Bullets for 6.5 Creedmoor

J

jetinteriorguy

New member
I am looking for suggestions on bullets that will work with the following powders that I have available for my new to me 6.5 Creedmoor. IMR4064, IMR4350, RE15, and RE17. Thanks.
 
What's your rifle & twist rate?
Just starting to reload 6.5 CM myself. I'm starting with 130gr ELD and RL-17. I'm going to also try 140gr though. I'm shooting a Stealth 24" barrel, 1:8 twist .... it might do better with the heavier bullet.

My backup powder is H4350.
 
if you are looking for target ammo the Sierra 123 gr has a BC of .520 and the 140 gr has a BC of .535. I shoot a 260 Rem with a 1 - 8 twist and it handles both well, also likes IMR 4350 and Varget for what it is worth
 
I have loaded for two different rifles in 6.5 CM with 1:8 twist barrels with IMR4350, IMR4064 and VV N150. I haven't tried R-17 yet because IMR4350 is working so well.

One is a Savage 12 LRP precision rifle with a 26 inch barrel with an HS Precision stock and precision accu-trigger set at 1 lb. 3 oz.
The other is a Savage 10T-SR with a 24 inch barrel with an accu-stock and a regular accu-trigger set at 2 lb. 3 oz.
I bought the cheaper 10T-SR because I wanted a cheaper rifle to develop loads with after shooting 290 groups through the 12 LRP.

So far the 12 LRP shoots the following Powder/bullet combinations (average of group sizes in best to worst order):
Best Powder/Bullet combo averages 0.172 and the worst averages 0.342.
Total groups measured equals 290.
IMR4350 140 gr Berger Hybrid # 26414
IMR4350 140 gr Hornady ELD Match # 26331
IMR4350 142 Sierra SMK # 1742
IMR 4350 140 Berger Long Range # 26409
N150 140 Berger Match #26401
IMR4350 140 Sierra SMK # 1740
IMR4350 140 Berger Match #26401
IMR4064 142 Sierra SMK # 1742
N150 140 gr Berger Hybrid # 26414
IMR4350 123 Sierra SMK # 1727
N150 142 Sierra SMK # 1742
IMR4350 143 Hornady ELD-X #2635
N150 140 Berger Long Range # 26409
N150 140 Sierra SMK # 1740

The 10T-SR is new and has just a few loads down range so far in this order of average accuracy:
Best powder bullet combo averages 0.203 and the worst averages 0.332.
Total groups measured equals 28.
IMR4350 143 Hornady ELD-X #2635
IMR4350 130 Sierra Tipped Match King # 7430
IMR4350 142 Sierra SMK # 1742
IMR4350 140 Sierra SMK # 1740

I have concluded that the most consistent results so far have come from IMR4350 across the bullets used to date.
I hope this helps.
 
Thanks all, great stuff. My rifle is a Savage 12fv with a 1:8 right twist and a 26" heavy varmint barrel. Hey Rimfire5, I too live in NOVA.
 
I also have large primer brass and am wondering if any particular primer works best with these powders. I.E. what brand, whether magnum or regular etc. Right now I have CCI regular and magnum, and Winchester regular on hand. Thanks.
 
I use IMR4064 behind Nosler 100 gr Ballistic Tips and R17 behind 120 gr Nosler BT's. My rifle is a 260, but there's no practical diff between that and the 6.5. Primers are all CCI BR2. Brass is Lapua. For what it's worth, I'd as soon use H4350 as R17, but had plenty R17 already. And I hear good things about R16 in that caliber.
 
Interesting thread. I just finished building my Aero AR10 6.5 CM with a 22" ARP barrel. I've got Varget and H4350 plus some Starline and Lapua brass. Will be loading for it tomorrow.
 
Im currently working up loads for the 140 grn Accubond for my Creemoor.
Rl19 has been good, but Im moving to slower powders as we speak.
I have some loads ready for the range but havent got a chance to try them, using N160, and Magpro...
 
Hornady 147 any 140 grain or more shoot great in my Savage LRP love Sierra 142 MK. 123 and 130 good Hornady and Berger just don't buck wind as well. Re17 is great powder use to use 4451 and H4350 before everyone got 6.5 now hard if not impossible to find. Re17 also works in 6mm Creedmoor Savage also.
Varget good just not as much velocity out of it but great all round powder works in 22-250 and 6BR.
Roc1
 
I'm going to add 4451 as soon as I find some, and of course H4350 if I ever find some. Since I'll be pretty much target shooting only I'll probably largely stick with the heavier bullets. Got my scope mounted today and sized my new brass. Tumbling the lube off now and then ready to load. I'm not going to trim until after first shooting them, right now they are all under SAAMI max length so no problem there to start with.
 
I've been using a near max load of H4350 with Hornady 143 ELD-X bullets with very good results. Recently tried Ramshot Hunter and was able to get another 50 fps. I've not put enough rounds through it with this load to be certain. But initial groups are certainly no worse and if anything slightly better. I've been hearing good things about RL17, but haven't tried it.
 
Couldn't get my hands on the Reloader 17 so I went with IMR4350 (H4350). Put it behind 129gr SST's for starters. The results are good. Compare this to the 129gr Whitetail rounds that were scattered all over inside the 10 ring.

129gr SST, 42.0gr IMR4350, CCI 200 primers. Shooting a 10 BA Stealth. 1:8 twist
(picture coming)
 
Update on 6.5 mm powder-bullet combination performance

Added two new powder-bullet combinations to the list for the 12 LRP Savage.
Total groups now equal 347.
The best group average is 0.172 and the worst is 0.347.
The new list order from best to worst is as follows:

IMR4350 140 gr Berger Hybrid # 26414
IMR4350 140 gr Hornady ELD Match # 26331
IMR4350 142 Sierra SMK # 1742
IMR 4350 140 Berger Long Range # 26409
N150 140 Berger Match #26401
IMR4350 140 Sierra SMK # 1740
IMR4350 147 Hornady ELD Match # 26333 ------New -------
IMR4350 140 Berger Match #26401
IMR4350 130 Sierra Tipped Match King # 7430 -----New----
IMR4064 142 Sierra SMK # 1742
N150 140 gr Berger Hybrid # 26414
IMR4350 123 Sierra SMK # 1727
N150 142 Sierra SMK # 1742
IMR4350 143 Hornady ELD-X #2635
N150 140 Berger Long Range # 26409
N150 140 Sierra SMK # 1740


Also added two loads for the 10T-SR:
The order of the list has changed with more loads for each powder bullet combination.
Best powder bullet combo averages 0.207 and the worst averages 0.308.
Total groups measured now equals 68.

IMR4350 130 Sierra Tipped Match King # 7430
IMR4350 142 Sierra SMK # 1742
IMR4350 143 Hornady ELD-X # 2635
IMR4350 147 Hornady ELD Match # 26333 ------NEW------
IMR4350 140 Berger Match # 26401 -----NEW-------
IMR4350 140 Sierra SMK # 1740

Also, I have now determined that using Lapua brass with small rifle primers has improved accuracy a bit versus Norma and Hornady brass with large rifle primers.

The small rifle primer pockets are lasting longer than the large rifle primer pockets on Norma and Hornady brass.
 
I found after testing slower powders that in my rifle a stout load of rl19 and the 140 grn accubond produced the tightest groups, and it was by a wide margin, not a lot of info with this bullet powder combo, a great friend of mine ran this all through quickload after I gave him my data and then the workups commenced, worst groups with rl19 were still moa at 100 yds, but the charge I settled on showed no signs of pressure and closed the group to 5 rnds under a dime, which actually is about as good as it gets from me shooting....havent chronoed yet but soon..
 
I have put around 700 rounds through my Savage and they all have been either Hornady 140 grain ELD Match or 147 grain ELD Match.
I have tried both H4350 and Reloader 17. Both powders worked great.

I chose those bullets because when I first got the rifle, I shot some Hornady factory ammo that uses those bullets and it shot terrific. And the bullets were readily available. After I tried them, they shot very good, so I didn't see a whole lot of reason to try anything else.
 
So I worked up my first load, Nosler 140gr RDF bullets with IMR4350 and CCI 200 LRP's. Probably won't get to shoot them until next week. But, just yesterday I managed to pick up three pounds of H4350 at Cabellas, so I'll also work up a load using it with these bullets as well.
 
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