16" or 18" barrel for 6.5 CM?

[MuleyFever]

6.5 CM with suppressor hunting deer/elk to 400, maybe 500 yards?

 

[z987k]

18. If you look around at shorter barrel rifles in factory offerings you'll notice they pretty much don't go under 18 in a 6.5cm. While they'll offer the same gun in 308 at 16. The CM looses more from 18 to 16 than it does from 20 to 18.

For elk, that's a bit far for my in a 6.5cm. Deer all day.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Interesting question. I too have heard the creed needs a little more barrel for full combustion. I remember reading an article about a group of guys shooting 308s at the range and then cutting an inch of their barrels and recrowning them as an experiment. Rinse and repeat till they got to 16 inches. Here is a version for a 6.5.

Experiment: effects of barrel length on velocity and accuracy, by Addison Mohler

Palomino Valley Gun Club Member, Addison Mohler, conducted an experiment where he explored the effects of barrel length as it relates to bullet velocity and accuracy. The following is as writeup of…

palominogunclub.org

seems like you drop 30-50 fps with each inch.

 

[Formidilosus]

6.5 CM with suppressor hunting deer/elk to 400, maybe 500 yards?

Either will work fine for those ranges. I have used a 12.5” 6.5 CM quite a bit- works great.

6.5 creedmoor is an acceptable 300 yard elk cartridge out of a short barrel but past that you are really risking inadequate penetration on elk IMO. If you poke around forums there's tons of information about the fairly good ballistics you can get out of a 6.5 particularly with a short barrel but what comes to bear here is lack of energy and thus penetration even with a good quality high sectional density bullets. While I'm certain we'll here from the arm chair commandos that snipe elk in the heart every year at 600 yards with their creedmoor, I'd encourage you to think about something with a little more efficiency out of a short barrel like a WSM or 7mm-30 cal.

Literally nothing you wrote is factually correct. “Energy” and penetration do not correlate to each other. Lower impact velocity equals less bullet upset and therefore deeper penetration.

 

[mt100gr.]

I'm happy with the 18" barrel on my Sig Cross 6.5. With 147eldm leaving at 2540fps, it's packing plenty of steam for its intended role. Even at 600 yards.

The rainbow trajectory of the lower velocity means that accurate ranging is critical, but that's always true.

The ELDM at shorty Creedmoor velocities has been quite impressive IMO.

 

[MuleyFever]

18. If you look around at shorter barrel rifles in factory offerings you'll notice they pretty much don't go under 18 in a 6.5cm. While they'll offer the same gun in 308 at 16. The CM looses more from 18 to 16 than it does from 20 to 18.

For elk, that's a bit far for my in a 6.5cm. Deer all day.

I posted this after noticing quite a few factory 16" options in 6.5 CM. Got me thinking about its effectiveness.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

6.5 creedmoor is an acceptable 300 yard elk cartridge out of a short barrel but past that you are really risking inadequate penetration on elk IMO. If you poke around forums there's tons of information about the fairly good ballistics you can get out of a 6.5 particularly with a short barrel but what comes to bear here is lack of energy and thus penetration even with a good quality high sectional density bullets. While I'm certain we'll here from the arm chair commandos that snipe elk in the heart every year at 600 yards with their creedmoor, I'd encourage you to think about something with a little more efficiency out of a short barrel like a WSM or 7mm-30 cal. I've had failures that have haunted me in the past with 130 and 140gr bullets on elk with long barreled 270 winchesters at 3-400 yards and I would love to spare you the heart ache of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal you respect or not recovering it all.

100%

6.5 CM with suppressor hunting deer/elk to 400, maybe 500 yards?

I'd take this guy's advice don't be shooting elk at 500 yards with a low velocity 6.5, I dont even like my 6.5 saum for elk at that range and I've done it.
Bad things are just waiting to happen if your shot isn't absolutely perfect, I double lunged a bull and almost lost him with my 6.5.
I'd go with an 18" wsm of some variety or saum

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Either will work great. I’d go 18” personally especially at those yardages on elk.

Speed absolutely kills. If you actually want elk DRT with a .264, place your shot into the heart and lungs and let it explode and let the kinetic energy do it’s job. “Penetration” may be the most overused killing term on this forum.

Well placed, fast, 129 grain SST shots are insanely lethal. This is from real life experience and decades of killing animals. Not from “ballistics charts”, “killing energy” sheets or “ballistic gel penetration” videos.

Nothing replaces field experience and what you find that works for you.

An 18” 6.5 CM bolt action rifle is a bad ass big game gun. Don’t let the .30 Cal nerds on here tell you otherwise

 

[MuleyFever]

This is for my wife. Not putting her behind anything with mag in the name.

 

[mt100gr.]

This is for my wife. Not putting her behind anything with mag in the name.

Good. You definitely do not need it to kill elk. Fun to shoot, comfortable and confident is more important.

 

[JoeDirt]

I have a 17" 6.5 Creed, its shooting the factory 143ELDx bullets at 2500fps. Its killed everything ive set the crosshairs on with the furthest shot being 250 yards and full expansion of the bullet.

My plan is to shoot hand loads with some higher BC copper bullets.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

This is for my wife. Not putting her behind anything with mag in the name.

Then keep her shots inside 300 yards and you'll be OK, if you can't do it right at long range then don't do it at all

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have a 17" 6.5 Creed, its shooting the factory 143ELDx bullets at 2500fps. Its killed everything ive set the crosshairs on with the furthest shot being 250 yards and full expansion of the bullet.

My plan is to shoot hand loads with some higher BC copper bullets.

What coppers are you fond of? I am going to brew up some loads for my creed and I would like to use a copper bullet, assuming they perform in my gun.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

I'm all about short, don't get me wrong. but 18 would be the shortest I would go.

Im shooting 147 ELDm out of my 18" CM pretty hot at 2620 FPS FYI

 

[Travis Bertrand]

also FYI with my load 1212 FtLbs energy at 600 yards

 

[mt100gr.]

I'm all about short, don't get me wrong. but 18 would be the shortest I would go.

Im shooting 147 ELDm out of my 18" CM pretty hot at 2620 FPS FYI

Is that from your Sig Cross?

Which powder, primer and brass did you get there with?

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Is that from your Sig Cross?

Which powder, primer and brass did you get there with?

correct,

Im running Prime brass, 210M and 41.8 of RL16 seated .060 off lands

 

[mt100gr.]

correct,

Im running Prime brass, 210M and 41.8 of RL16 seated .060 off lands

Thanks. Is that suppressed?

Your getting 80fps over my H4350 load in Hornady brass (not suppressed) I have some ADG brass on the shelf I'm going to go back to now that I sorted out which bullet it likes. The 147s are phenomenal thru my cross and I'm happy at 2540, but I think I can push it a little more. I was close enough to hunting season that I settled for the first node I liked a bit under book max charge.

 

[MuleyFever]

I fondled a Cross yesterday and had my wife shoulder it a few times. I thought it felt really good. My wife said she liked the grip better than a traditional stock but she didnt like the thin but pad as much at first. After a few adjustments to it she said it felt pretty good. I really think its my front runner for her.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Thanks. Is that suppressed?

Your getting 80fps over my H4350 load in Hornady brass (not suppressed) I have some ADG brass on the shelf I'm going to go back to now that I sorted out which bullet it likes. The 147s are phenomenal thru my cross and I'm happy at 2540, but I think I can push it a little more. I was close enough to hunting season that I settled for the first node I liked a bit under book max charge.

no it is not suppressed. I had 2 nodes and that was the higher one for sure. the other was 41.2 at 2605 FPS.

I chose RL16 for higher velocity over h4350. I plan on shooting it at a match and need a minimum power factor.