6.5 creedmoor

Cheers for all the help and advice guys, sorry muir but I'm with RPA 6mm br on that one, if that was the case we all might aswell just throw are coal gauges away and just load what it says on the box, after all who want to spend ££££'s on a custom made rifle and then just run factory ammo through it

I would if I had easy access to 260 Rem ammunition and I don't bother to reload 308 Win at present. Regards JCS
 
Why would any home loader want to duplicate any factory load..... or am i missing something?
There was a time when I would NEVER consider shooting factory ammunition in my rifles, and frankly, I still don't shoot it other than the odd box of bargain .223 or 300 Blackout. I simply can't afford to feed my rifles at the rate I consume ammunition. If I could, I probably would unless there was a load that absolutely couldn't be had over the counter, or there was the unlikely happenstance that NO factory ammunition shot well in my rifle. The truth of the matter is that factory ammunition from a reputable maker is generally quite good. It has to be or it won't sell. In the case of the 6.5CM, as Laurie mentioned, the chamber spec was developed specifically around that Hornady factory round, using equipment that you and I probably don't have in our loading rooms, by people who make their living engineering cartridges. I don't own a 6.5CM yet (I have one coming) but I shoot with three people who do. They are handloaders but have no problem shooting factory ammunition in their rifles and indeed, usually keep a box around to use as a benchmark load if they suspect something might be amiss. One of my friends shot his new Ruger Predator in 6.5 the other evening, fresh from the box, and was dropping factory rounds into a half MOA from a bipod rest. The load is listed on the box and his handloads will probably follow those specs exactly. His other 6.5CM will sometimes get fliers with the AMax so he loads the Sierra 142 Match King over the same charge -but in this instance, a "flier" means "not in the same little hole as the other 9 rounds." I'm talking opening up a 1/4MOA to half MOA @ 200 yards. Like all of us, he wants fliers gone so he has tweaked his load to the Sierra pill. Would he hesitate to use the factory Hornady round knowing that he will get only half MOA? I doubt it.

I wrote that I try to duplicate factory ammo every time I get to the loading bench. What I meant was that I try to duplicate the engineering that goes into the load: A well balanced, consistent, useful load that will work well in a number of rifles of the same chambering. That is the other facet: I have more than one rifle in a given chambering (I have 5 three-oh-eights) so I build my ammunition with an eye towards interchangeability much as the factory does. For example, I load a 168 grain A-Max in small-base, full length resized cases, trimmed to exactly the same length, primer pockets prepped, charged, the bullet seated to listed OAL, and crimped.This load functions flawlessly and shoots to varying degrees of sub MOA from three of my 308's; a Savage Long Range Hunter, a Ruger Precision Rifle, and a 25 year old Winchester Model 70 hunting rifle. It is my long range 308 load for the RPR and will screw bullets into a single ragged hole at 100M when I don't mess up. The 'worst' accuracy is from my 1-11" twist Savage. It shoots about 7/8 MOA but it isn't fond of A-Max and likes the Sierra 155 MK's better. Still, it's good enough for busting steel plates at 700 yards. This 308 load is one of my favorites and I have yet to find a rifle that will not shoot it well. It even functions in my DPMS 308 AR-10 and shoots as well as my eyes will allow with iron sights.

It takes a while to assemble this ammunition and I take great care in its construction. Making accurate ammunition for one specific rifle is easy. Making ammunition that will function, and be accurate in a multitude of rifles of the same chambering is a little more challenging. That's why I give a lot of respect to factory ammunition.~Muir
 
Last edited:
An addendum to the thread.

I had the opportunity to go out shooting with my buddy and his Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5 CM today. We shot from 250 to 1000 yards, spending most of the day enjoying the sunshine and cursing the shifting winds that criss-crossed the canyons we were shooting through. In this Ruger, my friend was shooting his home loads which are the Hornady published load except that he he substitutes a Sierra 140 grain for the A-MAX. Using the sight settings obtained with these loads he switched to Hornady A-Max Factory loads and got first round hits on all but, iirc, the 800 yard plate when the wind quit. He then shot some Winchester Match 6.5 CM that is loaded, according to Winchester, to Hornady's load. It has a bullet much like the Sierra. Again, using the same settings that his handloads and the Hornady Factory ammo share, he made 1st round hits on all the targets. He let me try his RPR with this Winchester ammo on a 7" x 13" plate at 500 yards and I centered 3 of 5 on the plate in shifting, gusty winds. If there is anything second rate about this ammo I couldn't detect it....

So the question: Are his handloads as good as factory ammo? or is the factory ammo as good as his handloads?? Take it as you will but it's a remarkable circumstance that pretty much emphasizes the goal set by the folks at Hornady in their 6.5 CM development. As I mentioned earlier, you don't need to search for starting load for the Creedmoor. Just start with the load listed on the box and be happy. That's what I'll be doing when my rifle arrives.~Muir

PS: An interesting stat: 19% of all the PRS circuit match competitors shoot nothing but factory ammo....
 
With respect, whilst it's quite obvious that you have a great understanding of loading/ballistics (almost certainly a better knowledge of such than i have) i still stand by my comment and believe that a tailored homeload will outperform a 'standard/genetic offering. I also couldn't give a toss how amusing you find my user name! So i have made a reference to a 6mmBR, so what? In no way does that title imply i am a target shooter/expert, i merely love the cartridge for general sporting use! Please don't assume in life as you may know about rifle ballistics but you know nothing about me!

Shooters who enter the market today have little understanding of how difficult it was to get good off the shelf ammo. I started reloading during the 80s here in Australia ('the back of beyond' for gun sales) and factory ammo was 'good' if it printed sub 2 MOA.
So we hand-loaded and 'worked up' loads carefully to meet the rifle and conditions.
Today however the technology used in manufacturing has come a long way and consistency is far better, I can get 1/2 MOA with Norma .223 ammo all day. I'm for once in my life questioning whether I really need to reload for this particular rifle at all considering how often it is used.

PS: I think that my 6mm BR F Class rifle (apart from the weight and bulk) was the best roo rifle I've ever owned.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top