1st time building a custom questions and ramblings.

[Bigzams]

So a few months back I helped a gunsmith move his shop down the road . He offer to build me a rifle at a reduced cost for the help. I have a XLR chassis that this rifle will be going into so it will need to stay in the Remington 700 foot print. Plan is buy a basic no frills Rem 700 short action and toss everything else but the action. True up the action and put a quality barrel and call it a day. I originally wanted a .223 bolt gun since most of my shooting is punching paper inside 300 yards I figured ammo is coming back around and its a common caliber it would suit my needs just fine. I someday plan of shooting some competitions but I need something other than my .308
Then my buddy started to talk me out of it with these points.

1. Go with something a bit larger that can hit harder over longer distances. You never know when you may want to hunt or take a animal that a .223 just wont do
2. .223 in a AR platform gets its punch from having 30 rounds at the ready a .223 in a bolt gun you are limited to 10 if you are running a DBM

So I started to look around. Since I already own a .308 I didn't want another one. I looked at the .243 which is also a common round easily found. In my search I stumbled on the 6.5 Creedmoor and i was hooked on the whitepapers alone. Reading the velocities and data on it I thought bullshit but after reading up here and other sources it looks like it is not all hype and it is a solid caliber.

So I have moved now towards building a 6.5 Creedmoor the only draw back I can see is that I will not be able to walk into any sporting goods store and pick up some ammo like I would with a .223 or .243. I do reload for my .308 so I could buy my supplies and start to reload for it. Just sucks cause right now components are still hard to find in any caliber now you toss in a caliber like the 6.5 CM and now I am really behind the 8 ball. I am leaning more towards the 6.5CM now even though I know ammo will be tough to get . I was thinking something along the lines of a 20-29 inch barrel with a 1:8 twist. I don't mind the longer heavier barrels since as I mostly shoot from the bench or prone. Before I commit and tell him to fire up the machines to get this all started any other pitfalls recommendations you guys can offer?

 

[FlashGordon]

If you reload why not look into 6XC, 6SLR, or even 6 Creedmoor?

Food for thought...

 

[Bruno]

I think the 6.5creed is a great short action cartridge, and ammo is not that hard to find. My local Cabela's has almost always had some on the shelf. Also, you can order it online from a variety of places. It is coming back in stock slowly, like everything else, but usually with a little patience you can find it. Hopefully by the time the gun is finished, it will be in stock everywhere. Looking in the for sale section here, Cabela's, and copper creek I have stocked up a few hundred reserve rounds when I run out of H4350 so I can still shoot.

 

[hewlett260]

For the prescribed uses and range, have you thought about a 6mmBR since you already load? Or a 260, or the 6.5x47 Lapua? there are a lot of choices, and some are in the same performance range as the Creedmoor. 7mm 08 is another good choice. Something different could also be a 6.5 Grendal, might be a neat little piece and still gets the job done. The Creedmoor like the 260 really shines at long range. 300 yards wouldn't even be a challenge. Either way you choose, I would like to see a range report and some pictures when you are done, best of luck with your build.

 

[thrusty]

The 6.5CM is a great caliber and it's very fun to shoot. It also use the same bolt face as the .308 and if you're already set up and comfortable loading a .308, it won't take you long to figure out the Creedmoor.

I've got a 26" Bartlein M24/M40 contour bbl and a Thruster brake on it - it's a blast to shoot something that has very light recoil but has exceptional ballistics. I prefer this to the punishment of the 300WM after a hundred rounds or so.

The 6.5CM is basically the same as the .260 (with the .260 likely edging it out due to case capacity), however the Creedmoor wins points for working better in mags - little shorter case and will allow you to get closer to the lands in a short action.

I'd love to have another in 22" bbl...I think it would be a great capable rifle to hunt and plink with.

The .243 is a great caliber, however the barrel life is my only concern...again, the 6.5CM and even .260 have have great barrel life - close to what the .308 has.

Unfortunately, you will not be finding 6.5CM factory match ammo at the local wal-mart like you would .308 or .223, but that's the price you pay. Start off shooting the factory ammo and move over to handloads when you're ready and this damn supply issue is resolved.

 

[garandman]

I think the 6.5creed is a great short action cartridge, and ammo is not that hard to find. .

Yup. I love mine.

 

[Bigzams]

Just ordered my barrel picked up a Bartlein Barrel 6.5mm 8 twist SS M24 27" from Bugholes. I pick up my donor action on Friday and its off to the smith after that.

 

[Sixfivesavage]

The 6.5CM is basically the same as the .260 (with the .260 likely edging it out due to case capacity), however the Creedmoor wins points for working better in mags - little shorter case and will allow you to get closer to the lands in a short action.

Care to elaborate before I chamber my 6.5 barrel?

 

[thrusty]

Care to elaborate before I chamber my 6.5 barrel?

No problem. Check the SAAMI specs for the two cartridges. You'll see they are very close in design...you'll also see that the 6.5CM case is a bit shorter - that was by design. First part was to design it in mind for a short action and the second part was to make it work well in a magazine. As long as you don't have a crazy long throat (factory Remington's), you have quite a distance that you can adjust your overall length to so that you can chase the lands. The .260 has just a little bit less wiggle room when you're trying to get close to the lands but still try to be able to run them in a mag reliably.

http://www.saami.org/pubresources/cc_drawings/Rifle/260 Remington.pdf

http://www.saami.org/pubresources/cc_drawings/Rifle/6_5 Creedmoor.pdf

 

[Sixfivesavage]

Thank you, you have successfully made me go back to trying to decide between these two again...

 

[Bigzams]

Rifle almost done

As my build near complete I was thinking of leaving it at 27 inches and try it out like that before I cut anything off it. Once its gone there is no way of getting it back on is the way I see it. Anyone else run a 6.5 at 27 inches?

 

[FlashGordon]

I run a 28" Bartlein with an APA Fat Bastard brake on my 6.5 Creed

Long and strong baby!

 

[Frank]

Seems CM and Creedmoor are being used interchangably here. I thought the CM was the Competion Match ????

 

[swhiteh3]

As my build near complete I was thinking of leaving it at 27 inches and try it out like that before I cut anything off it. Once its gone there is no way of getting it back on is the way I see it.

What, you don't own a welder?

Anyone else run a 6.5 at 27 inches?

I'm actually going through the same decision right now. Building a 6.5 Creedmoor on a Stiller action (my first custom action build) and I can't decide how long I should make it. I'm leaning toward starting at 26" (I have a 27" blank) and knowing that I can always cut it down from there if I want to... Anyone have any hard data on the differences in 6.5 Creedmoor for 22"/24"/26" barrels through a chrono?

 

[thrusty]

Check the 6.5 Creedmoor Loads thread for info on the velocities for given barrel lengths.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/snipers-hide-reloading-depot/98041-**6-5-creedmoor-loads**.html

My bbl: 26" Bartlein 5R 1:8
I'm seeing
2656FPS AVG with 142SMK and 40.5gr H4350
2742FPS AVG with 142SMK and 42gr H4350

 

[swhiteh3]

I'm actually going through the same decision right now. Building a 6.5 Creedmoor on a Stiller action (my first custom action build) and I can't decide how long I should make it. I'm leaning toward starting at 26" (I have a 27" blank) and knowing that I can always cut it down from there if I want to... Anyone have any hard data on the differences in 6.5 Creedmoor for 22"/24"/26" barrels through a chrono?

Thanks Thrusty. I should have mentioned that I found a few threads with good info, but I'm specifically interested in the Factory 140gr A-Max from Hornaday, as that is what I'll be shooting. For right now reloading is out of the question for me.

 

[Bigzams]

Just about done.

 

[Shanerbanner10]

Looking forward to seeing range results in the near future! 517 trigger. I love mine! I'm sure you will too.

 

[Frank Green]

As my build near complete I was thinking of leaving it at 27 inches and try it out like that before I cut anything off it. Once its gone there is no way of getting it back on is the way I see it. Anyone else run a 6.5 at 27 inches?

Did the blank come as 27" from Bugholes or was it longer and you already cut and crowned to 27"? If it was a 27" blank you have to cut something off the muzzle end and crown the barrel. We leave an extra 1" on the blank to do this so you get a nice clean crown/bore edge. This will cover any tool run out or lapping when the barrel was made. If you don't cut anything off of it you can have accuracy problems. Take at least a 1/2" to a 1". We recommend a 1".

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[Bigzams]

Bartlein Barrel 6.5mm 8 twist SS M24 27" is what it says on the receipt from bugholes.
I did send a email off to the gunsmith as soon as i saw this and his reply was "I always cut a bit off the muzzle, they stick a metal rod in the barrel to spin it when they are doing the contouring and that messes up the rifling, so its always best to cut a bit off". Thanks for looking out Frank we all appreciate it here.
-Rene

 

[Bigzams]

Done heading out to the range soon as it dries up a bit from the rain we had.
Thanks all for all the valuable info here.

-Rene

 

[Bigzams]

Range report

Took the rifle out today. results were good. 3 shot group at 100 yards with 120 Amax Hornady Factory ammo. For some reason it didn't like the 140s.
-Rene