I finished up a customer rifle with a 22" 6.5 Creedmoor ICR barrel today. I got some velocity numbers with my Labradar and I was impressed!

I was using Hornady 147 grain ELDM match ammunition. The projectile has a BC of 0.691! My average velocity was 2624 FPS. I plugged the numbers into JBM Ballistics and it turns out that the load stays supersonic out to 1,300 yards!




My highest velocity shot of the string was 2640. I plugged in the numbers for that shot and the bullet makes it out to 1,400 yards!


If I compare it to my Bula 22" 6.5 CM barrel, the velocity out of that barrel was 2580 FPS using the exact same factory ammo. That barrel will still take you out to 1,300 yards

That's a 40 to 60 FPS velocity gain that the ICR has over conventional rifling. Basically, it takes out out an extra 100 yards.

Looks like I'll have to rebuild one of my M14's with this barrel.

Tony.

It's nice to see that your ICR barrels are a little faster than your other barrels. Higher MV is always good at distance.

I do not consider 2624 fps with factory Hornady 147 ELD in a 22" barrel an earth-shattering number. It's in the low-end ballpark of what my Bartlein and Krieger barrels do with Hornady factory -- both bolt action and AR10. My 26" bolt barrel #2 averaged 2755 with the batches of H-147 that I tested. Pull 100 fps from that (4 inches at an estimated 25 feet per inch) and you get 2655 fps. My current 26" barrel #3 initially averaged 2735 with the same ammo, but sped up to 2820 to 2825 -- depending on ammo batch.

As for the down-range results of the 147 ELD bullet..... well, I'll stick with Hornady factory 140 ELD. I've had this discussion with Sigfreund a few times. The 147 loads & bullets are quite accurate at shorter ranges, possibly even better than the 140s. I find the 147's published B.C. is overstated. Buddies who shoot 6.5 PRC in ELR events say the same thing.

While warming up in the day before an ELR event in Wyoming, 2 competitors next to me were struggling with elevation dope at distances of 700-1400 yards with their 147 ELD loads. The gal shot a 6.5CM, the guy shot a 6.5 PRC. They noted how my 6.5CM with 140s was pretty well dialed for dope for all distances. I suggested that they recalculate their dope with a BC somewhere between the published .646 of the 140 and .697 of the 147, and try again. IIRC, they split the difference, then came back on the days of competition with respectable results.

I will never state that the 140 ELD is a perfect bullet. It tracks elevation well to 1200 yards with JBM, but at 1300 yards and beyond I start adding elevation to my dope. But the 140 flies fairly predictably out to 1800 yards, which is the farthest I've hit targets with it. MV at this point is Mach 1.0 and the bullet is still flying nose-first with minimal wobble. I have engaged targets to 2100 yards, but never hit them. MV is under Mach .9 at high altitude and bullets still land on a fairly consistent elevation compared to the target. But getting the elevation dope and the wind is a bitch at that distance with 6.5CM -- the bullets have really run out of steam.

6.5 PRC buddies state that the 147 ELD appears to wobble a bit more than the 140 ELD in transonic through subsonic speeds, as they find some variation in elevation POI. They are much more comfortable with the SMK 150 for a high-BC ELD bullet.

I don't know if you seriously intend to shoot a 6.5CM beyond 1000 yards. I can attest that it's not an easy proposition. Yes, the bullets fly that far. Yes, once you confirm dope with live targets (not ballistic programs) the POI elevation can be pretty consistent. But wind holds are a real challenge beyond 1000 yards. There are folks who shoot 6.5CM quite well at moderate ELR distances. 6.5CM recoil is pretty tame for a cartridge that flies that far. Nevertheless, 6.5CM bullets are wheezing at such distances and there are magnum chambers that perform better.

Yeah I think I need one last hurrah with one of these barrels..