6.5 Creedmoor Primer Questions

[BeerdedReloader]

Is it possible to use large rifle primers in 6.5 CM reloading?

Does the brass selection matter?

Is there anything else I should be aware of when asking that question?

I am new to reloading, and fairly new in the hobby of shooting outdoors past 25 yards so please forgive me, I just want to show the sport the respect it deserves.

 

[want2learn]

awesome that you're asking....don't hesitate.

There are 2 variants of 6.5 Creedmoor brass....one type takes only small rifle primers, the other type takes only large rifle primers. They're not interchangeable. Here's a little article about this topic: https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/5/6/large-or-small-rifle-primers-which-is-better/

There's a selection of awesome sticky posts that can be very helpful in learning to reload on this forum

I found this book very helpful: https://www.amazon.com/Top-Grade-gu...eywords=reloading+book&qid=1598965995&sr=8-18

 

[2muchcowbell]

Is it possible to use large rifle primers in 6.5 CM reloading?

Yes. Peterson, Alpha, and Lapua all offer large rifle primer (LRP) and small rifle primer (SRP) 6.5C brass. People tend to favor small primer pockets because they have more beef to them and are more* structurally sound.

Does the brass selection matter?

Consistent brass is the key, really, no matter the brand. I've had good luck with Lapua and Peterson, never used Alpha before. It's more about what your rifle likes, IMO.

 

[spife7980]

Yes, creed was developed with a large rifle primer, it is only recently that the small primer variants have come into vogue.

I use large rifle in my creed and Im glad I did because Im holding onto my few small rifle primers for my competition br cases, that means Im going to shoot a crap load of large rifle creed these next few months. Large rifle will also not give you issues with pressure and your firing pin hole diameter concerns like the small primers can. Large rifle my have slightly less meat in the case head but its also the easy button route.

 

[fyaman43]

I believe Hornady cartridges/brass use large rifle primers...

 

[2muchcowbell]

Yes, creed was developed with a large rifle primer, it is only recently that the small primer variants have come into vogue.

I use large rifle in my creed and Im glad I did because Im holding onto my few small rifle primers for my competition br cases, that means Im going to shoot a crap load of large rifle creed these next few months. Large rifle will also not give you issues with pressure and your firing pin hole diameter concerns like the small primers can. Large rifle my have slightly less meat in the case head but its also the easy button route.

Building on that, *definitely* check on flash hole diameters. Lapua SRP brass has a small flash hole, which has screwed up a depriming pin or two for me.

 

[never_summer]

If you are new to reloading also, the Hornady lrp brass is cheap to learn on if you trash some brass.
Like spife said, srp are like gold right now and lrp are easier to come by if you are just now getting into components.

 

[mercervillerental]

Building on that, *definitely* check on flash hole diameters. Lapua SRP brass has a small flash hole, which has screwed up a depriming pin or two for me.

This. Starline however has a normal flash hole.

 

[2muchcowbell]

This. Starline however has a normal flash hole.

Man, I forgot about Starline. Iirc, Peterson has the normal flash hole too, but I won't go to court on that.

 

[mercervillerental]

Man, I forgot about Starline. Iirc, Peterson has the normal flash hole too, but I won't go to court on that.

I love my Starline but based on their reputation Peterson might get some of my business one of these days

 

[Milo 2.5]

Lapua all offer large rifle primer (LRP) and small rifle primer (SRP) 6.5C brass.

???? You positive?

 

[2muchcowbell]

???? You positive?

6.5 Lapua Creedmoor Large Primer - Creedmoor Brass

shop.otmtactical.com

Yup! I went to my LGS to pick up some SRP Lapua 6.5C brass and all they had was LRP. It was a sad day, cuz they used to stock all-SRP 6.5 Creedmoor.
(Ed: and I almost exclusively run SRP Lapua for my Creed)

 

[2muchcowbell]

I love my Starline but based on their reputation Peterson might get some of my business one of these days

Peterson Select Brass Rifle Casings | Peterson Cartridge

Weight and length sorted match-grade brass rifle casings direct from the factory for shooters and reloaders.

www.petersoncartridge.com

One cool thing Peterson offers is their "Select Brass" line, which offers "50-count boxes guaranteed to be within 1 grain and .001" inch from the factory." The Select line is ~$1/casing for 6.5 and 6 Creed, which is even with Lapua. I haven't bothered to weight sort brass in a while, but I don't think Lapua was quite that consistent. It might be good for match brass, or something along those lines.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

OP, my response to your questions:

• Brass selection matters - but it's important to keep how much it matters in context. If you're new to reloading, you'll do fine with Hornady brass, if you have access to a supply of once-fired cases. If you need to order brass with which to start, I'd personally recommend Starline LRP (large rifle primer) based on cost/quality. I have Peterson brass as well. Both perform about equally (both SRP) acknowledging my lot of Starline has a slightly larger internal capacity, meaning velocity is slightly lower with a given powder charge than the Peterson.
• As has been stated, the standard 6.5CM case started life with large rifle primers - and LRP is the easy button. Use of small primers in a case designed around large ones might - emphasis on might - introduce some of the issues noted earlier in the thread. At this stage in your handloading experience evolution, there is wisdom to eliminating potential trouble spots where you can.

Will SRP 6.5CM brass give you more consistent performance? Meh, probably not at this point. I've been reloading for decades with emphasis on precision rifle in the last couple of years, and I've found primer size is not one of the top-priority variables to address.

Will SRP 6.5CM brass yield longer case life? I have no data on that personally as I haven't worn out any of either size yet. But, again, weighing other factors/variables, LRP brass gets my nod for the beginner.

EDIT: Wrt brass selection... I've found that bullet selection matters more to accuracy than brass. I load Hornady (from American Gunner and ELD-M lots), Starline SRP, and Peterson SRP. At this stage of my own handloading skills development, I'm getting extreme spread (ES) values around 20 for all. But bullets are a different matter. I have found 140gr Berger Hybrids to give better accuracy at 300 yards or more than 140gr Hornady ELD-M. But the accuracy difference with cost factored in is such that I use the Hornadys for the great majority of my practice and save the Bergers for matches. I got my last 1000 ELD-Ms for $.34 each with tax and shipping, compared to $.44 each for my last 1000 Bergers - which I got at a local gun show so no shipping and no tax, which would have jacked the cost up by several cents a round.

 

[b6graham]

???? You positive?

The factory berger ammo is LRP

 

[2muchcowbell]

Will SRP 6.5CM brass give you more consistent performance? Meh, probably not at this point. I've been reloading for decades with emphasis on precision rifle in the last couple of years, and I've found primer size is not one of the top-priority variables to address.

My research supports this. I went through ladder testing on Lapua SRP/LRP and Peterson SRP/LRP in .308 Win. There weren't major differences between them, but my rifle settled on LRP Lapua for the most consistent velocities, so that's what I went with in bulk.

 

[Milo 2.5]

6.5 Lapua Creedmoor Large Primer - Creedmoor Brass

shop.otmtactical.com

Yup! I went to my LGS to pick up some SRP Lapua 6.5C brass and all they had was LRP. It was a sad day, cuz they used to stock all-SRP 6.5 Creedmoor.
(Ed: and I almost exclusively run SRP Lapua for my Creed)

damn, you are right, I would shoot large primer in a heartbeat in either creed case.

 

[2muchcowbell]

damn, you are right, I would shoot large primer in a heartbeat in either creed case.

Yeah, looks like it was announced this January. I've had good luck with SRP so far, so I'm gonna stick to that.

 

[BeerdedReloader]

I am really grateful for all of the feedback. This is by far the most useful forum on the interweb. I will be utilizing this information as a reference point as I grow as a reloader.

 

[Gustav7]

I love my Starline but based on their reputation Peterson might get some of my business one of these days

Do they have a bad reputation in rifle? I'm doing pretty good with them right now in 6.5cm. One thing I have not done is seen how long they'll last. I'm starting my second reloads now. As far as performance though they're doing great. They needed the normal work when I got them, but I didn't weight sort or anything. I just ran them through a mandrel, chamfer/debur, and uniformed the primer pockets, then loaded them up.

 

[Foul Mike]

I have had problems with Hornady LRP primer pockets becoming loose quicker than I thought they would. YMMV

 

[Tunnuh]

Question for @BeerdedReloader: do you have any brass yet? Also, have you reloaded before?

 

[Iron Arch]

Figured I'd throw in a pic for comparison of factory-loaded Lapua SRP and LRP brass. Both of these cartridges have given me phenomenal results, and I plan on filling them with 144 Bergers when I shoot them out.