A while back, our friend Bill Marr of Rifleshooter.com conducted a fascinating 6mm Creedmoor barrel cut-down test that reveals how velocity changes with barrel length. This time Bill started with a 24″ Proof Research stainless steel barrel on a Howa action. Bill says this was a well-used barrel, with over 1800 rounds through it. So, the velocities might be a bit different than a new barrel of similar length. Bill cut the barrel down in one-inch increments. Here are some results from the test:
For this latest test, Rifleshooter cut the barrel in one-inch increments from 24″ to 16.1″ (just over legal minimum). Velocities were measured with a MagnetoSpeed V3 chronograph mounted on arm attached to the stock. This allowed the chrono to be adjusted inwards as the barrel was cut shorter, inch by inch.
For the 6mm Creedmoor cartridge, Bill loaded Hornady 108gr ELD Match bullets over 41.5 grains of Hodgdon H4350 with CCI 200 primers in new Starline brass.
The results were interesting to say the least. Bill reports: “Muzzle velocities ranged from 2,893 ft/sec at 24″ to 2,598 ft/sec at 16″ for a decrease in muzzle velocity of 295 ft/sec. Muzzle velocity changes per inch of barrel length ranged from 6 ft/sec per inch between 20 and 19 inches to 63 ft/sec per inch between 19 and 18 inches. Average velocity change per inch of barrel length was 37.9 ft/sec.”
Bill concludes: “An average drop of 37.9 ft/sec/inch of barrel is fairly significant and is what would be expected with a fast moving 6mm cartridge like the 6mm Creedmoor. While I’m used to seeing 6mm Creedmoors with slightly longer barrel lengths than 24″, when coupled with a sound suppressor the additional length can make moving the rifle quickly more difficult.
I’d suggest staying with longer barrel lengths wherever possible with this cartridge. At shorter lengths, it does give up more performance than its big brother the 6.5 Creedmoor.”
More 6mm Creedmoor Velocity Data from 2017 Cut-Down Test
If you’re curious about 6mm Creedmoor velocities at longer barrel lengths, back in 2017 Rifleshooter completed a 6mm Creedmoor barrel cut-down test from 31 inches all the way down to 17 inches. The test included four bullet types from 95 grains to 110 grains. With the 110gr Sierra MK, velocity at 31″ was an impressive 3110 fps. Surprisingly the velocity didn’t decrease that much for the first few inches. Even at 26″ (a five-inch reduction), measured velocity with the 110s was 3073 fps, a loss of 7.4 fps per inch on average. With a barrel shortened all the way to 20″ however, velocity had dropped down to 2949 fps, a significant (161 fps) loss. CLICK HERE for complete results from that 31″-17″ Barrel Cut-Down Test.
Jason Baney was one of the “founding fathers” of this website when we started out as 6mmBR.com 18 years ago. A few seasons back, Jason created an interesting wildcat, a mid-sized 7mm cartridge based on the 6.5×47 Lapua case. In this report, Jason (who now works at Eurooptic.com) talks about his 7×47 wildcat and his initial velocity (and feasibility) tests. To determine the 7×47’s velocity potential, Jason did a multi-stage test, cutting a barrel in two-inch increments. This process is illustrated in a video, embedded below.
You may be surprised that the little 7×47 cartridge could drive a 180gr Berger Hybrid at 2770+ FPS with a 32″ barrel and Reloder 17. Max Velocity with H4350 (and 32″ barrel) was roughly 70 FPS slower. With a 24″ barrel length, the 7×47 was still able to propel the 180gr Hybrids over 2600 FPS with H4350. That’s impressive performance for a mid-sized cartridge pushing a very big bullet.
7×47 Lapua Wildcat — Great Accuracy and Surprising Velocity
By Jason Baney, Eurooptic.com
The biggest enemy in long-range shooting is wind. This also happens to be the hardest to gauge and predict. The only way mere mortals can attempt to defeat the wind demons is to shoot a cartridge with the most ballistic efficiency, yet maintain a user-friendly combination of recoil and component consumption as well as performance on target.
The 7mm bullets tend to yield the best compromise of all of these aspects. Their BC-to-weight ratio is outstanding and 7mm bullets provide sufficient impact energy for most situations. In addition to that, the recoil of 7mm bullets can be more manageable than heavier/larger .30 and .338 caliber projectiles.
In cartridge design, of course you want the best case possible. Having used the 6.5×47 Lapua since its release in 2006, I felt this cartridge was the perfect choice to start with as I wanted a true short-action non-magnum round that gave the least possible wind drift to 1000 yards. The 6.5×47 parent case also allowed seating of the heavy 180gr class bullets completely out in the neck yet it maintained an overall length that would actually work in a factory Remington short action magazine.
The 6.5×47 brass from Lapua is as good as it gets and is a very efficient case. The small primer pocket has been a proven winner so no need to change anything. This combination has always given reliable precision and extremely tight velocity spreads.
So here I was, ready to expand a 6.5×47 Lapua to 7mm but a web search revealed no info on a 7×47 wildcat, so test loads would be based purely on an educated guess. My initial assessment/prediction was that heavier 180gr bullets in the larger 7mm caliber would end up at a max load very close to a 140gr bullet in the parent 6.5 caliber. This actually turned out to be a very accurate assumption.
The performance goal of this cartridge was to get a 180gr Berger Hybrid moving at 2720 FPS or faster to be able to shoot inside of a 6.5mm 140gr Berger Hybrid at 2900 FPS. (That 2900 speed is what I was able to achieve with the standard 6.5×47 Lapua). I also planned to try the 168gr VLD as well as the 180gr Lapua Scenar and 162gr Amax, but the specific goal was the beat the 6.5 140gr bullets at 2900 FPS. I believed the 180 Hybrid at 2720 FPS would be the easiest way to accomplish this.
Here are Summary Test Results for H4350 and Reloder 17 for 180s, and IMR 8208 for the 168s. Speeds were clocked by two chronographs at nine (9) barrel lengths, 32″ to 16.1″.
Since this cartridge was a complete unknown I thought it would be quite interesting to see what the 7×47 could achieve at various barrel lengths from very long to very short. We wanted to see which length would best suit the bullet/cartridge combination for max performance. Obviously testing 8-10 barrels at different lengths would be pointless due to natural performance variations between barrels, not to mention expensive and wasteful. I decided instead to attempt a fairly radical test and cut a barrel from 32″ down the 16.1” while chronographing the same loads along the way to see what each combination delivered at the different lengths.
Before I could get started of course a reamer and dies and a few other parts were needed. Dave Kiff at Pacific Tool and Gauge was excited to get going on the project so soon after our phone conversation my one of a kind reamer arrived. Since I had been using Forster dies in the 6mmx47 Lapua and 6.5×47 for all these years, I contacted my friend Bob Ruch at Forster and he was willing to make me a few sets of special dies for the project. Lapua of course provided some brass for the project and Rock Creek Barrels sent a beautiful 1:8.7″-twist 5R barrel blank as a sacrificial lamb. The gunsmith I chose for the chamber job on this project needed to be a tactical long range rifle shooter to appreciate the capability of the round all the way down to its 16.1” barrel length so I asked my good friend Wade Stuteville from Stuteville Precision to help me out.
The rifle I selected for the test was Accuracy International’s new AT rifle. This rifle is basically an overhauled and updated AI AW with a quick user-changeable barrel. I can literally change a barrel in 1 minute or less. The machining they have done to give this function was quite simple and brilliant in the way it retains the barrel yet allows the release quickly and with only a 4mm Allen wrench. This would make the test that I contrived go very smoothly as no major tools were needed.
My goal was to use as many different load combos for the test as I could without making it extremely cumbersome to complete. I wanted to test at least the 180 and 168 Berger as well as a couple different powders representing different burn rates to get an all-around feel for how the cartridge would behave at the different lengths. From previous experience with the 6.5×47, the best powder choices were Hodgdon H4350 and Alliant Reloder 17 (RL17) so these would be the main players. I also picked IMR 8208, Varget, and VV N550 to cover the spectrum of acceptable burn rates. Also, my standard CCI 450 primer was used as that has been successful for me in the 6mmBR and 6.5×47 since 2006 as they are incredibly consistent, however they are also better able to take high pressures without blanking. After picking the powders, I first ran ladder tests to assess max loads in the long 32” barrel.
Velocity Study — Chopping the Barrel from 32″ to 16.1″
Laying out the test actually took a bit of bit of mental gymnastics to provide randomness. The barrel was to be cut in 2” increments from 32” down to a final of 16.1”. Each length was actually pre-scored by Wade to make cutting easier to start and was actually 1/8” long at each mark so when I finally ended up at 16 1/8”, I was able to have the barrel re-crowned without going below legal length.
Six loads were assembled using the five powders mentioned above and two bullets (Berger 168gr VLD and 180gr Hybrid). Each set of rounds to be fired at each cut was predetermined and laid out so that the same load never preceded nor followed another more than once. Reloder 17 and H4350 loads were fired at each cut, while the four others were fired at every-other cut to keep the round count under 200. Twenty rounds (4 loads times 5 rounds each) were fired at each cut from 32” down to 18” and at the final 16.1” length each of the six loads was fired. That is a total of 190 test rounds. The barrel was cleaned before firing at the 24” length and before firing at the 16.1” length. After cleaning each time I fired two rounds of the next load as fouling shots to normalize velocities.
The rifle was fitted with a 3” fore-end attachment and fired from my 40-lb front rest for 1000-yard benchrest competition with a rear bunny-ear bag. Throughout the test, the rifle never changed its position — though the muzzle did retreat 2” with every cut. I used two chronographs for the test. An Oehler 35P was placed 10 feet from the original 32” muzzle and a Magnetospeed V3 was attached on the muzzle (at all barrel lengths down to 16.1 inches.)
After every round of firing, the barrel was removed and we poured cold water on the exterior only and wrapped a wet towel around it to speed cooling. While the barrel was cooling we used a couple C-clamps and a 2×4 to create an impromptu barrel vice to hold it while we were cutting. While it was clamped, we used a simple hacksaw to cut off two inches and crowned the barrel with an RCBS deburring tool for a nice finish. It took an average of two minutes to cut through the barrel at each length.
OBSERVATIONS:
Throughout the test, the rifle lost 3.2 lbs on its way to 16.1 inches. The recoil and muzzle blast increased dramatically from 32″ down to 16.1″. Groups on target were actually quite impressive given that we were not really trying for absolute precision and we had rough-cut crowns. Many groups formed one large hole and several were half-MOA or better – even at the final 16.1″ length.
Each load lost between 12.25-16.8 FPS per inch (loss per inch – LPI) over the entire test, though the rate of the loss varied by the burn rate of the powder and by barrel length. Generally below the 24” barrel length the LPI accelerated rapidly. Initial LPI at the longest lengths was 0-10 FPS, while the loss per inch at the shortest lengths were much higher at 30-55 FPS!
In general I did not quite achieve the velocity I was hoping for, but am very close and intend to test longer throats and different throat geometry to get where I want to be. Below I will break the attainable performance down into 3 barrel lengths for consideration in different disciplines.
APPLICATION ONE: 28-30” Barrel for 1000-Yard Benchrest:
Since I am close to or past my target velocity at the longer lengths (above 2720 FPS with the 180gr Berger Hybrid), I intend to barrel a 1000-yard Benchrest rifle in this caliber and give it an honest try in 1K benchrest. I feel that, with a 28-30″ barrel length, my goal will be attainable and it will pull away from 6.5mm class rounds in the wind drift department. While there will be a slight recoil increase, in a 17-lb rifle it is not a concern. There will also surely be a significant gain in useful barrel life as well.
Our friend Bill Marr of Rifleshooter.com has done it again — conducted a fascinating 6mm Creedmoor barrel cut-down test that reveals how velocity changes with barrel length. This time Bill started with a 24″ Proof Research stainless steel barrel on a Howa action. Bill says this was a well-used barrel, with over 1800 rounds through it. So, the velocities might be a bit different than a new barrel of similar length. Bill cut the barrel down in one-inch increments. Here are some results from the test:
For this latest test, Rifleshooter cut the barrel in one-inch increments from 24″ to 16.1″ (just over legal minimum). Velocities were measured with a MagnetoSpeed V3 chronograph mounted on arm attached to the stock. This allowed the chrono to be adjusted inwards as the barrel was cut shorter, inch by inch.
For the 6mm Creedmoor cartridge, Bill loaded Hornady 108gr ELD Match bullets over 41.5 grains of Hodgdon H4350 with CCI 200 primers in new Starline brass.
The results were interesting to say the least. Bill reports: “Muzzle velocities ranged from 2,893 ft/sec at 24″ to 2,598 ft/sec at 16″ for a decrease in muzzle velocity of 295 ft/sec. Muzzle velocity changes per inch of barrel length ranged from 6 ft/sec per inch between 20 and 19 inches to 63 ft/sec per inch between 19 and 18 inches. Average velocity change per inch of barrel length was 37.9 ft/sec.”
Bill concludes: “An average drop of 37.9 ft/sec/inch of barrel is fairly significant and is what would be expected with a fast moving 6mm cartridge like the 6mm Creedmoor. While I’m used to seeing 6mm Creedmoors with slightly longer barrel lengths than 24″, when coupled with a sound suppressor the additional length can make moving the rifle quickly more difficult.
I’d suggest staying with longer barrel lengths wherever possible with this cartridge. At shorter lengths, it does give up more performance than its big brother the 6.5 Creedmoor.”
More 6mm Creedmoor Velocity Data from 2017 Cut-Down Test
If you’re curious about 6mm Creedmoor velocities at longer barrel lengths, back in 2017 Rifleshooter completed a 6mm Creedmoor barrel cut-down test from 31 inches all the way down to 17 inches. The test included four bullet types from 95 grains to 110 grains. With the 110gr Sierra MK, velocity at 31″ was an impressive 3110 fps. Surprisingly the velocity didn’t decrease that much for the first few inches. Even at 26″ (a five-inch reduction), measured velocity with the 110s was 3073 fps, a loss of 7.4 fps per inch on average. With a barrel shortened all the way to 20″ however, velocity had dropped down to 2949 fps, a significant (161 fps) loss. CLICK HERE for complete results from that 31″-17″ Barrel Cut-Down Test.
A couple seasons back, Bill did a fascinating barrel cut-down test on a .338 Lapua Magnum rifle. Bill, a skilled gunsmith who runs 782 Custom Gunworks, cut down the barrel from 30″ to 17″ in one-inch increments. During the cut-down process, Marr measured velocities at each barrel length, shooting four rounds after each cut. As you’d expect, there was a huge change in velocity from long to short. Speeds were measured at the muzzle with a Magnetospeed barrel-mounted chronograph.
If you’re looking for max velocity with the .338 LM, go long. With 250-grain Sierra MK bullets, the peak velocity Bill measured was 2942 FPS at the full, 30-inch length. This decreased pretty steadily down to 2547 GPS at the shortest 17″ length. That’s an average decrease of 30.4 FPS per inch from 30″ to 17″.
Bill also tested 300-grain Sierra MatchKings. This is interesting because Randy Wise ran 300-grain bullets (Berger Hybrids) in a 26″ factory barrel for his ELR record. Peak velocity was 2833 FPS at 30″, 2799 FPS at 26″, and 2492 FPS at the shortest 17″ length. Interestingly, velocity at 29″ was higher than at 30″ for the 300-grainers. Bill notes: “The 300 SMK load showed a slight increase from 30 to 29″. I’ve recorded this in other tests and it seems to be more common with a heavier load. I suspect it is primarily due to the small sample sizes being used along with the relative proximity of muzzle velocities in adjacent lengths.”
At each new (shorter) barrel length, velocity was measured with a MagnetoSpeed chronograph using two different loads, 250gr SMKs with H4831sc and 300gr SMKs with Retumbo. Four shots were fired at each length with each load, a total of 112 rounds.
Load #1: 250gr Sierra MK, Lapua brass, CCI #250 primer, H4831SC, OAL 3.720″.
Load #2: 300gr Sierra MK, Lapua brass, Win WLRM primer, Retumbo, OAL 3.720″.
.338 LM Barrel Cut-Down Test Results Summary
.338 Lapua Magnum with 250gr Sierra MatchKings
After shortening the barrel from 30″ to 17″, total velocity reduction for the 250-grainers was 395 FPS, an average loss of 30.4 FPS per 1″ cut. The amount of velocity loss per inch rose as the barrel got shorter, with the biggest speed reduction, a loss of 55 FPS, coming with the cut from 18″ to 17″.
Start Velocity: 2942 FPS | End Velocity: 2547 FPS | Average Loss Per Inch: 30.4 FPS
Our friend Bill Marr of Rifleshooter.com has done it again — conducted a fascinating 6mm Creedmoor barrel cut-down test that reveals how velocity changes with barrel length. This time Bill started with a 24″ Proof Research stainless steel barrel on a Howa action. Bill says this was a well-used barrel, with over 1800 rounds through it. So, the velocities might be a bit different than a new barrel of similar length. Bill cut the barrel down in one-inch increments. Here are some results from the test:
For this latest test, Rifleshooter cut the barrel in one-inch increments from 24″ to 16.1″ (just over legal minimum). Velocities were measured with a MagnetoSpeed V3 chronograph mounted on arm attached to the stock. This allowed the chrono to be adjusted inwards as the barrel was cut shorter, inch by inch.
For the 6mm Creedmoor cartridge, Bill loaded Hornady 108gr ELD Match bullets over 41.5 grains of Hodgdon H4350 with CCI 200 primers in new Starline brass.
The results were interesting to say the least. Bill reports: “Muzzle velocities ranged from 2,893 ft/sec at 24″ to 2,598 ft/sec at 16″ for a decrease in muzzle velocity of 295 ft/sec. Muzzle velocity changes per inch of barrel length ranged from 6 ft/sec per inch between 20 and 19 inches to 63 ft/sec per inch between 19 and 18 inches. Average velocity change per inch of barrel length was 37.9 ft/sec.”
Bill concludes: “An average drop of 37.9 ft/sec/inch of barrel is fairly significant and is what would be expected with a fast moving 6mm cartridge like the 6mm Creedmoor. While I’m used to seeing 6mm Creedmoors with slightly longer barrel lengths than 24″, when coupled with a sound suppressor the additional length can make moving the rifle quickly more difficult.
I’d suggest staying with longer barrel lengths wherever possible with this cartridge. At shorter lengths, it does give up more performance than its big brother the 6.5 Creedmoor.”
More 6mm Creedmoor Velocity Data from 2017 Cut-Down Test
If you’re curious about 6mm Creedmoor velocities at longer barrel lengths, back in 2017 Rifleshooter completed a 6mm Creedmoor barrel cut-down test from 31 inches all the way down to 17 inches. The test included four bullet types from 95 grains to 110 grains. With the 110gr Sierra MK, velocity at 31″ was an impressive 3110 fps. Surprisingly the velocity didn’t decrease that much for the first few inches. Even at 26″ (a five-inch reduction), measured velocity with the 110s was 3073 fps, a loss of 7.4 fps per inch on average. With a barrel shortened all the way to 20″ however, velocity had dropped down to 2949 fps, a significant (161 fps) loss. CLICK HERE for complete results from that 31″-17″ Barrel Cut-Down Test.
With barrels, one wonders “Can a little more length provide a meaningful velocity gain?” To answer that question, Rifleshooter.com performed an interesting test, cutting a .308 Win barrel from 28″ all the way down to 16.5″. The cuts were made in one-inch intervals with a rotary saw. At each cut length, velocity was measured with a Magnetospeed chronograph. To make the test even more interesting, four different types of .308 Win factory ammunition were chronographed at each barrel length.
Test Barrel Lost 22.7 FPS Per Inch (.308 Win Chambering)
How much velocity do you think was lost, on average, for each 1″ reduction in barrel length? The answer may surprise you. With a barrel reduction from 28″ to 16.5″, the average speed loss of the four types of .308 ammo was 261 fps total. That works out to an average loss of 22.7 fps per inch. This chart shows velocity changes for all four ammo varieties:
Summary of Findings: The average velocity loss per inch, for all four ammo types combined, was 22.7 FPS. By ammo type, the average loss per inch was: 24.6 (Win 147 FMJ), 22.8 (IMI 150 FMJ), 20.9 (Fed GMM 168gr), and 22.5 (Win 180PP).
Interestingly, these numbers jive pretty well with estimates found in reloading manuals. The testers observed: “The Berger Reloading manual says for the 308 Winchester, ‘muzzle velocity will increase (or decrease) by approximately 20 fps per inch from a standard 24″ barrel’.”
How the Test Was Done
The testers described their procedure as follows: “Ballistic data was gathered using a Magnetospeed barrel mounted ballistic chronograph. At each barrel length, the rifle was fired from a front rest with rear bags, with five rounds of each type of ammunition. Average velocity and standard deviation were logged for each round. Since we would be gathering data on 52 different barrel length and ammunition combinations and would not be crowning the barrel after each cut, we decided to eliminate gathering data on group sizes. Once data was gathered for each cartridge at a given barrel length, the rifle was cleared and the bolt was removed. The barrel was cut off using a cold saw. The test protocol was repeated for the next length. Temperature was 47° F.”
CLICK HERE to Read the Rifleshooter.com Test. This includes detailed charts with inch-by-inch velocity numbers, multiple line charts, and complete data sets for each type of ammo. Rifleshooter.com also offers ballistics graphs showing trajectories with different barrel lengths. All in all, this was a very thorough test by the folks at RifleShooter.com.
Much Different Results with 6mmBR and a Longer Barrel
The results from Rifleshooter.com’s .308 barrel cut-down test are quite different than the results we recorded some years ago with a barrel chambered for the 6mmBR cartridge. When we cut our 6mmBR barrel down from 33″ to 28″, we only lost about 8 FPS per inch. Obviously this is a different cartridge type, but also our 6mmBR barrel end length was 5″ longer than Rifleshooter.com’s .308 Win start length. Velocity loss can be more extreme with shorter barrel lengths (and bigger cartridges). Powder burn rates can also make a difference.
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For this latest test, Rifleshooter cut the barrel in one-inch increments from 24″ to 16.1″ (just over legal minimum). Velocities were measured with a MagnetoSpeed V3 chronograph mounted on arm attached to the stock. This allowed the chrono to be adjusted inwards as the barrel was cut shorter, inch by inch.
