Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Good 6.5 Creedmoor loads

Anyone going up as far as 44 grains of H4350 with the Barnes 127 grain LRX? I get very good accuracy and 2820FPS out of a 22" barrel with that load, but it's clearly over any of the the published max loads I can find. The only signs of pressure I can see is a kind of shiny area on the primer. You can see it in the photo below which has fired cases starting at 42 Gr on the far left and going up in .5 gr all the way to 44 gr on the far right.

I shot a 130gr NAB at that speed in several 22" factory 260Rem bolt actions, using somewhere around 45gr of H4350, if I recall correctly. I'd think that 127LRX load is near or at the top end, but not crazy.

With my unfired Lapua cases the loads start getting compressed around 43.5 grains.

With 130s and lighter, I prefer Varget. Start at 37.5 and work up. 2850 should be doable out of a 22” barrel. With Hornady brass and 130s, I get 2880 from a 24” barrel. With Alpha brass I get 2920.

I’m not seeing anything alarming on your case heads. Healthy load but nothing hazardous. I’ve shot up to 44.5gr H4350 behind 130s and not had any adverse pressure signs.

John

Safe in my rifle but might atomize someone else’s so use at your own risk.

40gr Varget
123gr Lapua Scenar
Alpha “6.5 Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself” brass
CCI BR2
2.100 BTO
Trues out at 2940fps.

5 shots at 900 yards.

John

As much as I'd like to experiment with Varget and other powders, there is literally nothing in stock in my area. I have a decent supply of H4350 and nothing else appropriate, so I guess I'll have to leave it at that for this hunting season. I would have liked to work up an accurate load at closer to 2900. But really, a 127g Barnes LRX at 2820 fps will be devastating on deer and plenty flat shooting at the distances I'll encounter. 44 grains is no longer compressing in my fireformed cases.

Just starting load development on a T3x SL Creed with H4350 and the LRX. Going to focus on 41.6 - 42.0 and see what I can get. Not very fast, but will game ever know the difference of another 100fps? Nope

Interesting how different rifles/brass effect velocity and pressure. It took me 43.5 grains of H4350 to get over 2800 fps with the LRX. I'm using a Kimber Montana with 22" bbl, Lapua brass. I got the group below with 44 grains @2820:

I picked up a # of N555 to try with 6.5CM loads but there’s not much data out there.

Any of you have first hand experience with that?

Anyone shooting the Hornady 147 ELD-M?

From my Barrett FC 21" barrel:

127 gr LRX
42.5 H4350
TULA
Horn brass
0.050" jump
2735 fps Average

Shoots ~0.7 MOA and works great on critters.


147 gr ELD-M
42.5 H4350
TULA
Horn brass
0.010" jam
2630 fps Average

Shoots ~0.6 MOA and also works great on critters.

Close.

Never tried Varget

My preferred powder in the Creedmoor for bullets up to and including 130gr.

John

Trying to narrow down component inventory so worked up a load for my hunting rig with some of what I had left. Load data is on the pic. OAL is actually base to ogive but includes Sinclair comparator so subtract 1”. This is a ten shot group.

John

I’m sitting on 400+ Sierra 140gr SBT’s that I want to use on both cow elk and blacktails here on the ranch. Hornady shows loads for W760 from 39.3 - 43.2 grains and I have a bunch of that, too.

Kimber Hunter - SWFA 3x9 MQ
Hornady once fired cases - Lee collet dies
Rem 9 1/2
W760 @ 42.5 gr - that was the sweet spot - 3 at or under an inch at 100 from that light rig makes me smile.

I'm getting 2676 with H4350 and 140 nosler AB from 24" Ruger, was hoping for a little faster but slower and very accurate works too.

Finally had a chance to chrono some loads in my Bergara Ridge 6.5CM, 22" barrel and internal mag. Brass is Hornady, 143gr ELD-X and primer CCI200. My most accurate load with RL16 was 2550 fps so I went searching with 4350. Got better velocity testing loads from from 40.0 to 42.3gr with no pressure signs at 42.3gr. Although velocity was better accuracy was just under an inch so still not what I was looking for. Had a pound of RL26 so I loaded started at 44.0 and worked up to 46.5gr in 1/2gr increments. Accuracy really improved and velocity was also up. Settled on 46.0gr and from the 22" barrel getting 2700 fps with spread of 12 fps and SD of 5. 5 shot groups in the 0.6 to 0.7" range. Base to ogive 2.129".

I have an appreciation for a post like this. You don't say you have a "1/2 moa" rifle, you actually prove how it shoots with 10 shot groups. Well done John. I always appreciate that kind of honesty!!

Now, I have a load that works very well. I've been running it for quite some time now. Worked it up in my Cabela's exclusive Savage 12fv. Here's how that rifle shot. I'll post 10 shot groups too, because a rifle cartridge designed for competition seems arbitrary when you post 3 shots. It's liken to posting 3 shot groups for a varmint rifle or heavy barreled competition rifle. It just doesn't make sense.


Same load in Tikka Superlite:


Same load in S&W M&P Performance Center 6.5 CM, but with a reduced OAL to fit in magazine:

1 more to prove that wasn't a fluke:


Same load in CTR #1. Adjusted OAL to .020" off lands:


Same load in CTR #2:


At a club shoot the other day, I threw 10 downrange to see where my POI was, since I hadn't shot the damn thing in so long. A little low and to the right with the same load I've been using for years in all of my creedmoors:


Then after adjustment:


Pretty consistent load. I dropped the last shot!!!!!

Some guys say they have good loads. Others, like you, prove you do...

Yep.

H4350 max loads.