Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting new Ruger 77 Target/Var in 6.5 Creedmoor

Has anyone played with recent vintage heavy barreled Rugers? The new one listed with a 28" tube in 6.5 Creedmoor has me interested...

I've only shot 2 of the heavy barreled Rugers significantly. One was a wood stocked .22-250 with a tang safety which far predates what you're asking about, the other one of the current style gray target/varmint rifles with a laminated stock in .25-'06.

I had some problems with the .25-'06. Accuracy wasn't too good. I bedded the action which helped a little, but still it was twitchy. I finally got it to shoot well by using an impact driver to torque down the front action screw. I never was real comfortable with having to do that.

Tom

Thanks. Any other experiences out there??

One of my buds shot the Creedmoor in last years f-class season. He's shooting it again this year, so he's not unhappy with it.
I've got 1 season left in my .308 then I gotta decide which 6.5mm to re-barrel to. I'm considering the Creedmoor.

Of course, these are custom sticks, not factory rifles, so I can't tell ya if the Ruger version is a hummer or not. If you're thinking only hunting rifle then I don't see why it wouldn't perform for ya...

HTH

FWIW Ruger gave our long range palma team a bunch of much better than factory 308 target guns and as I recall out of 20 of them, mabye 2 were good enough, and the rest were not.

I"ve never been impressed with Ruger accuracy though its always been plenty to hunt with, and am not at all impressed with their bedding system, though initially it seems to do better than a non bedded other system, but once it shoots loose they really suck and I don't care for the work to bed it all together.

Jeff

I priced one locally and was told they would be $719.00...
fair price in today's market..

I was also told out of the 3 national suppliers they use, all were out of them...

I really question what it is going to do that a plain old 260 Remington won't do tho.. I have a VLS Rem in that caliber and it is excellent...especially after I tweaked the trigger...

The 260 Rem, the Creedmoor, and the 6.5 Lapua are darn near indistinguishable, given all other variables being equal. Perhaps the Lapua is a tad slower in a factory loading.

The choice is really whatever floats your boat....

If there was better brass readily available for the .260 I dont think we would even be seeing the various 6.5 offerings. All offer about the same case capacity and external ballistics. I think its just a matter of what you want your casehead to say.

If brass is all that is stopping you, for an accuracy rig, I'd start with .308 match brass, neck down, and neck turn anyway. I wouldn't expect to be competitive shooting factory brass.

Tom

Finnish rifle with flair: Tikka's M595 Continental Varminter
Guns Magazine , Feb, 2003 by David M. Fortier, Emily K. Fortier
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I have to admit I took a liking to the Tikka M595 Continental. It's a handsome and well-made rifle with a slick action. Accuracy was very good, as seems to be a trait of Tikka rifles. This can be seen in the fact the 1999 British Long-Range Benchrest Championship was won by a Tikka Continental in 6.5x55. Group size was an almost unbelievable 10 rounds into 4.4 inches at 1,000 yards. Anyone looking for an accurate out-of-the-box varmint rifle would do well to consider a Tikka.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_2_49/ai_95680073/pg_4

I still believe some of the best shooting out the box 6.5's are the Tikka's and Sako's.

4.4" at 1000 yds with 10 shots, in a factory rifle is NOTHING to sneeze at.....too bad the Tikka is not available in the USA in 260....

my 260 VLs does just fine.. it's brass is usually necked down Win 7/08 or 308 brass...it doesn't seem that picky....

Has anyone seen a 6.5 Creedmoor Ruger?

per Ruger, 4 to 6 weeks to start shipping.

Nice thing about the 6.5 C, is 23 dollar ammo in 120 and 140 amax. Not bad for factory. Many concerns on brass life vs. say a 6.5x47 Lapua. Reports of loose primer pockets after a few rounds, but it's hearsay. The 'hornady sponsored shooters' are claiming no problem. Time will tell. The design of the round is very good.

The 260 is a very good round no doubt, but had I designed it, the shoulder would have been sharper and neck longer, but as is the 260 Rem is a fine round, it just would be nice to have Winchester and Lapua brass 'ready made' IMHO but 7/08 WW and Lapua 243/308 does fine if you want to reform.

My 260 Sako fired 3 Three-shot groups not long back, using a 20x Leupy for testing, I put the first 2 in one hole, in TWO groups, using 708 WW brass and 308WW brass respectively, oh, at 200 yds.

Now RP brass did not do that but did manage about a 1.25-1.5" group. The other using Fed brass was 1-1.25 or so.

The brass BRAND alone Does matter w/260. Good brass in a std. 260 IMHO will outshoot most shooters, esp. in field conditions.

I like Lapua 6.5x55 for 'out the box' great shooting brass and 6.5x47 has a good reputation also. I think the Hornady Creemoor will yield good accuracy, equal or besting RP brass loaded 260, with speeds w/in 50 fps, but I am not sold at this time on brass life.

I'd have NO issue however shooting a well made Ruger in Creedmoor. It's performance if bedded properly should be similar to Seafire's VLS, though I honestly don't know if a Ruger will best the 700....and I hate to say that as I have had my share of issues with 700s, but reports are good. Jury out on the Rugers. I can say, I have had even Ruger #1's in light sporter 1A...a 243 that shot a 3/8" group at 100 yds, and consistently 5/8-3/4".

I'd expect the Ruger to do .4-.5moa on a good day or at best, but under .7-.8MOA. It would not surprise me if a good shooter/gun/loads/glass did slightly better. All of which is better than most hold, esp. when not on benched bags.

btw, I have a Sako 75 varmint lam stainless in 260....not shot yet, the one above is a sporter Grey Wolf....I'd speculate proper brass and loads would do VERY similar against any other 260 or the Ruger C for that matter, according to other owners reports.

BTW, those groups above, used 130 ABs. I'd suspect the Ruger has an 8" twist per other 260/Swedes they have chambered vs. say Rem's 9", and 140/142 class bullets MIGHT just do better, in fact, I better say they SHOULD do better in the 8" all else equal.

The 123 and 130s like matchking/berger/lapua should shine in both.

Ruger does list it as 1-8"

I'd suspect easy sub moa.

Seafire, no doubt many VLS owners are happy, I had a couple of heavy bbl 700s in 7/08 shot well, but Rem refuses to stand behind new products.....the 260.......and ending production of the round in the VLS series did no good for a round that is used by many enthusiast.

I am glad to see Ruger putting out a Heavy bbl 6.5mm. Every good 6.5mm needs an offering in a rifle that can hold steady enough and refrain from overheating a bbl in 2-3 shots for guys who are accuracy nuts.

It will be nice to hear of some reports on the new Creedmoor in the Ruger.

6.5 BR:

I agree with you. I am glad Ruger is bringing this round out in their nice VT package, and to include a 28 inch barrel...

they did the same with the 260, in the sporter size rifle.. also with a one in 8 twist instead of Rem's one in 9 twist...

They quit making it when sales were not that great tho after a year or two.. same thing they did with the 22 and 6mm PPCs...

I love alternatives on the market...

who knows, I don't need one, but may end up trading off another rifle that I need even less, to reinvest in the Ruger VT in 6.5 Creedmore...

but then again, I'd be just as happy if Ruger had brought out the VT in the 260...

but then again, isn't nothing stopping me from building one.....

I just got in a heavy 260 barrel threaded for a Model 70 action with a one in 8 twist... In fact I got two of them in 260, the other is just a standard heavy magnum contoured barrel..

they are for a Model 70 action that I have multiple stocks for and using it for a switch barrel project...

however, I also got in a 7/08 barrel for a Savage action with a varmint coutour, Savages Factory standard...

This is so much fun, before I know it in a couple of years, I may have very few rifles that are actually chambered with a factory barrel on them..

I'd love to live long enough and be rich enough to be able to shoot out all the barrels on the rifles I have...

damn this primer shortage and high price of bullets...

Skip the primers and costly bullets and just shoot 22LR

Sounds like you have your hands full there Seafire, congrats.

I really regret not p/u a Ruger or two in 260, with 22" before they discontinued. Not a bad package the compacts, they lack a few inches for me.....muzzle blast and less than potential speeds. Rugers always felt nice, their stocks, and I shoot a 77/22 so it'd be a naturaly transition. That gun has a custom HB and shoots itty bitty groups.

I realize their 'venture's" w/Hornady, but your comment on the 260 in a VT, well, might just sell a good many more, if they came out with it.

Just luvin the options that are available in 6.5....

Like I said earlier, I figure I got a year left on the .308 barrel, then it's time to go to something in 6.5.

The gunsmith wants to build me a 260 Rem, because that's what he competes with but my current favorites are in order, the 6.5 Lapua, then the Creedmoor, and finally the 260 Rem.

too dang much fun...