Best load for 6.5 creedmoor

[1911whore]

Just looking for some of your best loads for the 6.5 Creedmoor to shoot tight groups, not hunting loads

 

[skb720]

What is your rifle setup? Barrel length and twist rate? Define your "tight groups" and at what distances? What weight of projectile are you planning to load for?

 

[Deleted member 16735]

Single base extruded powder is key, the most popular being h4350. 41.5 grains of h4350 under a Berger 140 hybrid s the ultimate, Sierra's are also good, hormadys can be good and they're the best value

 

[Warpspeed]

Single base extruded powder is key, the most popular being h4350. 41.5 grains of h4350 under a Berger 140 hybrid s the ultimate, Sierra's are also good, hormadys can be good and they're the best value

^ This

My rifle likes the 142gr SMKs over H4350 but the Bergers are the go to for most people shooting 6.5 .

 

[Deleted member 16735]

Bergers are "the best" as far as quality control but also the most expensive, your rifle may be just fine with hornadys or hell even Barnes can be good they just aren't as consistent as Bergers.

 

[Scubabugdiver]

Powder H4350

Hornady 140gr eld match

41.5 grains

.020 off of jam

Bump the shoulder back. 002 and send it.

Get good brass ,lapua,starline, alpha.

At Cow Town in AZ last weekend I was smacking a 10” steel plate at 1000 yards and over again with this recipe.

 

[ocabj]

If you don't have power factor requirements, I prefer the Berger 130gr AR Hybrid Tactical OTM.

Bullet: Berger 6.5 130gr AR Hybrid OTM Tactical
Powder: 43.5gr Hodgdon H4350
Brass: Lapua
Primer: Wolf Small Rifle Magnum

Average: 2901.4 fps
High: 2913 fps
Low: 2895 fps
ES: 18 fps
SD: 5.6 fps


You can dial this back a half grain if you're getting pressure signs as 43.5gr H4350 is likely at the top end of max, or switch to a benchrest primer (CCI BR4) to shave 10-15fps. Those Wolf SRM are not even available in the US anymore.

Bullet: Berger 6.5 130gr AR Hybrid OTM Tactical
Powder: 43.0gr Hodgdon H4350
Brass: Lapua
Primer: Wolf Small Rifle Magnum

Average: 2872.6 fps
High: 2881 fps
Low: 2861 fps
ES: 20 fps
SD: 6.5 fps

 

[couragewolf]

Did anyone ask if this is for a gas or bolt gun cuz

 

[1911whore]

Did anyone ask if this is for a gas or bolt gun cuz

Bolt gun

 

[Deleted member 16735]

Bolt gun

What distance?

 

[1911whore]

Sh

What distance?

Shooting small groups on paper at 100-300yds and steel out to 1,000

 

[Deleted member 16735]

Sh

Shooting small groups on paper at 100-300yds and steel out to 1,000

So since you are shooting far you generally want to err on the side of higher Ballistic Coefficient bullets, the heavier and longer a bullet is per diameter the higher the BC. There's really no magic recipe as everyone's barrel is going to like different bullets, but you can use load data from Hodgdon to see your expected velocity and the plug in that with the specific bullet into a ballistic calculator like Hornady 4dof to see what it's going to look like at 1000 yards. The less drop and wind drift, the less error there will be built in on top of the other error you get from environmental factors. The higher the BC, the less drag the bullet will experience through it's travel and subsequently keep it's velocity higher for longer resulting in less drop and less wind drift at a specific distance vs a lower BC bullet. A typical precision load is going to be around 2750 for a 140 gr bullet in 6.5mm. That's about as fast as you want to go as any higher you will be over pressure, but all of that really depends on your specific rifle/barrel etc. The Hodgdon load data is based on a 24" barrel so if you have a 20 it's likely going to be 100 fps less than the load data at the same pressure, and vice versa a 30" barrel would be about 100 fps more. The best advice though that I wish I knew before loading is don't chase speed for no reason. It's ok to not be at super max pressure and velocity even if it looks better in the calculator. High pressure can introduce error from a number of factors and a consistent load will serve you much better, it will also save brass life and barrel life and use less powder, as well as keep the barrel cooler. Lots of people will literally ignore the load book data and just increase the load until their brass falls apart. This is completely unecessary, if you really need more speed you need a larger cartridge that can throw bullets faster without hitting pressure limits.

 

[couragewolf]

I hate to be this guy but friend you'd do well to spend a range day working up ladders of loads starting at whatever the safe specs are in your reloading manual and identify your particular rifles "nodes" and work your way up to the hottest node you're comfortable with safely shooting.

Once you find your hot node the highest BC pill you can also measure up your OGIVE and seat your rounds accordingly and you'll have removed all the variables and identified your rifles sweetspot. It's a days worth of work done right and you won't have to do it again probably until you've shot so much your barrel melts.

I do it with all my rifles.

 

[AR15barrels]

There's really no magic recipe as everyone's barrel is going to like different bullets,

41.5gr of H4350 with a 140-142gr match grade bullet seated about 0.020" off the lands is the magic recipe in a 22-26" barreled 6.5 Creedmoor.
If a rifle won't shoot that load into 1/3moa, there's a shooter or gun problem.

 

[couragewolf]

41.5gr of H4350 with a 140-142gr bullet seated about 0.020" off the lands is the magic recipe in a 22-26" barreled 6.5 Creedmoor.
If a rifle won't shoot that load into 1/3moa, there's a shooter or gun problem.

You say some stuff id normally internet hiss and spit at but as I read it I find myself appreciating that its most likely true

 

[Deleted member 16735]

41.5gr of H4350 with a 140-142gr bullet seated about 0.020" off the lands is the magic recipe in a 22-26" barreled 6.5 Creedmoor.
If a rifle won't shoot that load into 1/3moa, there's a shooter or gun problem.

To be fair that is the load I first mentioned in this thread, but it's true that a wide variety of loads will work in creedmoor, the 147-152s are also very nice. I've found I don't even have to be that close to the lands and I just load to magazine length.

 

[Punkur67]

Definitely run H4350. I have had a few friends try to reinvent the wheel but all ended up with H4350. Can you shoot other powder, sure, but the 6.5cm likes H4350. And I only run 130 and 140 bergers. My load is:

41.8 grains H4350
Berger 140 hybrid
Lapua brass
FGM SR primers
2868fps with single digit SDs

 

[1911whore]

Picked up some H4350, Hornady brass, federal match primers, cci primers, 142 SMK, 120 Hornady ELD and will snag some burgers.

Thank you all for the advice

 

[Deleted member 16735]

that'll work!