Model 12 LRP 6.5CM wont shoot well

[Delhiguy91]

I fear that you're right. My expectations were so high because my buddy has the same rifle and shoots sub .5 moa all day with handloads. My brother has a model 12 varmiter in 22-250 that shoots bug holes all day with handloads. So I guess I expected similar results. When my gun shot as well as it does with factory ammo, I expected only better results with handloads and it simply has not been the case. I feel I might just have to settle for .75-1 moa accuracy with handloads...

[LoneWolf]

What bullets are you shooting and have you had anyone else try to shoot a group with your rifle?

How are you testing loads? Are you just trying random charges based on what you saw with factory ammo?

I recommend using the OCW method. Other factor is to not worry about what the contents of the factory ammo is. Look at the velocity.

9 times out of ten my 6.5x47's shoot well with 140 Hybrids at 2780 or 130's at 2900. It's what those bullets like in my chamber for multiple barrels now.

Have you chrono'd the rifle at all? Finding good loads is a lot easier with the proper tools

51735174

[Delhiguy91]

Most of what I have shot has been hornady eld-x bullets. I plan to hunt whitetail long range with this rifle so I really want to make this bullet work. However I have tried a-max and match kings with poor results. I have not had anyone else shoot the rifle, but I'm a more than capable shooter. I've been shooting at a high level for 22 years and was trained by a high level competition shooter (my father) at a young age. You'll just have to take my word for it that I am a competent shooter. I tried the OCW method with both rl16 and h4350 and was unable to find a pattern with h4350. I didnt find a pattern with rl16, but was unable to get consistent groups. I would shoot a bug hole group and come back and shoot an inch group under the exact same conditions. I have also tried to use my chronograph to locate loads that give the lowest std-dev in velocities... I was able to find a pattern using this method aswell but with similar results...

[want2ride]

My 6.5 Creedmoor LRP has never had a copper cleaning done to it. 400 rounds through it right now and it is still a 1/2 moa shooter. It was a great shooter right off the bat, but other Savages that I have had (mainly the 10T) needed to get 60 rounds down the barrel without a cleaning to tighten it up. My brother doesn't even work up a load for his competition rifle until he has 120 down the pipe, and that is with an aftermarket barrel.

My best accuracy load is actually amazingly similar to the 140 ELD Match ammo from Hornady in speed (2840 FPS) and accuracy . I use 41.5 Grains of H4350, 140 ELD-M and Winchester primers in Hornady brass.

[want2ride]

Just a question, how far do you consider long range hunting? I have seen the 140, 143 and 147's from Hornady all take deer between300 and 400 yards from 6.5 Creedmoors and 6.5x47Lapua. The only difference was the 143 ELD-X had an exit and the 140 ELD-M and 147 ELD-M did not. I do believe that any of them would work dandy out farther, but I have no experience with that.

[Robinhood]

yep, stop cleaning.

[Delhiguy91]

When you say dont clean, do you use a power solvent? Or do you literally mean do not clean it at all?

[Delhiguy91]

The farm I hunt has the potential for shots over 600. The fact that the eld-x exits is why I want it for hunting. I'm sure the other bullets kill em just fine, but if I dont see them go down, tracking might be tough.

[wbm]

Seems to me that if your rifle is already shooting factory ammunition in .5-.75" that it would be more than adequate for hunting.

[LoneWolf]

How often have you been cleaning?

[Delhiguy91]

Every 20 to 30 rounds I clean to bare steel. This is when my factory load groups seemed to start opening up. I've never gone more than 40 rounds before cleaning to bare steel.

[Delhiguy91]

You're 100% right, but I'm kind of a perfectionist. I also shoot this rifle 1200 yards at steel. I'm not a "settle for adequate" kinda guy...

[LoneWolf]

You're going to clean your barrel till it quits before you ever shoot it out..... Let it settle in, you're beating yourself with that cleaning regime. I usually go 400-600rds before cleaning and I switch back and forth between BoreTech C4 and Eliminator. I never clean to bare metal, the copper fouling is needed for barrels to gain consistency.....

[LoneWolf]

In fact the more copper you clean out the more rounds it will take to settle back in.....

[Delhiguy91]

I've personally seen both sides of this coin with several of my own personal rifles. I'll stop cleaning the copper out! Thanks for your input! I'm assuming that you still use a powder solvent semi regularly? How frequently do you remove carbon fouling?

[wbm]

Good luck.

[LoneWolf]

BoreTech C4 is a carbon or powder Solvent. BoreTech Eliminator is a copper and carbon solvent. I alternate between the 2 of them every couple hundred rounds, but I've also ran barrels without cleaning for 2k straight before I cleaned them. I've shot out about 10-12 barrels in the last 4yrs and have found constant cleaning leads to much less consistency.

Basically every time you start to see consistency in your groups you're cleaning the rifle and the next range trip the condition of the bore is no longer the same as when you started to see good groups. You don't know what load is actually working best in your rifle because your bore condition has never been the same twice due to all the cleaning. I did a 15rds break in cycle on this current barrel and then started to see it get tighter and more consistent every session up to 125-150rds. Then between 150-175rds it gained about 20fps and tightened up to where it is in the picture I posted earlier. It now has 290rds on it after the first match I shot it in and placed 2nd only because I got lazy in the later part of the day and missed some shots that I normally wouldn't. I likely won't do anything to it till after the Gap Grind in October when I'll put 300+ rounds through it that weekend.

Once the rifle settles in and you can find a load just shoot it. when you run a carbon solvent through it, it shouldn't take more than 5-15rds to tighten back up. If you do a light copper cleaning (Never to bare metal) it should take more than 20-30 rounds to tighten back up.

[bsekf]

IMHO, if factory ammo shoots well and your handloads don't, you are doing something wrong. I thought fouling, but if factory shoots .6 it isn't fouled. Are you shooting VLD type bullets, long and pointed, you may have to go down in weight. The VLD type are temperamental as to jump. Some barrel like them jamed and some like them jumping 1/8 inch. Check the Berger site, they recommend you find the seating depth before you work on load and powder. My 6.5x47L likes 130 Bergers and Varget, .010 off.
Bill

[Delhiguy91]

I have mostly been shooting eld-x. I would really like to try 140 gr vld hunting bullets, but they're nowhere to be found.

I am not an inexperienced handloader, and have worked up successful handloads for a half dozen other rifles. I am using all premium reloading components, dies, scale, etc. I'm certain that as far as my handloading process goes, I am not doing anything "wrong". That said, obviously something is not right or else I wouldn't be having such difficulties.

[LoneWolf]

I would consider the 135grs classic Hunters before messing with the VLDs. They are very forgiving much like the Hybrids.