Loading for 6.5 Creedmoor with 18" barrel

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Oct 15, 2014
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Zuni, VA
In typical barrel lengths of 22-24" I've had great luck with the fairly common load:

140gn bullet with 41-42gn of H4350. It's accurate and gives a MV of 2700-2750 fps or so.

All of the load data I've seen is for 24-26" test barrels. I read this report on cutting down a 6.5 Creedmoor and the affect on speed here: 6-5-creedmoor-effect-of-barrel-length-on-velocity-cutting-up-a-creedmoor. What was really cool was seeing that the bullet was faster in some cases in a 24" barrel than a 27". But generally the velocity drops as the barrel is shortened.

I'm considering have the barrel shortened down to 18" and using a suppressor.

Since the barrel is going to be considerably shorter should I use a faster powder like Varget to get a better burn in the shorter barrel? Or, more simply, is there load data for shorter barrels available?
 
Varget is our go-to powder for great accuracy and decent speed with the 130-135 class bullets in 20" creeds. With the heavier bullets I can get similar speed with compressed loads of H4350 but accuracy falls off.

RL16 could also be worth a try if you have it.
 
Food for thought @elkstabber. I have a suppressed 18in 6.5CM.

Lapua small primer brass
Federal 205M primer
41gr H4350
153gr Hornady A-Tip
2645 and incredibly accurate.

I didn’t have experience with small primers until this setup. Very pleased with the results
 
Your chosen barrel length doesn't change what powder should be chosen when everything else is equal.

One wouldn't see a max load of powder B faster than a max of powder C in a 24" barrel, but then see powder C be faster in an 18" barrel than B when everything else is the same.
 
I am interested in this as well - mostly for velocity reports. I have a 24" creed now but would like to rebarrel to a shorter tube to make it less cumbersome with the suppressor. The loss in velocity for hunting doesn't bother me too much but I would like to use the gun for NRL hunter as well, so would have to be 2715 FPS with a 140 or 2475+ with a 153. Have no issues running 140's at 2800 FPS with H4350 in the 24" tube and a mild load.
 
I have not used it with an 18" barrel but I've had a ton of success loading 140 sst with superformance out of a 20" barrel
 
For reference I'm getting 2787 in a 20" barrel. Using the same load in the same 24" barrel before I cut it was 2870. RL 16 and 135 Berger.
 
I am getting 2739 with Rl16, srp Peterson brass, CCI 450s, 143 ELDX out of a 18" CarbonSix barrel. My 18" Bartlein is a little faster. I may try some 147s with Rl16 for NRL Hunter. I shot 140 ELDM out of a 28" with 40.6 of Rl16 and was getting 2843 without pushing it. I like the shorter barrels for hunting, plus I would like to stay under 12 lbs if possible.
 
From what i have read, the fastest powder in a 24” barrel will also be the fastest in an 18” barrel. I have not tested this myself.
 
Dropping down to the 130 grain bullets in a shorter creedmoor definitely helps if you’re not stuck on 140 and above
 
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