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What FPS are you getting out of your 16" barrel 6.5 creedmoor?

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Minuteman
  • Oct 11, 2013
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    Shooting 130 bergers out of a factory 16" barrel and I'm getting around 2400fps. Seems a tad low. What's everyone else getting out of their short barrels?
    (edit: was looking at the wrong data book. changed from 123 scenars to 130 bergers)
     
    Last edited:
    About 2470 to 2550 with a 140 class bullet and h4350. Going to explore the 40.5-40.8 range with the 140eldm.
    20250308_125850.jpg
     
    I'm running 2475fps with 147gr ELD-Ms from a 16.5" barrel with 1/7" Twist,
    41.3gr of H4350.
    COAL is 2.82" with 32 Thou Jump.
    Brass is Lapua
    RWS LRP

    I'm going to test H4895 and Varget as well, but i'm expecting that the heavies won't net me the Velocity increase i'm hoping before it hits pressure. You can try those powders with the lighter bullets and will probably see better MVs.
     
    I'd honestly give Staball 6.5 a try, it's been a great shooter for me and has usually given at it near top velocities, even with lighter bullets. Here is one of my 130gr loads for my Sig Cross, admittedly an 18" barrel, but also a heavier bullet, I'd expect you could find a good load around there with your 123gr if you wanted to.
    Screenshot_20250315-092514.png
     
    I hit pressure early with Varget and the 123s in my other 16.5 that was fast with h4350.
    Not great speed and accuracy was meh, 1” to 1.3” across midrange loads.
    This is a PVA chambered barrel.

    Will try again and hoping it with a 123 Absolute Hammer will yield the speed I am dreaming of in this new barrel…… 😁
     
    If I was running a 16-18in 6.5 I’d be running 130 TMK with Staball 6.5 or RL26. Or maybe N555 with a drop tube. Should be getting 2575fps - 2650 fps at the 55-60K PSI range and still burn 96-98%. RL26 would give the most speed.

    123 scenar at 2400 is crazy low. Its slower than 16in 308/175 speeds
     
    Last edited:
    That's very low, what is your load?
    I never chase velocity as I'm really just a group chaser only, but I'd like to at least start getting some decent velocity with these rifles when I start either hunting or target shoot out at distance.

    For berger 130s (not scenars; looked at the wrong book) some of my velocities were Alpha brass, Varget powder, Federal standards SRPs - 37.1-2403fps, 37.2-2414fps, 37.3-2431fps, 37.4-2449fps, 37.5-2457fps, 37.9-2456fps.
    Book states 37.9 is max. Hodgdons website says 34.9 is max. I get zero pressure signs.
     
    I hit pressure early with Varget and the 123s in my other 16.5 that was fast with h4350.
    Not great speed and accuracy was meh, 1” to 1.3” across midrange loads.
    This is a PVA chambered barrel.

    Will try again and hoping it with a 123 Absolute Hammer will yield the speed I am dreaming of in this new barrel…… 😁
    H4350 is another great powder for the 6.5 creedmoor. It was not available when I worked up varget and rl15 loads.
     
    Yea, I've tried other powders (4350 was one of them) and for some reason I get the best groups with Varget. Varget's also the easiest (with this shit a&d scale) to get exactly right every time because every kernel weighs exactly the same weight. H4350 has .02, .03 & .04 grains per kernel so it sucks getting perfect. Going to maybe give H4831 a try as well.
     
    Yea, I've tried other powders (4350 was one of them) and for some reason I get the best groups with Varget. Varget's also the easiest (with this shit a&d scale) to get exactly right every time because every kernel weighs exactly the same weight. H4350 has .02, .03 & .04 grains per kernel so it sucks getting perfect. Going to maybe give H4831 a try as well.
    4831 is a bit slow for a short barrel. I’ve experimented with it with the 147 and a 26in barrel and it did okay but it’s really a better powder for the bigger 260rem case in a longer barrel length to maximize the burn. I wouldn’t use it in a 16in barrel you’d get barely 90% burn rate and low speeds.
     
    6.5 CM in a 16.5" PVA Osprey carbon barrel with Varget and peterson srp brass with 130 TMK 2820fps with SD 0f 3 and shooting in the .2s. 135 JLK in the same barrel with varget doing 2750fps.
    This brings up a good point that I haven’t seen so far. What brass are you using and have you noticed any pressure signs with your load? Maybe I missed it.
     
    I never chase velocity as I'm really just a group chaser only, but I'd like to at least start getting some decent velocity with these rifles when I start either hunting or target shoot out at distance.

    For berger 130s (not scenars; looked at the wrong book) some of my velocities were Alpha brass, Varget powder, Federal standards SRPs - 37.1-2403fps, 37.2-2414fps, 37.3-2431fps, 37.4-2449fps, 37.5-2457fps, 37.9-2456fps.
    Book states 37.9 is max. Hodgdons website says 34.9 is max. I get zero pressure signs.

    I understand loading for accuracy, I do too, I've just never had to load cartridges down significantly to get good accuracy, so I usually don't. If there is a use case for loading down, intentionally I'll do that ( like lighter loads for my son's to hunt with).

    Here's the load I posted the velocity for above, along with a hotter version that broke 2,800 fps, but with my latest batch of significantly lower case capacity brass, was too hot. Reloader 16 is another good powder for accuracy and speed with the Creed, but at the very least I'd switch from Varget to something in a more appropriate H4350-ish burn rate for the Creed, horses for courses.

    PXL_20220721_022233376.jpg
     
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    Yea, I've tried other powders (4350 was one of them) and for some reason I get the best groups with Varget. Varget's also the easiest (with this shit a&d scale) to get exactly right every time because every kernel weighs exactly the same weight. H4350 has .02, .03 & .04 grains per kernel so it sucks getting perfect. Going to maybe give H4831 a try as well.
    4831sc made suppressor hot really fast in a 21" barrel. It was dumping quite a bit of unburned powder into my suppressor shooting 140s.
     
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