Thread: 6,5 creedmoor load - target results advice wanted

Hi All,

On the second round of OCW load testing for my howa 1500 6.5CM - Looking for advice and interpretation of the results below

All rounds shot from bipod with rear bag by average shooter who is still learning (me) so there are a couple I know I pulled and have excluded those from results

Prep
130 Sierra tgk
H4350
Cases full sized - shoulder bumped 3 thou
All bullets seated at the same depth +/- 1 thou
25 thou off the lands

Previous round of testing was from 41.6-44 in 0.3 gr increments showing good results from 42.4 up

loads tested
42.4 gr best group
42.6 gr reasonably tight but a bit laddered
42.8 gr shit show of a group
43.0 gr
43.2 gr tight bolt lift

My thoughts are stick with 42.4 then start on seating depth - What do you all think?

Did you shoot the initial loads through a chrony

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no chrony yet - tested one today but didnt have it set up right

inexperienced shooter..the 42.4 looks good and SHOULD be slightly easier on shooter...... try holding forend with off hand behind the bipod.
it may or may not make your groups better.

42.4 looks good play with seating depth and try a front bag if you have one, Id also try say 5 rounds at 42.5 next time your out as well.

Do your next round of targets off a front and rear bag, you may find those fliers disappear.

You can make a good rest out of some old pants and rice or sand, cut the legs off the pants and sew them shut with sand or rice inside.

I would try 42.4 42.6 and 43 with the sandbags.

Is this for a Hunting or Target Rifle?

0.6 MoA is pretty effing good for a factory mass produced rifle - with or without a Heavy Barrel.

Any of those groups - with the exception of 42.8 grns - are more than acceptable for most hunting you'd do in NZ, and very acceptable for any Precision/Target shooting. I stopped doing any development once I could consistently shoot 0.6 MoA groups with my 6.5CM Target Rifle - any further effort would yield limited benefit...

thanks all for the advice @Micky Duck thanks for the advice I'll give it a crack @blip yeah, I'm pretty happy with the 42.4 and will try the 42.4 with a range of seating depths off a front bag and see how it goes @Rated M for Magnum agree the 42.6 and 43 probably also deserve another round @fernleaf rifle is an off the shelf howa 1500 22" sporter barrel primarily hunting rifle although yet to shoot anything myself as I'm new but also keen to stretch it out at the Malvern Rifle club to improve my skills

Will report in with results when I'm back in town long enough to load some more

thanks all for the advice
@Micky Duck thanks for the advice I'll give it a crack

@blip yeah, I'm pretty happy with the 42.4 and will try the 42.4 with a range of seating depths off a front bag and see how it goes
@Rated M for Magnum agree the 42.6 and 43 probably also deserve another round
@fernleaf rifle is an off the shelf howa 1500 22" sporter barrel primarily hunting rifle although yet to shoot anything myself as I'm new but also keen to stretch it out at the Malvern Rifle club to improve my skills

Will report in with results when I'm back in town long enough to load some more

I guess what some of us are trying to say is this...... dont waste heap of components trying to sort out the bit that goes bang..untill you have sorted the nut behind the butt....... good technique is a learned thing and makes a HEAP of difference.
personally I hate shooting paper with a passion..... necessary evil to sight in.... the easier yo ucan make it on yourself the better
getting your position rock solid with relaxed muscles helps..a firm hold while on bullseye,close eyes for 10 seconds..open eyes ,are yo ustill on target??? if not reposition untill rifle stays there...your hands are holding rifle firmly but the sandbags/bipod/daybag/rolled up swannie is taking the weight of it if you doing it right....muscling rifle onto target definately isnt ideal.

Howa hogue stocks no good off a bipod either. Too flimsy at the front so shoot off a front bag or a rolled up jumper

Plus if you shoot in off a rest don't fit a bi-pod in the field, use your day pack.

Originally Posted by liam_s

Hi All,

On the second round of OCW load testing for my howa 1500 6.5CM - Looking for advice and interpretation of the results below

All rounds shot from bipod with rear bag by average shooter who is still learning (me) so there are a couple I know I pulled and have excluded those from results

Prep
130 Sierra tgk
H4350
Cases full sized - shoulder bumped 3 thou
All bullets seated at the same depth +/- 1 thou
25 thou off the lands

Previous round of testing was from 41.6-44 in 0.3 gr increments showing good results from 42.4 up

loads tested
42.4 gr best group
42.6 gr reasonably tight but a bit laddered
42.8 gr shit show of a group
43.0 gr
43.2 gr tight bolt lift

My thoughts are stick with 42.4 then start on seating depth - What do you all think?
Attachment 238286

My thoughts are to load up a box or two of ammo and go hunting. Save any further load development until winter and early spring. Your 42.4 grain load is close to max in the Nosler data and over max for a Nosler projectile in the Hodgdon data. Your Sierra projectiles are a little softer but not that much. Get that chronograph sorted before you next test session. Your groups are great considering your equipment. It ant broke so don't try to fix it,
Regards Grandpamac.

hogue stock issue is dead easy to solve with a sharp pocket knife and 2 minutes of time.....its only the tiny bit of rubber at very end of barrel channel that can physically touch barrel its all of 2mm deep and wide....

Greetings,
Scratching around on the interweb and found some Sierra data for the 130 grain TMK in the Creedmoor. Max was 42.9 grains of H4350 (AR2209) for 2,800 fps in a 24" barrel. So your 42.4 grain load is just under max and should produce around 2,725 fps so should be fine for both hunting and target shooting.
Regards Grandpamac.