Freebore question:6.5 Creedmoor

[Edd]

All three of my savage barrels are close to each other with 143eldx hitting the lands when new at 2.880, 2.882 & 2.888. These chambers are saami .199. After 3 or 400 rounds they all are at 2.890 or just a tad less.
If your barrel truly shoots great it might be wise to set it back and rechamber with a known reamer.

If yours measure that length and mine measure 2.905", I wonder whose reamer is out of spec. Or maybe Hornady bullets have a .025" tolerance.

 

[Hiwayman92]

Ha! This is the exact reason I wanted some input on this. It seems SAAMI reamer specs are like buying a pair of shoes or a pair of pants. All supposed to be the same size, but every brand fits different!

 

[Greyfox]

Mine and a couple of my buddies Ruger Precision Rifles in 6.5 CM are running 2.89" to the lands with the 143 ELD-x. My hand loads are seated at 2.810" COAL(to fit/feed in my mags) and produce excellent groups/ES. The ELR-x's Seem to run fine with .070" of jump.

 

[KR260]

I'd like my coal to be 2.85 or so. I think that would feed ok in the Tikka CTR Mag. I'm kicking around changing the bottom metal to AI mag style, but I think they're even shorter?

I have loaded the ELDX, ELDM, 140 RDF out to 2.94" in my CTR mags and they fed fine. What are yours doing that is causing the unreliable feeding?

 

[KR260]

I thought about that, but it's a 20" barrel which is pretty slow. I'm going to try a 26" Bartlein 5r 7.5 twist in Remington Varmint contour. With Reloder 26 I should be able to be in the 2,900 fps range.

My 20" 6.5 CTR barrel is 180fps slower than a 23.5" Bartlein that I have for the same rifle. 2840fps vs 2660fps, both with Re16.

 

[jshepherd61]

I have a Tikka CTR in 6.5 Creedmoor. When I run the 143 ELD-X as long as I can fit in the mag 2.901", the gun shoots lights out. However, the cartridges do not reliably feed at this length. The COAL to the lands is 2.940. That seems rediculously long, right? SAAMI is supposed to be 2.80. I get no accuracy as I stuff the bullets back into the case to fit the mag. As depressing as it is, I'm going to rebarrel a 1/4 minute gun to make it usable.

My question is, does this COAL sound normal for a high quality SAAMI spec reamer, or did Tikka go way long? If this length is common, I will have to have a custom reamer designed. I'm looking for insight from guys that have used quality Reamers with SAAMI specs, and curious to know their COAL with the 143 ELD-X. I'd prefer to use a JGS SAAMI reamer, but am scared to end up in the same boat all over again on the new barrel.

Typical TIKKA problem. Great gun but not many sources for after market option! Call Fritz at Mile High Shooting in Erie, CO. He just finished a LR TIKKA build for a friend. He was able to find one source for an extended bottom metal and magazine but still limited by the bolt design!

 

[schmi015]

1. Don't do anything to change the gun. I have a tikka t3 ctr 20in that shoots lights out with factory hornady 143's. I don't have any on hand to measure for you.

2. Go buy a box and measure the cartridge oal on them because they mag feed from my ctr mag and shoot sub half moa.

3. If it still doesn't feed reliably open up the lips on the magazine just a bit so the cartridge sits just a little higher. It will feed like butter.

 

[skipglo]

I have a Tikka CTR in 6.5 Creedmoor. When I run the 143 ELD-X as long as I can fit in the mag 2.901", the gun shoots lights out. However, the cartridges do not reliably feed at this length. The COAL to the lands is 2.940. That seems rediculously long, right? SAAMI is supposed to be 2.80. I get no accuracy as I stuff the bullets back into the case to fit the mag. As depressing as it is, I'm going to rebarrel a 1/4 minute gun to make it usable.

My question is, does this COAL sound normal for a high quality SAAMI spec reamer, or did Tikka go way long? If this length is common, I will have to have a custom reamer designed. I'm looking for insight from guys that have used quality Reamers with SAAMI specs, and curious to know their COAL with the 143 ELD-X. I'd prefer to use a JGS SAAMI reamer, but am scared to end up in the same boat all over again on the new barrel.

First off I would contact Tikka. Let them fix the mistake and send you a new barrel. And with 1/4 moa..... I would keep the one you have to use as a target barrel single shot ...lol

 

[Hiwayman92]

I have been loading them at 2.901. The rounds in the mag sometimes get the tips flattened from recoil from bouncing off the end of the magazine.

As far as feeding, sometimes when I push the bolt forward the bullets don't slide up into the chamber, no matter how hard you push. It takes additional manipulation. The other times, the bullet isn't high enough in the mag to get picked up by the bolt so it can get pushed forward.

I've tried these bullets from 2.80 all the way to 2.901. They don't shoot well until they are at 2.901. I love this gun, but think I'd like it better if it were 200 fps faster and fed more reliably.

 

[schmi015]

That totally sounds like you need to just bend, open your feed lips just a little up front and a little less that what you did up front in the back. Post a pic of how the round sits in the magazine.

 

[L.Sherm]

Are you totally set on shooting the 143 you could try some 130 bergers at about 2.86 that's were my nephews wifes creed shoots well. Might just fix your feeding and accuracy issues. I doudt you would loose hardly any drop difference to 500

 

[Litehiker]

The problem with Tikka rifles is their proprietary magazine. You can't use an AI or AccurateMag magazine to use a longer COAL cartridge. And of course Tikka mags are d@mned expensive!

That's why I have a 6.5 CM Browning X-Bolt Pro, decently long inside mag measurements and enough material to Dremel a bit off the inside front of the mag if necessary. So far it handles 147 gr. Hornady ELD-M rounds well.

Eric B.

 

[Hiwayman92]

The gun is at the gunsmith right now so I can't send any pics. The spring does seem a little weak though. I see grayboe makes bottom metal for the CTR that accepts AICS mags. I have no experience with them... is that the same as AI mags? Anyone know how long of case you can fit in the short action aics mag?

 

[schmi015]

Ctr internal length is 2.96 but you have that little ramp at the end. Which could make it 2.82

AI is 2.89 with restrictor plate
2.98 without a restrictor plate.

You can use pliers or something else but this little piece of aluminum makes it easy to bend feed lips.
This is with a wsm but with it low it feeds poorly. But with the mag lips a little wider it's feeds perfect.