Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Barrett Fieldcraft 6.5 CM Impressions

Darrik at Whittaker took care of me on a trade for a 21" Fieldcraft in 6.5 Creedmoore and I have gotten to shoot a few rounds through it. I loaded up a fairly arbitrary load of RL-17 and 140 VLDs in Hornady brass with CCI-200s and it shot well, so I bumped the charge a bit and settled on the load I'm shooting now. It's incredibly easy to shoot and carry; trigger is excellent, the stock is one of the better ones I've handled, the action is well thought out, and I very much appreciate the 3" magazine box. My only gripe so far is that after the trigger is pulled, the bolt is a bit stiff to lift (even when dry firing, not a pressure issue). It carries and balances very well with my current optic and mount setup (SWFA 10x42 in SWFA chunky ass rings on a Talley 0MOA rail).

Overall, I would say these rifles render custom hunting rifles pretty much out of the question for me and I will be buying another in the future. Should be a very solid backpack hunting rifle.

7 rounds at 570 yards with the 140 VLD load are marked with red on a 12" steel plate. The other splatters are from another rifle.

Tanner,
I just tried 42.0 gr RE-17 today for the first time and got 2687fps with 140 Acc's out of a Tikka CM and 2717fps from a Kimber CM. What was your load and do you have a chrony?

Looking good man...

Does this mean you're gonna send me the Lapooey?

Similar setup here with IMR4451 and the 147 ELD at 2700 fps. Shoots about like yours. Agree about the bolt lift weight, but it's a pretty minor annoyance, IMO. Not a super heavy bolt lift, but a bit heavier than the 84m in 7-08 I've been comparing it to.

Nice.I keep hearing how “custom rifles are now useless”. That’s cool. Gunsmiths beware!!! Haha

They absolutely still have their place, but for $1600 it would be tough to put together a rifle that equals this one.

Ya I like custom just for that. I like different schitt how I want it, ergos, calibers, stock designs, colors, lop etc. well, custom. Grin

It’s good to have otc options like this, I see what your sayin for sure, but I still like dumb calibers and such... haha

Nice Tanner..... should be interesting as you run this rifle through its paces....

Thanks for sharing

Dibs.

Thanks for the report brother....

I have been really watching the Barrett rifles and grasping for a reason to move away from the Tikka.

Is there any benefit in going to a standard caliber (30-06 or 308) Barrett over the Tikka of same caliber?

Thanks for the review...

Tanner,
How does the grip feel on the Barrett vs. the Montana? Others posted pics that made it appear quite a bit more closed. Does it feel that way?

It is definitely more closed, which I prefer. It's not vertical like a Gamescout or EH-1 but definitely steep throughout the finger area. Very comfortable for prone and sitting shooting positions.

Tanner

I wouldn't buy a 30/06 in either rifle as I don't enjoy that much recoil, but I don't think you can lump the Fieldcraft and a Tikka into the same category.

Tanner

After witnessing and seeing photo reports of all the animals that have fallen to the 143 ELDX launched from a 21" Fieldcraft, I also cannot go for anything with more recoil. That combination has done a few safaris now, and the large and tough plains game that have been taken cleanly was all I needed to see.

I'm still undecided on the 143. I'll shoot a few does in the next week for further testing.

I shot a buck last week at about 85 yards. The hole in the hide was bullet diameter, but the inside of the entrance was golf ball sized. The off side meat was exited, but not the hide. I searched for the bullet, jacket and/or core. Didn't find anything...

The deer died within 30 yards though! I can't complain too much.

I want to try the 140 Partition. Just need to find a cooperative deer.

Nice rifle and nice shooting. I'm hearing good things about the Barrett.

Tanner can we expect to see it laying across a deer or elk in the near future, or are you just "guiding" for Starsky this fall?

Fall is pretty much over here. Starsky killed a buck without me this year, and I killed one with my 6.5x47 Lapua. The Barrett will get to go along next season though.

Tanner

So does this mean your 7rm was the trade-in?

I call dibs. There’s an open slot in the safe next to your old EddieBo 243 AI

7 mag is still here and doesn't get shot much.

Tanner

Nice.

I think one of these in a 22-250 would be the be the end of my buying days.




Travis

Yeah right !!!!!!!
That would never happen buddy

Can you say " tongue in cheek"?

I'm serious goddammnit!!!





Dave

If you want to quit buying, why wouldn't you go to with the 6 Creed version?

Bullets from 55 grains up to 115+, should cover about everything.

Yeah, and the keg of "Todd The Axe Man" in my shop is the last keg of beer I'm buying......

Is it April 1st already?....
Well slap my A$$ and call me Susie, I missed out on like 5 months...
I must have hibernated....lol

Tanner- clean out your box. It's full.

He gets around.




Dave

If I become sober today I'm going to call some dogs.




Dave

Is this an invitation?




Clark

Disregard the birthday part. It was the best I could find.

My box is looking better now.

Tanner

If you're in town, yes.

If they really wanted to crush the custom market twist flute the pipe and add a carbon thumbhole with a fore end similar to an lvsf. MPI style maybe.

I can't see this rifle being improved by a thumbhole stock...

Maybe not, but some see-through scope mounts would be killer.

This. Absolutely....

I just threw up in my mouth a little...

LOL. I get the hate and offered the same before I ran one.. A properly fitted TH is hard to beat for proper shooting ergonomics in all positions at least for me.

Also not liking a sling or trying to grapple a rig out of a pack in a hurry , I found that a TH allows for an eased control of carry on longer humps at the semi ready cradle position either with your dominant or off side arm with fingers through the opening for extra control.

Honestly I have found them to be about as utilitarian as a stock can be whether shooting from a climbing stand, blind, prone or free hand.

As to ergonomics I can't tell ya how many times I have noted a shooter throwing off shot from improper hand and trigger finger alignment no real way to do that with a TH. My grip by human nature is perpendicular to my arm not canted as your standard stock requires. Some stocks address the cant a TH being one of the better for such, chasis stocks do the samer but then the weight comes in to play.

That said, I only hunt a true 160 days a year from ground and stand so what would I know

They aren't pretty to the eye thats for daggum skippy but everything else failed for my arrangements and needs until I marked aesthetics off the list and went TH on all my rigs.

An A3 sporter in carbon would be my second choice I reckon but the stock on the FC just isn't for me.

A thumbhole or an A3 sporter on a slim and trim Fieldcraft?

Buy an X bolt.

And be sure to put the buck mark sticker in the back window of your Silverado.

Remington/Surgeon / Ford guy here with a sticker that says California Sucks. But I reckon that Silverado fellow with the buck mark sticker on his glass running an Xbolt can also own a suppressed AR or 20 with as many 30 round mags in the back seat as he so desires without getting his panties pulled down and cavity inspected by the local transvestite club leader so he has that going for him.

Those little canted / no cheek weld having stocks just aren't for me be it on a Montanna, Titanium or otherwise.

Local transvestite club leader?

Scheeit. I may be form California, but we don't have none of them local.

And besides, I aint the one talking about a thumbhole on a Fieldcraft!

Ha! I'm just funning with you Strick9.

I wouldn't wish an X bolt on anyone. That'd be cruel.

I wish I owned stock in the Browning Buck Mark stickers though. Them things are everywhere.

I like hear ya radicallly brah.

I have always despised the Xbolt for trigger alone but recently ran a buddies 6.5 Hell Canyon Speed and it shot .5 for 5 with 143 eld x factory ammo. I hated that crow but she ran it tight and I can't deny it was a nice factory rig.

I know they aren't pretty but I ain't kidding about the utilitarian/ergo of a TH either. They are fugly but I dig em and I can put my Mtn Dew bottle or copenhagen can in the hole if it gets to bothering my shootn eye.

Honestly just trying to talk myself out of both the FC and the 6.5.. The stock is the only thing that I don't like.

There's a sticking point. I find the fit of a TH stock to be all or nothing. I don't like finger grooved handgun grips for similar reasons.

Agreed ^ I custom grind to fit my hand, as well as build cheek weld, +- LOP etc etc.. That said its the same for every stock, none fit all.

Yes, but it's more all or nothing with a TH for me.

Standby, I have 8 beers, a dremel, and a few different sized hole saws ready to go.

Film at 11:00.

Tanner

Thanks for the post. Whittaker takes trade-ins? Hmmmmm ....

How many Handi-Rifles does it take to get a Fieldcraft?

A quart of Tennessee clear and a saws all work mo betta.

12 to be exact...😀

LOL, "hold my beer".......

You don't happen to have a short barreled 44 mag do you? My niece took mine this year.......

That's what she said.

Well, based on your stellar review, I ordered mine from Whittaker’s Friday and should be getting it Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope it don’t make my Kimbers too jealous. Now for the scope choice ....

Tanner, don't get me started on custom rifles. My tikka still trumps every gun I've ever had, custom -or- factory. Its actually depressing the money I've wasted. If this SLR doesn't shoot, I'm taking up rollerblading.

Ok, I wanna hear stories and details about your customs that have been trumped by Tikka.

Tanner already knows the stories...just had a 6 SLR built, it better shoot at least as good as the tikka.

Either that, or soon-to-be-taken photos of him rollerblading......

PS, with my tikka and an SWFA 6X, I can shoot 2-inch groups at 500 ALL DAY LONG!

The hardest part about rollerblading has gotta be telling your parents that you're gay.

Please let us know how it goes.

Some folks just have better luck than others I guess.....