Update on the creedmoor after mod

[steelfingers]

At the range today, I got to shoot a few rounds thru a guy's Ruger Precision rifle in 6.5 Creed. I was very impressed! Low recoil and quiet (it was suppressed).

Guy at the range, today, had one as well. I've shot them before, but man that things sweet. Dressed up like a prom queen that put's out.
Staying with the poor man's gun and get as much as I can from it. Still think it has a lot to do with the man behind the trigger (me).
By the way, one of the guys had a Zastava MP 22 R and asked me to try the trigger. It was crisp and lite. Guessed it was set just under 2 lbs. He thought I'd be impressed, and I was, but I told him I had a friend with a true precision 22, that all you have to do is blink and it goes bang. THAT'S YOU M&M>>Ha!
I am going to reduce the timney to about 2.5 to see how it feels. So much of my issues are trigger control and I know it.

 

[mightymouse]

Okay, let's talk about intent and purpose(s) here. What role do you have in mind for this rifle? What is its ultimate purpose? In stock form, I see it as a sort of "walking varmint" rifle. A lightweight sporting stock, a lightweight barrel, and a low-recoiling, extremely accurate cartridge, in a package suitable for carrying about in the field in search of varmints like coyotes and pigs--doesn't this sound like what you have?

You've shot the RPR (Ruger Precision Rifle), probably from the bench. Isn't that rifle much easier to shoot from the bench? It should be, since that was Ruger's intention. Fully adjustable stock, pistol grip, a heavier barrel than the lightweight sporter contour on your rifle, and a number of other features that all add up to a rifle that is easy to shoot well from the bench. Would it make a good lightweight "walking varmint" rifle? No, but it was not so intended. It was designed to be shot from a rested position.

You may remember the three Anschutzs I brought to a recent Eat-N-Shoot. One of them, a 1422, was liked by several of the folks that shot it because its trigger was much more manageable than the other two. That rifle has killed a house fly at 50 yards, from the bench, using premium ammo. Now, if I had to make that shot, say, five times out of ten, would I choose that 1422? No! It can be very accurate, but it is limited as a bench rest gun because of its sporter stock. It has a roll-over Monte Carlo stock and a narrow fore end, both of which make it a joy to shoot offhand--which, of course, is what it was designed to do--but the narrow, lightweight fore end in particular makes it hard to get consistent accuracy from the bench.

What rifle would I choose if I had to hit that fly 5 out of 10 times from a rest at 50 yards? That 54.18 with the 3 oz trigger and the target stock! It is a wonderful gun to shoot from the bench. Now, if the game sought were, instead, squirrels out in the piney woods, I'd take that 1422 over the 54.18 in a heartbeat. One is a lightweight (relatively speaking) sporter, and the other is a dedicated target rifle. The lightweight sporter, accurate enough to have once hit a fly at 50 yards, is not as accurate a gun off the bench as the heavy barreled 54.18.

So, what do you want out of your 6.5 CM? It is surely accurate enough to hit critters out in the field at just about any distance you can see well at, but if you want to punch bug-holes in paper, the RPR is/was a better choice.

 

[steelfingers]

Okay, let's talk about intent and purpose(s) here. What role do you have in mind for this rifle? What is its ultimate purpose? In stock form, I see it as a sort of "walking varmint" rifle. A lightweight sporting stock, a lightweight barrel, and a low-recoiling, extremely accurate cartridge, in a package suitable for carrying about in the field in search of varmints like coyotes and pigs--doesn't this sound like what you have?

You've shot the RPR (Ruger Precision Rifle), probably from the bench. Isn't that rifle much easier to shoot from the bench? It should be, since that was Ruger's intention. Fully adjustable stock, pistol grip, a heavier barrel than the lightweight sporter contour on your rifle, and a number of other features that all add up to a rifle that is easy to shoot well from the bench. Would it make a good lightweight "walking varmint" rifle? No, but it was not so intended. It was designed to be shot from a rested position.

You may remember the three Anschutzs I brought to a recent Eat-N-Shoot. One of them, a 1422, was liked by several of the folks that shot it because its trigger was much more manageable than the other two. That rifle has killed a house fly at 50 yards, from the bench, using premium ammo. Now, if I had to make that shot, say, five times out of ten, would I choose that 1422? No! It can be very accurate, but it is limited as a bench rest gun because of its sporter stock. It has a roll-over Monte Carlo stock and a narrow fore end, both of which make it a joy to shoot offhand--which, of course, is what it was designed to do--but the narrow, lightweight fore end in particular makes it hard to get consistent accuracy from the bench.

What rifle would I choose if I had to hit that fly 5 out of 10 times from a rest at 50 yards? That 54.18 with the 3 oz trigger and the target stock! It is a wonderful gun to shoot from the bench. Now, if the game sought were, instead, squirrels out in the piney woods, I'd take that 1422 over the 54.18 in a heartbeat. One is a lightweight (relatively speaking) sporter, and the other is a dedicated target rifle. The lightweight sporter, accurate enough to have once hit a fly at 50 yards, is not as accurate a gun off the bench as the heavy barreled 54.18.

So, what do you want out of your 6.5 CM? It is surely accurate enough to hit critters out in the field at just about any distance you can see well at, but if you want to punch bug-holes in paper, the RPR is/was a better choice.

I would like to be taller.

 

[mightymouse]

I would like to be taller.

Stand on a bucket.

 

[steelfingers]

Stand on a bucket.

I tried that but not much help. Turns out it was a factory bucket and I needed a precision bucket.

 

[mightymouse]

One rifle that I didn't bring to that Eat-N-Shoot was an Anschutz 1710 DHB. It has a straight comb (like a traditional American stock) a wider, fuller fore end (which makes it ride the bags much better than the Euro-styled 1422), a marvelous trigger, and a heavy barrel. In a pinch it could be used in the squirrel woods, and it is the closest thing I have to an all-around rifle. It is very accurate, but, at the end of the day, it is more of a sporter, and it is not as accurate as my bench guns. There really is no such thing as a true all-round rifle, IMO.

 

[doctorjj]

Here's a 5 shot group I shot with Hornady factory 6.5 Creedmoor ammo through my gun. Factory Hornady is very good, very consistent stuff especially if you match lot numbers.

 

[steelfingers]

Here's a 5 shot group I shot with Hornady factory 6.5 Creedmoor ammo through my gun. Factory Hornady is very good, very consistent stuff especially if you match lot numbers.

Super shooting. More info please. What gun, grain and anything else. VERY NICE and thanks for posting the report.

 

[doctorjj]

Here's a 5 shot group I shot with Hornady factory 6.5 Creedmoor ammo through my gun.

Super shooting. More info please. What gun, grain and anything else. VERY NICE and thanks for posting the report.

It will shoot the Hornady 140gr ELD or the 143gr ELD-X equally well. It's a custom rifle by Stuteville Precision. Based on a surgeon action and Kreiger barrel setting in an AICS chassis. I've got a Bushnell 5-30x50 XRS on it right now. Not the best glass but the mechanicals have been perfect for me.

 

[swampratt]

You mentioned trigger control.
Something that improved my distance shooting was gun control.
I had to make sure my cheek weld was exactly the same every time the amount of grip from my trigger hand to the stock.
The amount of pressure that I applied to my shoulder from the gun was a big one.
You change that just a little bit and the groups got larger.
Then you have your other hand or a bag on the forend or possibly a bipod.
You need to have the hand or bag in the exact same place every time.
Keep your thumb or fingers off the barrel also. Resting part of the thumb on the barrel can pull the shot 1/2" out of the group at 100 yards.

100 yards doesn't tell me a thing about what the gun and load can really do. Step out to 200.
I have many loads that shoot .4" or some 1/2 of that at 100 but at 200 or farther they fall apart. Like 4" or larger at 200.
Then my good loads will stay sub moa to 500 in many different temperatures but look horrible at 100. Like 3/4" at 100.. Which is fine but does not impress when you want bragging rights for your tiny 100 yard group.

My little savage axis .223 shooting at 500 yards with hand loaded 55 V-Max first 2 shots .7" apart one right above the other.
Shot 3 I choked and held the gun different, I was rewarded with that round 5" to the right of the other 2. for a 5" 3 shot group.
When I pulled the trigger I knew I screwed it.