Thread: A few questions on 6.5 creedmoor loading stuff

So after selling my 260 and 222 ive orderd a howa heavy barrel 6.5cm
Wood stock
As soon as it arrives they are sending it away for threading
Trigger job
Glass bedding
Etcetc

This rifle will be used for target shooting aswell as hunting and I hope to get confident enough to feel Comfortable takeing semi long range shots to 4-500 hopefully a one load for everything gun ie shoots bungholes but also the right bullet to shoot a deer without needing to change loads
So im going to try the 130gn Berger vld hunting and the 135 classic hunter 1st
Followed by the 143 eldx if the bergers dont work out

I need to order the loading gear
For dies I would really like a micro adjustment seating die
Fls die and neck die
Don’t want to spend heaps but want something reasonable maybe a $150-200 bugget
I was thinking a reading Premium deluxe set
(In the black box)? Any better ideas

Brass do you think small rifle primers are better than large as I can get ether?
From what ive read small is better so I was just gonna buy lapua brass with srp pockets
But I would like to know your opinion

Cheers

Some of the guys on here were recommending a redding body die, a lee collet die for neck sizing and a seating die.

I tried that approach and its worked out great for me, I got my Creedmoor (since sold) going very very nicely using this approach, although I admit I don't ever recall having to actually use the body die. I don't find micro seaters very useful, once I find the sweet spot all a fancy die is good for is sticking out the top of the die box.

I still shoot a 6.5x47 which has small primers, I don't know that I've been able to discern any difference - I'd just go with what you can get in bulk of really top-notch primers. As for projectiles I got on really well with the 130 VLD hunting, I don't recall shooting any big reds with them but certainly several Tahr were no problem.

I bought my dies from Sinclair International.

Forster seater https://www.sinclairintl.com/reloadi...x5%2bCreedmoor

You could get away with just using a full length bushing die to save some money https://www.sinclairintl.com/reloadi...x5%2bCreedmoor

I have a separate neck bushing die and body die.

From what I have read the Forster seater is better than the Redding, and even buying these separately it was cheaper that buying a full Redding set.

I really like the mircometer seater dies, but then I measure and adjust length to ogive for each round.

If you are going to use Lapua brass remember to get some small primer flash hole pins for your sizing die. My primer preference is CCI450's for small rifle primers if using Lapua brass

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

So after selling my 260 and 222 ive orderd a howa heavy barrel 6.5cm
Wood stock
As soon as it arrives they are sending it away for threading
Trigger job
Glass bedding
Etcetc

This rifle will be used for target shooting aswell as hunting and I hope to get confident enough to feel Comfortable takeing semi long range shots to 4-500 hopefully a one load for everything gun ie shoots bungholes but also the right bullet to shoot a deer without needing to change loads
So im going to try the 130gn Berger vld hunting and the 135 classic hunter 1st
Followed by the 143 eldx if the bergers dont work out

I need to order the loading gear
For dies I would really like a micro adjustment seating die
Fls die and neck die
Don’t want to spend heaps but want something reasonable maybe a $150-200 bugget
I was thinking a reading Premium deluxe set
(In the black box)? Any better ideas

Brass do you think small rifle primers are better than large as I can get ether?
From what ive read small is better so I was just gonna buy lapua brass with srp pockets
But I would like to know your opinion

Cheers

I think the small primer dues help the dudes running at the top end of pressure, and supposedly help lower sd's.

No harm in it and lapua brass is awesome.

Where did you get the wood stock from? I hate the poxy houge stocks that come with them.

I use a Redding competition FL bushing and seater die, with a Wilson .288 bushing. Quite a few brass options now Lapua is excellent but very pricey. Peterson brass is cheaper at Workshop innovation and they claim it it better than Lapua. Also reloaders do Starline brass now $129 for a bag of 100.

Look at whidden dies for good dies from the states within your budget.

Rifleshooter.com has some great articles and info for the CM including comparisons on barrel length and small vs large rifle primers.

If you Google Hornady 6.5 CM factory loads you will find the load data they originally put on the boxes with H4350 which is AR2209 rebranded for the Yanks.

I loaded 41.5gr with a LR primer under a 143 eldx in Hornady brass for 2750 from the old man's Howa heavy barrel 24" gun. Shoots half MOA.

I would try the rifle as is prior to getting it bedded. Might be fine and save some cash.

Hornady American Gunner ammo is good value 140gr BTHP in 50 round boxes to get started and get brass.

Kills well too.

PM for more info.

Originally Posted by Nick-D

I think the small primer dues help the dudes running at the top end of pressure, and supposedly help lower sd's.

No harm in it and lapua brass is awesome.

Where did you get the wood stock from? I hate the poxy houge stocks that come with them.

I ordered it from the howa Agent I brought a barrel action and stock separately the stock only has a sporter barrel channel but
Not hard for the smith to open up to the heavyer barrel profile when he does the bedding job.. I refuse to buy a houge stock rifle as i have found Bad accuracy form 3 or 4 over the years from to much stock flex
In the barrel channel which affects harmonics they can be stiffened up and shoot well after but I don’t like the rubber feeling anyway so I just won’t buy one... my howa mini 6.5 Grendel has a plastic stock not houge and that’s fine shoots 0.3” if i do my bit

Yeah man the exact reason I don't like them

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

I ordered it from the howa Agent I brought a barrel action and stock separately the stock only has a sporter barrel channel but
Not hard for the smith to open up to the heavyer barrel profile when he does the bedding job.. I refuse to buy a houge stock rifle as i have found Bad accuracy form 3 or 4 over the years from to much stock flex
In the barrel channel which affects harmonics they can be stiffened up and shoot well after but I don’t like the rubber feeling anyway so I just won’t buy one... my howa mini 6.5 Grendel has a plastic stock not houge and that’s fine shoots 0.3” if i do my bit

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Nick-D

Yeah man the exact reason I don't like them

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

My mates 7mm/08 went from shooting 2 inch groups at 100 to
.5 or under same load same rifle same shooter all we did was stiffen up the foreend with ali tube and epoxy resen
My brothers 270 was the same shot like shit but as soon as we stiffened the foreend it shot great

Every howa ive owned or had something to do with has been a great 1/2” gun
Just the synthetic or wood ones normally do it from the box
The houges can require some work

I shot the 140 gr hornady American gunner in mine and with the accuracy I got I would not have bothered reloading for it (1/2" to 1/4"Moa)

Sinclair International has a good price on Wilson F/L bushing dies at present: https://www.sinclairintl.com/reloadi...+wilson%2c+inc. To buy this die direct from L.E.Wilson is about U.S.$90. Grab a .288 and 289 Wilson bushings at the same time if you go that route. Also, if you order anything through Sinclair or Brownell use International First Class as your postage option as most items come under US$20.

I got the whidden die set and I like it. Probably no better than the Redding or Forster top line stuff.
It has a changeable stem so you dont need to use the expander button but can still have a primer pin in it. Also comes with their own shoulder bump gauge which is a nice touch, just put it on your calipers and good to go.

Another site to look at if buying wilson dies is BRT in Aussie you can get a stainless sizer for about $130 landed, they are nice too.

I have found 140 ELDM's to be good but just changed to scenars.

I’m just curious to know from the Redding, Widden, Forster users, what are the real measurable advantages over the Lee dies? I just reloaded 100 6.5CM with 143gr ELD-X into Lapua SP brass yesterday. I was reading above about the bushing die sets. I measured the full length and neck sized only cases after running them through the respective dies, and they both produce exactly 0.290” necks. Not a gnat’s cock of difference between them. But every several cases I do feel slightly less resistance when seating the bullet, having been wondering whether I have too much neck tension variance.

I looked at the Sinclair deal, that looks attractive with a 0.288” bushing, but what improvment is it really going to make?

Getting the precise neck tension on the bullet you want, less work hardening of the brass neck and better concentricity of loaded rounds are the main reasons for using a bushing die. The Lee collet die is also popular with some reloader's.

Yeah I like the Lee collet die. I run all the fired cases through the action, separting out those that need a full length resize and those that only need a neck resize. I like the way the collet die doesn’t work the brass so much. Still got to work out why I feel slightly less tension on some cases when seating the bullet, hence interest in bushing die. Think I might need to pay more attention to carefully cleaning the inside of the case neck.

@rambo-6mmrem I used Titan Reloading in the US to get in all my Creemoor stuff and a bunch of other stuff at the same time. Arrived in less time than Outdoor Supplies is able to get me a package from Masterton with Fastway Couriers. Economical, includimg air mail.

The decapping pin on the Lee deluxe set is for large primers so a ground it off. I bought a universal decapper and several decapping pins for small primer brass from Titan and now I find that decapping all the diferrent calibre cartridges at once is more efficient for me at least.

The Lapua small primer brass is working out ok as you would expect. Fired 4x now, fifth load just done couple of days ago. No trimming required, no signs of problems. I’m running at 2800fps and a bit over book max but so far so good. Same rifle as you, with Boyds stock, pillar bedded plus exoxy bedded recoil lug and tang. Very very accurate rifle used for goat control to 600m.

Have been reading about this Peterson brass. Hard to get a view on it without actually trying it. Several detailed reviews for Creedmoor suggest it is quite a lot less case capacity than Lapua and hence quite a big drop in velocity. But with the nuts price of Lapua now I’m going to try some, nothing ventured nothing gained.