 6.5×20 ERT scope. Finishing third was John Sommers, fourth was Rob Ormond, and taking fifth was George Gardner of GA Precision.
Match runner-up Moots was top finisher in the exciting Helicopter Stage, which required each competitor to engage a ground target from a flying helicopter with an FN SCAR 17S, and upon landing exit the aircraft and fire a five shot group with their precision rifle. Shown below is a helicopter stage from the 2010 Snipers’ Hide Cup. (Turn sound volume down at work.)
The 2010 edition of the Hodgdon® Annual Manual has just been announced, and should be at newstands in January 2010. Now in its 7th year, the Hodgdon Annual Manual includes over 5,000 rifle and pistol loads, with information on 56 Hodgdon, IMR® and Winchester® powders. The new 2010 Manual features 44 cartridge updates, brand new data for the 6.5 Grendel and 6.5 Creedmoor, and updated propellant burn rate and usage charts.
Extensive reloading information is provided for popular cartridges such as the 17 Remington, 223 Remington, 204 Ruger, 6PPC, 308 Winchester, 338 Federal and more. In addition, the 2010 Manual includes articles by top gun writers like Layne Simpson and Jim Carmichael plus many other resources for shooters and reloaders.
Articles in the 2010 Hodgdon Annual Manual spotlight the new varmint/match powder, IMR 8208 XBR. Test lots of this new powder have shown truly exceptional temperature stability. In addition, IMR 8208 XBR should deliver excellent accuracy in cartridges such as the 6mm PPC, 6BR, 22BR, and .308 Winchester. Lou Murdica and Jim Carmichael have already recorded impressive benchrest wins with prototype IMR 8208 XBR.
The 2010 Hodgdon Annual Manual costs $8.99 and should be available at newsstands and gun dealers by January 2010. For more on the manual contact Hodgdon at 913-362-9455, visit Hodgdon.com, or write to 6231 Robinson, Shawnee Mission, KS 66202.
Carl Bernosky, 8-time winner of the Camp Perry National High Power Championships, will be switching back to a bolt gun for the 2009 competition. Last year, Carl shot an AR15-based spacegun built on Smith & Wesson M&P15 components. With that rifle, Carl became the first competitor to win the Camp Perry High Power Championship shooting an AR15-type semi-auto.
But this year Carl will be shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor CSR-1 TubeGun from Creedmoor Sports. Based on a TubeGun Chassis and buttstock by Gary Eliseo (of Competition Shooting Stuff), the CSR-1 features a Pierce Precision Rem 700-clone receiver, and a 28″ Broughton barrel.
Both the buttstock and the handguard are adjustable to suit the shooter. The handguard/float tube can rotate 15 degrees from center in either direction, allowing the shooter to adjust his desired rifle cant. The 4-way buttstock adjusts for length-of-pull, cant, buttpad height and offset. There is an adjustable cheekpiece and even two 4.8-ounce removeable weights to allow precise balancing of the rig.
The CSR-1 is offered in five (5) chamberings: 308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×47 Lapua, 6XC, and .223 Rem. At Camp Perry, Carl Bernosky will be shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor version of the rifle, using Hornady components.
6.5 Creedmoor vs. 6.5×47 Lapua — Cost Factor
Hornady’s 6.5 Creedmoor loaded ammunition is also much less expensive than the loaded 6.5×47 Lapua rounds. For shooters that don’t have the time (or skills) to reload, the 6.5 Creedmoor (at $25.95 per 20-rd box) makes more financial sense. Grafs.com currently sells loaded 123gr 6.5×47 Lapua ammo for $52.79 per 20 rounds.
6.5 Creedmoor Brass No Longer Washed After Annealing
Once the barreled action was complete and the AI chassis was successfully milled, Frank applied a tan Cerakote finish to the barreled action. This would give a proper tactical look to the rifle, while providing superior corrosion resistance for the metal parts. To learn more about Cerakote finishing, check out the 
By the end of his load testing session, Frank was getting good groups with Hornady 120gr GMX factory 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, and really superb groups with handloads. The 120gr GMX ammo “was going 3100 fps with no ill effects”. The best handloads were approaching 1/4 MOA for three shots, and Frank’s load with Berger 130 VLDs shot even smaller than that: “In my opinion the load development we did was worth its weight in gold. Where else can you build in a rifle in two days, then go out and develop a baseline load using everything from 120gr ammo to 140gr ammo with a few in between? My favorite load and clearly the rifle’s too, was the [Berger] 130gr VLD. This gave us great velocity, awesome groups [with some one-holers] and really nice results at distance.”
The 2010 edition of the Hodgdon® Annual Manual has just been announced, and should be at newstands in January 2010. Now in its 7th year, the Hodgdon Annual Manual includes over 5,000 rifle and pistol loads, with information on 56 Hodgdon, IMR® and Winchester® powders. The new 2010 Manual features 44 cartridge updates, brand new data for the 6.5 Grendel and 6.5 Creedmoor, and updated propellant burn rate and usage charts.
