Asking for a friend… 
I just started working on loads for both my 6.5mm Creedmoor and 6mm Creedmoor.
Don’t know if I can provide much info or help, but I can try.
Yes sir.
Dumb luck perhaps, but I tried the same ammo I load for bolt guns- it shot just under MOA.
I’ve only shot to 600 with it, but it was still just under MOA.
Hornady brass, brass trimmed to 2.10”, CCI BR2, 140 ELD-M, COAL 2.815”.
Tried both RL16 and 17. Went with RL16 because of it’s reported temperature stability, we have extremes of temperature here. Loading 41.8 gr, SDs are 15±.
Not a hot load, velocity is 2730 FPS from 22” barrel.
Hope it works out for your friend.
Thanks. We might be experimenting with a load/barrel soon… just want to get any tips that we can.
We have H4350, which is supposed to be good 6.5 powder, so I hear.
Mark, Don said he is loading 40 grains H4350 , FGGM primers , 140 ELD , Horndog brass.
PB
4350 appears to be the “go to” powder for 6.5 PB.
The load you referenced seems a bit low from all I’ve read.
Here’s sample link: http://www.65creedmoor.com/index.php?topic=7369.0
I just did some ladder testing for my Aero based 6.5 Creedmoor. This is from a 22" Rainier Ultramatch barrel with a rifle length gas system and SLR Sentry 9 adjustable gas block.
I worked up from the middle of the charge range to the max charge published in the Hornady manual for H4350 using a 147gr ELD Match. Actually, I went .1 grain over the max. Charges were 38.6gr - 40.4gr. Primers I used were CCI 200’s.The brass was twice fired Hornady sized with the shoulder being bumped back .004. The cases were trimmed to 1.910 and projectiles seated for a COAL of 2.795. I haven’t checked the distance to the lands yet. This was just looking for the starting group. As charge weights increased, there was some flattening of primers and some slight cratering. No swipes were encountered. I use a standard 308 bolt, not one of the HP offerings. Maybe I’ll change it out at some point.
For my rifle, the 38.6gr produced the smallest group. I went ahead and loaded up some more tests using 38.6gr to test repeatability.
Performance wasn’t bad. Average velocity was 2543 fps. Brass and primers were all in good shape. Given the atmospherics (93° F/59% H, 30.02 in Hg ) JBM showed max range at just below 1400 yds. SD was a little high, but I’m thinking the rounds were getting heated in the chamber. My reasoning was there was an increase in velocity when I took longer to take following shots. I have some more work to do with this load. I am thinking of trying some of the Alliant powders since some have posted interesting results. Bolt gun may be able to mess with more and wring some more out of it.
These are the results:
It boggles my mind how the ballistics of the 6.5 are so impressive. How these low velocities shoot so far. I mean 2500 fps range and hitting 1,400 range. I guess my 300 would go a mile, I just dont have a mile to shoot it.
gaijin, thanks for the link, interesting link. With lot variation in powders, its all about a decent starting point and working up. We will let you know how it turns out next week.
PB
Agreed. 6mm Creedmoor looks promising too. Smallest group on the ladder was produced using 1 gr more powder than the 6.5 load. This pushed a 108 ELD Match around 500 fps faster. Ballistics for it with the same conditions (both shot within an hour of each other) show it with similar distances. Rifle is almost the same configuration.
I’ll do repeatability tests on it next range trip, but I’ll tweak that powder charge a little too see if the group comes in a little more. It was in sub moa at 100, but not as tight as the 6.5.
Most of what I have seen is H4340 (around 39 grains) under a 140 ELD Match using CCI BR primers. I have a bunch of the Hornady Match factory ammo but once shot up going to run my own loads.
Good thread here though, would like to see some real wolrld results posted.
Pappabear bought a bunch of Hornady ammo for the brass too. We’ll be shooting both factory and handloads soon.
Factory Hornady shot lights out for me but was slow.
Bought some initially for the brass.
Look forward to your results.
I’ve shot several hundred factory Hornady rounds. It all shot pretty well. Velocities were around the same as my loads or sometimes a little higher by 25-40 fps faster.
The thing I noticed was primer craters. Some would have bad ones and others none. This was the same for Hunter and/or Match. The American Gunner by Hornady has been very consistent and shot well. It is 140 gr BTHP.
The same primer results occurred with factory ammo in my 6mm Creedmoor.
I have to find it again, but I think RL16, RL17 and RL26 have been used. I could be wrong on the RL26 though, I believe most of the loads were used in bolt guns. From what I remember, RL17 is not as temperature stable as H4350.
So, at 100 yrds, if one has a load that runs a leisurely pace but hits in the .3 MOA group size, and another load that is a rocket but hits .6 MOA, which is the preferred load for the 1,000 yd shot?
Or, stated another way, should one concede 3 inches of group size at 1,000 yds to save 20+/- inches of wind deflection or elevation?
We would. The hotter the berry, the sweeter the juice.
I took the smaller group. The change in velocity in my testing was around 60 fps min to max charge of my testing range. Even the change in velocity for the full range of charge weights is 300 fps.
Max effective distance for my lower load is still plenty far for me. The increase in velocity will have more energy at distance, but the lower charge beats the brass less as well as the weapon itself.
I won’t mention the shooter, I’m old and don’t care for recoil… but in all reality any of the 6’s I have aren’t heavy on recoil.
Which to choose is up to the shooter. I’m happy with the performance of the charge I went with for the reasons I’ve listed. It’s preference, a person’s choice for them is not right or wrong and I’m sure my choice is not right or wrong for me. Although… if you asked my a wife I’m sure ya’ll can guess what she’d say.
I’m interested in playing with this round. We’ve usually had good luck with a hot load also being pretty accurate.
I do have to admit that our house .223 77 gr target load is not very hot… so we’ll see what Pappa’s barrel wants/likes.
Sounds good. Looking forward to seeing your results.
I have 100 rounds of premium 143 ELD’ , factory fodder. I’m going to buy a can of the American gunner for mass reloading brass.
Mid south , or I should say I doubled ordered my bullets , so I have about 2 years of bullets. 140 and 143 ELD’s.
I’m just about ready to work some loads up for my bolt gun (browning X-bolt). Hornady Precision Hunter 143gr ELD-X was .60 moa out of the box for me. Also tried the cheapo S&B 140 FMJ which was around moa. I’m curious if the ELD-X or ELD-M stuff feeds well out of the magazine for you semi-auto guys at factory SAAMI seating depth. My mag can fit up to 2.889 COAL which also happens to be where it touches the lands. ELD-X shot fantastic with the jump from 2.808 factory COAL though.
Next on the list to try is American Gunner 140gr and 147gr ELD-M.
I may be crazy, but I love ball powder for ease of measurement. So Ramshot hunter is going to be my first attempted powder.
Also H4350 is nearly unobtanium locally. Too many 6.5creed bros around here.