Reloading 6.5 Creedmoor

[Ernest T]

It's a stout load....no doubt. Blanking is when the little disk of primer metal that the firing pin hits blows out and leaves a hole in the primer. The Savage firing pin is pretty big and the bolt hole is sloppy big for the pin to travel through. With the small primers and hot loads they crater pretty bad and can end up "blanking" out.

Custom actions will have smaller pins and tighter tolerances on the bolt hole to stop this from happening. For ~$65 you can have a Savage bolt milled out, slug inserted, smaller hole milled, and the firing pin thinned down. Works wonders if you want to push the loads higher...

Thanks for the explanation

[Dave Hoback]

I went with a PTG bolt head and machined a new Firing Pin with slightly more weight. It’s fit perfect in the hole & hits with more force, even under the lighter flat wire spring I’m using. Good setup. I get full primer ignition with only about .032” protrusion & the primer hit is centered nicely.

https://i.ibb.co/BPmsHwS/7-C2-CF311-CF10-4-E40-8-E87-97-ADCF6551-C3.jpg (https://ibb.co/9vJYmGC)

https://i.ibb.co/gFhjfWS/49-EFB3-E0-A69-F-4863-B4-FB-B505-A759189-E.jpg (https://ibb.co/yB7fZk6)

[celltech]

Here is a pic of my brass before and after bushing the bolt. The 2 rows in front are before and the back 2 are after...couple of blanked primers in there.

https://i.ibb.co/D7D5tMd/IMG-20220710-125519-1.jpg (https://ibb.co/9q9sN4P)

[charlie b]

If you feel you need the extra 100fps you can always just go to a larger cartridge. The 6BR is similar case. If I want a bit more I can go with a 6BRA (Ackley). A little more, the Dasher. More? 6CM. etc, etc. I can get MOA at 1000yd with the 6BR and that is the max range I shoot (mostly due to my shooting ability). Don't compete. Don't hunt so what more do I need?

I also keep in mind that the harder I push the bullets the less the barrel life. An important factor for me.

[Dave Hoback]

MAN! That’s some serious cratering! I went the “customization-alist” built way… LOL! However, bushing the Bolt is a fantastic means of keeping primer impact in check. If didn’t like building & making things so much, I would def. bush the bolt.

[celltech]

All of my Savage 12's crater to some extent, even on factory ammo. Once I switched to small primer brass and started handloading it only got worse ;-) The bushing works wonders on stopping it. In fact, I am mailing off a Howa 1500 bolt to get it bushed as it's cratering some Lapua SRP in .308.

It is what it is....

[Whynot]

Be very carful using data from the internet-- every rifle is different so hard to say- but many of the loads people talk about are definitely over pressure. Not saying that celltech's is- but that is pretty dang fast for a 16 barrel. On mine I ran into pressure at 41 of h4350 and backed off to 40.7 with a velocity of 2780 in a 24" barrel (starline brass).

[Ernest T]

MAN! That’s some serious cratering! I went the “customization-alist” built way… LOL! However, bushing the Bolt is a fantastic means of keeping primer impact in check. If didn’t like building & making things so much, I would def. bush the bolt.
Dave, did you do the machining yourself?

[Ernest T]

Here is a pic of my brass before and after bushing the bolt. The 2 rows in front are before and the back 2 are after...couple of blanked primers in there.

https://i.ibb.co/D7D5tMd/IMG-20220710-125519-1.jpg (https://ibb.co/9q9sN4P)

I haven’t had any issues with the loads I’ve been using so far. Can you expound on bushing the bolt?

[Ernest T]

Be very carful using data from the internet-- every rifle is different so hard to say- but many of the loads people talk about are definitely over pressure. Not saying that celltech's is- but that is pretty dang fast for a 16 barrel. On mine I ran into pressure at 41 of h4350 and backed off to 40.7 with a velocity of 2780 in a 24" barrel (starline brass).

Thats for sure. I only use published data from component manufacturers and even then start with a light load and work up. I have started a little higher than the bottom with published data that has a lot of steps. Hornady lists something like 7 different loads for RL-26 so starting at the bottom seems excessively cautious. Other powders only have four loads so skipping steps seems riskier.

[celltech]

I haven’t had any issues with the loads I’ve been using so far. Can you expound on bushing the bolt?

The guy mills out a hole in the bolt face. He then presses in an oversized slug, turns it down flat with the bolt face and drills out a new firing pin hole that is just larger than the firing pin. But the hole is smaller than stock as he thins down the firing pin tip to ~.062". He will also square up the bolt lugs while he has it chucked up...

You can just make out where the slug is if you look carefully...I think:

https://i.ibb.co/J2nC7Yc/IMG-20220710-175013.jpg (https://ibb.co/HY7XzcK)

[Ernest T]

The guy mills out a hole in the bolt face. He then presses in an oversized slug, turns it down flat with the bolt face and drills out a new firing pin hole that is just larger than the firing pin. But the hole is smaller than stock as he thins down the firing pin tip to ~.062". He will also square up the bolt lugs while he has it chucked up...

You can just make out where the slug is if you look carefully...I think:

https://i.ibb.co/J2nC7Yc/IMG-20220710-175013.jpg (https://ibb.co/HY7XzcK)

Pretty cool, who does that? Local gunsmith or back to the factory?

[Ernest T]

On similar topic, I've been using CCI Nr. 400 Small Rifle Primers in my Lapua brass and its been fine in hot weather. Has anyone had to use Nr. 450 magnum small rifle primers in cold weather?

BTW, I was able to order another hundred Lapua 6.5 CM brass from Sheels, its part nr. 4PH6011 which is what I've bought previously. It's the only place I've found SRP brass recently.

[celltech]

Pretty cool, who does that? Local gunsmith or back to the factory?

https://deshind.com/

[Ernest T]

https://deshind.com/

Thanks

[charlie b]

Just about any competent machinist can do it. Very common way to refurbish machinery.

[Dave Hoback]

Dave, did you do the machining yourself?

I didn’t bush my bolt.. no. I have a PTG Bolt Head. I can, but I don’t have a lathe, so I wouldn’t even try at the moment. I did machine the firing pin. I can turn small things like that. So if you you’re referring to the firing pin, yes. Below is the finished pin, with the new Flat wire spring & the stock pin (top) with my machined S7 steel pin.

[Dave Hoback]

But yes, if you want the bolt bushed (which will completely fix this), contact Desh. He’s a member as well. Though, I haven’t seen him post in some time.

[Ernest T]

Well, today wasn't a good day at the range, but it did beat any day at work!

I tried to finish up load development for the Winchester StaBall 6.5 powder, but it was just a little too breezy to shoot good groups. The wind was quartering from behind, and sometimes had a pretty good cross wind to it.

I got a few like this.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Firearms/i-gDfQmB4/0/766c5378/L/IMG_0331-L.jpg

And more like this.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Firearms/i-gsLrQ86/0/66e5279a/L/IMG_0333-L.jpg

I started where I finished off and worked up to the max load in the Hornady book, which was too hot.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Firearms/i-r72nLbV/0/b79383dc/L/IMG_0324-L.png

https://photos.smugmug.com/Firearms/i-WzT6b8Q/0/0711d06c/L/IMG_0323-L.png

https://photos.smugmug.com/Firearms/i-HPXPN4S/0/d66024d8/L/IMG_0322-L.png

https://photos.smugmug.com/Firearms/i-G6hTXCJ/0/91ca446d/L/IMG_0326-L.jpg

The first couple rounds at 43.7 gr were sub 2700 fps, but the next two were well over and resulted in blanked primers. I didn't even know that was a thing until celltech mentioned it the other day. I didn't shoot the last round since I need to back off a bit because it also flattened the primers a little. I'm not looking for 2700 FPS so backing off isn't a bad thing. For some reason I didn't get 2600 FPS out of the 42.9 gr load the other day and did today. I'd be happy with that load if it stays consistently above 2600 FPS. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we'll get a few calm days next week.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Firearms/i-pc6pm8q/0/9a1fa7f5/L/IMG_0335-L.jpg

I'll go back to

[Ernest T]

But yes, if you want the bolt bushed (which will completely fix this), contact Desh. He’s a member as well. Though, I haven’t seen him post in some time.

I may need to do that now that I experienced the same thing.