09-30-2011, 04:25 AM
I don't know why they ever made the 6.5 Creedmore, to be honest. Everyone will either chamber in .260 Rem, or 6.5x47 Lapua. The Lapua is a higher pressure cartridge that is meant to work with a certain set of powders. I used to think the .260 Rem had too much case capacity, until I started using the Hodgon's powders. Zak told me most long range shooters using .260 Rem are using H4350, H4831SC, and RL17. He competes in or runs several invitation-only precision rifle field matches, like Steel Safari, and sees a lot of the Nation's top shooters when it comes to practical long-range marksmanship.
I had this same discussion with a buddy of mine who was a sniper in 10th Mountain Division. The only reason he chambered in Creedmore was that his brother-in-law is already set-up for it..brass, dies, etc. I started my load development with N500 series powders before I discovered that they were bad news for throats and barrels. I started playing with Hodgon's H4831, and immediately got a consistent string of sub .75 and sub .5 MOA groups, finding several accuracy nodes with the 139gr Scenars into 5-round groups, starting with a .65 MOA string right off the bat, and several .4 MOA groups. I'm now working with H4350 and AA4350, with 139gr Scenars, 142gr SMK's, 140gr AMAX's, and a bullet I didn't know exists...the Barnes 140gr Match Burner. They all weighed exactly 140.3gr, with no deviation, and they all appear and measure to exact external dimensions.
Most (90%) practical long range shooters running .260's are using either 139gr Scenars, or 142gr SMK's. The 139gr Scenar is the most popular long-range 6.5mm bullet over the pond as well.
I had this same discussion with a buddy of mine who was a sniper in 10th Mountain Division. The only reason he chambered in Creedmore was that his brother-in-law is already set-up for it..brass, dies, etc. I started my load development with N500 series powders before I discovered that they were bad news for throats and barrels. I started playing with Hodgon's H4831, and immediately got a consistent string of sub .75 and sub .5 MOA groups, finding several accuracy nodes with the 139gr Scenars into 5-round groups, starting with a .65 MOA string right off the bat, and several .4 MOA groups. I'm now working with H4350 and AA4350, with 139gr Scenars, 142gr SMK's, 140gr AMAX's, and a bullet I didn't know exists...the Barnes 140gr Match Burner. They all weighed exactly 140.3gr, with no deviation, and they all appear and measure to exact external dimensions.
Most (90%) practical long range shooters running .260's are using either 139gr Scenars, or 142gr SMK's. The 139gr Scenar is the most popular long-range 6.5mm bullet over the pond as well.