Advice on precision 6.5 Creedmoor rifle

[VaniB]

The .264 caliber bullet offers one of the highest ballistic coefficients available, with the 6.5 Creedmoor being a fine cartridge. And 6 years ago when the craze was still fairly new, I had a Rem 700 and Brux barrel custom smithed, for which I also made my own stock and I converted the Rem700 internal factory magazine box into a 10 shot AICS Detachable Mag. (which I still own today) The major benefit and reason for my choosing the 6.5 CM was to be able to fit those high BC, way loooong bullets into a SA 308 length case and an AICS mag. If not for that, I might very well have been just as happy choosing any number of LA cartridges in a high BC 7mm, or 308 caliber. I never quite understood the great advantage of limiting one's self with an SA over LA when the difference amounts to opening and closing the bolt 1/2" more. My custom rifle is heavy and designed for long distance varmint shooting and 100 yard target shooting in mind, plus I thought having a 5 & 10 round DM was cool like as in a sniper rifle. I almost chose the powerful and efficient 284 cartridge instead, until I decided it was overkill for shooting prarie dogs and 100 yard targets. But if I wanted a rifle to double for deer or other big game too, I'd likely have gone LA.

Just food for thought as you make your final decision which cartridge to choose.

 

[EasternNCwthunter]

The woods is pretty thick here in lots of places but luckily for me I own some land and hunt some family land that has some nice road cut through the property with food plots, probably 500 yards would be the longest shot, normally it would be 100-300 yards, what you think? I might be over doing it with the scope.

 

[lancexxx]

No 3 bartlien would be perfect on the atlas tact. In the manners elite tac

 

[Fast14riot]

Personally, I dont go crazy with ultralight hunting rifles and carry 10lbs of ammo. Pretty much if my rifle is under 10lbs I'm fine. I do spend more on making sure my other gear in my pack is light weight like sleeping bag and tent, because if I spot an animal and initiate a stalk I typically drop my pack anyway. An accurate rifle weighting 9lbs can be built for 1/4 the cost of a 6-7lb rifle. I have a fixed 10x scope on my 10.2lb 30-06 which will allow me to shoot a deer sized target out to 1000y if I want (simply an example, not looking for comments on ethics) but also not be too much magnification for less than 100y if I jump an animal in the sage.

But, if custom rifles were never needed, we surely would never build them. My hunting rifle is 101 years old, and is a tool first, it gets beat up.

Take this advice for what you paid for it...

 

[HTSmith]

What's your expected distance for your longest anticipated shot?

Most of Eastern North Carolina is so thickly wooded you'll seldom take a shot beyond a 100 yd, So you don't want to over scope the rifle.

I mean… do whatever you want… but I'm not sure a custom built precision rifle is necessary for hunting whitetail.

Thinking you may not have been to Eastern NC lately

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

Your intended purpose is to hunt whitetails. Why waste money on specialized equipment?

Unless defective, any off the shelf rifle will put the first shot within 1 inch of aim point. Most will do it within 1/2 inch. Any Savage or Remington will suffice right off the shelf.

If you are looking for a target rifle, then going the rout you describe would be a better choice. A scope is selected for how you are going to shoot. If you expect to have low light shots, then an expensive scope is a must. They always have better light gathering qualities.

For 30 years, my only hunting rifle was a 1962 Remington 700 BDL, in 30-06, with a Tasco 3-9 scope. Never had a shot over 150 yards and never had a miss. Shot two bear with it also. I am not advocating that caliber. The 6.5 Creedmoor will kill whitetail all day long.

What most forget, is that to kill game, skill and patience are more important that pricey equipment. More important is what you do prior to opening day. Spending time in the field looking for signs of deer and finding good hides will be the most beneficial thing you can do.

 

[AckleymanII]

I realize that this is a custom rifle forum. Consider a Rem 783 in a 6.5 creed, and get ready for a shock in terms of hunting accuracy.

 

[garandman]

Get an off the rack deer rifle and get a custom built precision rifle.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Go with your Rem(trued if you want) any top 4 barrel manufacturer heavy sporter- rem varmint contour finished (threaded for brake/tuner/suppressor) at 21 1/2". If your smith cuts a concentric chamber/thread you will have a top level deer hunting rifle/very fun 100-300 yard target rifle. At least that has been my experience on 3 hunting rifles(all stock rems with L___a barrels). Run a SAAMI chamber with 0 -1/2 the freebore.

 

[10XSHOOTER]

For the Money. A PTG blueprinted Stainless 700 action and PTG bolt for less than $700.00 is hard to beat.
Fluted bolt, M-16 extractor

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Sounds like Kelby’s new custom built “Koda” rifle might be just what we need. Thread on it on page 5 here.

 

[lawman29]

If you have the money go for it. You will then have a rifle you can go out west and hunt mule deer and antelope. I have a 6.5 cm with a manners elite tac, bartlein 3b, 700 action, Jewell trigger, sightron siii 6-24.

 

[Dgd6mm]

Nucleus action and a Bugholes barrel for a hunting build, or a good off the shelf hunting rifle like a Tikka.

 

[Pawnee Bill]

"Precision" & hunting is a difficult combination for one gun.

 

[Evan]

For a lightweight rifle in 6.5 creedmoor, I'd go with a short barrel. You won't miss the 50-100fps you'll lose hunting whitetails but the difference between a 26 or 24" barrel and a 20 or 18 inch barrel is huge when handling and carrying it.

 

[clunker]

Nucleus action and a Bugholes barrel for a hunting build, or a good off the shelf hunting rifle like a Tikka.

I was in the same boat as the OP, except on a much tighter budget. I wanted it light and weather resistant for deer hunting. My .223 Tikka was ridiculously accurate, so I opted for another Tikka in 6.5 CM superlite. It weighs in at 5.9 lbs before mounting a scope. I have yet to decide whether I made a good decision or not. The light weight is great for packing through the woods, but it comes at a cost. The light barrel is much more difficult to control. Sort of feels like trying to hold a power drill straight when it binds. The rifle twists every time you squeeze the trigger. Also, the recoil is barely less than my friend's 308 with both shooting 140 gr. The jury is still out on accuracy as I'm attempting my first handloads. Sounds like a fun project.

 

[Dgd6mm]

I was in the same boat as the OP, except on a much tighter budget. I wanted it light and weather resistant for deer hunting. My .223 Tikka was ridiculously accurate, so I opted for another Tikka in 6.5 CM superlite. It weighs in at 5.9 lbs before mounting a scope. I have yet to decide whether I made a good decision or not. The light weight is great for packing through the woods, but it comes at a cost. The light barrel is much more difficult to control. Sort of feels like trying to hold a power drill straight when it binds. The rifle twists every time you squeeze the trigger. Also, the recoil is barely less than my friend's 308 with both shooting 140 gr. The jury is still out on accuracy as I'm attempting my first handloads. Sounds like a fun project.

Sounds to me that you will not be happy with your choice.

 

[GSPV]

The woods is pretty thick here in lots of places but luckily for me I own some land and hunt some family land that has some nice road cut through the property with food plots, probably 500 yards would be the longest shot, normally it would be 100-300 yards, what you think? I might be over doing it with the scope.

You are overdoing it with a March. Put a Leupold or similar on it and go to town.

Below is mine. Tikka T3 action. Factory trigger with Ernie The Gunsmith Varmint trigger spring. Manners stock. Broughton magnum sporter barrel. CDI bottom metal that takes AI mags. It’s in 7x47 Lapua. Long story. Leupold 3x9 that I robbed off another of my rifles. It could really use a bit more magnification. Weighs about 8 lbs. It’ll shoot 3 shot cloverleafs at 100 yards.

 

[shadrac]

i would go with trigger tech trigger over timney

 

[GSPV]

A better picture. If you can find a T3 for cheap, I really recommend it for a factory action. I was raised “a Remington Man”, but, from the factory, the T3 has it all over the M700. I now have 3 rifles based on the T3. I couldn’t be happier. If I could change one thing, for a purely hunting rifle, I would have a blind mag with a hinged floor plate rather than the DBM.

Addendum: The T3 trigger, once you put an aftermarket trigger spring in it, is *excellent*. The trigger spring is $8. Not having to go to the full aftermarket trigger is one of the advantages of the T3.