Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Opinions on the 6.5 Creedmoor......let hear em!

So you think modern actions will come unglued at 66,000 PSI?
Here is another question. What did Roy Rogers say was the first thing to do when you find yourself in a hole?

I want some of what ever you are smoking.

Dude ,most powders are non USA made!!!!!

The thing about it is is that Jim is absolutely correct if one follows SAAMI pressure guidelines.

There are legitimate reasons why SAAMI limits the 6.5x55 to 51Kpsi.

Loading that cartridge to 65K IS an overload according to SAAMI.

Will modern actions handle loads of that level perfectly well? Yes they will. Is there some risk of damage to older, weaker actions if one of these 65K loads inadvertently make it's way into one? Yes there is a risk of that.

Yep, relatively few powders are American-made. Those that are come from St. Marks in Florida, but most smokeless powders sold here are made in Australia, Canada, Israel, Sweden and Switzerland, to name a few countries off the top of my head.

It is good for a person to know their limitations especially if they don't know why they are what they are. If they can realize that they can even grow.

If exceeding SAAMI guidelines is acceptable where does one draw the line?
How about the 88K .243 loads that Clarkma shoots?

How about the 90K+ loads for 25-35 based wildcats?

He shoots them both and more and he's neither dead nor is he blowing up rifles presumably.

JB,

I'm sure the Creedmoor is fantastic, as are all the other 6.5s, but I would love to have a Hawkeye Standard with a 26-in. barrel in .270!

Went to Ruger's site hoping they might make one, but all they show is a 22-in. .270, and the spec sheet shows it weighing 8 lbs. while the sheet on the 26-in. says it weighs 7.

Your rifle's scoped weight jibes with the Creedmoor sheet so
I'm wondering if they've got a typo on the .270 sheet.

OP, sorry for the minor thread jack!

Good Lord, what to say about all of this. I don't shoot a Creedmoor, since I have a perfectly good 6.5 x 55 in a Sako hunter that I bought twenty or so years ago. It dose not matter a wit, a 120gr 6.5 mm bullet launched at 2900 to 3000 fps is for all purposes a pocket 270. You will drop deer and elk sized game till the end of time or they ban guns all together. While I don't think I will run out and buy one anytime soon, its a good thing that hornaday dose this sort of stuff, since they started making 9.3 x 62. And a Ruger Safari so chambered would float my boat in more ways than one.

You view doing 56 mph in a 55mph zone the same as doing 88 mph in a 55 mph zone and thus extrapolate doing one is same as the other? Use your head man and ask the same of others.

Speaking of heads let Clarkma worry about his! If he touting 88-90K+ loads as safe and common you have some ground to speak up me thinks.

There are many 60K+ SAAMI cartridges you know. Perhaps pointing out the lack of 88-90K same would be a good start.

Idiots drive 90MPH in 65 MPH zones every day without caring about the risk to those around them and themselves. So do some handloaders with regards to the loads they use. I simply chose not to be one of them.

Grown men behaving like a meathead teenager with a souped up car they can't control on the highway just for the sake of speed is not exactly "growth", IMHO.

I guarantee that you nor anyone else posting on this thread with the possible ecxeption of JB has access to accurate pressure testing equipment for his hand loads. Which is the whole purpose for safe book data with built in safe margins.

My actual life experience 20 years ago working with Oehler strain gauge system showed me that the conventional home methods of gauging pressure pressure( case head expansion and primer behavior ) is crude at best. It's also not consistent from rifle to rifle. I helped a writer friend test one of the Oheler units one summer using his usual max loads in about two dozen personal rifles.

He thought they all were safe and got some eye opening results, particularly in warmer temperatures. He was/is a meticulous hand loader and it was a very good example of why component companies build safety margins into their load data.

You mean your actual life experience of someone else s actual life experience of that someone else's own actual worked up loads. Some drive 67 in a 65.

No the actual testing of the ammo was MY experience. I was there doing the testing right along side him for several weeks.. Even help load a lot of the ammo he used in test in about 25 different rifles. I also had access to all his journals and load data.

The same writer went on to use that same equipment working up pressure data for a monthly cartridge review column for a major gun magazine which he wrote for about 10 years. He used to red line a lot of his handloads. Once he got his hands on some accurate pressure testing equipment, not so much.

It was a good of illustration stacking stacking tolerances in certain rifle /load combos and the need for safe pressure margins. It's sad you refuse to acknowledge that reality.

Thanks to all for the feedback. My reason for the interest in the 6.5 creedmoor is the longer I play around with rifles and cartridges the more I am attracted simple efficient rounds that will shoot typical hunting bullets at 2800-3000 fps. It's all kind of silly....I have a .270 Sako A7 that shoots 130 grainer's at around 3000 that is a nice light gun and shoots well under an inch, I also a nice custom 7mm-08 that will shoot 120 BT the same way...and the same 3000 fps also have a 280 ai that will do it with a 140BT....not sure why I need a 6.5 creedmoor...just seemed like a nice round.......I must be what Mule Deer calls a rifle looney.....I do think everyone can calm down a bit....and thanks to all for the feedback, I really blame Mule Deer for this affliction I have...please stop writing about rifles and cartridges that make sense....its all your fault! PS.... forgot to mention I bought a Marlin XS7 in 7mm-08 for my son, put a 3x9x40 monarch ucc on it.....guess what bought some 130 grain speer btsp....plan to load them to 2800-2900 fps.....the beat goes on........Goodshot

No, I was asking a question. Hence the question mark!

Use your head man!

Why can't I load (6.5x55) to 260Rem levels? Considering a slightly large case and a modern bolt action rifle. Doesn't make sense not to.

Speer #13 goes a little higher than that on charge weight but the rifle used was a 22" 77MkII so the velocities are a little less. In the forward to the 6.5x55 they state pressures "up to 50,000 cup for use in modern rifles" (about 58,000 or so psi).

With the 120gr Hotcore:
N160 48.0gr @ 2895fps
IMR4831 49.0gr @ 2886fps
IMR4350 47.0gr @ 2884fps
Re22 50.5gr @ 2882fps

You can of course.

It has been stated many times in this thread and loads of that level are even published by major component manufacturers.

The point Jim made is that these loads exceed SAAMI pressure specs for that cartridge. These SAAMI specs were promulgated in deference to the many century old and somewhat less strong actions chambered for the cartridge.

In a modern action these over SAMMI pressure loads are perfectly safe.

The thing is-It's possible the top end 6.5 Swede data shown here (Lapua etc) already is loaded to the same pressures as the .260, etc The top end velocities with Swede loads are the same as the 6.5 Creed and .260.

1-2 grains more of real powder capacity for the Swede does not mean much with every powder used.

Furprick,

You go right ahead and load up that 55 to 260 levels. I'll even stand right besides you while you touch'em off.

Alan