Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Drinking the Creedmoor Kool-Aid?

If an otherwise sane person was considering a 6.5 Creedmoor, which rifle would you recommend? He would prefer wood but might be swayed by pure accuracy over beauty. This would be primarily a hunting rifle not a long range competition gun but it needs to be very accurate, just because. Prefer a rifle that needs no tweaking. Which dies and brass?

No need to be a gunwriter to chime but writers are surely welcome. Thanks.

Depends on your budget.

It is hard to go far wrong when you want to dip your toe into the pool by buying a Weatherby Vanguard.

I bought a V2 in 6.5 CM back in 2014 that is the most accurate out of the box with factory ammo rifle that I've yet to own.

You can buy a nice walnut stock for short action Howa 1500s from GPC that are new, old stock, from when S&W was importing Howa 1500 with their name on them for under $200.

Based on the above, I would go with a Tikka (remember no tweaks needed), Hornady dies, and Lapua brass.

I figured that would get a Tikka recommendation. Are their wood stock models as accurate as the synthetics?

Tikka or Bergara would both be solid choices.

Vanguard or Savage if you want something to shoot hell out of.

I can't speak to the Tikka recommendation, but based on what several members here report, that would be a good place to start for a no-tweaks-needed shooter.

I will absolutely recommend you go straight to Lapua brass from the start. Great brass just makes everything else so much easier when developing accurate loads.

I am a fan of Redding competition dies if you are willing to drop the coin for a one-stop-shop purchase. I have several other cobbled die sets consisting of a Hornady seater, Lee collet neck sizer and a Redding body die. Either path gets me to the same destination...consistently straight ammo.

I drank the Kool Aid in a Ruger #1. A very accurate rifle but with a 28 inch barrel I puked it up sold it and had a 6.5X55 built on a 1909 Argentine Mauser action. Look in the classifieds here there are several for sale. I think one is a Kimber which are very nice and accurate rifles.

I have owned (if I recall correctly) five 6.5 Creedmoors now, partly because after I sold my first one, purchased a decade ago, I wondered how accurate they typically were. Have also fooled with several others, ranging from a T/C Compass to a couple of high-end ($2000+) production rifles. The one I own right now is a Bergara Ridge, with a semi-heavy barrel.

The most accurate was a Ruger American Predator, purchased used on the Campfire Classifieds for $350. The very first 5-shot group I shot with it at 100 yards, using a handload that had worked in more than one 6.5 CM, went .33 inch. The only thing I did to it was adjust the trigger.

But the first one I owned, a walnut-stocked Ruger Hawkeye, shot almost as well. In fact it's very first 5-shot group at 100 yards, with Hornady factory ammo, went into about half an inch. The worst-shooting one was the T/C, and it would still group three rounds of Hornady American Whitetail hunting ammo into less than an inch.

The Weatherby Vanguard I had shot pretty well, but middle-of-the-road among all the others, and that required free-floating the barrel.

Haven't played enough with the Bergara yet to have a real handle on its accuracy, but at least one load puts five in around half an inch.

Have not tried a Tikka in 6.5 Creedmoor, but based on the accuracy of the 1-8 twist T3 Super Lite .260 Remington I have (a limited-production from Whittaker Guns in Kentucky a few years ago) it would certainly be a good choice.

Others are mentioning Lapua brass. I should say that I've found both Hornady and Nosler 6.5 CM brass to be as consistent as any brass I've ever used.

I have also found Hornady brass to be very consistent. In fact, am still shooting some from the factory ammo I purchased with my first Ruger a decade ago--but have also tried more recent Hornadys, which have also been fine. Haven't tried Nosler yet.

I'd look to the Howa, or the Weatherby Vanguard (almost the same thing). Probably buy some Hornady brass and run it through a set of RCBS dies.

Not a CM, but the more 'finicky' Swede, however the wood stock Tikkas do shoot okay...

But I wounder if there is a better out of the two of these?

I bet the best is what the person being asked owns

I believe both would satisfy most shooters/hunters
Hank

Can't speak to Bergara's, but my Tikka Lite and Model 14 Savage in 260 are terrific shooters even with factory ammo. I'd expect the same performance in CM's.

The Bergara Approach stock is made by Grayboe and seems to be decent quality and is a more comfortable fit to me. I've tried to warm up to Tikkas and the stock just never feels comfortable to me.

Either Tikka or Bergara will shoot well.

Bergara is now making rifles in 6.5 PRC, which pushes the heavier bullets at least 200 fps faster if that is a factor for consideration.

I assume "very accurate" likely means 1/2 moa? Skip spending money on dies and brass for a primarily hunting rifle. The factory stuff is just too good.

I'm currently shooting a CA Mesa and all I've done is add a scope. No tweaks whatsoever has been done to it. I simply shoot it, clean it occasionally, then shoot it some more.

That's OK for sure. Is that a Hunter or Forester.... 24" barrel? I see that they make both 22" and 24". I normally prefer 22".

It's a Forest - haven't measured barrel length but mine's closer to 22" than 24" (specs I've seen say 22-7/16").

I have had several and the Bergara Ridge Wilderness SP has been the best and the standard Bergara Hunter a close 2nd.