6.5 Creedmoor, Small Primer Brass, 147gr Hornady ELD, H4350 accuracy load?

EddieCoyle

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Does anybody have a favorite load recommendation for this combination?

I assume the COAL to be 2.800". Can someone recommend a charge weight and small primer brand/type combo as a good starting point with an AR-10?

Thanks in advance.
 
Are you sizing to head space or seating to 2.800"? I have been loading for my RPR and AR-10. Ill check my notebook for loads.
 
@EddieCoyle

Found this, but its 140's and large primer-


Some more searching led to this-

and then this-

Neither say if its small or large primer

More digging found this, but its large primer-

To begin the load development process, I started with new, unfired Starline 6.5 Creedmoor brass. Starline offers 6.5 Creedmoor brass with both large and small primer pockets. I elected to use the large primer pocket with a CCI 200 primer.

All shooting was done prone, from a bipod with rear bag. Velocity data was recorded with a MagnetoSpeed V3 barrel mounted ballistic chronograph. Target is a Rite in the Rain Storm Sight Target.

Results are shown in table below:

6.5-Creedmoor-147-ELD-H4350-H4831SC-Loads-load-data.png


For the 147 ELD with H4350 powder, muzzle velocities ranged from 2,555 to 2,621 feet/second and standard deviation ranged from 10.9 to 17.6 feet/second. Five shot groups sizes ranged from .391″(.373 MOA) to 1.078″(1.030 MOA) with an average group size of .714″ (.682 MOA).

Good luck
 
Thread tagged. I am just starting to do load development for 6.5 CM. Starting with a 140 grain Sierra Match King HPBT, using H4350 powder. Starline small primer brass. Many shooters use CCI Small Rifle Magnum primers, which I have and planned to use. The Starline tech info indicates non-magnum primers. Anyone think the magnum primers would pose any kind of problem here?
 
Just did a test run, results below. Magnetospeed V1. All 5 shot groups, at 100 yards. Rifle, Bergara LRP Elite 24" barrel. I am liking group E.

I just noticed a typo in the chart. Group F was 42 gr of H4350, not 48...

1595807150561.png
 

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Another range test, this time with Hornady 129 Grain SST bullets and Reloader 15. SD seemed high, but they all shot well and were extremely accurate. Only at 50 yards, but all were one hole cloverleafs.

1599610616409.png
 
Lapua small primer Reloder 26 I hit 2800 with 140 eldm’s no pressure and I think 2740 with 147’s both shot under an inch 5 round groups, I was .03 off the lands
 
I got severe pressure signs with Starline brass, 41gr of 4350, and Hornady 143s.

the Berger factory 140’s go on sale once in a while I Was about to buy lapua brass and the 140 bergers and the factory ammo popped up for cheaper than I could load it for, it was like 23 a box and now I have a couple hundred lapua cases, I don’t know anything about starline but the lapua is the best I’ve seen
 
So I too just got some Lapua cases in 6.5 Creed but all my load books use LRPs, can you simply use SRPs with the same data? Also, apparently the flash hole is smaller, what are you using to decap? I was just going to grind down the pin on my Lee decapper die until it worked.

All my Hornandy cases had definite case head separation signs after 2-4 firings in the RPR and FL sized each time.
 
So I too just got some Lapua cases in 6.5 Creed but all my load books use LRPs, can you simply use SRPs with the same data? Also, apparently the flash hole is smaller, what are you using to decap? I was just going to grind down the pin on my Lee decapper die until it worked.

All my Hornandy cases had definite case head separation signs after 2-4 firings in the RPR and FL sized each time.
My Redding die works fine for the lapua small primer brass. I would think the Lee universal decapper would work also, I use that for 556/223. Berger recommends small rifle magnum for primers, been using those.
 
I'm working one up right now, though I'm burning up some IMR 4350 before moving to SUPRFORMANCE. I also have a ton of H4831, which is also pretty solid in 6.5 CM. In a rifle I built for my dad, I got HDY 143 ELD-X bullets up to 2950 with no pressure signs on SUPRFORMANCE, but I'm seeing minor cratering on my current loads at 2750 on Berger 153 Hybrids. I am using Rem #7.5 primers in Lapua SR brass right now, so will look into using some of my LR brass for a different result. Remington primers are notoriously soft, so they can be hard to interpret for pressure signs. I realize that's not an answer for your exact question, but I'm more than happy to run numbers in Quickload for you if you like. Just remember that Quickload projections are just that....projections, and the real-world results can vary a lot. This makes it doubly important to start 10% below the projected max and check every fired shell before moving up.

One last random point: the best advice that I've ever gotten on reloading was from one of the staff at GA Precision, who spoke to me for AN HOUR at random dispensing free knowledge. He pointed out that any time you work up a load, you should calculate out how much extra distance/how much less holdover the extra velocity gets you before chasing it with more powder. His point was that TANSTAAFL applies to reloading, and that more pressure will wear your throat faster, which in turn means replacing the barrel sooner. If 2650 FPS gets you what you need, think carefully before trading barrel life for 2750 FPS.
 
So I too just got some Lapua cases in 6.5 Creed but all my load books use LRPs, can you simply use SRPs with the same data? Also, apparently the flash hole is smaller, what are you using to decap? I was just going to grind down the pin on my Lee decapper die until it worked.

All my Hornandy cases had definite case head separation signs after 2-4 firings in the RPR and FL sized each time.
How much are you bumping the shoulder back? Any signs of pressure ? 2-4 firings seems like it’s kinda short life for the brass. I’d expect split necks before case head separation.
 
Never really measure how much, I use an LE Wilson headspace gauge to set up the sizing die but it wasn't a large amount, and there were no pressure signs at all but I know what incipient case head separation looks like and alarm bells were going off, could be overly cautions too but its not worth risking my last eye...LOL. My experience with Hornandy Brass is it's not too resilient. I have some 6.5 Grendel and 308 Hornandy brass had to be discarded after roughly the same amount of firings for the same reason. I avoid buying Hornandy brass whenever possible and go with Lapua, Nosler, or Starline these days.
 
Never really measure how much, I use an LE Wilson headspace gauge to set up the sizing die but it wasn't a large amount, and there were no pressure signs at all but I know what incipient case head separation looks like and alarm bells were going off, could be overly cautions too but its not worth risking my last eye...LOL. My experience with Hornandy Brass is it's not too resilient. I have some 6.5 Grendel and 308 Hornandy brass had to be discarded after roughly the same amount of firings for the same reason. I avoid buying Hornandy brass whenever possible and go with Lapua, Nosler, or Starline these days.

fair enough your right to cull that lot. I know that overworking the brass definately shortens it’s life. If it’s all going through the same gun seems the standard seems to be to just bump the shoulder back 2-3 thousandths. If it’s going through multiple guns this probably wouldn’t work unless found the shortest chamber and worked off that.

I use a comparator to set up my die and measure shoulder location. The comparator sets are worth their weight in gold to produce consistent ammo. Hornady or Sinclair I prefer the Sinclair inserts as they are stainless not aluminum. they make a bump guage insert that sits on shoulder as well as caliber specific inserts to measure bullet base to ogive or cartridge base to ogive.
 
I used to neck size only for 308 but that was when I had only one 308 bolt gun, I have a few now so I just FL size. I only have the RPR in 6.5 so it may be worth going back to neck sizing for that rifle.
 
In regards to neck sizing, the accuracy and brass life myths have been debunked time and time again. Just FL size. Everything will feed/extract better.
I think that this is kind of true. Neck sizing is the quick and easy way to get brass that fits your chamber well, but it carries a number of challenges. As you mention, neck sizing will cause feeding issues in any gun except the bolt action in which the case was last fired. On the flip side, FL sizing so that it just bumps the shoulder in a tight match chamber is the correct way to do things and will produce accuracy as good or better than only neck sizing without any of the feeding issues.

The reason that this myth persists is the kernel of truth within it: an oversized factory chamber firing brass run through a tight FL sizing die is going to have a ton of play, and this is the scenario that neck sizing addresses. Elite BR/F-class/PRS et c shooters are all FL sizing, but none of them are running factory "SAAMI+0.01" chambers. To that end, I use neck sizing on my cheapo Axis 6.5CM practice rifle because I want 0.5 MOA for as little work as possible. On my .300 WSM, I use a custom FL die matched to a custom reamer set, but the case prep takes longer than loading a complete round for the other gun. Is -0.25 MOA worth it? Usually not.
 
So I too just got some Lapua cases in 6.5 Creed but all my load books use LRPs, can you simply use SRPs with the same data? Also, apparently the flash hole is smaller, what are you using to decap? I was just going to grind down the pin on my Lee decapper die until it worked.

All my Hornandy cases had definite case head separation signs after 2-4 firings in the RPR and FL sized each time.
That is what I did to mine
Works great

I use 450 magnum SRP also
 
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