Disclaimer- This article is for educational purposes only. West Elk Precision LLC is not liable for any injuries or harm with the use of this information. When performing load development follow manufacturers recommendations and utilize a reloading handbook.
6mm Creedmoor is becoming more and more popular each day. With recent results showing the 6mm Creedmoor being a viable option for harvesting deer and even elk at respectable distances, the 6mm Creedmoor is going to become more and more popular. While searching for a good starting point in my load development, I found there is very little information about short-barreled 6mm Creedmoor load development. I have created plenty of loads for the standard 24” and 26” 6mm creedmoor but I wasn’t sure if the typical H4350 load would produce the speeds I was looking for with this build.
Best Powder for a Short Barreled 6mm Creedmoor
I have burned out 4 different 6mm creedmoor barrels shooting PRS competitions with 26-28 inch barrels. In each of these rifles I used 4350 or Reloader 26. For the short barreled 6mm creedmoor I wanted to use a faster burning powder. I referenced the Hodgdon burn rate chart and found that Shooters World Precision Rifle was what I was looking for and I had plenty on the shelf.
Best Bullet for Hunting with the 6mm Creedmoor
Bullet selection is a hot topic right now among the long range shooting community. Long-range hunters are debating over deep penetrating bullets and match bullets and what will perform the best on animals. Personally I have been a shooting match bullet for hunting since I started my precision rifle journey. For this rifle I decided I would start with the 108 ELDM.
Components used for load development
Brass- Lapua Small Rifle Primer 6mm Creedmoor Brass
Primers- CCI 450 Small Rifle Magnum Primer
Powder- Shooters World Precision Rifle Powder
Bullet- Hornady 108 ELDM
Short Barreled 6mm Creedmoor Ladder Test
I start my load development by performing a ladder test. Since there was very little information about the Shooters World Precision Rifle Powder in the 6mm Creedmoor I decided to start at a very easy load and work my way up until I see pressure. For this ladder test, I would start at 41 grains
|
Powder Charge |
Velocity |
|
41 grains |
2940 fps – no pressure |
|
41.5 grains |
2989 – no pressure |
|
42 grains |
3028 – slightly heavy bolt lift |
|
42.5 grains |
3061 – heavy bolt lift and ejector swipe |
To my surprise I was already surpassing the speeds I was hoping to see. I felt a little uncomfortable with the speeds I was seeing so I decided to load 5 rounds at 40.5 grains and shoot it for accuracy to see what speeds and accuracy I was getting. The Results
|
40.5 grains SW Precision Rifle |
2910 fps |
SD - 8 |
ES - 14 |
At that point I decided it was likely this load was going to work perfect for this rifle. I loaded up 30 rounds (enough for this hunting season) and went to test the load at distance. Unfortunately I forgot my steel target so I had to shoot at a rock on the hillside. I measured the rock with my reticle which measured .3 mils (slightly under 1 moa) at 634 yards. Using my kestrel I got a wind call and hit the rock 3 times in a row. Load development was complete!
I appreciate you reading through this and if you have any questions about the short barreled 6mm Creedmoor feel free to give us a call! This is just the start of this rifle and I will be shooting it a bunch as hunting season approaches.