Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Norma Whitetail 6.5 Creedmoor ammo experiences

OK, I have read and seen on multiple forums reports of pierced primers, cratering and hard extraction issues with the Norma Whitetail 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition. I decided it's time to put a thread together with the positive and negative feedback on the Norma Whitetail 6.5 Creedmoor.(Mainly I was bored sitting at the house)

Yesterday while in town I made a few stops specifically looking for this particular ammunition, ironically, I found quite a bit of everything but the Norma. Finally, I resorted to going to Academy and they had 2 boxes, I left one and at $35 a box plus tax, I am glad I did.

I will start this goat roping

Set up:

Range 107yds, moderate right to left wind, custom steel and composite decking shooting bench, Rock BR competition front rest, standard rear bag, Labradar Sat below and behind the Muzzle Brake,

The rifle:

Browning X-Bolt Long Range Stalker 26" heavy steel barrel with the Recoil Hawg Muzzle Brake in place, wearing a Swarovski Z6 2.5 - 15 x 56mm BT BRH reticle scope, Mcarbo trigger spring adjusted to 2lbs 2.4oz ten pull average.

Rifle's abilities are pretty good even with me behind it

5rds of Barnes Precision Match 140gr OTM at the same 107yds



Now onto the results

I fired 10rds using the barrel cooler between every other round, fire 2, cool for 8 minutes, fire 2 repeat.

I didn't experience any pierced primers, extraction issues, extractor marks or any cratering, but what I did experience was horrible accuracy, average velocity below published specifications even with the longer barrel and an ES of 42fps. The accuracy maybe related to my rifle not liking this particular ammunition, but 1 1/2" - 1 3/4" diameter groups are unacceptable regardless.

The accuracy alone would prevent me from purchasing it in the future, the Barnes Precision Match was cheaper per box locally than the Norma Whitetail, so that cancels out the thought of using it for fire formed brass.

Primers and brass prior to the test:




Primers and brass after the test:



Labradar setup:



Labradar results:



I don't know why it didn't record two rounds, I think maybe it went to sleep or I didn't awaken it correctly after the cool down period.

Target:




Those larger squares are 1" and the small squares are 1/4"

Trigger pull average after the test



I didn't bother to measure the group, 5 of those rounds will hunt, the other 5 will loose you an animal outside of 100yds.

I am curious to see and hear about others experience with the Norma Whitetail 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, because there sure seems to be a lot of squawking lately about issues related to this ammo.

I just did a little measuring of the image and the worst five are still inside about 1.5" center to center. While it's not what I'd like to see either it's not so bad as you said.

For the majority of this forum, you would be correct, for the average hunter that buys a product based on "claims", I stand by my assessment.

I'm with Mathman. 10 rounds under 1.5 MOA is quite good. And sub-1.5 MOA groups will NOT lose you an animal outside 100 yards.
ALL of your shots are landing about 3/4 MOA or less from your point of aim. Hold that ammo, in that rifle, steady on the center of a deer's vital area and you'll make meat out to well beyond 300 yards, every time.

Best of luck with it. Worst case - you have some good brass to reload.

Cheers,
Rex

Y'all are right, but there is no way I would hunt with that ammo, my ranges start at 160yds and go to over 300yds.

Anybody remember back when Weatherby made a big deal out of guaranteeing 1.5" 3-shot groups at 100 yards with their rifles?
Things have sure changed, expectations-wise.
I like a sub-MOA rifle as much as the next fella, of course!
Rex

Thank you for this post & pictures. I'm shopping for a 6.5 Creed rifle and have concentrating mostly on finding a rifle in something besides the Ruger American/Savage offerings, and any factory ammo I can find to get started with, which seems to only be Norma.

Academy in Tyler had a few box's yesterday, as did Atwood's...but Atwood's in Jacksonville also had a few box's of 6.5 Creed in some other labels couple weeks ago, and will be the 1st place I hit when I finally find a CM shooter to use.

The big independent gun store in Tyler who specializes in high end products also had some rifles in several brands I'm not familiar that run from way over the Atwoods/WalMart offerings starting in the $700's and get way past that figure up in the low $4 figure range, but again only had Norma ammo on the shelf. There is another old time main source in downtown Tyler that once was the best gun shop in Central East Texas to look at, back when I repped for a major Dallas based wholesaler and had a the east half of Texas as a territory before I went over to Stoeger and SAKO's in a 5 state territory.

I've been out of the gun market and have not hunted regularly for over the last 10+ years with health issues, that I am finally getting past. So keep up with the insights.
Ron

different brand ammo sometimes shoots better in some rifles too ? not all brands of rifles shoot the same brand ammo either that`s why handloaders prefer their hand loaded ammo.

I went out last weekend with a CA Mesa and Browning Micro both in 6.5cm with a few boxes of Norma Whitetail and Norma Tipstrike. Out of those 2 rifles at 100yds both Norma loads would hold about an inch 5 shot group. To be honest I can't do better than that with a hunting rifle so the guns/ammo may be able to do better. All my hunting is done inside 300yds so I'm heading to the woods with them when season opens.

I'm just glad I reload. I couldn't stand being limited to factory ammo. Every rifle is unique and it's great to be able to adjust for it. I like my 6.5 Creedmoor reloads that do 2820 with an 8 fps extreme spread and group 1/4 moa. It took a few adjustments to get there but it's stayed there for over a decade. Just seat it out a bit more as the throat wears. Change powder lots just adjust until at 2820 again and its back together.

Bb

Scaling your photo of the group, those 10 shots (i Understood you shot 10 and 2 were not recorded by the LR) are in less than 1.5" center to center.

As long as your rifle is properly sighted in, and your aiming point corresponds to the center of that group, the furthest shot will be less than 3" from where you are trying to hit at 400 yds, which makes it perfectly adequate for your '100 to over 300 yards' needs.

A different thing is how happy or unhappy 10 shot 1.5" inch groups make you.

Also, I would be curious to see how does you match ammo shoot 10 shot groups instead of 5 to make it comparable to your Norma ammo 10 shout group, which it is not.